A beaver builds a dam of sticks across a stream, and the water behind the dam spreads out into a pond.

A beaver dam across a stream, with a pond spread out behind it.

The beaver is a living thing, and the stream is water. So the living things act on the water.

A river reaches the sea and drops its sand, so new flat land grows where the river meets the sea.

A river meeting the sea, with flat sandy land built up where the river slows.

The river is water, and the new flat land is land. So the water acts on the land.

A river floods a field for a week, and the crops die.

A farm field under flood water, the corn plants standing in it.

The flood water is water, and the crops are living things. So the water acts on the living things.

Three more cases, with the two questions answered.