Verbs ending with a silent ‘E’ are a unique and significant category of action words in the English language. The silent ‘E’ is not pronounced but plays a crucial role in determining the verb’s pronunciation, spelling, and meaning. These verbs are essential for crafting clear, precise, and dynamic sentences.
Examples of such verbs include “hope,” “make,” “save,” and “write.” When conjugating these verbs, especially when adding suffixes like -ing or -ed, the silent ‘E’ is often dropped, resulting in forms like “hoping,” “making,” “saving,” and “writing.” Mastering the use of these verbs can enhance both written and spoken communication, making your language more expressive and accurate.
Understanding verbs ending with a silent ‘E’ helps in improving spelling and grammar skills, which are vital for effective communication in various contexts, from academic writing to everyday conversation.
Here’s the meanings and example sentences for each verb:
Verb
Meaning
Example Sentence
Absolve
To free from guilt or blame
The judge absolved the accused of all charges.
Achieve
To reach a goal or accomplish something
She worked hard to achieve her dreams.
Adore
To love and respect deeply
He absolutely adores his new puppy.
Adhere
To stick firmly
The sticker will adhere to the surface.
Agitate
To disturb or excite
The news seemed to agitate the crowd.
Amuse
To entertain or cause someone to laugh
The clown amused the children with his tricks.
Analyze
To examine in detail
Scientists analyze the data to draw conclusions.
Appease
To pacify by giving in to demands
He tried to appease the angry customer.
Appreciate
To recognize the value of something
I appreciate your help with the project.
Argue
To dispute or debate a point
They often argue about politics.
Aspire
To seek to attain or accomplish a goal
She aspires to be a successful author.
Baste
To moisten food during cooking
She basted the turkey to keep it juicy.
Breathe
To take air into the lungs
Just breathe deeply and relax.
Calculate
To determine mathematically
You need to calculate the total cost.
Care
To feel concern or interest
He cares deeply about the environment.
Chase
To pursue in order to catch
The dog loves to chase the ball.
Compete
To strive against others for a goal
Athletes compete for the gold medal.
Conclude
To bring to an end
The meeting concluded with a vote.
Collaborate
To work jointly with others
They will collaborate on the new project.
Contribute
To give or supply something
Everyone should contribute to the discussion.
Create
To bring something into existence
She loves to create art in her free time.
Cure
To restore to health
Scientists are working to cure the disease.
Dazzle
To impress deeply with brilliance
The fireworks display dazzled the crowd.
Debate
To discuss formally
They will debate the issue in the next meeting.
Decide
To make a choice or judgment
It’s time to decide what to do next.
Deceive
To mislead or trick
He tried to deceive everyone with his lies.
Demonstrate
To show clearly by example
He will demonstrate how to use the machine.
Diagnose
To identify a disease or problem
The doctor will diagnose the illness.
Devote
To give all or a large part of one’s time
She devotes her time to volunteering.
Dine
To eat dinner
They will dine at a fancy restaurant tonight.
Disguise
To change appearance to hide identity
She wore a wig to disguise herself.
Educate
To provide knowledge or training
Schools aim to educate students.
Eliminate
To remove or get rid of something
They plan to eliminate waste from production.
Engage
To participate or become involved
They decided to engage in volunteer work.
Enhance
To improve the quality of something
The new software will enhance performance.
Elevate
To raise or lift to a higher position
The platform will elevate the speaker.
Erase
To remove completely
She used an eraser to erase the mistakes.
Evaluate
To judge the value or condition of something
We need to evaluate the results carefully.
Evoke
To bring a feeling or memory to mind
The song evokes memories of my childhood.
Excite
To stir up emotions or enthusiasm
The news excited everyone in the room.
Excuse
To forgive someone for a fault
Please excuse my lateness.
Explore
To investigate or travel in unknown areas
They love to explore new places together.
Freeze
To turn into ice or become very cold
Water will freeze at 0 degrees Celsius.
Glaze
To cover with a smooth, shiny coating
She glazed the doughnuts with chocolate.
Guide
To lead or direct
The tour guide will guide us through the city.
Haste
To move or act swiftly
He completed the project in great haste.
Hope
To desire with expectation
They hope to win the lottery someday.
Inflate
To fill with air or gas
Inflate the balloon for the party.
Illustrate
To explain or make something clear by using examples
He will illustrate his point with a diagram.
Imitate
To copy someone’s behavior or actions
Children often imitate their parents.
Improve
To make something better
She wants to improve her cooking skills.
Include
To contain as part of a whole
The price includes tax.
Inspire
To fill with the urge to do something
Her speech will inspire many people.
Involve
To include as a necessary part
This project will involve many team members.
Investigate
To examine the facts to discover the truth
The police will investigate the crime.
Judge
To form an opinion or conclusion
Don’t judge a book by its cover.
Juggle
To keep objects in motion in the air
He can juggle three balls at once.
Justify
To show or prove to be right
You need to justify your actions.
Locate
To find the position of something
The police were able to locate the missing child.
Manage
To be in charge of
He will manage the new department.
Motivate
To provide a reason for doing something
The coach will motivate the team to win.
Navigate
To plan and direct the course of a journey
She learned to navigate by the stars.
Negotiate
To discuss to reach an agreement
They will negotiate the terms of the contract.
Observe
To watch carefully
Scientists observe the behavior of animals.
Pace
To walk back and forth nervously
He paced the room while thinking.
Participate
To take part in an activity
Many students participate in sports.
Persuade
To convince someone to do something
She managed to persuade him to join the team.
Perceive
To become aware of through the senses
She perceived a change in his attitude.
Permeate
To spread throughout
The smell of baking bread permeated the house.
Postpone
To delay until a later time
They decided to postpone the meeting.
Practice
To do something repeatedly for improvement
He practices the piano every day.
Prescribe
To recommend a course of treatment
The doctor will prescribe medication.
Promise
To assure someone to do something
I promise to help you with your homework.
Provide
To supply or make available
They provide excellent customer service.
Realize
To become fully aware of something
He didn’t realize how late it was.
Recognize
To identify from previous experience
I recognize her from the conference.
Reduce
To make smaller or less in amount
They need to reduce their expenses.
Regulate
To control or maintain the rate of a process
The thermostat regulates the temperature.
Refuse
To decline to accept
She refused the job offer.
Relate
To show or make a connection between
How do these facts relate to the case?
Relieve
To alleviate or ease
The medication will relieve your pain.
Replace
To take the place of
We need to replace the old equipment.
Rescue
To save from danger
The firefighters rescued the cat from the tree.
Resolve
To find a solution
They are working to resolve the conflict.
Rotate
To turn around a central point
The earth rotates once every 24 hours.
Scrape
To remove by rubbing
He scraped the ice off the windshield.
Separate
To divide into parts
You need to separate the egg whites.
Simulate
To imitate the conditions of a situation
The simulator can simulate a flight.
Utilize
To make use of
We need to utilize our resources wisely.
Validate
To confirm the accuracy of something
The data needs to be validated.
Vibrate
To move back and forth rapidly
The phone will vibrate when you receive a call.
Visualize
To form a mental image of something
Try to visualize your goals.
Vote
To cast a ballot or express a choice
They will vote on the new policy next week.
By mastering verbs ending with a silent ‘E,’ you’ll be well on your way to enhancing your writing skills. These verbs are essential tools for any writer, helping you convey actions clearly and effectively.
