ELPS

Hand actions are probably not something you think about much. They are so natural to you that you hardly ever pay attention to them, especially once they become automatic. However, eventually, there comes a time when you need to describe what you have just done with your hands, either verbally or in writing. This text provides several basic hand actions, their descriptions, example sentences that use them, and exercises to help you remember what you have learnt for longer.

Basic hand actions

Here are seven basic hand actions:

• to grab - to take hold of something quickly,

• to hold - to keep something in your hand,

• to lift - to move something upward,

• to carry - to transport something using hands or arms,

• to drop - to let something fall,

• to pick up - to lift something from a surface,

• to put down - to place something on a surface.

Example sentences

Now let us have a look at example sentences that use words for basic hand actions.

Tom quickly grabbed a chair and propped up the door with it.

If you lift this bucket, its bottom will fall off.

while walking towards the document check gate, Natasha dropped her passport.