When we produce a sentence in English, we have to consider the tense (or verb form) we are going to use. We can follow one of several rules to determine which tense we use. You can read about those lessons here:
Present Simple and Continuous (and Past)
Present Perfect Simple and Continuous
Past Perfect
Future Perfect
Within in each tense, you have many rules as to why you use a simple form or a continuous form. One of the reasons why we use a simple form is because the verb is a state verb. This rule is perhaps the most important rule to remember as it trumps all other rules.
"If your verb is a state verb, you must use a simple tense."
There are two types of verbs, Action and State (or Stative).
Action Verbs
Action verbs as the name implies include verbs that are typically actions. To be precise, these are actions that can be performed and can be seen performed, you can imitate or copy them, you can record them with your smartphone, or you can even possibly interrupt them should you so wish. For example:
I kicked the ball to Sally.
I am singing at the top of my lungs.
She is planning a trip to Hawaii.
They are talking about tennis.
Others include: drive, play, walk, run, swim, eat, jog, paint, follow, hide, sneak, hit, punch, wrestle, travel, fly, work, clean, wash, shower, vacuum, stand, sit, wipe etc.
These four verbs, and all others like them, can be performed, copied, recorded or even interrupted.
State Verbs
State verbs are a little more complicated. While they can be performed, they typically cannot be seen, imitated or even recorded. We can categorise almost all state verbs into 4 types:
1. Mental Process
These are the actions we do in our head. While the brain may be working hard on the inside, on the outside, a person may look like they are doing nothing. These include:
I think it's going to rain tomorrow.
I believe in Santa Claus.
I always forget her name.
Others include: think, forget, remember, consider, know, seem, appear, mean, doubt
2. Opinion
Opinions are where we state how we feel about something. For example, whether you like or hate something. These verbs have a positive or negative meaning. These include:
I really hated that movie.
I prefer going to the cinema than watching the TV.
I love hamburgers.
Others include: hate, prefer, love, like, dislike, detest, loathe, favour, can't stand, abhor, appreciate, enjoy
3. Possession
These verbs describe ownership, or when something belongs to somebody. These include:
I have 3 sisters.
This book belongs to me.
This book consists of 12 chapters.
Others include: have, belong, consist of, possess, own, comprise
4. Sense
These refer to your human senses of sight, sound, hearing, taste and touch. This category is very restricted, and the following examples illustrate all the possible Sense State verbs.
I taste pepper in this soup.
I smell smoke. Maybe there's a fire.
I heard a noise downstairs. Go check it out.
I see 3 people, a dog, and a playground.
I feel something strange on the surface of this object.
Senses can be a tricky point. See the following two sentences.
I taste pepper.
I'm tasting the soup to see if it's hot.
These sentences are both correct. Taste here is a state verb meaning sense. However, tasting is also possible as an action verb.
It's important to note that state verbs for sense have to undoubtedly refer to a human sense. What does that mean? Senses allow humans to receive information from the outside world (through our ears, eyes, nose, mouth and touch) and then send that information to our brain for interpretation and meaning. Senses are involuntary. When our eyes or ears sense something (or receive information) for the first time, it's not something we can control. A bad smell in your room is not something you can tell your nose to switch off like a machine. You either have to deal with the bad smell directly, or leave the room.
On the other hand, action verbs are voluntary. Tasting in the second sentence is an action verb because the action was both deliberate and intentional. You could also imagine seeing a person raising a spoon to their mouth, opening it and putting the food in their mouth, thus making it a clear, visible action. The present continuous is used here to talk about an action happening right now.
Here are further examples of sense verbs.
I smell roses. (state: sense)
I'm smelling the roses. (action: voluntary; happening right now)
I see something in the fog. (state: sense)
I'm seeing a friend for dinner tonight. (action: seeing=meeting)
I see what you mean by that. (state: mental process - see=understand)
I'm seeing a television show at the moment. (this is completely incorrect and impossible)
I'm watching a television show at the moment. (this is correct. We can only use watch in this case)
If you listen carefully, you might hear some birds. (listen = voluntary action ; hear = state: sense)
I'm hearing this lovely music to pass the time. (this is completely incorrect and impossible)
I'm listening to this lovely music to pass the time. (this is correct. We can only use listen in this case)
As you can see, it's very common to see one verb used both in the simple and continuous tense. When this occurs, it's not necessarily a mistake. Many verbs have both an Action meaning and a State meaning. Have a look at some further examples of other non sense state verbs.
I have an apple. (state: possession)
I am having an apple. (action: having=eating)
I have a baby. (state: possession)
I'm having a baby. (action: future arrangement or happening right now)
I think it's going to rain tomorrow. (state: mental process)
I'm thinking of going to the beach on Sunday. (action: =planning with a likely probability of something happening)
The American fast food chain McDonald's introduced an interesting breaking of the rules with their slogan "I'm lovin' it." As mentioned before, love is a state verb. Their clever use, and snow-balling popularity, of this grammar-breaking structure has slowly, but surely changed the way English textbooks have taught this grammar point. From somewhere around 2012, many leading language coursebooks have permitted the use of love, and even hate in the continuous form. But what does it really mean? Take a look at this dialogue:
A: What do you think of this party?
B: I'm loving every minute of it.
We can treat this instance of loving as a 'temporary action in progress', which is one of the reasons why we use the present continuous tense. This would be similar to saying, "Please be quiet, I am trying to read right now." Your opinion that you love the party is very temporary and only reflects your opinion at the time you are speaking, and could change at any moment.
The verb be is also a state verb even though it doesn't fit into any of the 4 categories above. This should be quite obvious from sentences such as:
I am hungry.
The capital of France is Paris.
This is how we do it.
However, it is possible to say this:
Don't pay any attention to him. David is just being difficult today.
In this case, being implies a temporary situation that is different from normal. Normally (or every other time) David is quite friendly and easy to work with. But today, he's acting unusually as he is being difficult (or unfriendly or difficult to work with).
Amazing article! Red it already for a few times!