State Verb and Action Verb
State Verb and
Action Verb
Simple Definition
A state means something staying the same.
→ The window is clean.
→ I own the house.
State verbs cannot usually be continuous.
NOT I
am owning the house.
An action means something happening.
→ She is playing cricket.
An action verb can be simple or continuous.
→ She plays cricket.
Formal Definition
All verbs in English are classified as either state
or action verbs. Action verbs describe actions we take (things we do) or things
that happen. State verbs refer to the way things 'are' - their appearance,
state of being, smell, etc.
BASIC
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State
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Action
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The
flat is clean.
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I'm
cleaning the flat. (I’m = I am)
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I
owns the house.
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I
am buying the land.
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The
cupboard contained old books.
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He
put the books in the box.
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State verbs cannot usually be continuous.
NOT
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MORE BASIC + INTERMEDIATE
State Verbs
State verbs cannot usually be continuous.
→ The
flowers smell lovely.
NOT Those
flowers are smelling lovely.
→ She
heard him speak yesterday afternoon.
NOT She was
hearing him speak yesterday afternoon.
→
They will love the concert tomorrow evening.
NOT They will be
loving the concert tomorrow evening.
Action Verbs
An action verb can be simple or continuous.
→
They’ve been working since seven o'clock this morning.
→ They
worked yesterday.
→
She's studying mathematics. (She’s = she is)
→ She
studies mathematics.
Sometimes we can use a verb either for a state or for an action.
[Reference:
(Second Edition) Oxford Practice Grammar by John Eastwood Unit 7]
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State (Simple
Tense)
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Action (Simple
or action)
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I think you're right. (= believe)
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I'm thinking about the
problem.
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We have three cars.
(= own)
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We're having lunch.
(— eating)
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I come from Sweden. (= live in)
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I'm coming from Sweden.
(= travelling)
I usually come on the plane.
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I see your problem.
(= understand)
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Mark is seeing his boss.
(= meeting)
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Do you see that house?
(= have in sight)
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I see Daniel quite often.
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This picture looks nice.
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I'm looking at this
picture.
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She appears very nervous.
(= seems)
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She appeared/was appearing in a
film.
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The bag weighed five kilos.
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They weighed/were weighing my
bag.
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The coat fits.
(= is the right size)
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I'm fitting a lock to the
window.
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[Weight
(Noun) (وزن)] [Weigh (verb) (تولنا / وزن
کرنا)
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These examples with the verb be are about how people behave.
[Reference:
(Second Edition) Oxford Practice Grammar by John Eastwood Unit 7]
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BE VERB
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First form
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Second form
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Third form
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Fourth form
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Infinite form
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Past form
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Past participle form
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Present participle form
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Be
Present cases (is, are, am)
|
Was / were
|
Been
|
being
|
|
Permanent quality
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Temporary behaviour
|
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Claire is a very sociable
person.
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Andrew is being very
sociable today.
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That man is an
idiot.
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You are being an idiot this
morning.
(= You are behaving like an idiot.) |
We use is / are / am / being only to talk about behaviour, not about other things.
[Reference:
(Second Edition) Oxford Practice Grammar by John Eastwood Unit 7]
→ I'm
better now, thanks.
→ Are
you ready?
→ Is
anyone interested?
INTERMEDIATE
We
can use some state verbs in the continuous to talk about a short period of
time.
[Reference:
(Second Edition) Oxford Practice Grammar by John Eastwood Unit 7]
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Permanent
State
(simple
tenses)
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Short Period
(continuous)
|
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I
love/enjoy parties.
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I'm
loving/enjoying this party.
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I
like school.
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I'm
liking school
much better now.
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Holidays
cost a lot of money.
|
This
trip is costing me a lot of money.
|
Sometimes we can use
either the simple or the continuous with no difference in
meaning.
→ You look well.
→
You're looking well. (You’re = You are)
→ We
feel a bit sad.
→ We're feeling a bit sad
Generally, state verbs divide into four groups:
Verbs Showing
Senses
Feel - I feel happy.
Hear - I hear someone in
the other room.
Smell - It smells bad in
here.
See - I see three trees in
the yard.
Verbs Showing
Thought or Opinions
Recognize - She
recognizes him from high school.
Believe - Do
you believe what he says every time?
Understand - I
understand the situation very well.
Know - She knows the answer
to the question.
Verbs Showing
Emotion
Need - I need some time
with my friends.
Love - I love listening to
classical music.
Hate - She hates to get up
early every day.
Want - I want some help
with my homework.
Verbs Showing
Possession
Have - I have a car and a
dog.
Own – My friend owns a
motorcycle and a scooter, but no car.
Belong - Do you belong to the
fitness club?
Possess - She
possesses an incredible talent for talking.
If
you are unsure of whether a verb is an action verb or a state verb ask yourself
the following question:
Does
this verb relate some sort of process or a state?
If
it relates a process, then the verb is an action verb. If it relates a state,
the verb is a state verb.
INTERMEDIATE PLUS
Some State Verb List
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Like
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Know
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Belong
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love
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Realize
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Fit
|
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hate
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Suppose
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Contain
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want
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Mean
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Consist
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need
|
understand
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Seem
|
|
prefer
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Believe
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Depend
|
|
agree
|
remember
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Matter
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mind
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recognise
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See
|
|
own
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Appear
|
look
(=seem)
|
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sound
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Taste
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Smell
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|
hear
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Astonish
|
Deny
|
|
disagree
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Please
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Impress
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satisfy
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Promise
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Surprise
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doubt
|
think
(=have an opinion)
|
feel
(=have an opinion)
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wish
|
Imagine
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Concern
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dislike
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Be
|
Have
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deserve
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Involve
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Include
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Lack
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measure
(=have length etc)
|
Possess
|
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Owe
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weigh
(=have weight)
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