How to Change a Noun to a Verb

Last Updated: February 9, 2023

There are some situations where you may need to change a noun to a verb. If English is your second language, there are some verbs and nouns that are commonly confused. While it may take some time and practice, you can eventually learn the right forms. Even native speakers may sometimes use nouns as verbs in colloquial language. If you choose to do this, make sure to choose widely accepted nouns as verbs. Avoid changing unusual nouns into verbs, especially in more formal writing.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Correcting Commonly Confused Verbs and Nouns

1
Use "advise" rather than "advice." As there is only one letter that's different, mixing up "advice" and "advise" is a common mistake even for native speakers. If you're using the verb form of the word, use "advise" instead of "advice."^{[1]
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- For example, the sentence, "The teacher adviced the students on their plans for college" is incorrect. Instead, you should write, "The teacher advised the students on their plans for college."
2
Use "affect" instead of "effect." The words affect and effect are commonly confused. "Effect" is the noun form of the word, and would be used in a sentence like, "The recent changes to foreign policy have had many effects abroad." The word "affect" is the verb form, and would be used in a sentence liked, "Changes in U.S foreign policy affected communities abroad."^{[2]
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3
Do not use words ending in "-ion" as verbs. Due to the way verbs are conjugated in other languages, if you're learning English, you may be confused over words that end in "-ion". These words are always nouns and have shortened forms that are used as verbs.
- If you're describing the act of becoming confused, the verb is "confuse." The noun is "confusion." For example, either say, "The seminar caused confusion for the students," or "The seminar confused the students."
- If you're describing decision making, "decision" is the noun form and the verb form is "decide." For example, either say, "The judge came to a decision," or "The judge decided."
- If you're describing the act of predicting something, the verb is "predict" and not "prediction." For example, either say, "The psychic made a grim prediction," or "The psychic predicted bad news."

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using Common Noun-as-Verb Conversions

1
Use body parts as verbs. While it was once widely considered incorrect, it's now very commonplace to hear people use body parts as verbs. Body parts such as eye, nose, elbow, and shoulder are widely accepted as verbs in certain contexts.^{[3]
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- For example, take the sentences "The hungry man eyed his friend's plate of food," or "The siblings elbowed each other in the back of the car." Most people would not consider these incorrect.
2
Make technical terms into verbs. Modern technical terms that are technically nouns are now very commonly accepted as verbs. In fact, it sometimes feels clunky to use certain terms (like email) strictly in their noun form. Using technical terms as verbs can actually help streamline your language.
- For example, saying, "I sent an email to my boss," is a little clunky. Instead, you can just say, "I emailed my boss."
- It also may sound awkward to say, "I searched for solutions on Google." Most people would simply say, "I Googled solutions."
3
Use nouns that double as verbs. It's not uncommon to find nouns in the English language that are also used as verbs. This is particularly true for weather words, like rain, snow, and thunder. There are also words like "access" that can be both a noun ("I was granted access to the file") or a verb ("I accessed the file").^{[4]
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- Use your judgment as to when to use the verb form of nouns. Usually, the verb form should be used when it helps streamline an otherwise clunky sentence.
- For example, take the sentence, "We had some very heavy rain last night." It would be easier to write this as, "It rained heavily last night."

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Avoiding Common Mistakes

1
Consult the dictionary to double check. There are no rules for conjugating verbs in English that are completely applicable to every term. If you're just learning English, there's no harm in double checking to make sure you spelled the verb form of the word correctly. This is especially important when the noun/verb forms are very similar, such as in words like "advice/advise."
2
Avoid unusual conversions for more formal work. Nouns are often used as words in colloquial language, often in a funny or playful fashion. This can be fun in everyday conversation, but keep it out of informal writing.
- For example, you might say, "I baseballed last night." While this can sound fun and goofy, if you're writing a paper, you should instead say, "I played baseball last night."
- More conventional nouns-as-verbs (i.e., "I emailed my aunt") are usually more accepted, even in formal writing.
3
Be consistent with your choices. If you're going to use a noun as a verb, be consistent with your choice. If you're using the noun "taser" in a verb form, do not go from saying "tased" to "tasered." Pick one and stick with it throughout a single piece of writing to avoid confusion.

Community Q&A

Question

"He rejected all our proposal." How do I reword the sentence by changing "proposal" into a verb?

Donagan

Top Answerer

You could say, "He rejected everything we proposed."