Guide to English grammar

62 Action verbs and state verbs

1 Verbs can express actions or states.

Action Jane went to bed. I'm buying a new briefcase. I lent Jeremy five pounds.

State Jane was tired. I need a new briefcase. Jeremy owes me five pounds.

An action means something happening, something changing. Action verbs are verbs like do, go, buy, play, stop, take, decorate, say, ask, decide etc.
A state means something staying the same. These verbs are state verbs:
adore, depend, doubt, lack, owe, seem, be, deserve, envy, like, own, understand, believe, desire, exist, love, pity, want, belong to, despise, hate, matter, possess, wish, consist of, detest, intend, mean, prefer, contain, dislike, know, need, resemble.
Most action verbs refer to physical actions, but some are verbs of reporting (say) or verbs of thinking (decide). State verbs express meanings such as “being, having, opinions and feelings”.

2 We can use action verbs with the continuous, but state verbs are not normally continuous.

We are decorating the flat. (NOT We are owning the flat.)
Some state verbs cannot be passive. • 104(6b)
A practical guide to English grammar 65
3 Some verbs have different meanings. One meaning can be an action and another meaning can be a state.

Action We're having lunch now. (eating) We're thinking about moving. deciding Jeff tasted the soup. expect/expecting trouble imagine/imagining the result care/caring for the sick admire/admiring the view(= looking at it with pleasure) look/looking at a picture smell/smelling the powder appear/appearing in a film measure/measuring the door weigh/weighing the luggage fit/fitting a new switch cost/costing a project

State We have a big kitchen. (own) I think we ought to move. believe The soup tasted like water.