Is there a rule of thumb to distinguish stative verbs from nonstative ones?

Question

Is there some rule of thumb to successfully distinguish stative verbs from nonstative ones?

Answer 1

The Aspect tag-wiki mentions three fairly reliable tests:

• Events may be employed with the progressive construction; states ordinarily may not.

    John is buying me a beer.
  ^∗John is liking beer.

• When employed in a main clause modified by a perfective when clause, events are understood to follow what is described in the when clause; states are understood to start before and continue during what is described in the when clause.

    When I met John he liked beer.
    When I met John he bought me a beer.

• Events can serve as the complement in Wh- cleft constructions; statives cannot.

    What John did was buy me a beer.
  ^∗What John did was like beer.

Note, however, that I say 'fairly' reliable. Many verbs have both stative and eventive senses; and even those which ordinarily do not may be 'recategorized' by use in particular contexts or particular constructions. Be, for instance, is about as stative as you can get; but when it is cast in the progressive it has an 'activity' sense = 'behave':

John is being a jerk. = John is behaving like a jerk.

The Aspect tag-wiki gives some more examples.