 Stative verbs, action verbs, and verbs that are both from espressoenglish.net Action verbs or dynamic verbs are verbs that describe actions. We can use them in the simple or continuous forms. Here are some examples of action verbs. Every day I walk home from class. I'm walking to the store right now. I read mostly historical fiction. I've been reading a novel that takes place during colonial times. My sister helps me with my homework. My father is helping me learn how to drive. Bob watched four hours of TV last night. Last night he got angry because I changed the channel while he was watching his favorite show. State of verbs or state verbs describe a status or quality of something, not an action. Verbs of perception, opinion, the senses, emotion, possession, and state of being are often state of verbs. State of verbs cannot be used in continuous form. Here are some examples of state of verbs with opinion or perception. I've known my best friends since childhood. Don't say I've been knowing. We agree with you. Don't say we're agreeing with you. He doesn't understand the article. Don't say he's not understanding the article. Here are some examples of state of verbs with possession. You can say I have a bicycle, but not I'm having a bicycle. Say this book belongs to the teacher, not this book is belonging to the teacher. Our tour included a visit to the museum, not our tour was including a visit to the museum. Here are some state of verbs involving perceptions of the senses. I hear some music playing, not I'm hearing some music playing. This perfume smells like roses, not this perfume is smelling like roses. He seemed upset last night, not he was seeming upset last night. Here are some more state of verbs with opinions. Say I love ice cream, not I'm loving ice cream. She has always hated jazz, not she has always been hating jazz. They need some help, not they're needing some help. Again, because state of verbs describe states of being, not actions, they cannot be used in continuous form. Here are a couple more examples of state of verbs describing states or qualities. This piece of meat weighs two pounds, not this piece of meat is weighing two pounds. The box contained a pair of earrings, not the box was containing a pair of earrings. Success depends on your effort, not success is depending on your effort. This class will involve lots of research, not this class will be involving lots of research. Some verbs can be both action verbs and state of verbs depending on their meaning and context. Here's an example. The verb be. If you say he is immature, be is a state of verb meaning he is always immature. But if you say he is being immature, then be is an action verb meaning he is temporarily acting immature. Have can also be both a state of verb and an action verb. It's always state of with possession. For example, I have a car, he has a dog. But in certain expressions with have that do not involve possession, have is an action verb. For example, I'm having breakfast, meaning eating breakfast, or he's having fun, meaning experiencing fun. In these cases, have is an action verb and it can be used in continuous form. Look is another verb that can be both state of and an action. Look is a state of verb when referring to something's appearance. For example, that cake looks delicious. Look is an action verb when talking about directing your eyes to something, or in phrasal verbs. For example, he's looking at the computer screen, meaning he is directing his eyes to the computer screen. She's looking for a job, meaning she's seeking a job. They're looking after my dog for the weekend. Looking after means taking care of. Smell and taste are state of verbs when describing the quality of smell or taste possessed by something. For example, the bar smells of smoke, or this meat tastes like chicken. Smell and taste are action verbs when a person uses their nose or mouth to test something. For example, he's smelling the cookies. She's tasting the soup to see if it needs salt. Think and feel are state of verbs when talking about your opinion. For example, I think that's a great idea. I feel that this is not the best use of our time. Think and feel are action verbs when using your mind or experiencing emotions or health issues. For example, we're thinking about moving to another city. Thinking about means considering it is an action you do with your mind, not an opinion. I've been feeling unusually tired lately. Feeling is an emotion or health issue, again, not an opinion. So feel in this case is an action verb, and we can use the continuous form. Finally, way and measure are state of when talking about the quality possessed by something. For example, the suitcase weighs twenty pounds. The room measures five meters by seven meters. And they are action verbs when a person performs the action of doing it. For example, the butcher is weighing the meat on the scale. The architects were measuring the distance between the pillars. If you're a more experienced English student who wants to master the more complex details of English grammar, take the Advanced English Grammar course available at espressoenglish.net. If you register by November 5th, you'll get a special discount on the price of the course. Visit espressoenglish.net to register for the Advanced English Grammar course.