non-continuous verbs: what are they?

If you're just beginning to dive into this new world about English language, maybe you haven't noticed what I'm about to tell you yet. Non-continuous verbs, just like the name suggests itself, are verbs that we do not normally use with continuous tenses. That's because they're more about state, not action. I can say I didn't learn those kinds of verbs through a list or consciously putting a lot effort into memorizing them. After some time, they just start to seem intuitive and you find it weird when someone else or even yourself uses one of those non-continuous verbs expressing continuous or progressive aspect. Take a look at some of the most common non-continuous verbs;

feeling: hate, like, love, prefer, want, wish

senses: appear, feel, hear, see, seem, smell, sound, taste

communication: agree, deny, disagree, mean, promise, satisfy, surprise

thinking: believe, imagine, know, mean, realize, recognize, remember, understand

other states: be, belong, concern, depend, involve, matter, need, owe, own, possess

But since rules sometimes are made to be broken, especially when it comes to grammar, I'd like to call your attention to the possibility of hearing those verbs in ing form. And to prove that, I've brought you the song American Boy by Estelle whose lyrics is perfect to prove my point. During the song, you can hear her sing: I'm liking this american boy.

So why do English speakers insist on breaking grammar rules when it's made pretty clear that the verb "to like" is not supposed to be expressed in a continuous way? Well, if you have the chance to read the whole lyrics to the song I just mentioned, you'll see we're not talking about a piece of formal or classic literature. It's actually partially rap, which is very well known for its informal content. So here we have it. Sometimes you can see that grammar rule being broken in informal situations. So make sure the context you're into is informal enough for you to commit that grammatical murder. Take care!