State Verbs in Continuous Tenses – English Grammar Exercises for B2
You are in a high-stakes Risk Assessment meeting. The Project Manager is coordinating the session, asking the team to carefully evaluate the benefits, potential hazards, and financial implications before signing a major contract.
Choose the most appropriate option (A, B, C, or D) to complete each sentence. Pay close attention to whether the verb “WEIGH” is used to describe a physical/metaphorical state or an active, deliberate process of evaluation.
1 Right now, before we sign anything, we ______ the potential financial risks against the expected benefits.
(A) weigh
(B) are weighing
(C) are measure
(D) are weighting
2 Please note that the physical server rack for this project ______ over 200 kilograms, so shipping will be expensive.
(A) is weighing
(B) weights
(C) weighs
(D) is holding
3 “Why is the executive team taking so long?” – “Because they ______ every single option very carefully today.”
(A) are weighing
(B) weigh
(C) are weighing up
(D) weighing
4 The CEO’s reputation ______ heavily on our decision to proceed with this controversial vendor.
(A) is weighing
(B) weighs
(C) is mattering
(D) weight
5 Look at the dashboard; the lead analyst ______ the latest market data to see if the project is actually viable.
(A) weighs
(B) is weight
(C) appears
(D) is weighing
6 As we speak, the severity of each legal loophole ______ by the compliance department.
(A) is weighed
(B) is weighing
(C) is being weighed
(D) being weighed
7 “______ the long-term maintenance costs, or just looking at the initial purchase price?” the manager asked me.
(A) Do you weigh
(B) Are you weighting
(C) Do you evaluate
(D) Are you weighing
8 We cannot skip the security audit. The risk of a data breach ______ far more than the cost of the audit itself.
(A) weighs
(B) is weighing
(C) weight
(D) costs
9 Yesterday, while I ______ the pros and cons of the timeline, I realized we completely forgot about the inflation risks.
(A) weighed
(B) was weight
(C) am weighing
(D) was weighing
10 We ______ these two software alternatives for three hours; it’s time to make a final choice!
(A) are weighing
(B) have been weighing
(C) weigh
(D) have weighing
11 The responsibility of managing this $10 million budget currently ______ very heavily on my shoulders.
(A) weighs
(B) is weighing
(C) is weighting
(D) is placing
12 I completely understand why you ______ this decision so carefully right now; the stakes are incredibly high.
(A) weigh
(B) are weight
(C) are weighing
(D) have weigh
13 If the overall operational danger ______ the potential profit, we will immediately cancel the launch.
(A) is weighing more than
(B) weighs more than
(C) weigh more than
(D) is measuring
14 The project manager ______ up the different vendor proposals right now to present the best one to the board.
(A) is weighing
(B) weighs
(C) is weight
(D) scales
15 At this exact moment, our external legal consultant ______ in on the contract’s liability clauses.
(A) weighs
(B) is weight
(C) belongs
(D) is weighing
16 Please do not interrupt the directors; they ______ the severity of the supply chain disruption we just discovered.
(A) weigh
(B) are weighing
(C) are weigh
(D) seem
17 Even though the prototype ______ perfectly within our limits, we ______ the long-term durability of the materials.
(A) weighs / are weighing
(B) is weighing / weigh
(C) weighs / weigh
(D) is weighing / are weighing
18 I know you ______ the options right now, but please hurry up, the client is waiting for our final verdict.
(A) weigh
(B) are seeing
(C) are weighting
(D) are weighing
19 The fact that we might face a lawsuit ______ on my mind constantly these days.
(A) is weighing
(B) weighs
(C) weight
(D) is hanging
20 While the new cooling system ______ exactly 50 pounds, we ______ whether its energy efficiency justifies the high price.
(A) is weighing / weigh
(B) weighs / weigh
(C) weighs / are weighing
(D) is weighing / are weighing
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B) are weighing
- Why it is correct (Key): The team is actively evaluating risks “Right now.” This is a deliberate, ongoing mental action, so the dynamic continuous form is required.
- Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; using the simple tense fails to capture the ongoing action. (C) is a Structural Error (missing “-ing” on measure). (D) is a Meaning Trap/Spelling Error (“weighting” is technically adding physical weight to something, not evaluating).
2 (C) weighs
- Why it is correct (Key): The physical weight of the server rack is an inherent property (a state). State verbs must be in the simple tense.
- Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; learners try to make it continuous because the project is happening now, ignoring the state rule. (B) is a Structural Error (“weights” as a verb means to add weight to, not to possess weight). (D) is a Meaning Trap.
3 (A) are weighing
- Why it is correct (Key): The executives are in the active process of considering options “today”.
- Error analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake. (D) is a Structural Error (missing auxiliary “are”). (C) is a Meaning Trap; “weighing up” is a valid idiom, but it requires an object directly after it in this specific syntactic structure, or it acts as a distractor here compared to the cleaner “are weighing”. (Note: A and C are very close, but A is the standard direct verb for the object “every single option”).
4 (B) weighs
- Why it is correct (Key): “Weigh heavily” is a metaphorical state expressing importance or influence. It is not an action the reputation is actively performing, so it cannot be continuous.
- Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake. (D) is a Structural Error (using the noun instead of the verb). (C) is a Meaning Trap; “mattering” is also a state verb and cannot be continuous.
5 (D) is weighing
- Why it is correct (Key): The analyst is actively examining and balancing data. This is a dynamic action happening right now.
- Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake. (B) is a Structural Error. (C) is a Meaning Trap; “appears” is a state verb and grammatically incorrect in this syntax.
6 (C) is being weighed
- Why it is correct (Key): This is the passive voice of a dynamic action happening “As we speak”. Present Continuous Passive (is + being + V3) is required.
- Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; Present Simple Passive implies a general routine, not a current meeting. (B) is a Meaning Trap; Active voice implies the loophole itself is doing the weighing. (D) is a Structural Error.
7 (D) Are you weighing
- Why it is correct (Key): Asking about a temporary, active evaluation occurring during the meeting.
- Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; asks about a general habit rather than the current mental process. (C) is a Meaning Trap; “evaluate” fits but doesn’t test the continuous grammar structure. (B) is a Structural Error.
8 (A) weighs
- Why it is correct (Key): The risk having more importance/severity is a state (metaphorical weight). Present Simple is required.
- Error analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake. (C) is a Structural Error. (D) is a Meaning Trap; “costs” makes logical sense for money, but you don’t say a risk “costs more than the cost” (redundant).
9 (D) was weighing
- Why it is correct (Key): An ongoing background action in the past (evaluating) that was interrupted by a realization. Requires Past Continuous.
- Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; interrupts the background action sequence. (C) is a Structural Error (tense mismatch with “Yesterday”). (B) is a Structural Error.
10 (B) have been weighing
- Why it is correct (Key): The action of evaluating has been happening continuously for a duration of time up to the present (“for three hours”). Present Perfect Continuous is perfect here.
- Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; Present Continuous strictly means at this exact second and doesn’t pair with “for three hours”. (C) is a Meaning Trap/Tense error. (D) is a Structural Error.
11 (A) weighs
- Why it is correct (Key): Metaphorical weight (burden/responsibility) is a state of being. Even with the word “currently”, it remains in the simple tense.
- Error analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; falling for the “currently” time marker trap. (C) is a Structural Error. (D) is a Meaning Trap.
12 (C) are weighing
- Why it is correct (Key): Active, deliberate mental consideration happening right now.
- Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake. (B) is a Structural Error. (D) is a Structural Error.
13 (B) weighs more than
- Why it is correct (Key): Comparing the inherent “weight” (importance) of two abstract concepts. This is a state. It is also inside a First Conditional “If” clause, requiring Present Simple.
- Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake. (C) is a Structural Error (wrong agreement for singular “danger”). (D) is a Meaning Trap.
14 (A) is weighing
- Why it is correct (Key): “Weigh up” is a dynamic phrasal verb meaning to carefully assess. Action happening “right now”.
- Error analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake. (C) is a Structural Error. (D) is a Meaning Trap.
15 (D) is weighing
- Why it is correct (Key): “Weigh in” is an idiom meaning to enter an argument or give an opinion. It is an active, dynamic participation happening “At this exact moment”.
- Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake. (B) is a Structural Error. (C) is a Meaning Trap; “belongs in” is grammatically okay but makes no sense contextually.
16 (B) are weighing
- Why it is correct (Key): The directors are actively considering (dynamic) the severity of the disruption.
- Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake. (C) is a Structural Error. (D) is a Meaning Trap; “seem” is a state verb and changes the meaning entirely.
17 (A) weighs / are weighing
- Why it is correct (Key): The first blank is a state (the physical mass of the prototype). The second blank is dynamic (the active human process of evaluating durability).
- Error analysis: (B) is a Common Mistake; gets the grammar rules completely backwards. (C) is a Meaning Trap; fails to show the second action is currently ongoing. (D) is a Structural Error.
18 (D) are weighing
- Why it is correct (Key): Active evaluation happening “right now”.
- Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake. (B) is a Meaning Trap; “seeing the options” is not standard business collocation compared to weighing them. (C) is a Structural Error.
19 (B) weighs
- Why it is correct (Key): A psychological burden “weighing on someone’s mind” is considered a state of existence/feeling, so it takes the Simple Present, despite “these days”.
- Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake; trying to make a psychological state continuous. (C) is a Structural Error. (D) is a Meaning Trap.
20 (C) weighs / are weighing
- Why it is correct (Key): Blank 1 is the physical state of the cooling system (Simple Present). Blank 2 is the active team discussion/evaluation (Present Continuous).
- Error analysis: (A) is a Common Mistake. (B) is a Meaning Trap; misses the ongoing nature of the meeting. (D) is a Structural Error.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
At the CEFR B2 level, understanding when to use Continuous tenses depends on whether a verb describes a permanent condition or a temporary action. WEIGH is a classic “Mixed Verb.”
1 WEIGH as a State Verb (NEVER used in Continuous Tenses):
When “weigh” describes the inherent physical mass of an object, or the metaphorical importance/burden of an idea, it is a State. You use Simple tenses (Present Simple, Past Simple).
- Physical State: The new equipment weighs 50 kilograms. (NOT: is weighing)
- Metaphorical State: The risk of failure weighs heavily on my mind.
- Importance: His opinion weighs more than mine in this company.
2 WEIGH as a Dynamic Verb (CAN be used in Continuous Tenses):
When “weigh” describes the active, deliberate process of measuring something, or mentally evaluating/comparing options, it is an Action. You use Continuous tenses to show it is happening right now.
- Physical Action: The engineer is weighing the chemicals right now.
- Mental Evaluation: We are weighing the pros and cons of the contract.
- Phrasal Verbs: The manager is weighing up the proposals. / The lawyer is weighing in on the debate.
Business Tip: In meetings, if you are actively thinking about a decision, you are weighing it. If a document is heavy, it weighs a lot.