Dynamic Verbs
There are many types of dynamic verbs, but most of them describe activities or events which
can begin and finish. Here are some examples:
Dynamic Verb Type Examples
play activity She plays tennis every Friday.
She's playing tennis right now.
melt process The snow melts every spring.
The snow is melting right now
hit momentary action When one boxer hits another, brain damage can result. (This
suggests only ONE punch.)
When one boxer is hitting another, brain damage can result. (This suggests MANY repeated
punches.)
Dynamic verbs, as you can see from the table above, can be used in the simple and perfect
forms (plays, played, has played, had played) as well as the continuous or progressive forms (is
playing, was playing, has been playing, had been playing).
Stative Verbs
Stative verbs usually refer to a state or condition which is quite static or unchanging. They can
be divided into verbs of perception or cognition (which refer to things in the mind), or verbs of
relation (which describe the relationships between things). Here are some examples:
Stative Verb Type Examples
hate perception I hate chocolate.
believe perception She believes in UFOs.
contain relation The box contains 24 cans of soda.
own relation Yong owns three motorbikes.
Note that we CANNOT use these verbs in the continuous (progressive) forms; you CAN'T say
"*Yong is owning three cars." Owning is a state, not an action, so it is always in the simple
form.
Example verbs
Here some common stative and dynamic verbs. The lists may help you to understand what types
of verbs are likely to be stative and what types are commonly dynamic.
