# Action Verbs

<mark style="color:$danger;">**This Editorial Guide is used for Education Purposes Only. It is used in the Authoring Courses and Certifications. It is based on the January 2026 Editorial Guide.**</mark>

Action verbs should be written in noun form within SNOMED CT descriptions. This most often means the root form of the verb will end with a suffix of –tion, -sion, -ment, -al, -ence, or -ance.

* For example,
  * *Destruction* instead of destroy
  * *Incision* instead of incise
  * *Replacement* instead of replace
  * *Removal* instead of remove
  * *Maintenance* instead of maintain

However, the root form of the verb may be used when it does not make a word when ending in noun suffixes.

* For example,
  * *Control*
  * *Release*
  * *Care*

Lastly, the verb with a suffix of –ing may be used when the root form of the verb may cause ambiguity in the meaning, i.e., the root form of the verb could also be a physical object.

* For example,
  * *Wiring* instead of wire
  * *Suturing* instead of suture
  * *Splinting* instead of splint
  * *Mapping* instead of map
  * *Grafting* instead of graft

Exceptions,

Common usage may dictate some exceptions.

* For example,
  * *Repair* instead of repairment

Although ‘repairment’ may be considered a valid word, its use has fallen out of common usage in comparison to ‘repair’.

{% hint style="success" %}
Check for approved and unapproved naming patterns in the [Precoordination Naming Pattern Project](https://conf.spaces.snomed.org/wiki/spaces/IHTSDO1/pages/130978180).
{% endhint %}

## Past tense <a href="#past-tense" id="past-tense"></a>

A past tense verbal phrase should not be used to name a procedure, since it indicates that the procedure was done in the past.

* Unacceptable example,
  * *Hand tendon ganglion excised* indicates the procedure was done, as a past tense declarative statement.
* However, the following is an acceptable example using a noun phrase.
  * 11227005 | Excision of ganglion of tendon sheath of hand (procedure)|

{% hint style="info" %}
**Situation hierarchy**

Existing descriptions containing past tense verbs should be moved to the

243796009 | Situation with explicit context (situation)|hierarchy.
{% endhint %}

<a href="https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScTmbZIf0UEQwYDkY27EEWBkaiYkHSbR0_9DmFrMLXoQLyL7Q/viewform?usp=pp_url&#x26;entry.1767247133=SCT+Editorial+Guide&#x26;entry.670899847=Action%20Verbs" class="button primary">Provide Feedback</a>


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.snomed.org/education/snomed-ct-education-editorial-guide/readme/authoring/general-naming-conventions/action-verbs.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.