Stative & Dynamic Verbs

Look at this sample situation:

A conversation between two friends:

Emma: I have a car but today I’m having lunch with my boss, so I won’t drive.

Lucas: I think she’s really kind.

Emma: I’m thinking of asking her for advice about my project.

You can see from these examples that:

have can be stative (I have a car = possession) or dynamic (I’m having lunch = activity).

think can be stative (I think she’s kind = opinion) or dynamic (I’m thinking of asking her = considering/a mental process).

Meaning

Verbs in English are divided into two general categories:

Stative verbs describe states such as feelings, thoughts, possession, senses or existence. They are not usually used in continuous tenses.

Dynamic verbs describe an action where something is happening or changing. They can appear in all tenses, including continuous forms.

Some verbs can be both stative and dynamic, depending on their meaning.

Structure

Stative verbs

Usually used in simple tenses, not continuous.

Common groups:

Verbs of thinking & knowing: know, believe, understand, remember, mean, prefer, suppose, agree.

Verbs of possession & relation: have (possess), own, belong, contain, consist of, include.

Verbs of senses & appearance: see, hear, smell, taste, look (seem), sound.

Verbs of emotion & attitude: like, love, hate, want, need, appreciate, dislike, fear.

Dynamic verbs

Used for actions, so they can appear in both simple and continuous forms.

Common groups:

Physical actions: run, walk, eat, drink, write, study, build.

Mental processes: consider, learn, plan, decide, try.

Changing & developing: grow, improve, increase, rise, fall, change.

Verbs that can be both stative or dynamic

Some verbs change meaning depending on the context:

Have

Stative (possession):

Dynamic (activity):

Think

Stative (opinion):

Dynamic (mental activity):

See

Stative (perception):

Dynamic (meeting someone):

Be

Stative (characteristic):

Dynamic (temporary behaviour):

Taste/smell/look/appear

Stative (sense/appearance):

Dynamic (trying /behaving):

Key differences

Stative verbs describe what something is, feels, has or seems. Rarely used in continuous forms.

Dynamic verbs describe what someone does. Used in simple and continuous forms.

Dual verbs change meaning depending on whether they are used as stative or dynamic.

In the FCE exam

You'll find and use these types of verbs everywhere in English and in the FCE exam of course but here are a few possible uses:

Reading and Use of English

You may be specifically tested on them in part 4, key word transformations.

I’m considering buying a new phone.

OF

I _____________________________ a new phone.

Answer: am thinking of buying

Writing

In a review you might write:

Or in an essay:

Speaking

Part 1

Part 2 (comparing the photographs):

Part 3/4