State verbs

[Metamorfose]

Hello again

I am aware that some verbs like like, love, realise, believe and etc are considered in English state verbs and thus one cannot use them ina progressive form (I'm knowing, I am realising...)

I would like to know whether there is any possibility for using these verbs in a progressive form (like the "future" as in I'm meeting Joane tomorrow evening), do people stick well on the rules of state x action verbs or are there any "infringements" against the "rule"?

José

[Miz]

Hello there, José!

I've thought about this subject many times as well...

My teacher at college, who's a native speaker, told me once there are some particular situations in which you can use state verbs in a progressive form. For example... let's imagine we're watching a movie and I turn to you and ask: "Are you enjoying the film?". Then, you can answer: "Oh, yes, I'm loving it!".

best wishes, "conterrâneo"

Milena

[LarryLatham]

Indeed, Milena is quite correct about using so called state verbs in continuous forms. Another example: (After being asked for his opinion) "Well, I'm thinking we should all go." Of course, he could also put it differently: "Well, I think we should all go.", but that doesn't have quite the same meaning as the first sentence, and there's nothing wrong with either of them.

We should remember that one of the salient features of the use of continuous forms is that they denote actions which are viewed as temporary, that is they started before some particular reference point in time, and are expected (by the speaker) to end at some time after it. So any particular "state", if it can be viewed as temporary in the mind of the user within the meaning framework he has in mind, can be expressed in continuous (progressive) form. (Yet another prescriptive "rule" called into question.)

Larry Latham

[Roger]

Yes, and then there is the clause that states something that happens simultaneously:
"Thinking he was unobserved, John pinched a bar of chocolate from the rack behind the counter..."

I agree this is not the same as an answer such as "Yes, I AM LOVING IT!"
Just these days, I have become aware of McDonald's latest slogan in China (in English!):
"I'M LOVING IT!"

[LarryLatham]

I guess this is MacDonald's new slogan worldwide. I hate their commercials, but not for the English used. It's perfectly correct. In fact, I'm wondering if they (the writers of those commercials and that slogan) fully appreciate the nature of continuous form. After all, if you say, "I'm lovin' it." you are implicitly confirming that the "lovin'" is temporary. I wonder if the powers at MacDonalds understand that!

Larry Latham

[dduck]

Can someone tell me, are these examples possible?

I see, versus I'm seeing...
And I agree, versus I'm agreeing...

Iain

[LarryLatham]

I believe they are, Iain. Take, for example, the old standard phrase: "Seeing is believing." I can also imagine, in particular contexts, a person saying, "What I'm seeing, you don't want to know about." Or it could appear at the other end of a sentence. In thinking about the fires roaring here in San Diego County at the moment, a TV news reporter could certainly be understood if she said, "You would hardly believe what I'm seeing."

Likewise, I can imagine the boss, after listening to a plausible but perhaps somewhat far-fetched plan of yours, saying, "OK, Iain, I'm agreeing with you for the moment that it might be a good idea, but what if nobody signs up for the class?" Or, it might be possible to say to your wife (after talking on the phone with Tom), "Tom's agreeing with Susan that they should come to the party."

You can quibble with my particular sentences, but they show, I think, that the use of continuous forms with see and agree is possible.

Larry Latham