What is it called when a verb is no longer the process of doing, but the process of being something?
Is it still simply just a verb?
Sorry for the lack of example, it was troubling me late last night, if i still remembered the word, i probably wouldn’t be asking this question.
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Taking a wild guess here, but do you mean transitive vs intransitive verbs?
I don’t think transitive vs. intransitive is what Dr. Mc is looking for. Transitive vs. intransitive only has to do with whether or not the verb takes an object. In “I ate yesterday”, “ate” is intransitive. In “I ate pizza yesterday”, “ate” is transitive.
The terms you’re looking for are action verbs and state-of-being verbs. The terms are somewhat self-explanatory. Action verbs describe, well, actions: to run, to go, to eat, etc.
State-of-being verbs are sometimes called linking verbs because they can link the subject of a sentence with something that describes it. The verb “to be” in its various forms is a state-of-being verb. “I am hungry” describes my physical state, not some action that I am engaging in. If “I tasted the pizza”, then “tasted” would be an action verb. If “The pizza tasted good”, then “tasted” would be a state-of-being or linking verb.
Thanks for the help you two, although I do believe I was looking for Gerunds, although it very well could have been the linking verbs Porsche mentioned.
We’ll never know with my horrible memory.
Thanks again, ‘much appreciated.
Was the term you were after “copulative verbs”?
Google searches for this don’t give consistent answers, but http://writingtips.wordpress.com/2008/06/20/copulative-verbs/ echoes my vague memory of this grammar.
Linking verbs are also known as “copulative verbs”, is this the term you were after?
Google has a few contrary definitions, but http://writingtips.wordpress.com/2008/06/20/copulative-verbs/ seems fairly good, and agrees with my vague memories of grammar lessons.
New Oxford American Dictionary, 2nd Edition. © 2005 by Oxford University Press, Inc.:
Stative vs Dynamic verb, or ‘action’ vs ’state’ verbs, I reckon?