Word Confusion: Act versus Action

Posted January 1, 2019 by kddidit in Author Resources, Self-Editing, Word Confusions, Writing

Revised as of
18 Oct 2022

Don’t feel bad about being confused over these Word Confusions, they are a pair of paronyms with action being a derivative of act. The primary difference is that act is a specific deed that actually happens whereas action is more of an abstract in which you may accomplish the deed or you may simply intend to do it.

Much like those New Year’s resolutions we action. We intend to perform them, but we don’t necessarily act on them. You know the ones. I will take action on finishing that danged The 500: An Assemblage of Word Confusions. I will take action on that diet plan. I will take action and finish that kitchen spice cart I so desperately want. Yeah . . . I’m good at planning all those actions. Following through with actual acts? Hey, I mean well . . .

Word Confusions . . .

. . . started as my way of dealing with a professional frustration with properly spelled words that were out of context in manuscripts I was editing as well as books I was reviewing. It evolved into a sharing of information with y’all. I’m hoping you’ll share with us words that have been a bête noire for you from either end.

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Act	Action
The Wrath of Eugene by Prince Roy is under the CC BY 2.0 license, via Foter.com. — That Eugene. He likes to act out.	Windsurfer by Scattlecat is under the Pixabay License, via Pixabay. — There’s a lot of action in windsurfing.
Part of Grammar:
Abbreviation; Noun; Verb, intransitive & transitive Plural for the noun: acts Gerund: acting Third person present verb: acts Past tense or past participle: acted Present participle: acting	Adjective; Noun; Verb, transitive Plural for the noun: actions Gerund: actioning Third person present verb: actions Past tense or past participle: actioned Present participle: actioning
Abbreviation: Trademark for American College Test Australian Capital Territory Association of Classroom Teachers Noun: Anything done, being done, or to be done A deed [Acts or Acts of the Apostles] A New Testament book immediately following the Gospels and relating the history of the early Church The process of doing [In singular noun] A pretense [With adjective or noun modifier] A particular type of behavior or routine False show Feint A written ordinance of Congress, or another legislative body A statute A document attesting a legal transaction [Often acts; dated] The recorded decisions or proceedings of a committee or an academic body A formal decision, law, or the like, by a legislature, ruler, court, or other authority A decree or edict Judgment, resolve, or award A main division of a play, ballet, or opera A set performance A short performance by one or more entertainers, usually part of a variety show or radio or television program A performing group [Philosophy; in scholasticism] Activity in process Operation The principle or power of operation Form as determining essence A state of realization, as opposed to potentiality Verb, intransitive: Take action Do something [act on] Take action according to or in the light of [act for] Take action in order to bring about [act for; act on behalf of] Represent (someone) on a contractual, legal, or paid basis [act from; act out of] Be motivated by [With adverbial] Behave in the way specified [act as; act like] Behave in the manner of [act as] To operate or function in a particular way Perform specific duties or functions Have the effect of Take effect Have a particular effect Perform a fictional role in a play, movie, or television production [With complement] Behave so as to appear to be Pretend to be To do something Exert energy or force Be employed or operative To reach, make, or issue a decision on some matter To be capable of being performed [Usually followed by for] To serve or substitute Verb, transitive: Perform a part or role [act something out] Perform a narrative as if it were a play [Psychoanalysis; act something out] Express repressed or unconscious feelings in overt behavior To behave as To feign Counterfeit [Obsolete] To actuate	Adjective: Characterized by brisk or dynamic action Noun: The fact or process of doing something, typically to achieve an aim The way in which something such as a chemical has an effect or influence The events represented in a story or play [Informal] Exciting or notable activity [As exclamation] Used by a movie director as a command to begin A thing done An act A gesture or movement A manner or style of doing something, typically the way in which a mechanism works or a person moves The mechanism that makes a machine or instrument work Armed conflict A military engagement A legal process A lawsuit Verb, transitive: Take action on Deal with
Examples:
Abbreviation: How did you do on your ACT? ACT is Australia’s federal district with Canberra as its capitol. Noun: It was a criminal act. The act of writing down one’s thoughts. They were caught in the act. Chasing down that mugger was an act of heroism. The Gospel of St John precedes the Acts of the Apostles (the second book written by St. Luke) and and is followed by the Letter of St. Paul to the Romans in the New Testament of the Bible. She was putting on an act and laughing a lot. He did his Sir Galahad act. The act to abolish slavery was a long time coming. A surgeon’s incision is a legal act, whereas stabbing is an illegal one. The Brown Act applies to the meetings of all legislative bodies. Shakespeare’s Henry V takes place in five acts. Hurry, Mavis is doing her one-woman poetry act. Next up is some act called the Apple Blossom Sisters. The act broke up after 30 years. The politician’s pious remarks were all an act. Verb, intransitive: They urged Washington to act. Governments must act to reduce pollution. I shall certainly act on his suggestion. It depends on one’s ability to act for community change. He chose an attorney to act for him. Admit it, you acted from greed. They followed the man who was seen acting suspiciously. He acts as if he owned the place. Try to act like civilized adults. They need volunteers to act as foster parents. The prosecutor hopes a five-year sentence will act as a deterrent. Bacteria acts on proteins and sugar. She acted in her first professional role at the age of six. I acted dumb at first. He acted promptly in the emergency. I am required to act before noon tomorrow. Paul is to act as manager. The medicine failed to act. Angela has been taught to act well under all conditions. Just act interested, even if you’re bored. He acted in three plays by Molière. His plays don’t act well. In my absence the assistant manager will act for me. Verb, transitive: He acted the role of the dragon. He got the chance to act out other people’s jobs. The drama club encourages students to act out the stories. Some human beings act out the impulses of hatred and killing. He acted the fool. It was but an act of outraged virtue.	Adjective: Raiders of the Lost Ark is a classic action movie. Man, that movie was action-packed! Your son really is all-action, isn’t he. Action verbs show physical or mental action and are either transitive or intransitive. Noun: He vowed to take tougher action against persistent offenders. If there is a breach of regulations, we will take action. The seeds require the catalytic action of water to release hotness. The action is set in the country. People in the media want to be where the action is. Andrew loves the nonstop action of mountain biking. Skin divers were close at hand, ready to go into action if the stunt went wrong. He is a liberation theologist, a man of action who gets on with it rather than talking about it. He’s out of action for the duration. Lights, camera, action! She frequently questioned his actions. I would not be responsible for my actions if I saw him. His actions emphasized his words. The weapon has speed and smooth action. There is high paddle action in canoeing. Jenny wants a piano with an escapement action. Too many servicemen were listed as missing in action during the war. The unit fought a rearguard action. They’re bringing an action for damages. Verb, transitive: Your request will be actioned. Anything that is pressed on the keyboard while it is in sleep mode, however, is finally actioned after the computer has detected it again. Those recommendations have now been actioned. Every test required was actioned quickly with results received within a short time. I have made numerous calls to the so called Help Line and nothing is ever actioned. That is why I actioned the share transfer of 6,250 shares.
Derivatives:
Adjective: actable, acting, unacted, well-acted Noun: actability, acting, actor, actress, actuation, actuator, postact Verb, intransitive: misact Verb, transitive: actuate, preact	Adjective: actionable, actionless, proaction Noun: nonaction, preaction
Phrasal Verb
act on act out act up act upon get one’s act together have one’s act together
History of the Word:
Late Middle English from the Latin actus meaning event, thing done, from act- (done), from the verb agere and reinforced by the French noun acte.	Late Middle English via the Old French from the Latin actio(n-), from agere meaning do, act.

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C’mon, get it out of your system, bitch, whine, moan . . . which words are your pet peeves? Also, please note that I try to be as accurate as I can, but mistakes happen or I miss something. Email me if you find errors, so I can fix them . . . and we’ll all benefit!

Satisfy your curiosity about other Word Confusions on its homepage or more generally explore the index of self-editing posts. You may also want to explore Book Layout & Formatting Ideas, Formatting Tips, Grammar Explanations, Linguistics, Publishing Tips, the Properly Punctuated, Writing Ideas and Resources, and Working Your Website.

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