Stative and Dynamic Verb Activities

Stative and dynamic verbs can be confusing for ESL students. Verbs that come from the same root word can have two different meanings in some sentences, depending on how they are used. Help your English as a second language students understand the differences between these types of verbs by using these tips.

Stative verbs describe a state of being. Some include hate, believe, think, feel, see and have. Dynamic verbs are often used in the present progressive tense to indicate an action that has a beginning and an end, although the times of each may not be necessarily specified. For example, the word smell in the present progressive is "smelling," and it can be used as a dynamic verb in a sentence like "Why are you smelling the dinner?"

Stative and dynamic verbs can also have completely different meanings. For example, using the verb smell again, you could ask "Why are you smelling the dinner?" to indicate an action that is going on right now. If you instead ask, "Why do you smell the dinner?" it indicates a different meaning. The meaning implies that you wonder what property of the dinner makes it able to be smelled by someone. Is it too much pepper that the person is smelling, or perhaps too much of another spice? This could also imply that some adjustments need to be made to the dinner before it is ready to be served.

English as a second language students can practice using stative and dynamic verbs in a number of ways. Use the following activities in your intermediate to advanced level classes to help your students better understand the different ways to use dynamic and stative verbs.

Activity 1 : Write a series of sentences on a worksheet. Leave a blank for the verbs in each sentence. Put the stative and dynamic forms of the verb in parentheses next to the blank. Have students choose which verb is the best choice for each sentence and write it on the blank. Students can work in pairs, discussing why they have chosen each answer to each other.

Activity 2: Write a series of pairs of sentences that use both the stative and the dynamic forms of various verbs. Choose verbs that can change the meaning of sentences in both forms. Some include think, have, see. The different meanings of these verbs are: think-a mental process or believe; have-own/possess or eat/drink; see-meeting with or understand. Have students explain either in writing on their own or in small groups what the differences in meaning are between each pair of sentences.

Activity 3: Write a series of sentences on the board or on a worksheet (depending on whether you want the whole class to participate or students to work independently) that include stative and dynamic verbs. Include sentences with verbs in the present progressive tense that are not used in this tense. Some examples of these types of verbs are own, like, need, seem, want, believe, hate, belong, know and remember. Have students indicate which sentences are incorrect. For example, the sentence "I am believing you are not right" is an incorrect sentence. The verb should be believe in the simple present tense as it is a stative verb that is not used as a dynamic verb.

Reference:
Eclectic English: English Action and State Verbs