Signal Verbs

What Are Signal Verbs?

Signal verbs are verbs that show your understanding of an author's purpose and alert the reader to the context in which the source’s statement should be viewed. Signal verbs help your reader understand the author's intentions and the degree to which the author supports his statements.

Common Signal Verbs:
You can use the following signal verbs to signal readers how you have evaluated your source:

acknowledges	advises	agrees	allows	analyzes	answers
appreciates	asserts	assumes	believes	charges	claims
considers	criticizes	declares	describes	disagrees	discusses
embraces	emphasizes	explains	expresses	holds	implies
interprets	leaves us with	lists	objects	observes	offers
opposes	points to	presents	proposes	recognizes	regards
remarks	replies	reports	responds	reveals	says
states	suggests	supports	tells us	thinks	wants to
wishes	wonders

Remember: Signal verbs signal the reader that you understand the author’s purpose and alert the reader to the context in which the source’s statement should be viewed.