State verbs

Verbs describing a permanent state (state verbs) do not normally have continuous forms. These are:

(1) verbs of the senses: see, hear, smell, feel, taste etc

(2) verbs of opinion: agree, believe, consider etc

(3) verbs of emotions: feel, forgive, hate, like, love etc

(4) other verbs: appear (=seem), be, belong, fit, have (possess), know, look (appear), need, prefer, require, want, weight, wish etc

The verbs look, watch, listen express deliberate actions and can be used in continuous forms.

Some state verbs: see, smell, taste, feel, think, have etc have continuous forms but there is a difference in meaning.

verb	STATE	ACTION
think	I think she is rich.	I’m thinking about your plan.
taste	The milk tastes awful.	He is tasting the sauce; it might need some salt.
have	He has a pet dog.	He’s having dinner now.
feel	This cloth feels like velvet.	She’s feeling her way in the dark.
see	I see you are in trouble.	I’m seeing my lawyer tonight.
smell	The kitchen smells of burnt meet.	Why are you smelling your food?
come	He comes from Spain.	He’s coming from Spain.
love	I love holidays.	I’m loving this holiday.
look	Your hair looks great.	She is looking at some old photographs.
weigh	The baby weighs 5 kilos.	I’m weighing myself on my new scales.
be	Ann is very tall.	Ann is being very kind to me these days.

Have gone to, have been to, have been in

He has gone to Paris. (= He is there or on his way to Paris)

He has been to Paris once. (= He’s visited Paris once but he’s back now.)

He has been in Paris for three months. (= He’s in Paris now.)

In other words:

I’ve never eaten mango before. = It’s the first time I’ve ever eaten.

I’ve never seen such a good film. = It’s the best film I’ve ever seen.

EXERCISE 1. Identify the tenses in bold, then match them with the correct description.

1. He works in a TV studio. 2. Tom is always causing trouble at work. 3. She is working at a supermarket at present. 4. Fish live in the sea. 5. She is looking for a job as a nanny in Madrid. 6. The thief grabs the bag and disappears. 7. He usually leaves his office at 6.00pm. 8. She starts her new job on Monday. 9. We are attending a seminar on Monday. 10. The new company is growing steadily.

a. temporary situation b. permanent state c. fixed arrangements in the near future d. dramatic narrative (reviews/sport commentaries) e. permanent truths or laws of nature f. changing or developing situations g. timetables/programmes with future meaning h. frequently repeated actions expressing annoyance i. actions happening at or around the time of speaking j. repeated/habitual actions

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