Verbs can be separated into many categories in the English language. They can be transitive, intransitive, regular, irregular, main, auxiliary, action verbs, state verbs, and so on. Today our focus is on state verbs – also known as stative verbs. However, in order to understand them, it will be helpful to use action verbs as a comparison. Therefore, let’s consider the difference between the two.

Action (or dynamic) verbs express a physical or mental activity performed by the subject of a sentence. In other words, they help us talk about what a person, animal, or object does. Take this sentence as an example: â€śSusan eats avocados every morning”. Here, the subject, Susan, performs the action of eating. Therefore, eat is an action verb. Action verbs can be used in the simple, perfect, and continuous forms: â€śSusan eats avocados every morning”“Susan has eaten an avocado”“Susan is eating an avocado”.

State (or stative) verbs, on the other hand, express conditions or states of being. They usually talk about a permanent state, quality, or fact; they refer to the ways things are. State verbs are often used to express:

  • Thoughts and opinions: understand, think, agree, remember, know, believe, imagine…
  • Feelings and emotions: like, dislike, love, hate, adore, prefer, want, hope…
  • Senses and perceptions: smell, taste, hear, see, feel, seem, appear, be…
  • Possession and measurement: have, own, possess, belong, measure, weigh, cost…

We don’t normally use state verbs in the continuous form (ing):

  • I’m not believing you. >> I don’t believe you.
  • I’m liking this. >> I like this.
  • They are seeming happy today. >> They seem happy today.

However, some verbs can be used as both action and state verbs, with a difference in meaning. Look at the examples:

  • State verb: â€śI don’t think that’s a good idea.” (here I’m expressing my opinion)
  • Action verb: â€śI’m thinking about it.” (this is something I’m doing at the moment, it’s an action in progress)
  • State verb: â€śThey are really good people.” (here I’m talking about the quality of being good to describe the kind of people they are)
  • Action verb: â€śThey are being disrespectful.” (this is not their permanent state, they are behaving like this at the moment, but it’s temporary)
  • State verb: â€śI have a beautiful home in the countryside.” (here I’m talking about a possession that I own)
  • Action verb: â€śI’m having lunch with my mother later today.” (here I’m talking about the action of eating a meal)
  • State verb: â€śThis bag of rice weighs 1kg.” (this example uses a measurement, weight, to describe the bag of rice)
  • Action verb: â€śI’m weighing this bag of rice to check if it’s really 1kg.” (here I’m performing a temporary action, I’m measuring the weight of the bag of rice)

In informal speaking you might hear state verbs being used in the continuous form. For example: “I’m not liking this movie.” You should not use them that way in the IELTS exam, however, as that might jeopardise your score. You want to show the IELTS examiner that you know and can use grammar correctly, so it’s better not to take risks!

If you need to learn grammar for the IELTS, you can join our online course. It has plenty of grammar lessons, with activities and games for you to practise. You can also join our FREE mini course to learn more about preparing for the IELTS.

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