Tell me more ×
English Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for linguists, etymologists, and serious English language enthusiasts. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 0 down vote favorite

I would like to know which of the below sentences is right to use for present tense-
I sick.
I'm sick.
I'm sicking.

share|improve this question
Sick is strictly an adjective, so you can't say 1 or 3, because those constructions require verbs. 2 is OK with sick, though. – John Lawler Jun 12 '12 at 3:05
From my understanding 2 will be mean (you are sick) not (you are feeling sick). Isn't it? thx – Sb Sangpi Jun 12 '12 at 3:10
@SbSangpi correct: 2 means that you are sick, not that you are feeling sick. -- Though, of course, if you are sick, you could be feeling sick as well. – JAM Jun 12 '12 at 3:13
But you couldn't *be sicking. – John Lawler Jun 12 '12 at 3:26
Of course you could be sicking your dog on someone (an entirely different meaning of the adjective sick is the verb to sick) -- in which case 1 and 3 would be correct, but not 2! – JAM Jun 12 '12 at 3:35

closed as general reference by RegDwighт♦ Jun 12 '12 at 7:51

This question is too basic; it can be definitively and permanently answered by a single link to a standard internet reference source designed specifically to find that type of information. See the FAQ for guidance on how to improve it.

2 Answers

up vote 0 down vote

Two things we need to clarify first:

  1. The Part of Speech of the word "Sick" (as pointed out above)

  2. "Present Tense" could actually mean either Present Simple or Present Continuous. But I suppose what you're looking for is a sentence that would mean "right now" or "at the moment."

"I'm sick" is right now. But because of the "Be" Verb there it becomes a state that you have ALREADY entered.

You could say "I feel sick" or "I'm feeling sick." Either of them is Ok. Because the Verb "feel," unlike most other Stative Verbs, can be used in V+ing form.

You could also say "I'm STARTING to get/ feel sick" or "I'm getting sick" to emphasize the onset.

share|improve this answer
up vote 0 down vote

As the other answerers mentioned you can't use the -ing form of sick in this context. So the correct version is I am sick. One way where you can use sicking is in sicking something up, which means to throw up or puke.

I am sicking up. Means I am throwing up.

share|improve this answer

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.