Stative verbs and dynamic verbs (with example)
Stative verbs and dynamic verbs
Stative verbs
Stative verbs have undefined
duration. they denote states rather than actions.
Examples of statives are:
want, know, have (when it
means possession), think (when it means opinion), like, love, hate, need,
prefer, agree, sound, hear disagree, wish, look (when it mean seem), smell,
seem, include...
You cannot say:
I am knowing the truth.I am liking pizza.It is sounding like a great idea.
But you must say:
- I
know the truth.
- I
like pizza.
- It
sounds like a great idea.
Dynamic verbs
As opposed to a stative
verb, a dynamic (or action) verb shows continued or progressive action on the
part of the subject.
Examples of dynamic verbs
(dynamic verbs) are:
act, build, complete,
design, develop, draw, fix, gather, handle, head, help, improve, interview,
introduce, justify, listen, lead, measure, narrate, negotiate, orchestrate,
originate, outline, perform, persuade, predict, regulate, record, save, show,
study, target, transform, travel, treat, uncover, unveil, use, validate, value,
visualize, widen, write, zap, zoom...
These verbs can be used both
in the simple and continuous forms.
- Look
at her! She is acting foolishly.
OR
She acts as a teacher in this movie. - The
company is targeting young customers with this new product.
OR
We targeted a new market with that product.
Dynamic and stative
Some verbs can be both
action verbs and dynamic verbs depending on their meaning:
1. Be
- be
= it is usually used as a stative verb - stative
He's an excellent guitarist. - be
= when it means behave or act, it can be used as a an action verb in the
continuous form. - dynamic
You are being silly.
2. Think
- think
= to express an opinion, to believe - stative
I think it's a fantastic idea. - think
= consider, to reason about or reflect on, ponder, to have or formulate in
the mind - dynamic
I am thinking about my friend
3. Have
- have
= to possess, to own - stative
He has a beautiful car - have
= when it doesn't mean own or possess - dynamic
He's having lunch.
4. See
- see
= to perceive with the eye, to understand - stative
I see what you mean. - see
= to meet, to be in the company of, to escort, to attend - dynamic
He's been seeing the same woman for eight years.
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