Embodied Language Comprehension Theory claims that language is grounded in bodily activity andmeaning is grounded in sensory motor system in modality. This study aims to examine whether EFL (English as aForeign Language) learners triggered Action-Sentence Compatibility Effect (ACE) during sentence comprehension.The English sentences including concrete and abstract verbs are taken as stimuli. Reaction time and accuracy rate ofthe participants were collected as the experimental data. Two groups of students with different English proficienciesparticipated in the study. The results indicate that (1) While processing concrete-verb sentences, both groups triggeredACE. (2) There is no significant ACE in processing abstract-verb sentences. (3) High proficiency group respondedfaster with a higher accuracy. (4) It is difficult for EFL learners to process abstract actions. To conclude, the presentstudy shows that mental simulation is activated while EFL learners with certain language proficiency are processingsentences. In foreign language comprehension, mental simulation would be facilitated with higher language proficiency.
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