VERBS WITH STATIVE AND DYNAMIC USES


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.


Do the exercises below on tag questions and click on the button to check your answers.

(Before doing the exercises you may want to read the lesson on dynamic and stative verbs )

Choose the correct answer.

  1. Are they having a good time? 
  2. I am thinking you are a nice person. 
  3. It is tasting good 
  4. You are looking great 
  5. He's been working since this morning 
  6. He's having a huge house 
  7. The food tastes good 
  8. They are looking at the photo album 
  9. They are designing a robot 
  10. She is liking him very much 

Do the exercises below on tag questions and click on the button to check your answers.

(Before doing the exercises you may want to read the lesson on dynamic and stative verbs )

Choose the correct answer.

  1. read 
  2. know 
  3. play 
  4. seem 
  5. drive 
  6. understand 
  7. grow 
  8. believe 
  9. paint 
  10. write 

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