act

drive, do

Quick Summary

The Latin root act means “do.” This Latin root is the word origin of a large number of English vocabulary words, including actor, action, and active. The root act is easily recalled via the word act, for an act is something having been “done.”

Actors Act or "Do" It!

The Latin root word act means “do.” Today we will “do” our best towards learning many words with the root act in them, so let’s just “do” it!

When people act, they “do” something. An act, therefore, is something “done.” For instance, actors act in a play or movie, or “do” their part. The acting provides the action or the “doing” of the play, except during intermission when there is inaction or no “doing,” at least on stage. The audience’s reaction to the acting is its “doing” back or response to what has transpired onstage. Hopefully the audience will react positively, or “do” back some loud applause!

For the purpose of one’s health, it is best to be active, or physically “do” activities such as running or hiking, which are better than being inactive, or not “doing” things. Before one’s health fails, it is best to be proactive, or “doing” things that tend to ensure one’s good health. And if one is exacting in exercising, that is, thoroughly “doing” it, one might not get sick hardly ever at all!

Imagine you buy a car. The “buying” is a transaction, that is, a “doing” where the buyer gets the car and the seller gets the money for the car. A car seller will probably not demand an exact amount of money, that is, making the buyer “do” a precise sum, but rather the seller will probably lower the stated price in an attempt to sell the vehicle. Hence, the actual or “done” amount will probably not be the sticker price, but rather something less than that.

Now that we have activated your knowledge of the root act, you will no longer not be able to “do” words with that root in them!

  1. act: to “do”
  2. act: something “done”
  3. actor: one who “does” her part in a play
  4. action: the state of “doing”
  5. inaction: the state of not “doing”
  6. activity: a “doing”
  7. reaction: a “doing” back
  8. react: to “do” back
  9. active: of “doing” things
  10. inactive: of not “doing” things
  11. proactive: of “doing” beforehand
  12. exacting: thoroughly “doing”
  13. transaction: a “doing” across from a seller to a buyer
  14. exact: a very accurate “doing”
  15. actual: of that which was “done”
  16. activate: to start something “doing”

Usage

  • active

    An active person likes to move and has lots of energy.

  • exact

    An exact figure is correct or all right—there is nothing wrong at all.

  • reaction

    A reaction to something is a person's response to it or how they act when it happens.

  • act

    perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)

  • activate

    put in motion or move to act

  • activity

    any specific behavior

  • actor

    a theatrical performer

  • actress

    a female actor

  • actual

    presently existing in fact and not merely potential or possible

  • counteract

    act in opposition to

  • deactivate

    remove from active military status or reassign

  • enact

    order by virtue of superior authority

  • inaction

    the state of being inactive

  • interaction

    a mutual or reciprocal action

  • radioactive

    exhibiting or caused by radioactivity

  • react

    show a response or a reaction to something

  • reactive

    participating readily in reactions

  • redact

    formulate in a particular style or language

  • reenactment

    performing a role in an event that occurred at an earlier time

  • retroactive

    descriptive of any event or stimulus or process that has an effect on the effects of events or stimuli or process that occurred previously

  • transact

    conduct business

Differentiated vocabulary for your students is just a click away.