Which Tense Shows Progression or Continuation of Actions or States of Being
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Present Tense: States of Being (static verb / stative verb)
Express existence and changes in states
My name is Albert. I am a sleepwalker. I know the condition seems very unusual. As you can guess, I never know where I will wake up in the morning. I am tired much of the time. I have medicine to keep me from sleepwalking, but it doesn't work well. My footsteps in the middle of the night surprise people. My nights include a lot of unexpected adventures.
Static (Stative) vs. Dynamic Verbs ("Be" + Adjective)
| STATIC VERBS + ADJ COMPLEMENTS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Static verbs, also called "stative", "linking", "copula", express states that exist, no action is taken. For this reason, they are mostly nonprogressive. These verbs have relatively little meaning other than relating the subject to the complement, which is usually an adjective or participle modifier. | ||
| SUBJ | PRED | COMPLEMENT |
| N | STATIC VERB | ADJECTIVE |
| Albert | is = (has the character) | good / quiet / difficult. |
| looks(has the appearance) | tired. | |
| seems (has the behavior) | upset. | |
| appears (has the behavior) | happy. | |
| acts (has the behavior) | strange. | |
| becomes (changes) | excited. | |
| is becoming¹ (gradually changes) | tired. | |
| gets² (changes) | angry / tired. | |
| is getting¹ (gradually changes) | better, older, bored, tired | |
| DYNAMIC VERBS + COMPLEMENTS | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dynamic verbs express activities, actions that we do or perform. For this reason, they can take progressive verb forms. Note, in the examples below, how the meaning of the dynamic verb in the progressive differs from the meaning of the static verb in the nonprogressive. | ||
| SUBJ | PRED | COMPLEMENT |
| N | DYNAMIC VERB | ADJ / PP / NP |
| Albert | is being (is behaving) | good / difficult. (Adj) |
| is looking (watching) | at you. (PP) | |
| *is seeming | upset. (Adj) | |
| is appearing (is performing) | on stage. (PP) | |
| is acting (is performing) | in a movie. (PP) | |
| is becoming (is working to become) | a good technician. (NP) | |
| is getting (is working for) | his PhD degree.(NP) | |
*not used
¹is getting / is becoming (progressive) – something is happening gradually (little by little). An action is not taken.
² get (V) – become He gets tired fast. (See Get Passives.)
is looking (progressive) – occurs in modern usage: He's looking good, You're looking well, The situation was looking bad.
is becoming (Adj) –makes you look attractive: That suit is becoming on you. That suit becomes you.
look (V) – face, have a view to: These windows look south.
Also see "Be" (Copula) | It seems /occurs / is likely | Adjectives
Common Mistakes
Errors and Solutions
Error and Solution
| ERROR |
|---|
| *She is seeming upset. |
| ~He is acting strangely. ("He is performing on stage in a strange manner.") |
| *The crowd went wildly. |
| SOLUTION |
|---|
| She seems upset. (Do not use progressive with seem. ) |
| He acts strange. (His behavior is odd or unusual.) He is acting strange. (Currently, his behavior is odd.) |
| The crowd went wild.went (expression) – behaved, acted. |
*incorrect usage / ~awkward usage or it requires a special context or an unusual situation
"Make-or-Break Verbs", New York Times, 16 Apr 2012, opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/04/16/make-or-break-verbs.
► Show Grammar Notes and Works Cited ▼ Hide Grammar Notes
Grammar Notes (Advanced)
Traditional and Linguistic Description
Traditional and Linguistic Description
| TRADITIONAL DESCRIPTION |
|---|
| The Verb Be—A sentence with be as the main verb has three basic patterns. (Azar A-5)
Linking Verbs—Other verbs like be that may be followed immediately by an adjective are called "linking verbs." An adjective following a linking verb describes the subject of a sentence. (Azar A-6)
|
| |
| LINGUISTIC DESCRIPTION |
|---|
| Copular verbs (or copulas) are used to associate some attribute, expressed by the subject predicative following the verb, with the subject of the clause. You're stupid. The copula be links the attribute very stupid with the subject you. (Huddleston 4 §5.4-5) A number of other verbs function as copulas:
"Subject predicatives are realized by a noun phrase, adjective phrase, or prepositional phrase. The obligatory adverbial pattern is usually a prepositional phrase." "The copular verbs be, seem, and appear take the widest range of patterns occurring with complement clauses as well as adjectival and nominal complements. He seems angry. He seems a good boy. He seems in great form. He seems to be healthy." (Biber 5.5.1-4) |
| |
Word Categories: N – Noun; V – Verb; Aux – Auxiliary; Adj – Adjective; Adv – Adverb; P –Preposition; Det –Determiner.
Phrasal Categories: NP – Noun Phrase; VP – Verb Phrase; AdjP – Adjective Phrase; AdvP – Adverb Phrase; PP – Prepositional Phrase; DP – Determinative Phrase.
Clausal Categories: Cls – clause; F – finite clause; NF – nonfinite clause (Ger – gerund; Inf – infinitive; PPart – past participle).
Word Functions: Subj – subject; Pred – predicate/predicator; Comp – complement: elements required by an expression to complete its meaning (DO – direct object; IO – indirect object);Adjunct – adjunct: elements not required by an expression to complete its meaning (Subord – subordinator; Coord – coordinator); Supl – supplement: a clause or phrase added onto a clause that is not closely related to the central thought or structure of the main clause.
Works Cited
- Azar, Betty Schrampfer, and Stacy A. Hagen. Understanding and Using English Grammar. 4th ed., Pearson Education, 2009.
- Biber, Douglas, and Stig Johansson, et al. Longman Grammar Of Spoken And Written English. Pearson Education, 1999.
- Huddleston, Rodney D., and Geoffrey K. Pullum. The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language. Cambridge UP, 2002.
- Swan, Michael. Practical English Usage. 3rd ed., Oxford UP, 2005.
Practice 1
Robert
Complete the paragraph with the correct verb forms.
- Select the response from the list that best completes the sentence.
- Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "check" button.
Practice 2
A Mathematical Mind
Is the verb static (expresses a state) or dynamic (expresses action)?
- Select an option: static or dynamic
- Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "check 11-20" button at the bottom.
Practice 3
Becoming a Gymnast
Read for Errors
My friend Chelsea is an inspiration. She becomes an excellent gymnast. She practices gymnastics six hours a day. She very hard working to master her floor exercises. She also a very smart person. She is looking amazing while she is performing.
Sometimes, she seeming tired and discouraged. Occasionally, she tells me her coach is being difficult. Yet I see she is getting stronger and better everyday.. She is appearing in the next national competition.
coach (N) – a trainer, an instructor, usually in sports
inspiration (N) – a feeling of great respect and liking for someone
Edit for Errors
- Edit the sentence(s) in the text box.
- Compare your response to the feedback by clicking the "Check" or the "Check 1-10" button.
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