Section 5 - Stative verbs

Not normally used in the continuous

Some verbs are not normally used in the Continuous. They describe states that stay the same rather than actions or events that change. The most common stative verb is be. Others include:

emotional states (e.g. love, doubt, care), and senses (e.g. smell):

I only want to ask you a simple question.
Do you prefer to travel by bus or by train?

mental processes (e.g. believe, feel, remember):

Do you realise what they're doing?
I suspect we're not making as much profit as we should.
I understand everything you're saying.

verbs that describe a sense of permanence because they are not actions:

How many cars does your family own?
I think what we need for the trip depends on the weather.
Who does this book belong to?
This dress fits me perfectly.
What does that lorry contain?

We use can or could with see, hear, taste, smell, understand and remember to describe what is or was happening at the time:

That's strange: I couldn't smell anything burning when I went to bed last night.

Practice

Are the underlined words stative?

The summary included all the main points contained in the article.

	stative
	not stative

In my opinion she deserves all the criticism she gets.

	stative
	not stative

I prefer to use my old computer at home to the ones at work.

	stative
	not stative

I prefer to use my old computer at home to the ones at work.

	stative
	not stative

When stative verbs can be used in the continuous

We can use some stative verbs in the Continuous:

when they have an active meaning:

I'm tasting this to see if there is enough salt.
She's being rather obstinate at the moment.

when they emphasise change or development:

More schools will be including Shakespeare on their syllabuses.

Sometimes using Simple or Continuous involves a change in meaning:

I'm thinking about going to see Hamlet. (= trying to reach a decision)
I think Shakespeare's brilliant. (= my opinion)
I'm seeing her later. ( = I have an appointment)
I see what you're on about. (= I understand)

We use verbs that refer to physical feelings (e.g. hurt, ache, feel) in the Simple or Continuous with little or no difference of meaning:

My head aches / is aching.
How are you feeling / do you feel now?

Practice

Click if the verb forms in these sentences are acceptable.

	I think I'm now recognising the extent of the task we have taken on.
	Shakespeare's plays are involving a relatively small number of female parts.

Watch out!

A small group of verbs with meanings related to mental activity, e.g. admit, agree, deny, promise, etc., act like stative verbs. We don't use them in the continuous except for emphasis:

Are you actually denying that you took my pen?