 Re: Action and state verbs
I'm not sure what you mean. Your sentence "action verbs tend to be state verbs" is a contradiction. Forget about types of verb though and think about uses. Verb forms express meanings and the form chosen will depend on what meaning the speaker wants to express. Any verb can be used statively or dynamically. If it's used statively then it's seen as a permanent fact/state and simple aspect will be used; if it's used dynamically then it's seen as an on-going but temporary event and progressive aspect will be chosen. For example, compare I love gardening with eg David's in France for three months and he's loving every moment of it.
or : That piece of the jigsaw goes here vs I'm going to the supermarket but I'll be back by 3 o'clock.
So it depends on the speaker's perception of the event : if you perceive something as a permanent fact/state then you'll use simple aspect; if you perceive it as an on-going but temporary event/action, then you'll choose the progressive. But either can be used with any verb.
What exactly did you mean? Did you have any particular verbs in mind? |