State Verbs vs Action Verbs

• Action verbs describe what someone does, while state verbs describe feelings, thoughts, or possession. We usually do not use state verbs in the continuous form.
• Verb Type
• Usage
• Example
• Action
• Things we do
• Mark is writing code right now.
• State
• Things we think or own
• Jessica knows the answer to this bug.
• Remember
• Use the present simple for habits, permanent situations, and state verbs.
• Use the present continuous for actions happening right now or temporary situations.
• Common state verbs include know, belong, seem, and need.
• Examples
• I need help with this database in Seattle.
• This repository belongs to our team in Austin.
• Brian is testing the new security patch at the moment.
• Common mistakes
• I am needing your assistance with the deployment.
• I need your assistance with the deployment.

Complete the sentences

• Right now, Sarah (work) ____ on the project in Chicago.
• Kevin (know) ____ how to fix the server issue in Boston.
• Why (you / need) ____ admin rights for the Dallas office?
• The application (seem) ____ very slow today in Denver.
• Look! The engineers (deploy) ____ the update in New York.
• This laptop (belong) ____ to the IT department in Miami.

Sources: photo by Mary Taylor on Pexels