Tagged Questions
3
votes
0answers
91 views
Achievement Verbs with the Progressive Aspect
I was reading a grammar and saw this.
Achievement verbs describe actions that occur instantaeously.
He solved the problem.
He spotted the airplane.
These verbs fall into two classes - one is ...
0
votes
2answers
305 views
Grammaticality of “I am worrying” and how it compares to “I am worried” and “I worry”
This question is about worried about vs. worrying about. I think "being worried about someone/something" is more usual than "worry about", isn't it?
Can I use the progressive aspect for ongoing ...
2
votes
3answers
2k views
“How long have you [had/been having] this?” - Cont. or Simple?
I'm studying Present Perfect tenses at the moment and have been wondering what tense should I use in this example:
How long have you [had/been having] this thing?
So I know that in some cases ...
2
votes
2answers
134 views
Which tense should I use in this situation? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Using the gerund two times in a row
Here is the sentence:
Just as on smoking, voices now come from many quarters (insisting
or insist) that the science about ...
3
votes
4answers
2k views
“By clicking submit you agree…” or “By clicking submit you are agreeing…”
By clicking submit you agree to the Terms and Conditions.
By clicking submit you are agreeing to the Terms and Conditions.
Which is correct? Why?
2
votes
1answer
567 views
Present perfect and present perfect continuous for actions in progress
My grammar book says that both present perfect and present perfect continuous, when used with "for, since, etc", express a situation that began in the past and continues to the present. When used ...
2
votes
4answers
188 views
Correct tense to express one's holding a professorship from 2007 to June 2012
When editing for a valedictory occasion, I came across this: "Prof. Li holds the XXX Professorship from 2007 to 2012." It is the tense of "holds" that baffles me.
If the sentence was one of the ...
1
vote
1answer
289 views
What is correct: “I am saying…” or “I am telling…”? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
“Nothing to tell” versus “nothing to say”
“Told” vs. “Said to” somebody?
Are both of these sentences correct? If so, ...
4
votes
2answers
438 views
Simple present vs. present continuous
What is the difference between saying:
Are you still working there?
Do you still work there?
Which is more common in spoken vs written English?
Google books returned results for both of ...
1
vote
2answers
2k views
“I am going to bed” vs. “I will be going to bed”
What is the difference between saying the following?
I am going to bed in a few minutes.
I will be going to bed in a few minutes.
Or
I will be getting off here. Or, I guess, I will be ...
3
votes
2answers
353 views
5
votes
4answers
2k views
“Will be doing” vs. “will do”
What's the difference between:
I will be eating cakes tomorrow.
I will eat cakes tomorrow.
And, when should I use the first form?
44
votes
4answers
3k views
How do the tenses in English correspond temporally to one another?
Non-native speakers often get confused about what the tenses in English mean. With input from some of the folk here I've put together a diagram that I hope will provide some clarity on the matter.
I ...
4
votes
6answers
16k views
What's the difference between “I look forward to” and “I'm looking forward to”?
I just don't get the reasoning behind which one is correct in which situation.
Typically I use the wrong one, or I use them when I'm not supposed to.
2
votes
3answers
474 views
Past continuous or past simple?
In this sentence, should I use past continuous form of the verb or past simple or it in the gap?
Last night, I was sleeping in my bed, when I ------- (hear) a terrible noise. I ------ (get up) ...
4
votes
3answers
564 views
The times are a-changing? Why a-?
I'm Italian so I don't know English very well.
While listening to Bob Dylan songs I've heard some strange use of progressive tense (is that the correct term?), the title of this question is one ...
3
votes
4answers
319 views
Future perfect progressive
When is the future perfect progressive used? I am trying to understand in which cases it should be used, but I cannot find any practice examples of sentences using that tense.
I will have been ...
