"Relax" is a complicated verb because of its meanings.
re‧lax /rɪˈlæks/ ●●● S3 W3 AWL verb
1 REST [intransitive,
transitive] to rest or do something that is enjoyable, especially
after you have been workingI just want to sit down and relax.
What Robyn needed was a drink to relax her.A hot bath should help
to relax you.2 BECOME CALM [intransitive, transitive] to become quiet and calm after you have >been upset or nervous, or to make someone do this
Once out of danger, he started to relax.
Relax! Everything’s fine.
From the verb "relax" we have 2 adjectives "relaxed" & "relaxing"
re‧laxed /rɪˈlækst/ ●●● S2 W3 adjective
1 feeling calm, comfortable, and not worried or annoyedGail was lying in the sun looking very relaxed and happy.
relaxed about
I feel more relaxed about my career than I used to.
re‧lax‧ing
/rɪˈlæksɪŋ/ ●●○ adjective
making you feel relaxed OPP stressfula relaxing evening at home
So, If I say "I am relaxing in my room" (if we see relax as a verb in this case), then it means "I am taking a rest in my room" or "I am getting calm in my room".
And this is similar to "I am relaxed in my room" (if we see relaxed as an adjective in this case), it means "I am feeling calm in my room".
Are "I am relaxing" and "I am relaxed" the same depending on whether they are verbs or adjectives?
Best Answer
We do not process language by an analysis of grammatical categories.
We interpret the present participle "relaxing" as indicating a progressive sense; a process.
We interpret the perfect participle "relaxed" as indicating completion, an achieved state.
If we choose to interpret participles as adjectives for analytic purposes, they still frequently retain their verbal aspect.
does not not necessarily entail that I have become inebriated.
does so entail.
Now you can rightfully say that my example is comparing a compound verb and an adjective, but the fact remains that the adjective derives from a perfect participle (perfected aspect) rather than a present participle (progressive aspect) and that the adjective describes a state rather than a process.
Another way to say it is that there is no marker that invariably specifies when a participle can only be interpreted as an adjective or only be interpreted as part of a verb. There are cases where a participle is an adjective that has a partially verbal nature.