Achievement Verbs with the Progressive Aspect
"She is recognizing the thief" would not be acceptable because she is still in the process of, still trying to place the face with the situation or name. It infers that it is a slower cognitive and ongoing process.
Stative verbs vs. dynamic verbs.
EG: They own a cottage in Somerset. (The possession is a state and not an action. We cannot write this sentence in the progressive aspect)
Thus, They are owning a cottage is considered by many to be wrong.
Linked but not directly to: He's spotting the airplane and She is recognizing the thief.
To spot = to see
To recognize = to see and understand
Usually the senses; hear, see, smell, taste are not normally used in the progressive tense. For example, we don't say:
- I am seeing a picture
instead we prefer
- I can see a picture.
From wikipedia
Dynamic verbs have duration, that is, they occur over time. This time may or may not have a defined endpoint, and may or may not yet have occurred. These distinctions lead to various forms related to tense and aspect. For example, a dynamic verb may be said to have a durative aspect if there is not a defined endpoint, or a punctual aspect if there is a defined endpoint.
Examples of dynamic verbs are 'to run', 'to hit', 'to intervene', 'to savour' and 'to go'.