75 min
Continuous Forms 1
1 topic
2 tasks
Here's a few lines from a song by Travis:
Deep in my heart, there’s no room for crying,
But I’m trying to see your point of view
Deep in my heart, I’m afraid of dying,
I'd be lying if I said I’m not.
Using a continuous infinitive here is mandatory as 'I'd lie if I said' would mean lying after saying rather than while saying.
But I’m trying to see your point of view
Deep in my heart, I’m afraid of dying,
I'd be lying if I said I’m not.
Using a continuous infinitive here is mandatory as 'I'd lie if I said' would mean lying after saying rather than while saying.
1.
this is base
All continuous tenses are based on the continuous infinitive:
Apart from the conventional temporary-action-in-progress meaning, continuous forms could have a whole range of other functions.
- It’s a shame I’m not lying on the beach right now. — I'd like to be lying on the beach right now.
- I’m glad I’m sitting here with you. — It's nice to be sitting here with you.
Apart from the conventional temporary-action-in-progress meaning, continuous forms could have a whole range of other functions.
2.
Emphasis on repeated actions:
- I'm travelling a lot these days.
- I was staying in hotels a lot when I worked as a travel writer.
3.
Stative verbs
Stative verbs may also be used in continuous forms depending on their meaning. Compare:
Sometimes, a continuous form is a better way to indicate change, even with a stative verb:
- A house stood at the end of the road. (permanently)
- A man was standing at the end of the road. (temporarily)
Sometimes, a continuous form is a better way to indicate change, even with a stative verb:
- These days, more and more people prefer / are preferring to take early retirement.
- The water tastes / is tasting better today.
- As I get older, I remember / I’m remembering less and less.
- I'm liking it here more and more as time goes by.
- He's finding it hard to cope on his own.
4.
Casual remarks
Casual remarks sound even more casual if we use a continuous form.
- I had lunch with the President yesterday, and he said… (that lunch was quite an event)
- I was having lunch with the President yesterday, and he said… (that lunch was nothing special)
- John was saying that he still can’t find a decent job.
- I'm hoping you can lend me £10.
- What time are you planning to arrive?
- I'm looking forward to seeing you again.
- I’m afraid we must be going.
- I was wondering if you had two single rooms.
- Will you be going away at the weekend?
5.
A continuous form also sounds more polite, especially Past Continuous.
- I was thinking — would you mind swapping seats?
- I was wondering if you wanted to go out this evening.
- Were you looking for anything in particular?
- Were you planning on going somewhere else later?
- … you were saying? = please go ahead and say what you had to say
6.
Continuous forms make correspondence less formal.
- We're writing to let you know… (informal)
- We write to inform you… (formal)
7.
NEED, WANT, MEAN, etc.
Even stative verbs like NEED, WANT and MEAN can be used in the future continuous or present perfect continuous to make the statement or question more casual.
- Will you be needing the car this afternoon? (an indirect way to ask to borrow or use the car)
- I’ve just been invited to Sydney. It’s wonderful — I've been wanting to go to Australia for years. (more relaxed than I’ve wanted)
- I’ve been meaning to tell you about Andrew. He … (less formal than I’ve meant)
8.
SEE, HEAR, SMELL
When used in the continuous, they are likely to mean 'hallucinate'.
- He's hearing voices. (voices that are not there)
- You're seeing things. (things that are not real)
9.
FEEL, HURT, ACHE
FEEL, HURT, ACHE can be used in their Simple or Continuous forms with little or no difference in meaning.
- My feet hurt/were hurting after walking 10 miles.
- I don't feel/I'm not feeling anything.
10.
IS / WAS BEING + ADJ
IS / WAS BEING + ADJ. is used to indicate someone's unusual behavior.
- Ignore her, she's just being silly.
END OF GUIDE
Don’t relax just yet — graded assignments are coming up.
Go ahead and move on to the task; you need to reinforce what you’ve learned.
Go ahead and move on to the task; you need to reinforce what you’ve learned.
