States of Being

Existing States

SleepyMy name is Alberto.  I am a sleepwalker.  I know the condition seems very unusual.  As you can guess, I never know where I will wake up in the morning.  I am tired much of the time. I have medicine to suppress my sleepwalking, but it doesn't work well. My footsteps in the middle of the night surprise people. 

 

States of "being"

  • are conditions or situations that exist
  • do not involve actions
  • are followed by adjectives
  • cannot be progressive (with few exceptions).
States-of-Being vs. Activities

State-of-being verbs give us variations in meaning of the verb "be". Some stative verbs have both stative and active forms, but with different meanings.
 

STATES OF BEING ACTIVITIES

 These verbs indicate existence or equivalence.  They do not indicate activity. They use nonprogressive verb forms.

Active verbs are activities that we take action to do or perform. They indicate how people affect others. They take progressive and nonprogressive verb forms. 

Alberto is happy.

 

*Alberto looks tired. (Albert = tired)

Alberto is looking at you.  (to see with focus)

Alberto seems upset. (Albert = upset)

 

Alberto appears pleased. (Albert = pleased)

Alberto Benigni is appearing on stage tonight.  (is performing)

Alberto resembles his father. (Albert = father)

 

**Alberto becomes excited when he wins.

 

Alberto gets angry easily. (to become)

You are getting better each day. (are improving)

Alberto acts strange. (Alberto = strange)

Robert DeNiro is acting in this movie. (is performing)


* LOOK: In modern usage, it's common to hear "He's looking good.", "You're looking well.", "The situation was looking bad." in which speakers use the progressive form for the passive state of "look". (Also, see 'feel' and 'like'.); Also: These windows look south. (to have a view)
**BECOME: That suit is becoming on you. (adj. attractive)

 

 

 

 

 

NervousPractice 

 

 

Enter the correct verb tense into each box. Pay attention to subject-verb agreement.

 

Alberto Benigni is a very funny Italian actor. Presently, , the monster. . In this movie, the police think he, Loro, is a dangerous serial killer, but this is a case of mistaken identity. The police try to catch him by having a beautiful woman, a cop, invite him to her apartment. He is delighted to be in her company. However, He bumbles, and fumbles, which causes the police to think he is going to attack her at any moment. Meanwhile another man, the real serial killer, is caught.

 

  

 

Alberto Benigni is a very funny Italian actor. Presently, , the monster. . In this movie, the police think he, Loro, is a dangerous serial killer, but this is a case of mistaken identity. The police try to catch him by having a beautiful woman, a cop, invite him to her apartment. He is delighted to be in her company. However, He bumbles, and fumbles, which causes the police to think he is going to attack her at any moment. Meanwhile another man, the real serial killer, is caught.

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Answers

Text View

 

Alberto gets nervous whenever he takes a test. His head feels light and his hands become sweaty.  He worries that the teacher looks at him. Other people notice that Alberto appears upset because he acts so 'jumpy'.

Alberto Benigni is a very funny Italian actor. Presently, he appears in a movie called "Il Monstro" , the monster. He seems to have a natural gift for comedy . In this movie, the police think he, Loro, is a dangerous serial killer, but this is a case of mistaken identity. The police try to catch him by having a beautiful woman, a cop, invite him to her apartment. He is delighted to be in her company. However, Loro is a person who acts strange. He bumbles, and fumbles, which causes the police to think he is going to attack her at any moment. Instead, the woman appears to fall in love with him. Meanwhile another man, the real serial killer, is caught. He resembles Loro in appearance, but not in character.

 

 

 

 

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