Actions and States

For Intermediate learners

'I'm loving it!' or 'I love it!' Do you want to know which one of these famous advertisement mottos are correct? You got to learn about state and action verbs!

What Are State Verbs?

State verbs (also known as stative verbs) usually refer to a permanent state or one that is unlikely to change.
They can be categorized into several groups:

Verbs of thought and opinion
Verbs of possession
Verbs of sense and emotion
Verbs of cognition

What Are Action Verbs?

Action verbs (also known as active verbs) usually refer to actions we do (physically or mentally), events that occur, or ongoing processes. They typically describe activities or events that have a definite start and end.

Kids were playing and chasing each other.

They traveled 200 miles on the first day.

Is There a Difference?

We cannot normally use state verbs in continuous forms.

Verbs That Can Be Both

Some verbs can be either active or stative depending on the context, and their meaning can differ. For example:

I have two sisters.

Someone had been smoking a cigarette in the toilet.

Mm! Something smells good!

I'm smelling the flowers!

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What Are State Verbs?
What Are Action Verbs?
Verbs That Can Be Both

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