Action, event and state

Question

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/tenses-and-time

For example, we usually use present tense verb forms to talk about states, events or actions that happen or are happening in the present time.

What do "state, event and action" mean in this context?

How do we differentiate them?

I get confused between an event and a state.

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

JigneshbharatiI get confused between an event and a state.

Really? That's surprising.

Things happen to create an event. Bombs explode! Asteroids hit the earth! Teams win matches! Even if you just pick up the wallet that you accidentally dropped on the floor, that's an event. Or, you can classify "picking up a wallet" as an action because the focus is on the fact that someone is doing something.

Nothing happens when it's a state. Something just stays as it is. (Note the letters "sta" in common here.)

The rice is on my plate. The rice is in a certain state related to its location. The rice is not going anywhere. It's not doing anything. It's just staying on my plate.

My boss is not at work today. My boss is not in a certain location. He is staying away.

States don't have to be related to locations.

My brother is ill. (This doesn't say he's doing anything. He's just in the state of being ill.)

The glass is empty. (This doesn't say the glass is doing anything. It's in the state of being empty.)

This street is wide. (The street isn't doing anything. It's in the state of being wide.)

Present tense:

Action: (habitual) We have dinner at a restaurant every Sunday.
Action: (in progress) The children are playing outdoors.
Event: (habitual) Winter ends in March.
Event: (in progress) The airplane is landing.
State: Peter's shirt is too small.
(States can't be habitual or progressive because they stay the same all the time.)

CJ

Action, event and state

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