stative
/ˈsteɪtɪv/
adjective
- Describing a verb that expresses a state or condition rather than an action, often not used in continuous tenses.
- In English, 'know' is a stative verb, so we say 'I know the answer' not 'I am knowing the answer.'
- When learning English, it's important to remember that stative verbs usually don't take the -ing form.
- Teachers often explain that stative verbs like 'belong' or 'seem' describe feelings or relationships.
Antonyms
noun
- A verb that describes a state, condition, or feeling rather than an action.
- The word 'love' is a stative because it expresses a feeling, not an action.
- Statives like 'prefer' and 'hate' are common in everyday conversation.
- In grammar class, we learned that 'have' can be both a stative and an action verb depending on how it's used.