Actions denoted by dynamic verbs have duration. They occur over a span of time. This time span may or may not have a defined
endpoint, and may or may not yet have occurred. These distinctions lead to various forms related to
tense and
aspect. For example, a dynamic verb may be said to have a durative
aspect if there is not a defined endpoint or a punctual aspect if there is a defined endpoint. Examples of dynamic verbs in
English are 'to run', 'to hit', 'to intervene', 'to savour' and 'to go'. A striking feature of modern English is its limited use of the
simple present tense of dynamic verbs. Generally, the
tense is required to express an action taking place in the present (I am going). The simple present usually refers to a habitual action (I go every day), a general rule (water runs downhill), a future action in some subordinate clauses (if I go) or the
historical present (President signs bill). In other Germanic languages a progressive aspect of a dynamic verb is often not marked; for example, English 'I am going home' in
German is simply
Ich gehe nach Hause, using the present
indicative. A dynamic verb expresses a wide range of actions that may be physical (to run), mental (to ponder), or perceptual (to see), as opposed to a stative verb, which purely expresses a state in which there is no obvious action (to stand, believe, suppose etc.). ==Examples==