VERBS WITH STATIVE AND DYNAMIC USES

VERBS WITH STATIVE AND DYNAMIC USES

Dynamic

Dynamic  is an adjective which means something is moving or changing.  In English grammar a "dynamic verb" means that the verb describes an action rather than a state. Dynamic verbs are sometimes known as "action verbs."

"Joe is chasing the bus."

"Joe is chasing the bus."

Stative

Stative is an adjective which describes something as having a state, or existing (this is a very uncommon adjective). In English grammar a "stative verb" means that the verb describes a state rather than an action. Stative verbs are sometimes known as "state verbs."

"Kevin wants some ice-cream."

"Kevin wants some ice-cream."

So now you know the meaning of the terms, let's look at some examples!

First, here is a list of some dynamic verbs. You can see that they are all used to describe an action, change, or process. Most of them are used to describe an activity which has a start and an end.

Examples of dynamic verbs:

eat

walk

learn

grow

sleep

talk

These words can all be used in the progressive form.

Example sentences with dynamic verbs:

"I can't talk right now, I'm eating dinner."

Present progressive used to describe an action happening now.

"Sorry, I'm out of breath because I've been running."

Present perfect progressive used to describe an action that started in the past, continued for some time and has results now.

"I didn't steal the necklace! I was sleeping when someone broke into the shop!"

Past progressive used to talk about an action that was happening at a particular time in the past.

Here is a list of some of the stative verbs. Some of these describe relationships between things or people (for example, own) and some describe emotions or states of mind.

Examples of stative verbs:

love

hate

like

prefer

doubt

seem

Example sentences:

"I think it is wrong to hit children."

Here, think is a stative verb. It means "to have an opinion" and it cannot be used in the progressive form in this case.

Here are some examples:

BE

§  Stative:
He is immature. (he is always immature)

§  Action:
He is being immature. (he is temporarily acting immature)

HAVE

§  Stative: possession
I have a car. He has a dog.

§  Action: expressions with “have”
I’m having breakfast (eating breakfast).
He’s having fun (experiencing fun).

SEE

§  Stative: perception with your eyes; understanding
I see some birds.
I see what you mean.

§  Action: meet; have a relationship with
I’ll be seeing the doctor tomorrow.
They’ve been seeing each other for a month.

THINK 

§  Stative: when talking about your opinion
I think that’s a great idea!
I feel that this is not the best use of our time.

§  Action: when using your mind, or experiencing emotions or health issues
We’re thinking about moving to another city.
I’ve been feeling unusually tired lately.

Example: We want to walk now.

1. Our book  (include) stories and exercises.
2. They  (remember) what happened.
3. We  (need) a longer rope.
4. You  (not deserve) it.
5.  he  (play) golf at the moment?
6. This  (not concern) us at the moment.
7. I  (love) you.
8. She  (feel) she's not good enough.
9. Our cakes  (not contain) any gluten.
10. They  (jog) now.