Grammar: Using stative verbs in the continuous tense

From the creator

Here's a grammar question for you: is it ever OK to use state verbs in the continuous form? Dan shows us when it is possible in this bite-sized video. For the transcript, a quiz and grammar notes, visit our website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/towards-advanced/unit-5/session-1 Transcript: Hi Guys! Angelic Dan for BBC Learning English here. This week we're going to be looking at state verbs. Now, there are some verbs in English which talk about states, not actions. These are called 'state verbs' and the rules of English say that we can never ever use these verbs continuously. And we don't break the rules of English do we? Cos we're good people aren't we? Yes! Examples of state verbs are words like: be and love and want. They usually concern feelings or possession or sensory information. Oooh - a magic potion. UGH! Lies! You can make state verbs continuous. You just have to be bad enough to bend the rules a little. So, many so-called state verbs have two different forms – a state one and a dynamic one. Using the verb in one form or another changes its meaning. Consider: "I have a car" or "I’m having a shower". This is very apparent with the verb be which in the continuous form means 'temporarily acting'. For example, "Mike's usually so energetic: why's he being so lazy?" We can also use the present continuous and an adverb such as always, forever and constantly to show irritation for a repeated habit that annoys us. "I’m forever understanding thi

Published 2016-08-01 · Watch on YouTube ↗
Availability and playback restrictions are controlled by the original channel.