| Entry |
- Progressive tenses are used to talk about things that are happening at a particular point in time:
Progressive tenses are NOT used to talk about states (i.e. the way things are or the way things feel): Bill was painting the kitchen when I arrived.
What are you eating? My brother belongs to a boxing club. (NOT 'is belonging')
Each envelope contained twenty dollars. (NOT 'was containing')
The cat sensed dancer so it turned and ran away (NOT 'was sensing') - Verbs with 'state' meanings which are NOT used in progressive tenses include:
| LIKES and DISLIKES | admire, adore, like/dislike, love, prefer, hate | | NEEDS and WANTS | need, lack, want | | SENSES | feel, hear, wish, see, notice, smell, taste, sound, sense | | KNOWLEDGE | forget, know, realize, remember, understand | | OPINIONS | believe, doubt, feel, imagine, suppose, suspect, think | | COMPOSITION | comprise, consist of, contain, include | | APPEARANCE | appear, be, seem, look, resemble | | POSSESSION | have, belong to, own, possess, owe | | RELATIONSHIPS | come from, concern, involve, depend, fit, suit | | EXISTENCE | be, exist | - Remember that many verbs have both 'action' and 'state' meanings.
Compare: George is having a bath.
George has two sisters and one brother. (NOT 'is having') I'm thinking about where to go for my next holiday.
I think history lessons are boring. (NOT 'am thinking') - Remember that the progressive form of a verb (be + -ing) is not the same as the -ing form.
Compare: ✘ I was not having a watch and so I didn't know the time.
✔ I didn't have a watch and so I didn't know the time.
✔ Not having a watch, I didn't know the time. When a verb is used to describe a state, the simple form and the -ing form may be used, but not the progressive form. |