 Non-Action Verbs This video is brought to you by the following websites. Non-Action Verbs In this video, we'll explore non-action verbs in English. What are non-action verbs? Some verbs are not normally used in the progressive tenses. They are called non-action verbs. For example, incorrect. I am liking chocolate. Correct. I like chocolate. Incorrect. She's having a new car. Correct. She has a new car. Incorrect. Flowers are smelling good. Correct. Flowers smell good. Types of non-action verbs. Non-action verbs indicate existence, perception, desire, possession, or opinion. Let's talk about each type individually. 1. Existence Existence verbs indicate state of being. They often link or equate this subject with other parts of the sentence. For example, you can think of them as an equal sign. A equals B. A is, R was, B. B seem, appear. Existence verbs are B, seem, and appear. He, doctor. He is a doctor. He, happy. He is happy. He, nice. He seems nice. More about B verbs later. Perception verbs. Like the verbs seem and appear, some verbs indicate how something is perceived by the subject. Verbs like these relate to perception or the senses. Look, sound, feel, smell, taste. You look sad today. I perceive you as sad. It fills hot in here. I perceive heat. We'll learn more about these verbs later. 3. Desire or preference. Verbs like one, like, prefer, and love are also non-action verbs. For example, we say, they like rice. We don't say, they are liking rice. We say, I want a pony. Not, I am wanting a pony. We say, Tim loves pizza. Not, Tim is loving pizza. 4. Possession verbs. Words indicating possession are have, own, and possess. They are also non-action verbs. Incorrect. I am having a cute puppy. Correct. I have a cute puppy. Incorrect. She is owning two houses. Correct. She owns two houses. 5. Opinions. Words like think, feel, believe, know, and consider are also non-action verbs when relating to ideas and opinions. I think he is such a nice guy. She believes what he says. He feels that the decision is right. They consider it to be a good decision. Brad knows the action was wrong. Special cases. Only non-action verbs can also be used as action verbs in certain situations. Let's look at some examples. B. The verb be can sometimes indicate action or intention to act. For example, be nice. I am being nice. B. Sometimes the verb be is used as an auxiliary verb as part of progressive tenses. He is playing basketball now. She was visiting her aunt last Saturday. I will be flying to Miami this weekend. Have. The verb have is sometimes used in idiomatic expressions. In such cases, it can be an action verb. For example, have a party or have lunch. Have a good time. Have something for dinner. Idiomatic uses of have as action verbs. The students are having a party. They're having a great time. What are we having for dinner tonight? We're having Mexican food. Sensory verbs. Sometimes sensory verbs can be action verbs as well. Note the differences. She looks nice. To the perceiver. She is looking at the pitcher. She is doing the action. This can be a little confusing because some sensory or perception verbs are used differently depending on whether they are action or non-action. For example, I'm listening to music. Action. I am doing it. The music sounds good to me. Non-action. Perception. I hear music in the room. Special usage. This is the topic of another video. More examples. You can think of action as experiencing something and non-action as perceiving something. For example, the pizza smells good. Non-action. He is smelling the flowers. Action with a purpose. Phil smells smoke. He perceives it generally. Sensory verbs. This table may help you see the differences in using action and non-action verbs of perception. Sensory verb. Non-action. Action. Other. Look or see. Non-action. Look. Action. Look at. Other. See. Hear, sound or listen to. Non-action. Sound. Action. Listen to. Other. Hear. Feel or touch. Non-action. Feel. Action. Feel or touch. Other. Feel. Sensory verb. Smell. Non-action. Smell. Action. Smell. Other. Smell. Taste. Non-action. Taste. Action. Taste. Other. Taste. We will talk about these in another video. The verb feel. The verb feel has many uses. How are you feeling today? I'm feeling a bit tired. I'm experiencing tiredness. How do you feel today? I feel cold. I perceive coldness. I feel fine. I am fine. How do you feel about the new proposal? What's your opinion? I feel, or I think, that's the right thing to do. My opinion. Hope that was helpful. We have other videos and webpages to provide you with more information. Verbs of perception. Present progressive tense. Giving opinion. Or giving opinions. For more information, click on the links in the description below. Thanks for watching. Don't forget to check out the other free materials on our websites.