Once upon a time, there was a quiet little village called Nounville. Everything in Nounville was still and silent. The houses just were, the trees just stood, and the river just existed. Nothing ever happened. The people, whose names were all like Lily (a flower), Ben (a boy), and Rex (a dog), felt very bored.
One day, a tiny, sparkling word-sprite zipped into the town. Her name was Do. She was a Verb! “Why is it so quiet?” Do asked. “Because we don’t know how to make things happen,” sighed Lily the Flower. “Then watch me!” giggled Do. She flew to the river and whispered, “Flow!” And suddenly, the river began to flow and gurgle happily. She tickled the wind and said, “Blow!” The wind started to blow, making the leaves dance and whisper. The people’s eyes grew wide. “Show us more!” they cried. Do brought her verb friends. Jump! said one. And Ben the Boy began to jump for joy. Sing! said another. And a bird opened its beak to sing a lovely song.
Laugh! Play! Run! Grow!
More and more verbs arrived! Paint! Build! Bake! Imagine! The town was filled with color, noise, and wonderful action. Lily didn’t just be a flower; she could grow tall and smell sweet. Rex didn’t just be a dog; he could bark, fetch, and sleep by the fire. The village was so changed, they decided to rename it Action Town. Do gathered everyone. “Remember,” she said, “Nouns are the names of things. But we are Verbs. We are the action, the doing, the happening! Without us, the world just stands still.” And so, in Action Town, everyone lived busily and happily. They learned that to have fun and tell great stories, you need both: the names of things (nouns) and the wonderful, magical action words—the verbs! Because a world without verbs is a very quiet, boring place indeed. Now, what will you DO today?