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.
Hummm!!!
UGH!
Ha ha ha ha ha ha!
Lies! You can make
state verbs continuous.
You just have to be bad enough...
to bend the rules a little.
Ha!
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
things too late to do anything."
Or, "I know I quit, but I'm constantly
wanting a cigarette."
We often make state verbs continuous
for the purposes of being tentative and polite.
In this way, we can make
awkward questions less direct
without accidentally
offending the other person.
This is very common in the past
continuous and the future continuous.
Compare: "Sorry to interrupt.
I want to borrow the car."
Or, "Sorry to interrupt.
I was wanting to borrow the car."
Or, "I'm going into town
- I need some money."
Or, "I'm going into town -
I'll be needing some money, so errr..."
Sometimes we deliberately use
a state verb in the continuous form
to emphasise a strong feeling
at the moment of speaking.
A certain fast food chain,
which you all know about,
uses this as
its marketing slogan.
For example, "I went to a party
last night and I was loving it!"
Or, "I don't care how long the chef
took to cook it. I'm not accepting that."
Finally, never forget
that there are idioms
and set phrases which can use
state verbs in the continuous form.
For example, "I just don't know
what to do about this situation;
it's really weighing
on my mind."
Or, "I've been seeing my partner
for over six months, self-five!"
One last thing guys.
We use these forms occasionally.
Don't go
crazy with them,
just understand that while in most cases
state verbs stay in the simple form,
you can break a rule or two,
now and then. If you want.
Did you get it? I don't care if you got it.
I'm getting a drink.