oxford_guide_to_english_grammar

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62 Action verbs and state verbs
The perfect means 'up to now' or 'up to then'. The decorating came to an end in
the period leading up to the present time.
We can sometimes choose the present perfect or the past simple, depending on
how we see the action. • 65
We've finished the decorating. (in the period up to now)
We finished the decorating. (in the past)
4 The continuous
These verb phrases are continuous (sometimes called 'progressive').
We are decorating at the moment.
We had been looking for ages.
We were getting pretty desperate.
The continuous means 'for a period of time'. We are in the middle of decorating;
the search for the flat went on for a period of time.
Sometimes the use of the continuous depends on how we see the action. We do
not use the continuous if we see the action as complete.
Period of time: We had been looking for ages.
Complete action: We had looked everywhere.
State verbs (e.g. know) are not normally continuous. • 62
For present continuous and simple, • 64.
5 The passive
We use the passive when the subject is not the agent but what the action is
directed at. • 103
The flat wasn't advertised.
In the conversation A new flat, Jason chooses a passive sentence here because the
flat is the best subject. It relates to what has gone before.
62 Action verbs and state verbs
1 Verbs can express actions or states.
Actions
States
Jane went to bed. Jane was tired.
I'm buying a new briefcase. I need a new briefcase.
I lent Jeremy five pounds. Jeremy owes me five pounds.
An action means something happening, something changing. Action verbs are
verbs like do, go, buy, play, stop, take, decorate, say, ask, decide etc.
A state means something staying the same. These verbs are state verbs:
adore depend doubt lack owe seem
be deserve envy like own understand
believe desire exist love pity want
belong to despise hate matter possess wish
consist of detest intend mean prefer
contain dislike know need resemble