State Verbs in Continuous Tenses – English Grammar Exercises for B2

1   (B) are looking into

• Why it is correct (Key): “Look into” means to investigate. It is a dynamic action. Because it is happening “as we speak,” the Present Continuous is required.
• Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; using simple present fails to capture the ongoing nature of the investigation. (C) is a Structural Error (wrong preposition ‘in’ instead of ‘into’). (D) is a Meaning Trap; Present Perfect implies the investigation is already finished.

2   (B) looks

• Why it is correct (Key): “Look” here refers to the appearance or state of the financial report. It is a state verb and must be in the simple tense.
• Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; learners try to make it continuous because the report is right in front of them, but states cannot be continuous. (C) is a Structural Error (missing ‘s’ for the singular subject ‘report’). (D) is a Meaning Trap; “appear” is also a state verb and cannot be continuous.

3   (D) is looking

• Why it is correct (Key): “Look at” means to actively direct one’s eyes and attention toward the expenses (examining them). It is a dynamic verb happening “right now.”
• Error analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; treating an active examination as a state. (A) is a Structural Error. (B) is a Meaning Trap; “seem” is a state verb and grammatically incorrect here.

4   (B) doesn’t look

• Why it is correct (Key): The situation’s appearance/state is described. State verbs use the simple tense, so the negative is “doesn’t look.”
• Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; while colloquially you might hear “isn’t looking good,” in standard B2 grammar, state verbs strictly resist continuous forms. (C) is a Structural Error (wrong subject-verb agreement). (D) is a Meaning Trap; a “situation” cannot perform the action of “looking at” something.

5   (B) am looking

• Why it is correct (Key): “Look over” means to examine or review documents. It is an ongoing dynamic action triggered by “currently.”
• Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; using the simple tense for an action in progress. (D) is a Structural Error. (C) is a Meaning Trap; “watch” implies observing something that moves on its own (like a video or a person), not reviewing static documents.

6   (A) do you look

• Why it is correct (Key): The Director’s physical appearance or expression is a state. Therefore, it stays in the Present Simple.
• Error analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; asking about a temporary visual state often tempts learners to use the continuous. (C) is a Structural Error (missing the auxiliary “do” for a question). (D) is a Meaning Trap; “observe” is grammatically incorrect in this syntax.

7   (B) is looking

• Why it is correct (Key): The marketing team is performing the action of examining the ad campaign. “Right now” dictates the continuous tense.
• Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; using simple tense for an ongoing action. (C) is a Structural Error. (D) is a Meaning Trap; “see” (perceive) is a state verb. You cannot “see closely at” something; you “look closely at” it.

8   (B) looks

• Why it is correct (Key): “Look like” expresses resemblance or impression (a state). It must be in the simple tense.
• Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; overusing continuous tenses for temporary impressions. (C) is a Structural Error (wrong agreement). (D) is a Meaning Trap; “is appearing” uses a state synonym in an invalid continuous format.

9   (B) are looking

• Why it is correct (Key): “Look into” (investigate) is a dynamic action happening “today,” so Present Continuous is the correct choice.
• Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; failing to use continuous for an ongoing current action. (C) is a Structural Error (wrong agreement for plural “auditors”). (D) is a Meaning Trap; “investigate” does not take the preposition “into” (you investigate a crime, you don’t investigate into a crime).

10   (D) look

• Why it is correct (Key): The charts possess an appearance of being incorrect. This is a state, requiring Present Simple.
• Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; using continuous because they are viewing the charts right now. (B) is a Meaning Trap; “seem” is a state verb and cannot be continuous. (C) is a Structural Error (plural subject “charts” needs “look”, not “looks”).

11   (A) are looking

• Why it is correct (Key): In business, “looking into doing something” means actively considering or planning it. This is a dynamic mental process.
• Error analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; using simple present implies a general habit rather than the current crisis response. (C) is a Structural Error (missing “are”). (D) is a Meaning Trap; “seeing into” means predicting the future (like a psychic), which is incorrect here.

12   (B) looks

• Why it is correct (Key): “It looks as though” means “it seems.” This is a pure state of impression.
• Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; treating an impression as an ongoing action. (C) is a Structural Error (wrong agreement for “It”). (D) is a Meaning Trap; “expects” fits grammatically (“It expects…”) but makes zero sense in the context of the sentence.

13   (B) are looking

• Why it is correct (Key): “Look at” is a dynamic action. It happens parallel to “I am examining,” highlighting two ongoing actions happening simultaneously “Right now.”
• Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; using simple present breaks the parallel structure of ongoing actions. (C) is a Structural Error. (D) is a Meaning Trap; “viewing at” is incorrect English (you view something, you don’t view at it).

14   (B) looks

• Why it is correct (Key): The deficit has the appearance of being worse. This is a state verb usage.
• Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; learners assume that because the spreadsheet analysis is ongoing, the appearance of the deficit is also a continuous action. (C) is a Structural Error. (D) is a Structural Error.

15   (C) is being looked

• Why it is correct (Key): This is the passive voice of the dynamic phrasal verb “look into.” Because the action is happening “right now,” it requires the Present Continuous Passive (is + being + V3).
• Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; Present Simple Passive implies a general routine, not a current crisis action. (B) is a Structural Error (Active voice implies the transaction itself is looking at something). (D) is a Meaning Trap (Present Perfect Passive means the investigation is already finished).

16   (C) look

• Why it is correct (Key): The projections have an appearance of stability (state). It stays in the simple tense.
• Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; trying to make the state continuous. (D) is a Structural Error (wrong agreement for plural “projections”). (B) is a Meaning Trap; “observe” changes the meaning completely to an action the projections are supposedly performing.

17   (B) is looking

• Why it is correct (Key): “Look to do something” is an idiom meaning “aiming or planning to do something.” It is a dynamic action.
• Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; treating it as the state verb “appear.” (C) is a Structural Error. (D) is a Meaning Trap; “believing to upgrade” is nonsensical.

18   (B) looks

• Why it is correct (Key): The situation’s appearance is a state. Even with the strong time marker “at this moment,” state verbs refuse the continuous form.
• Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; falling for the “at this moment” trap. (C) is a Structural Error. (D) is a Meaning Trap.

19   (C) was looking

• Why it is correct (Key): “Look at” is an action. Because it was an ongoing action in the past that was interrupted by another action (“walked into”), the Past Continuous is required.
• Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; using Past Simple fails to convey the ongoing background action. (B) is a Structural Error (tense mismatch with “walked”). (D) is a Meaning Trap; “seeing at” is incorrect.

20   (D) look / are looking

• Why it is correct (Key): The first blank is a state (the numbers appear terrible). The second blank is dynamic (we are investigating/planning strategies).
• Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; gets the grammar rules completely backward. (B) is a Structural Error. (C) is a Meaning Trap; assuming both verbs must be continuous because of the “right now” context, ignoring the state/dynamic rule.

The verb LOOK changes its grammatical rules entirely depending on its meaning in the context:

1 LOOK as a STATE VERB (Appearance / Impression)

When “look” means to seem, to appear, or to give an impression, it describes a state or a fact. In standard English grammar, state verbs are never used in continuous tenses, even if the state is temporary or happening right now.

• Correct: The revenue numbers look bad today.
• Incorrect: The revenue numbers are looking bad today.
• Correct: You look tired.
• Incorrect: You are looking tired. (Note: Native speakers use this colloquially, but it is considered incorrect in formal testing).

2 LOOK as a DYNAMIC VERB (Action of examining / investigating)

When “look” is combined with prepositions (forming phrasal verbs) to describe a physical or mental action, it becomes a Dynamic Verb. It can and should take continuous tenses when the action is ongoing.

• Look at (examine): We are looking at the sales report right now.
• Look into (investigate): The auditors are looking into the missing funds.
• Look for (search): I am looking for the exact cause of the problem.
• Look to (plan/aim): The company is looking to expand its market share.

Pro Tip for Business English: Always ask yourself: Is the subject performing an action with their eyes/mind (Dynamic), or is the subject just presenting an appearance to others (State)?