Abstract:Verbs can be divided as “stative”and “dynamic”in relation to whether they admit the aspectual contrast of“progressive”and“non-progressive”.This paper focuses on the differences between stative verbs and dynamic verbs by comparing and analysing their useages. It will aim to help us to learn the grammatical structures of the verbs and understand the deep semantic meaning of the verbs as well.

Key words:Stative Verbs Dynamic Verbs Eglish Teaching

It is well-known that verbs can be classified as transitive verbs， intransitive verbs， and link verbs in relation to object- and complement- types. But verbs can be divided as “stative” and “dynamic” in relation to whether they admit the aspectual contrast of “progressive” and “non-progressive”，

Dynamic verbs are those refering to an activity or an event or happening thought of as a single occurrence with a definite beginning and end， whatever its duration. While stative verbs refer not to an activity but to a state or condition. The sense of duration is an integral part of the lexical meaning of the verb， and there is for this reason no need for progressive form to indicate duration. Palmer(1987) stated: “When verbs (either habitually or in certain uses) will not admit the progressive， they are called stative， when they will admit it， they are called dynamic”.

In fact， “stative” and “dynamic” are semantic rather than grammatical terms. Strictly， we mean verbs being used to refer to an action or state， for example:

(1) Suddenly， I remembered the letter.

(2) I shall remember that moment until I die.

In sentence (1)， remember is a “dynamic verb” ， referring to the act of recall. In sentence (2)， it is a “stative verb”， representing the notion of “having in one's memory”.

The differences between the stative and the dynamic are noted early by grammarians. Akira Ota (1963) pointed out : “These stative verbs rarely occur in progressive forms， because a state cannot be a progress. A state exists or does not exist， but it involves no notion of movement toward completion.” Whether it admits “progressive” or not is the first important difference between the two. For example:

(3) He is liking his supper. (state) (wrong)

(4) He is eating his supper. (activity) (right)

The second distinction between the two is that: a dynamic verb is obligatorily agentive， whereas the stative is not. An agentive verb is one whose subject refers to an animate object which is thought of as wilful source on agent of the activity described in the sentence. Examples are:

(5) He led the dog to the door. (dynamic) (agentive)

(6) The hall contains more than 1000 audience. (state， non-agentive)

Stative verbs are non-agentive in a sense that they cannot be used in imperative sentences and more it cannot be the complement of “persuade”. For example:

(7) See the window. (stative)(wrong )

(8) Look at me.(dynamic)(right)

(9) He was persuaded to hear the music. (state)(wrong)

(10) He was persuaded to listen to the music. (dynamic)(right)

(11) Feel a stone in your shoe. (state)(wrong)

(12) Feel the surface of the table. (dynamic)(right)

In the sixth sentence “feel”， as it refers to “try to learn by putting fingers on something”， is a dynamic verb. Thus used in imperative sentence.

According to its meaning， a stative verb is a goal-attainment verb. It implies that action might be achieved somehow. Generally speaking， this distinction is parallel to that between a transitive verb and an intransitive verb. Because a stative verb is a goal-attainment verb， it must be a transitive verb. While dynamic may not necessarily be. Examples are:

(13) John likes Chinese food at home. (state) (right)

(14) John eats Chinese food at home. (activity)(right)

(15) John likes at home. (state) (wrong)

(16) John eats at home. (activity)(right)

In the above sentences， there are three aspects that show the differences between stative verbs and dynamic verbs: ① non-progressive and progressive; ②non-agentive and agentive; ③transitive and intranstive. They are different in some usages， yet they are interchangeable in othe aspect.

Stative verbs usually express bodily or mental state. Verbs of perception (e.g. hear， notice， recognize， see， smell ，taste)， verbs of emotion(e.g. desire， dislike， forgive， hate， like， love， perfer， refuse， want， wish)， verbs of thinking and idea (e.g. believe， doubt， expect， feel， forget， hope， know， mean， mind， realize， recall， remember， suppose， think， trust )， verbs of possession (e.g. belong， own， possess)， and others， such as appear， be， have， call， concern， contain， deserve， matter， seem， etc.， belong to this category. They are usually used in the simple present， as in the following sentences:

(17) This apple tastes sweet.

(18) I want to go shopping.

(19) We think he is right.

(20) The future belongs to us young people.

(21) All the world is a stage.

In most cases these verbs are not used in the progressive unless the meaning undergoes a change. When one of the verbs is used to express an activity or a state that is still going on， the simple present， not the present continuous， is used，

(22) John knows Chinese. (Not: John is knowing Chinese.)

(23) He has a good ear. (Not: He is having a good ear.)

(24) The bike belongs to me. (Not: This bike is belonging to me.)

(25) I understand that she is coming. (Not: I am understanding that she is coming.)

However， all grammars leak. In our daily intercourse， we do sometimes find that verbs of state are unmistakably used in the progressive， and without too much changes of the normal meaning of the verbs at that， e.g.

(26) No more wine， please. I'm seeing double.

(27) Put out the fire， Jane. I'm smelling something burnt.

(28) She is looking more and more like her mother.

Sometimes， they are so used either to indicate the point of entrance into a new state as in sentence (29a.b.c)， or to show a certain aspect of mental condition or perceptual activity as in (29d，e，f) or just to express courtesy or some emotional colouring as in(29g，h): (29) a. Are you forgetting (=beginning to forget) me?

b. He is understanding (= beginning to understand) things better.

c. I'm seeing (= beginning to see) you for the first time as you really are.

d. How are you liking (= getting happiness from) your new job?

e. Be quiet， I'm thinking (=giving thought to) a problem.

f. I'm hoping you will help me. (more polite than to sayI hope')

g. Well， well， I'm not feeling well. (suggesting someone may do something for me or just leave me alone)

h. I don't know what he is meaning by saying that. (suggesting I wonder what's the matter with him)

In this case the stative verbs are no longer used the way they are normally used but as verbs of action.

Dynamic verbs usually express activities or movements. They may be roughly classified into: ①durative， such as drink， eat， read， write， play， talk， run， rain， snow， etc.; ②non-durative， such as stop， leave， jump， tap， knock， fall， etc.; ③interactive， such as crow， bark， roar， sneer， flap， flutter， groan， slide， slip， etc.

As a whole， dynamic verbs can be used either in the continuous or otherwise. When a durative is used in the continuous， it expresses a temporary state or fact.

Compare:

(30) a.He is living in an expensive flat. (perhaps not for long)

b.He lives in a/an apartment house. (a customary act)

(31) a.This bucket is leaking. (Usually it doesn't)

b.This bucket leaks. ( It does for some time already)

(32) a.She is lying on a couch. (for the time being)

b.The town lies on a river. (a permanent situation)

With some perfective verbs， that is， verbs which refers to action that produce a finished result， the present continuous (not the simple present) is to be used to represent an action that is going on at present. For example:

(33) He is writing his thesis. (Not: He writes his thesis.)

(34) The workers are building a ship. (Not: They build a ship.)

But when a non-durative is used in the continuous， it expresses a prolonged process. Compare:

(35) a.The rain is falling steadly. (lasting for a fairly long time)

b.Many buildings fell in the earthquake. (fell representing an instantaneous action)

In all， by dividing verbs as stative and dynamic， it is helpful to learn the grammatical structures of the verbs， but also the deep semantic meaning of the verbs.

References:

[1]Ota， Akira.Tense and Aspect of the Present Day American English.1963.

[2]Leech， Geoffrey N. Meaning and The English Verb. Longman， London. 1971．

[3]Palmer， F.R. The English Verb. Longman，1987．

（Work Unit ：Meishan Vocational and Technical College）