at the door.
I
've been reading
this book for weeks.
State verbs in the continuous form
Some state verbs may be used in the continuous form if they refer to a temporary action or an action in progress at a certain moment, rather than a permanent attitude:
I
'm having
second thoughts about moving abroad.
Jones
is appearing
in
Hamlet
this evening.
You'
re looking
great in those jeans.
There are also state verbs which may be used in the continuous form, but with a different, active meaning:
Do
you
have
a car?
(own)
They
are having
dinner at the moment.
(eating)
You
are
my best friend.
(it's a fact)
She
's being
silly again.
(behaving in a silly way)
That soup
smells
good.
(has a good smell)
He
is smelling
the soup.
(sniffing at)
This milk
tastes
sour.
(has a sour taste)
I
was
just
tasting
the food.
(testing)
You
look
great!
(your current appearance)
He
was looking
out the window when I saw him.
(directing his eyes towards)
What
do
you
see
?
(notice with eyes)
I
'm seeing
my dentist this afternoon.
(visiting)
I
don't hear
well.
(pick up with ears)
The judge
will be hearing
the evidence later this week.
(listening to)
I
expect
that you are tired.
(assume)
Are
you
expecting
visitors this evening?
(waiting for them to arrive)
I
feel
that you are wrong.
(think)
How
have
you
been feeling
?
(asking about physical state)
This melon
weighs
2 kg.
(its weight is 2 kg)
He
is weighing
the melon.
(measuring its weight)
Naturally, we can use the verbs with the active meaning in the simple form, too:
How often
do
you
see
your dentist?
They usually
have
dinner at 6.
But we cannot use the verbs with the stative meaning in the continuous form:
*This melon
is weighing
2 kilos.
*The soup
was smelling
good.
Quotes:
I don't know the key to success, but the key to failure is trying to please everybody. - Bill Cosby
If you don't know where you're going, you might never get there. - Yogi Berra
Related topics:
Modals to express habits: WILL, WOULD, USED TO
Verbs which cannot be used in the passive voice
The passive with GET
Past time
Guiding questions: past time
Past simple
Past continuous
The difference between the past simple and the past continuous
Past perfect
The difference between the past simple and the past perfect
Past perfect continuous
The difference between the past perfect and the past perfect continuous
Present simple to express past
USED TO and WOULD for past habits
Revision questions: past time
Exercises: past time
Guiding questions: past time
How many past tenses are there?
Which past tense is used to express a point in time at which something happened?
Does the past perfect tense show how long ago something happened?
How can you express past habits?
What is the difference between the past perfect simple and the past perfect continuous tenses?
Past simple
Form: past simple
Past simple for completed actions in the past
Past simple for past habits and states
Past simple for actions happening over a period of time in the past
Past simple to express a point in the past
The auxiliary DID for emphasis
Form: past simple
VERB-ED
Affirmative
Subject
Verb (past tense)
I
arrived
yesterday.
You
He/She/It
We
You
They
In the case of regular verbs, the past simple is formed by adding -ed to the base form of the verb for all persons. Note the changes in spelling:
look
»
look
ed
stay
»
stay
ed