Action and State Verbs

by Prof. Raúl Martínez Castellanos, CELE - UNAM

Action Verbs and the Continuous Aspect

Most verbs describe actions performed or received by the subject. Such actions may: a) extend over a certain period of
time, b) be perceived to be in progress at a certain moment, or even c) be momentarily interrupted and continued at a later
time. Such concepts are expressed using the continuous aspect of the verbs involved (also known as progressive). Although
this idea seems complex at first, it basically means that these verbs can be used in their present participle (or -ing) form.

Examples:
I’m working on it right now............................................... Action is in progress at the moment of speaking.
She was singing for hours last night................................. Duration (length) of the action is emphasised.
They’ll be playing tennis this time tomorrow................... Action is in progress at a certain point in time.
We’ve been reading a very interesting book at school..... The action was interrupted to be continued.
She had been painting her room before you called.......... An extended action is interrupted.

So, when we want to express that a particular action should be considered in progress at a certain point in time, whether
such time be the present, the past or the future, we use the continuous form of its verb.

To form the Present Continuous tense, we combine the present simple form of the verb “be” (am, is, are, as it corresponds
to the subject) with the present participle of the verb:

Examples:
I’m working on it right now.............................................. Action is in progress at the moment of speaking.
Please tell us about the book you’re writing.................... An ongoing activity is currently suspended.
He’s meeting Jane at eight o’clock this evening............... A fixed plan scheduled for the near future.
She’s doing a summer course in Canada.......................... Activity is temporary and expected to conclude.
It’s raining cats and dogs here......................................... A temporary action is in progress now.
We’re looking for a bigger house to move into................ A temporary activity is presently in progress.
They’re fixing the plumbing at the weekend.................... A fixed plan scheduled for the near future.

State Verbs

However, some verbs do not describe an action, but a modification of some kind in the internal or external reality of the
subject. In other words, such verbs describe a change of “state” in the subject or its environment. A particular characteristic
of these verbs is that they’re never or rarely used in their continuous (-ing) forms.

A common example of this is the verb want. We always use this verb to express a state of mental desire, and not an action,
even when we refer to the very same moment of speaking:

I want to have a coffee now. NOT: I’m wanting to have a coffee now.
She doesn’t want to see him now. NOT: She isn’t wanting to see him now.

State verbs tend to be classified into categories. Below is a grouped list of typical state verbs:

Mental and Emotional States

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admire guess recognize
adore hate remember
believe imagine suppose
detest know suspect
dislike like understand
doubt love want
envy prefer wish
forget realize

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Examples:
He dislikes salespeople.........................................NOT: He is disliking salespeople.
She preferred to meet people at her office.........NOT: She was preferring to meet people at her office.
They will recognize my academic degrees...........NOT: They will be recognizing my academic degrees.

Sense

appear seem taste

Examples
I saw him when the train arrived. NOT I was seeing him when the train arrived.
This juice tastes strange. NOT This juice is tasting strange.
Did you hear that? NOT Were you hearing that?

Communication

agree impress satisfy

Examples
You astonish me! NOT You are astonishing me!
I'm afraid I disagree with you. NOT I'm afraid I am disagreeing with you.
I meant to tell him yesterday afternoon. NOT I was meaning to tell him yesterday afternoon.

Other States

be exist need
belong fit owe
concern have own
consist include possess
contain involve reach
cost keep resemble
depend lack stop
deserve last
despise matter

Examples
It depends on how much it costs. NOT It is depending on how much it is costing.
She said it involved a lot of work. NOT She said it was involving a lot of work.
It doesn't matter. NOT It isn't mattering.

Differences in Meaning

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Some students get confused about some of the previous verbs, since we can sometimes come across them and find them
being used in continuous tenses. It is important to notice that such verbs tend to change their meaning, according to
whether they are used in a continuous tense or not. For example,

Non-Continuous Uses
feel = “have an opinion”: We feel he deserves another chance
see = “understand”: I see what you mean.
think = “have an opinion”: I think we should call him now.
appear = “give an impression”: She appears to be such a nice person.
look = “have a certain aspect”: That certainly looks difficult.
taste = “have a distinctive flavour”: This drink tastes like red wine.
smell = “have a distinctive odour”: It smells like coffee in this room.
have = “possess something” : We don’t have much food for that many people.

Continuous Uses
feel = “perceive physically, undergo a physical sensation”: She isn’t feeling well today.
see = “visit, come together”: I’m seeing the doctor this afternoon.
think = “use the mind, imagine”: I’ve been thinking about the problem, but I can’t find a solution to it.
appear = “be on stage, perform”: Jack Nichols is appearing at the Paramount Theatre tonight.
look = “stare at”: What are you looking at?
taste = “use the mouth to perceive a flavour”: The cook is tasting the sauces.
smell = “inhale the odour of; perceive by the olfactory sense”: is smelling the sauces.
have = “experience or do something”: We’re having lunch now, would you like to join us?

Idiomatic Meanings

Finally, as foreign language students, we must understand that we can always come across specific contexts in which using
the continuous form of a state verb is not necessarily incorrect. In such cases, when we analyse both the sentence and the
context deeper, we discover that such particular uses are generally strongly tied to their context. That’s why we refer to
them as idiomatic meanings. A typical example is that of the verb love, since it is common for English students to find or
hear expressions like “I’m loving it” or “Loving every minute of it”. Such expressions are not necessarily wrong, although one
could always find a better phrase or sentence to convey the very same meaning, for example “ I get a kick of it”. However, we
must always remember that languages continue evolving over time, and English is no exception. Sound judgement and
common sense should always be applied when dealing with these verbs, especially when interacting with native speakers of
English. Be open-minded, receptive and have fun!

REFERENCES
Sinclair, John [ed.] 1993. Collins COBUILD English Grammar. COBUILD [COllins/Birmingham University International Language Database]. 4 thpr. London,
Britain: HarperCollins Publishers. ISBN: 0-00-370257-X, 978-000-370-2576. 486 pp.
Soars, L., & Soars, J. 2006. New Headway Intermediate. 3rded, 4thpr. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Trenga, Bonnie. 2010. «Is “I'm Loving It” Proper Grammar?» Grammar Girl: Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing. Episode 206. [online] [Published:
01/29/2010] URL: http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/im-loving-it-grammar.aspx [Accessed: 06/05/2011]

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