This document discusses the differences between stative and eventive predicates in language. Stative predicates describe states, either permanent intrinsic properties or temporary phases, and are like a still photograph. Eventive predicates describe events and represent a change from one state to another. Specifically, it notes that "gold" is conceptualized as a substance and can take different syntactic forms like "some golds", while "ring" refers to individual items and sounds odd in forms like "some ring". It also provides examples of stative predicates like "asleep" and "angry" versus eventive predicates that describe events like "died" and "coughed".

1. Semantics-Things and Events Consider the following scenario: 1 (a) *The dragon saw a gold. (b) The dragon saw some gold. (c) *The dragon saw some golds. (d) The dragon saw a heap/some heaps of gold

2. SYNTAX OR SEMANTICS2 (a) The dragon saw a ring. (b) *The dragon saw some ring.(c) The dragon saw some rings. (d) The dragon saw a heap/some heaps of rings

3. ‘gold’ and ‘ring’ are acceptable in different kinds of syntactic environment. This is due to an important semantic difference. gold is conceptualized as a substance, whereas artifacts like rings are thought of as individual items.

4. STATIVE PREDICATE3 (a) Istanbul overlooks the Bosporus. (b) The child was asleep. In the statements (a) and (b) nothing is happening. The sentences describe states. The state in (a) is permanent, while it is temporary in (b). Predicates describing states may be verbs or they may be other expressions attached with a copula

5. EVENTIVE PREDICATES3 (c) Mozart died in 1791. (d) One of the soldiers coughed.The two statements (c) and (d) describe events. Predicates describing events are normally verbs.

6. TYPES OF STATES (1) Intrinsic properties: A permanent property of an individual (or relation between individuals) Co-occur naturally with generalized statements about classes of individuals (cf. c below). (a) John is angry. (b) Mary is ugly.(c) Snakes are poisonous. (d) ?? Snakes are asleep.

7. TYPES OF STATES(2) Temporary phases: (a) John is asleep. (b) ?? Philosophers are angry.Compare (b) with (c). (c) Philosophers are ugly. (c) is better than (b) because ugly is an intrinsic property

8. STATIVE VS. EVENTIVE PREDICATESStative predicates (predicates describing states) are like a still photograph. Eventivepredicates may represent a change from one state to another