Verbs of feeling and perception in English. Static verbs or stative verbs in English

Last week I told you about the Complex Object construction - complex addition.

Her we used to say that one person wants/expects/hopes/thinks that another will or will not do something. For example: I want her to water the flowers.

In this article we will analyze Complex Object with sensory verbs : saw, heard, observed, etc. For example: They watched him dance.

The construction of sentences with such verbs is different, and there are some nuances here.

In the article I will tell you in detail about this construction and about the formation of sentences with its help.

From the article you will learn:

What is a complex object with sensory verbs?

We have already looked into last article What we use Complex Object is when one person wants/expects another person to do or not do something.

For example: I want you to read this article.

However there is special kind verbs (actions) are sensory verbs :

saw
heard
noticed
observed others

IN Complex object we use them to say we saw/heard/noticed another person doing something.

Let's look at two examples.

Regular offer: I saw a broken vase.

ComplexObject: I saw him break a vase.

As you can see, in the first sentence we see some kind of object. And in the second, the action of another person. This is a complex addition.

There are two objects in such sentences:

The one who sees/hears/notices ( I saw)
The one who is seen/heard/noticed ( He broke)

In Complex Object clauses with verbs of feelings are built according to special rules. Let's look at how.

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Rules for constructing complex object sentences with feeling verbs

There are several nuances in the formation of such proposals. Let's look at them:

1. We put the main thing first in the sentence actor- the one who sees, hears, etc.: I, you, she, he, they, we.

For example:

She....
She....

2. In second place we put our verbs of feelings in the past tense:

see-saw- saw
hear - heard- heard
feel - felt- felt
observe - observed- watched
watch - watched- looked, observed
notice - noticed- noticed

For example:

I saw....
I saw....

She heard....
She saw....

3. After the action comes the person who is wanted to do something. Notice how our pronouns change:

I-me
you - you
He-him
she-her
they - them
we - us

This happens because here the pronoun is not the main character, but is an addition - the one we see, hear, etc.

For example:

I saw him....
I saw how he...

She heard them....
She heard them...

We say that we saw some fact. That is, you just looked at something, heard something. In this case, the verb (action) is in initial form without the to particle in front of it: read, go, study

For example:

I saw him read a book.
I saw him reading a book (I just saw him sitting with a book, no matter how long).

She heard them sing a song.
She heard them singing a song (just heard them singing)

We say that we saw some kind of process. That is, that the action continued for some time. In this case we add the -ing ending to the verb (action)

For example:

I saw him reading a book.
I saw him reading a book (we emphasize that he did this for some time).

She heard them singing a song.
She heard them singing a song (we emphasize the duration of the action, they sang for some time)

Let's look at the construction schemes for both types of sentences.

Let's talk about the fact

In this case, we use the verb in the initial form without the particle to. We use this sentence when we talk about some fact, that is, something happened. For example: I saw the car drive up.

The outline of such a proposal:

Actor + saw/heard/felt + the one who was seen + action

I		me
You		you
We	saw	us	read
They	heard	them	come
She	noticed	her	sleep
He		him
It		it

They saw her enter the room.
They saw her enter the room.

She noticed him take a key.
She noticed he took the key.

We add the ending -ing when we want to emphasize the duration of an action, that is, the fact that we observed some kind of process. For example: She watched them cross the road (watched the process of how they walked across the road).

The outline of such a proposal:

Actor + saw/heard/felt + the one who was seen + action with ending -ing

I		me
You		you
We	saw	us	reading
They	heard	them	going
She	noticed	her	sleeping
He		him
It		it

I heard her singing.
I heard her sing.

We observed him doing it.
We watched him do this.

Negative sentences in Complex object with feeling verbs

We can say that we did not see, notice, or hear the other person doing something. To do this, you need to put a negative in the first part.

Negation is formed using auxiliary verb did and negative particles not(abbreviated as didn"t).

At the same time, we leave our verbs see, hear, notice in the initial form.

Let's talk about the fact

Actor + didn’t + see/hear/feel + the one who was seen + action

I			me
You			you
We		see	us	read
They	didn't	hear	them	come
She		notice	her	sleep
He			him
It			it

They didn't see leave him.
They didn't see him leave.

She didn't hear they broke a vase.
She didn't hear them break the vase.

We emphasize the duration of action

Offer outline:

Actor + didn’t + see/hear/feel + the one who was seen + action ending -ing

I			me
You			you
We		see	us	reading
They	didn't	hear	them	going
She		notice	her	sleeping
He			him
It			it

We didn't watch him jogging.
We didn't watch him run.

He didn't notice us waving him.
He didn't notice how we waved to him.

Interrogative sentences in Complex object with verbs of feelings

We can ask if the person saw, noticed, or heard someone else do something.

For this purpose, auxiliary verb did must be placed first in the sentence.

The actions see, hear, notice themselves will appear in the initial form.

Let's talk about the fact

The outline of such a proposal would be:

Did + actor + see/hear/feel + the one who was seen + action?

	I		me
	you		you
	we	see	us	read?
Did	they	hear	them	come?
	she	notice	her	sleep?
	he		him
	it		it

Did he see does she get into the car?
Did he see her get into the car?

Did they notice does he open a door?
Did they notice him open the door?

We emphasize the duration of action

The outline of such a proposal would be:

Did + actor + see/hear/feel + the one who was seen + action ending -ing

	I		me
	you		you
	we	see	us	reading?
Did	they	hear	them	going?
	she	notice	her	sleeping?
	he		him
	it		it

Did they watch him playing football?
Did they watch him play football?

Did she observe them doing home work?
Did she watch them do their homework?

So, we've covered the theory, and now let's practice making such sentences in practice.

Reinforcement task

Translate the following sentences into English:

1. He watched her read a book.
2. They noticed him smoking.
3. We didn’t see her come.
4. Did you hear them knock?
5. He didn’t see her cry.
6. Did she watch them swim?

IN English language there are a number certain verbs, which have their own characteristics and are not used in groups for long periods of time.

Concepts of dynamic and static verbs

English verbs can be divided into two subcategories: static and dynamic.

Dynamic imply physical action, activity, development, movement. They are used in all tense forms, including the group of continuous tenses. There are a few interesting features, which distinguish them from static ones. Actions expressed by dynamic verbs can be consciously performed within a certain period of time and the duration of the process can be controlled. For example, words such as run (run), read (read), speak (speak), learn (teach), dance (dance), work (work). In addition, this activity can be depicted. For example, draw, capture on camera or photograph in the process.

Static verbs express not a process, but a state. These are the verbs that are not used in the Continuous. Name stative verbs comes from the word state - state. There are also names such as nonprogressive, non- action verbs. They are used to describe existing conditions.

Features of static verbs

At first glance, it may seem difficult to remember the following list of unrelated foreign words. However, the most important thing here is to understand the principle. There are several features that will help you see the essence:

these verbs do not denote a physical action or process;
some of them convey those states that arise on their own, regardless of a person’s intention (smell - smell, hear - hear);
some of the words mean a lightning-fast action that cannot occur over a long period of time (notice - notice).

Verbs not used in Continuous (Stative Verbs)

For more convenient memorization Stative Verbs are conventionally divided into thematic subgroups.

1. Mental activity and state of consciousness:

agree/disagree - to agree/disagree;
believe - to believe, to place hopes, to trust;
deny - deny;
doubt - to doubt;
expect - expect;
forget - forget;
know - to have an idea, to know, to be aware;
mean - to mean;
mind - to be against, to object;
realise - to realize;
recognize - find out;
understand - to comprehend, interpret, understand.

2. Verbs not used in the Continuous are used to express emotional state and feelings:

admire - to admire, admire;
appreciate - to evaluate, appreciate;
impress - to impress;
respect - to respect;
love - to love, adore;
hate - to hate, to dislike;
seem - to appear;
envy - to envy;
trust - to trust.

3. Desire, preferences:

desire - to wish;
need - to need;
prefer - give preference;
want - want;
wish - strive, desire, make a request.

4. Words that denote the perception of the senses (verbs not used in the Continuous).

Often used with modal verbs can, could to indicate perception at the moment of narration:

hear - to hear;
see - look, see;
smell - to give off an aroma, to smell;
taste - to have a taste.

5. Belonging, attitude:

belong - to belong, to be someone's property, to belong to (a group), to be appropriate;
concern - relate, touch, be concerned, be interested in, deal with;
consist - consist of containing;
contain - contain, accommodate;
depend (on) - depend (on someone, something), rely on (someone), count;
differ - have a difference, disagree;
equal - to be equal, to be similar, to draw an analogy;
fit - fit, combine, correspond;
have - to have;
include - include, cover;
involve - to involve;
lack - lack;
matter - to matter, to be important;
owe - to owe, to have a debt;
own - to possess;
possess - to own, possess;
resemble - resemble, be similar.

Mixed verbs

Eat certain group static verbs that are used in the group of continuous tenses. But at the same time they acquire slightly different shades of meaning. These are polysemic words that hide more than one meaning.

word	state	action
think	believe	ponder
see	see	meet, make an appointment
taste	have taste	taste
smell	have a smell, give off an aroma, smell	smell, smell
look	seem	look
weigh	to weight	weigh
remember	remember	recall
be	be (constantly)	to be in the sense of “to be temporarily in a certain state”
feel	feel, sense	feel
fit	fit, fit	install, mount, equip, equip
appear	seem	appear

Some verbs not used in the Continuous can sometimes be used in the Continuous form in order to demonstrate powerful emotions to express admiration or indignation:

I am loving this city! - I love this city!

She"s hating that book. - She hates that book.

Verbs to be and to have

To be sometimes used in English in the form of the continuous tense when it is necessary to emphasize the behavior of a person or the state in which he is at the moment.

Verb be in is formed using a combination was, were and present participles with an ing ending ( being).

Verb have V Present Continuous used only in some cases. In English there are certain set expressions, which form a single whole.

As an auxiliary verb in in this case the word “to be” appears. Therefore, you should not make the mistake of using Continuous. In this case, the third person form is formed using a combination of the auxiliary verb is And semantic verb with ending -ing(present participle).

Examples of using mixed verbs

Any theoretical material it is much easier to master if you illustrate the rules with specific ones that are not used in the Continuous; they are quite easily remembered due to the understanding of the principle and the division into semantic subgroups. And with memorizing mixed verbs, some difficulties may arise due to polysemy (that is, polysemy).

One of the best ways master new material in grammar is to come up with a few examples on your own specific topic and begin to include them in your speech, using them in dialogues, as well as when writing essays.

Even if you have recently started learning English, you are probably well aware of verbs such as: know, love, see, hear, think, etc. Most likely, you yourself often resort to using them when constructing various phrases. And this is not at all surprising, because in everyday colloquial speech similar verbs occur quite often.

However, many students of English often admit common, initial stage and not only, errors associated with the use of these verbs, with which you need to be especially careful. For those who do not want to put up with such a situation and are determined to correct the current situation, I recommend reading this article. In it we will discuss the features of some verbs (given in the introductory part and not only), as well as various circumstances in which their use in one form or another is appropriate. So let's get started.

If you are not yet familiar with such a phenomenon in English as stative verbs, then now is the time to get to know it better.
These are verbs whose name comes from the word state, meaning “state” or “position”. There are also other variants of names, such as non-action verbs or nonprogressive verbs. These verbs differ from the verbs we are accustomed to in that they do not serve to describe any actions or events, but to express existing situations or states. For example:

I am sure Sue will get this job. She knows* three foreigne languages and has* all the necessary qualifications for it. - I'm sure Sue will get the job. She knows three foreign languages and has all the necessary skills for this.

*knows and has, as well as the verbs given at the beginning of the article, are stative verbs. Unlike action verbs, which describe specific actions, such as read, write, or work, non-action verbs express various states, feelings or processes associated with mental activity. For example, has describes the state of possessing the necessary skills, and know is the result of a person’s mental activity.

So, let's turn to a more complete and ordered list of static verbs, or as they are also called state verbs. Stative verbs include descriptive verbs:

Human mental activity (know - know, understand - understand, believe - believe, think* - think, remember* - remember, forget* - forget)
Desires (want* - want, wish - desire, desire - strongly desire)
Emotional state (love - to love, like - like, prefer - to prefer, hate - to hate, dislike - to experience hostility, envy - to envy, respect - to respect)
Belonging (have* - to have, own - to own, belong - to belong)
Sensory perception(taste* - to have a taste, smell* - to have an odor, hear - to hear, feel* - to touch, see* - to see)
And other existing states (seem - seem, look* - look, appear* - seem, sound - sound, cost* - cost, weigh* - weigh, be* - be, exist - exist)

In accordance with one of their names, most nonprogressive verbs are not used in progressive or continuous tenses, i.e. with the ending –ing.

However, verbs marked with an asterisk can describe not only various states, but also actions, i.e. be both static and dynamic. It is precisely these stative verbs that take on different meanings depending on the situation that we will pay close attention to. Let's look at examples for comparison:

Verb taste
Right now the chef is tasting the sauce. “Right now the cook is tasting the sauce.” (action)
The sauce tastes too salty. - The sauce tastes too salty. (state)

Verb smell
These flowers smell good. - These flowers smell nice. (state)
Right now Tom is smelling the flowers. – Tom is smelling flowers right now. (action)

Verb think
I think Bob is a kind man. - I think (believe) that Bob a kind person. (state)
I am thinking about English grammar now. - I'm thinking about English grammar Now. (action)

Verb see
I see a butterfly. Do you see it too? - I see a butterfly. Do you see her too? (state)
Tom is seeing a doctor about his headaches. Tom goes to the doctor about his headaches. (action)

Verb look
Sue looks very happy. – Sue looks very happy. (state)
Tina is looking out the window now. – Tina is looking out the window now. (action)

Verb appear
Sam appears to be sad. - Sam seems sad. (state)
When the sun rises, it is appearing from below the horizon. - When the sun rises, it appears from behind the horizon. (action)

Verb feel
Sue is feeling the cat's fur. – Sue touches the cat's fur. (action)
The cat's fur feels soft. – Cat fur is soft to the touch. (state)

Verb have
Tom has a car. - Tom has a car. (state)
We are having a good time* at the party. - We're having a good time at the party. (action)
*verb have denotes action in the following common phrases:

have a good time/a bad time - have a good/bad time
have a rest/a talk - rest/talk
have breakfast/lunch/dinner/supper - have breakfast/lunch/dinner
have a cup of tea/a cup of coffe/a glass of water - drink a cup of tea/coffee/glass of water
have a bath/a shower - take a bath/shower

Verb remember
I remember my first teacher. Do you remember yours? - I remember my first teacher. Do you remember yours? (state)
I am remembering the wonderful days of my childhood. - I remember beautiful days your childhood (action)

Verb weigh
This piano is too heavy for me to lift. It weighs too much. - This piano is too heavy for me to lift. It weighs too much. (state)
Right now the grocer is weighing the bananas. - Right now the seller is weighing bananas. (action)

Now you know that in addition to dynamic verbs that describe certain physical actions, there are also state verbs that are not used in tenses Continuous groups. However, some static verbs, in certain situations, can act as action verbs and it is important to take this into account when talking with your interlocutor in order to avoid common grammatical errors.

Go to full

We have already discussed this in previous posts. From the first day of training you must learn simple truth: each English sentence has a verb. Verbs must be classified, that is, “sorted.” And such a classification is very important, it gives a clearer understanding grammatical structure in English. You will be classifying verbs throughout your training. The very first and simplest division involves only two groups of verbs: this.

It is also very important to understand the difference between dynamic and static verbs, as it is fundamental in English grammar.

1) Dynamic verbs.

From the very name “dynamic” it is very easy to understand what these verbs mean actions, activity, dynamics etc. This means that you can “perform” them, and, in addition, you can easily “depict” them: for example, draw, photograph, etc. There are a great many examples of this: running, sitting, jump, read, write, lie down, pick up, play, swim, sweep, dance and etc. From such verbs it is easy to obtain nouns that denote people or devices or mechanisms associated with the corresponding actions. In Russian: read – reader; write - writer; dance - dancer; swim - swimmer; etc. Let me remind you that in English you need to add to the verb, and accordingly we have: to read – a reader; to write – a writer; to dance – a dancer; to swim – a swimmer.

2) Static verbs.

From the very name “static” it is easy to understand that these verbs mean “static”, “immobility”, “state”, etc. They cannot be depicted or shown; they are, as it were, “inside” us; there is no action. For example: believe think, remember, dream, worry, respect, despise, assume, know, doubt, deserve, want, desire, hope and so on.

Difference between dynamic and static verbs It’s very easy to understand when you see a person and ask: “What is he doing?” And here comes the answer: “Digs the beds, or, for example, waters the flowers.” I can see that he is digging or watering. and I can call these verbs “to dig” or “to water”; these are dynamic verbs. Now, how can I see that someone is dreaming, believing someone, or remembering someone? This is impossible, because the verbs dream, believe, remember are static and I cannot “fulfill” them, show and see them.

The number of dynamic verbs is less than the number of static ones, I think this is understandable. Basic static verbs are easy to learn by dividing them into groups, but more on that in the next post.

Today we have we'll talk O stative verbs - stative verbs in English. We know that all verbs denote action. For example, let's take the most simple verbs:

jump - jump

walk - walk

fly- to fly

want - want

like - like

We can depict the first three verbs, since these are action verbs. We cannot depict the last two verbs - want and like; these are the verbs that are called state verbs. Since our state verbs do not have action, we cannot emphasize the duration of this action; accordingly, such verbs cannot be used in continuous tense, but there are exceptions here, which we will also talk about below.

Categories of stative verbs in English

All stative verbs can be divided into several categories. Below we will analyze each of the categories with examples.

Sensory perception

see - to see
hear - to hear
taste - have a taste
smell - have a smell

Mental activity

know - know
think - think
believe - believe
doubt - to doubt
feel - feel
guess - guess
imagine - imagine
mean - to imply
realize - imagine (understand)
recognize - recognize
remember - remember
suppose - believe
understand - to understand
deny - deny
promise - promise
agree - agree
disagree - disagree
mind - to object

Desires

want - want
wish - to wish
desire - to feel the desire (to want)

Feelings

love - to love
like - like
dislike - don't like it
hate - to hate
prefer - to prefer

Expressing abstract connections

be - to be
have - to have
contain - contain
depend - depend
belong - belong
concern - touch
deserve - deserve
fit - to fit
include - contain
involve - involve
lack - to lack (to need something)
matter - matter
need - to need
owe - owe
own - own
appear - appear
resemble - resemble
seem - seem

Description of the physical properties of objects

measure - to measure
taste - have a taste
smell - have a smell
sound - sound
weigh - weigh

Effects or influences

astonish - to surprise
impress - to make an impression
please - please
satisfy - satisfy (please)
surprise - to surprise

All of the above verbs cannot be used in continuous tenses, BUT there are exceptions that you should be aware of.

Exceptions

Exceptions include treacherous verbs, which may carry different meanings. Let's look at each of these verbs in more detail.

Verb think

What do you think about my new car? What do you think about my new car? The verb think means to have an opinion.

I am thinking about buying the house. I'm thinking about buying a house. The verb think can be used in continuous tenses to mean reflect, think. This is a long process. We can think for two weeks or for several years. Therefore, the choice of continuous tense is appropriate in this case.

She is weird. She is strange. In this case, we are talking about the fact that the person is strange in life. That is, we are talking about characteristic feature person.

She is being weird. She's acting strange. Here we already mean that a person is strange only in this period time. In general, the person is not like that. In this case, it is appropriate to use continuous tense.

Verb have

I have a book. I have a book. In such sentences, the use of continuous tense is inappropriate.

I am having a shower. I am taking a shower. The verb have can be used in continuous tense if the verb have is part of the expression: have a party, have a shower, have a bath, have a picnic, have a good time, have a breakfast and so on.

Verb admire

I admire this girl. I admire this girl. The verb admire, meaning to admire, is not used in continuous tense.

Are you admiring the sunset? Do you admire the sunset? The verb admire, meaning to admire, can be used in continuous tense.

Verb see

I see the results. I see results. In this case, we are talking about the fact that the person is strange in life. That is, we are talking about a characteristic feature of a person.

I am seeing my girlfriend tomorrow. I'm meeting my girlfriend tomorrow. The verb see in the meaning to meet, to see each other can be used in continuous tense.