Examples are from my silly parser game where I tried to implement as many of these as I could: The Land of Breakfast and Lunch: https://breakfastlunch.rabbitrabbit.city/
People want to look at themselves:
The description of the player is "You are a fictional character who looks very much like the non-fictional you looks. Almost exactly, in fact, except the non-fictional you is slightly more attractive, and the fictional you is a slightly better speller.".
Pray
Praying is an action applying to nothing. Understand "pray" as praying.
Report praying: say "You decide to pray in the Tibetan Dzogchen style; you stare at the sky and think of 'The Great Perfection'. For one moment, you really feel the great perfection of the moment, of the universe, but then you realize you felt it and it's over. Still, you feel calmed.".
Singing:
Singing is an action applying to nothing. Understand "sing" as singing.
Report singing: say "I'm not sure what you like to sing in a private moment. Maybe it's Beyoncé, maybe it's a little Sinatra, maybe it's Neutral Milk Hotel, and maybe it's the worms song. You sing it, whatever it is, and you feel slightly better.".
General smelling:
Report smelling: say "Then again, you don't have the best sense of smell. Maybe if you smell specific things it will be easier to discern a smell.".
Smelling actual things:
Instead of smelling the pitcher of milk, say "Smells faintly of the sweetness of lactose."
Default description for things that don’t have a description:
The description of a thing is usually "You look at [the noun] very closely indeed, and to be completely honest, it looks about how you'd expect. You think for a moment that there might be something slightly special about it but then, upon looking just a little closer, you see that there isn't."
Sleeping and waking up:
Instead of sleeping: say "You don't feel even the tendrils of sleepiness. You could lie down, but it sounds pretty boring."
Instead of waking up: say "You are already quite alert."
Waiting:
Instead of waiting: say "You stop doing anything for exactly [a random number from 12 to 234] seconds. Nothing seems to have changed in that time."
Xyzzying:
Xyzzying is an action out of world applying to nothing. Understand "xyzzy" as xyzzying. Carry out xyzzying: say "You feel the temperature shift briefly a little warmer, and then back to normal. The air shimmers for a moment. The very fabric of the universe quivers in anticipation. Nothing actually changes, though."
Empty inventory:
The print empty inventory rule response (A) is "You examine what you'd normally use to carry things, all the way from fingertip to elbow. As you suspected, nothing is contained there. You briefly check for pockets or some kind of fanny pack. There isn't anything like that. You are forced to conclude that you have no possessions."
And I had a toy box so I knew people might try to play with things:
Playing with is an action applying to one visible thing.
Understand "play with [a visible thing]" as playing with.
Instead of playing with a visible thing:
say "You did. You are good at entertaining yourself.".
Instead of playing with the lite-brite:
say "You'd need the pegs.".
Hopefully that gives you some inspiration and syntax.
