Stative Verbs, Action Verbs, and Verbs that can be both

😃 Advanced English Grammar Course: ❤️ SUBSCRIBE for new lessons! ✔️ Free E-Book: 500 Real English Phrases: Action Verbs Action verbs (or dynamic verbs) are verbs that describe actions. We can use them in the simple or continuous forms. Here are a few examples of action verbs: WALK Every day I walk home from class. I‘m walking to the store right now. READ I read mostly historical fiction. I‘ve been reading a novel that takes place during colonial times. HELP My sister helps me with my homework. My father is helping me learn how to drive. WATCH Bob watches four hours of TV every night. Last night, he got angry at me because I changed the channel while he was watching his favorite show. Stative Verbs Stative verbs (or state verbs) describe a status or quality of something… NOT an action. Verbs of perception, opinion, the senses, emotion, possession, and state of being are often stative verbs. Here are some examples: STATIVE VERBS OF OPINION / PERCEPTION: know, believe, understand, recognize, prefer, agree/disagree, approve/disapprove, suppose, suspect STATIVE VERBS OF POSSESSION: have, own, belong, possess, include, owe STATIVE VERBS OF THE SENSES: hear, smell, see, feel, appear, seem, resemble STATIVE VERBS OF EMOTION: love, hate, like, want, need, desire, wish STATIVE VERBS OF STATES/QUALITIES: weigh, contain, consist, measure, cost, exist, depend, deserve, involve, matter Verbs That Can Be Both Dynamic And Stative Verbs Some verbs can function as BOTH action verbs and stative verbs! Here are some examples: BE Stative: He is immature. (he is always immature) Action: He is being immature. (he is temporarily acting immature) HAVE Stative: possession I have a car. He has a dog. Action: expressions with “have” I’m having breakfast (eating breakfast). He’s having fun (experiencing fun). SEE Stative: perception with your eyes; understanding I see some birds. I see what you mean. Action: meet; have a relationship with I’ll be seeing the doctor tomorrow. They’ve been seeing each other for a month. LOOK Stative: appearance That cake looks delicious! Action: directing your eyes to something; phrasal verbs He’s looking at the computer screen. She’s looking for (= seeking) a job. They’re looking after (= taking care of) my dog for the weekend. SMELL / TASTE Stative: the quality of smell or taste possessed by something The bar smells of smoke. This meat tastes like chicken. Action: when a person uses their nose or mouth to test something He’s smelling the cookies. She’s tasting the soup to see if it needs more salt. THINK / FEEL Stative: when talking about your opinion I think that’s a great idea! I feel that this is not the best use of our time. Action: when using your mind, or experiencing emotions or health issues We’re thinking about moving to another city. I’ve been feeling unusually tired lately. WEIGH / MEASURE Stative: when talking about the quality possessed by something The suitcase weighs 20 pounds. The surfboard measures 2 meters by 55 centimeters. Action: when a person performs the action of weighing/measuring something The butcher is weighing the meat on the scale. The architects were measuring the distance between the pillars.