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When one uses "dress" to show the particular way that one dresses, is dress a stative verb?

For example, "She dresses well" or "He dresses extravagantly."

QMord
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    I don't really understand how your examples are relevant, but I suppose you'd have to say this particular usage is indeed "stative", since we wouldn't normally say "She is dressing well" to describe what is in effect a "state", rather than an "action" – FumbleFingers Jun 26 '14 at 13:35
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    These are generic verb uses, which can only occur with semantically active verbs. She's dressing better these days is a perfectly normal thing to say (assuming one normally comments judgementally on others' clothing), and so is an imperative: Dress better than that to succeed! – John Lawler Jun 26 '14 at 15:28
  • Just curious: What purpose could an answer to this question serve? AFAIK this distinction is irrelevant in English. – feetwet Jun 27 '14 at 22:28

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Yes. It appears to me that in the phrases used as examples a result is being described, not an activity.

user83301
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