Actionality (also known as Aktionsart) is an aspect of a verb phrase that relates to the way it is structured in relation to time. Actionality should be distinguished from grammatical aspect. The former is an inherent invariant part of an eventuality, which can denote a certain aspectual content according to its semantic value, while the latter relates to a specific verb form.
Vendler (1957) classified verbs in four categories with respect to actionality: state, activity, achievement, and accomplishment (for further discussion see also Comrie 1976; Dowty 1…