Exercises on stative verbs in English. Static verbs in English

Today we will talk about stative verbs - stative verbs in English. We know that all verbs denote action. For example, let's take the simplest 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 tricky verbs that can 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 a characteristic feature of a person.

She is being weird. She's acting strange. Here we already mean that a person is strange only in a given period of 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.

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 such verbs are found quite often.

However, many students of English often make common, at the initial stage and beyond, mistakes 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, for example: read (read), write (write) or work (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 is 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)
*the verb have denotes action in the following common phrases:

1. have a good time/a bad time - have a good/bad time
2. have a rest/a talk - rest/talk
3. have breakfast/lunch/dinner/supper - have breakfast/lunch/dinner
4. have a cup of tea/a cup of coffe/a glass of water - drink a cup of tea/coffee/glass of water
5. 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 the wonderful days of my 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 the Continuous tenses. 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

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 already discussed in the previous article that we use Complex Object 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 a special type of verbs (actions) - this 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, sentences with feeling verbs 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. In the first place in the sentence we put the main character - 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, watched
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 the initial form without the particle to 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 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 the auxiliary verb did and the negative particle not (abbreviated 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.

To do this, the 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?

Verbs of the English language, as is known, are divided into many categories: from the point of view of transitivity and intransitivity, by their role in the sentence (main and auxiliary), regarding the formation of forms (regular and irregular). There is another classification that is not so clearly reflected in the Russian language - these are state verbs and action verbs, or, as they are called, verbs of state and action.

This division plays a rather important role in the language, since the type of form used largely determines how sentences will be constructed, as well as what tense will need to be used. In order to understand both types, it is necessary to determine when the types are used and what use is typical for them.

Action Verbs

With English action verbs, everything is quite simple: these are forms that can be formed for a long time and show a process (they are sometimes called dynamic verbs). It would be very difficult to list the entire list of such words, since there are many of them. Simply put, these are standard action words that convey not sensations, but a real process - run, read, swim, follow, etc.

Stative structures have a different principle of formation and use, so it is worth dwelling on their features, both grammatical and lexical, in more detail.

State Verbs

Stative verbs in English are called that for a reason. The fact is that they can be used solely to show a certain phase of an action, its state, and not a long process. A characteristic feature of this category is that it uses verbs that are not used in the Present Continuous or any other continuous tense. Static verbs have several subtypes, all of which are not used in the Continuous for reasons characteristic of the English language. Here are examples of which state verbs are usually highlighted:

• verbs of feelings, that is, those that convey a person’s emotional state - love, hate, like, adore, etc.;
• verbs of perception that reflect not emotions, but physical senses through which a person perceives the world around him. Words of sense perception include observe, hear, see, smell, etc.;
• static words emphasizing mental activity - know, understand, believe, suppose, etc.;
• state verbs, displaying abstract relations – belong, possess, have, etc.;
• actions expressing desires and intentions – wish, intend, want, etc.

Note: Quite often, even words that are not used in continuous constructions can be used to show a process. Such situations are relevant in cases where the meaning of such verbs changes, i.e. they acquire a different, not their classical meaning. A striking example is smell (to smell) and smell (to smell). In the first case it is impossible to form a Continuous, but in the second it is possible. Or here: admire in the meaning of “to admire” and admire as “to admire.” The principle is the same as in the example with smell.

Both State and Action Verbs

The rule for dividing action words into action and non-action verbs is not always rigid. The fact is that there are a number of structures that cannot be 100% attributed to any one category, but to the second category, that is, they may or may not have a Continuous form, depending on the situation.

In such forms, translation is quite important. Most often, any of these verbs is used in a specific context, which you should definitely pay attention to. Depending on the meaning the word acquires, one or another structure is used.

These actions include such as see, have, think, etc., that is, those that can actually be lengthy, but if necessary show a certain state. Here are some examples of what this looks like:

· I think she will return as soon as she passes the last exam. I think she will return as soon as she passes the last exam (the verb think conveys the meaning of “to believe, to consider”)

· I’m thinking about tomorrow’s conference; don't bother me. I’m thinking about tomorrow’s conference, don’t bother me (think conveys the meaning of “to reflect,” i.e., shows the thought process)

Here is another pair that also often has duality of education:

· We have a car, and we don’t want to buy another one. We have a car and we don't want to buy another one (have conveys the abstract concept of ownership)

· John will call you later; he is having dinner now. John will call you back later, he is having dinner now (have is used in the Continuous, as this word is often included in various set expressions: have shower, have dinner, etc.)

Various exercises comparing action and state verbs will help you hone your skills in comparing these two categories. A table with regular and irregular verbs will help you easily find the right option when it comes to constructions that do not have duration. It is quite important to be aware of this difference, since the type of form used largely determines how the sentence will be constructed and what tense structures should be used in it.