What are actions?

[1] According to Bouvier‘s Law Dictionary, an action (synonymous with "suit") is the legal and formal demand of one‘s right from another person made and insisted upon in a court of justice. [2] The kinds of actions are:
          (a) ordinary and special;
          (b) civil and criminal;
          (c) ex contractu and ex delicto;
          (d) penal and remedial;
          (e) real, personal (or mixed), or;
          (f) in personam, in rem, and quasi in rem.