act vs pose

act

verb
  • To have an effect (on). 

  • Of a play: to be acted out (well or badly). 

  • To perform a theatrical role. 

  • To play (a role). 

  • To convey an appearance of being. 

  • To map via a homomorphism to a group of automorphisms (of). 

  • To feign. 

  • To do something. 

  • To behave in a certain manner for an indefinite length of time. 

  • To do something that causes a change binding on the doer. 

noun
  • A product of a legislative body, a statute. 

  • A display of behaviour. 

  • A display of behaviour meant to deceive. 

  • A division of a theatrical performance. 

  • Something done once and for all, as distinguished from a work. 

  • Any organized activity. 

  • A performer or performers in a show. 

  • A formal or official record of something done. 

  • The process of doing something. 

  • A thesis maintained in public, in some English universities, by a candidate for a degree, or to show the proficiency of a student. 

  • Something done, a deed. 

pose

verb
  • To place in an attitude or fixed position, for the sake of effect. 

  • To constitute (a danger, a threat, a risk, etc.). 

  • To assume or maintain a pose; to strike an attitude. 

  • To falsely impersonate (another person or occupation) primarily for the purpose of accomplishing something or reaching a goal. 

  • To behave affectedly in order to attract interest or admiration. 

  • To ask; to set (a test, quiz, riddle, etc.). 

noun
  • Affectation. 

  • Position, posture, arrangement (especially of the human body). 

How often have the words act and pose occurred in a corpus of books? (source: Google Ngram Viewer )