Are you loving him yet?

Today’s English
June 9th, 2017

Non native speakers of English are generally fond of using verb + ing though it is unnecessary and even incorrect in some places. Verbs denoting actions can be used in progressive (verb+ing) forms but those denoting states, conditions, feelings,  situations, sensual experience and the like are not.  The following may shed a little light on this issue.

1. Feel or feeling?
You can use feel or feeling when you experience a particular feeling or emotion and don’t use feel +ing in all other senses (to be aware of, to have opinion, to believe, etc.)

A. I feel guilty (or) I’m feeling guilty / I feel happy or I'm feeling happy(both are correct, since you express feelings)
B. Are you feeling well? (Correct)
C. I could feel the consequences of his absence. (To be aware of – so don’t use -ing.)
D. I felt her leg while dining. (Not I was feeling...)
E. I could feel sweat running down my face. (Not I was feeling...)
F. I feel that he is honest and straightforward. (Opinion, so no – ing form)
G. I feel that he will not cheat me. (Belief, so no -ing form)

2. Look or looking?

Look is used when you say how someone or something is.  When look refers to action, you can use both look and looking.

A. She looks beautiful. (Not she is looking beautiful)
B. It looks pretty good.
C. He looked at her for a long time. / he was looking at her for a long time. (Action)

3. Don’t use the following verbs in progressive forms (verb + ing)

Senses: See, hear, smell, taste, know

Feelings: like, love,  hate, dislike, mind, need, please, want, desire, prefer

Existence / states/ thoughts: seem, appear, doubt, forget, imagine, mean, have, matter, sound, weigh, belong, wish, agree, disagree, promise, and own

A. Incorrect: I was seeing a man entering my neighbour’s house.
Correct: I saw a man entering my neighbour’s house.

B. Incorrect: He is loving me.
Correct: He loves me.

C. Incorrect: I’m having a new car bought from here.
Correct: I have a new car bought from here.

(A funny dialogue with verbs wrongly used in progressive forms:

Teacher: Each one of you should tell me what you want to become in your life.

Student 1: I’m wanting taking a film.
Student 2: I’m loving to becoming a sports star.
Student 3: I’m liking to becoming a collector.
Student 4: I’m preferring a teacher’s teaching.
Teacher: What I’m hating is your “ wanting and liking.”
Students:  ..........?!)