The present Continuous (progressive) tense

. The progressive forms are commonly defined as denoting concrete processes of the action whose progression is taking place at a definite moment of time expressed or implied in the context or speech situation,

і. e. processes limited in time as contrasted to those of general validity. The most important function of the progressive aspect is to refer to temporary activities situations or goings-on.

The progressive forms are normal where predication tells of actions, events, or states of affairs that are in process at the moment of speech or writing and are thought as begun, but not ended, with beginnings and/or ends felt as relatively close to the time of writing or speaking.

The denotative value of the Present Progressive may accordingly be characterised as indicating: a) present time relevance, b) something progressive, c) contact with the moment of speech. These three semantic elements (semes) make up its synchronic componental polysemy.

She looked at him scornfully and answered: "I don't know what you are talking about!" (Galsworthy). "Sorry!" said Desert, abruptly: "I'm boring you. Have a sweet?' (Galsworthy). "You are talking like a child". (Galsworthy)

Grammar books make reference to the fact that the continuous tenses cannot normally be used with verbs that do not denote duration in a limited time, such as: believe, belong, desire, detest, feel, forget, hear, hope, like, love, recollect, remember, imagine, refuse, see, smell, think, wish, want, know, etc.

But in present-day English, especially in spoken English, these verbs are found more and more frequently in continuous forms either because the verb is taken in a slightly different meaning or because of their particular application to this very moment and special emphasis of duration, e. g.: " Are you feeling strong, darling? Aunt Em is here, and my uncle Hilary and his wife". (Galsworthy) "He'll never give me a sign of what he' s thinking or going to do. Like was!" (Galsworthy) Then it's little enough you are knowing of any man living, let alone Ashley. (Mitchell)

It will be relevant to observe that the grammatical content of the progressive forms varies its effect according to the type of meaning conveyed by the verb.

Most difficulties over the use of the progressive forms arise, in fact, with the classes of verbs which are normally incompatible with the progressive.

(a) Peter is being most inattentive.

(b) I'm thinking about what you said.

(c) I'm listening to you.

Peter is being inattentive implies a rather permanent quality. I'm thinking about what you said differs from I think so, as there is an element of deliberateness about the thinking where the continuous forms are used: thought is viewed here as a kind of work, with fairly well defined beginning and end, not merely quick darting of opinion rising instantaneously.

I'm listening to you differs from I hear you: listening is conscious and deliberate, but hearing, in this sense, is a reflex.

Verbs of physical and mental perceptions and verbs of saying are comparatively seldom used in progressive forms. When this is the case, the verb-form marks intensity of an action in process with emphasis laid on it, e. g.:

Her eyes were not quite close but surely were not seeing. (Galsworthy)

He glanced at Fleur. There she sat, arid what she was feeling he couldn't tell. (Galsworthy)

She gazed and gazed, wondering, delighting, longing, and all the while the siren voice of the unrestful was whispering in her ear. (Dreiser)

Compare also the following:

1. a) You imagine he'll come. You think he'll come.

b) You are imagining things. You are having hallucinations.

2. a) I plan to leave tomorrow. I intend to leave tomorrow.

b) I am planning my holidays. I am making arrangements for the

holidays.

It would be wrong to say that certain verbs are never used in Continuous forms, rather, some kinds of predication expressed by certain verb-phrases resist expansion of their forms.

Thus, for instance, in Now I'm remembering the Present Continuous may be referred to as used to emphasise the limited duration, but this is arbitrary, for we may say that in this case remember has the meaning of "make a conscious effort to remember", in which sense the Continuous form is fairly common.

Further examples are: They're living in London and They live in London. The Continuous form suggests either that they have moved there recently or that they intend to move soon, or both. The simple Present indicates that London is their permanent home.

With verbs such as read or work, which refer to non-momentary activity, the Present Continuous will usually suggest duration of the activity, itself, especially if a point of time is indicated, e. g.:

Don't call on me, I'm working at twelve ¹.

In contrast, the activity has no duration in: I'm leaving at twelve. If this differs at all from I leave at twelve, it is in terms of intention as compared to a fixed plan or decision.

Note. The fact that the Continuous forms may be used to suggest a general intention can also be illustrated by the use of the Past and Present Perfect Continuous in patterns like the following: I've been coming to see you for a long time. The intention has lasted over a long time and, as the Perfect Tense shows, began in the past and extended right up to the present moment. I'm very glad to see you. It was nice of Jon to think of bringing you down to us. "We weren't coming to the house", Jon blurted out, "I just wanted Fleur to see where I lived!" (Galsworthy) (we weren't coming → we did not intend to come).

It is interesting to compare also the following:

I long for you every moment → I am longing for you every moment.

¹ Quoted by F. R. Palmer. A Linguistic Study of the English Verb. London, 1965, p. 11.

The two forms differ only in emotional saturation and emphasis, their grammatical content being absolutely identical.

H. Poutsma in his Late Modern English points out that in this expressive use the Continuous forms may be compared with the emphatic analytical forms of the Present Tense (Common Aspect). I do long → I am. longing. Similarly: I did long → I was longing. Cf. Oh, how the stars were shining! How the diamond did twinkle and glitter.

Syntagmatic connotative meanings of the Present Continuous signalled by different contexts, linguistic or situational, will be illustrated by its use in transposition where it may denote:

(1) properties or other traits ("qualitative present"), e. g.:

She is always grumbling about trifles. She is playing tennis with innate grace.

(2) repeated processes of increasing duration or activities characteristic of the subject at the given period.

This meaning is generally signalled by the immediate lexical context, adverbs of frequency and repetition, in particular, or consituation, e. g.:

"He is fond of her, I know", thought James. "Look, at the way he's always giving her things." (Galsworthy) " I'll cable at one, otherwise we may have a lot of expense. The sooner the things are done the better. I'm always regretting that I didn't". (Galsworthy) "I had Muskham down yesterday and he was jolly decent. I'm trying to take up birds". (Galsworthy) "... Yes, don't make it an autobiography. Let it go forth as fiction. And no one must know that I'm working at it"! (Gordon)

That the Present Tense and the Present Continuous may both serve this function will be seen from the following example when the two forms go parallel with identical meaning: "The rest of us have our own particular catling. I'm teaching now at one of the church schools. I also do some coaching at night, and now and then articles I write on the problems of the coloured people are accepted by the European press — provided, that is, I don't make them too critical". (Gordon)

(3) an action anticipated or planned in the future. This use is often an effective means to express a strong determination on the part of the speaker. When we contemplate an action unfolding before our eyes, it naturally arouses certain feelings (praise, pleasure, blame, impatience, reproach, etc.), e. g.:

Brain said to his cousin: "I'm signing on as well in a way, only for life. I'm getting married."

Both stopped walking. Bert took his arm and stared: "You 're not. "

I'm. To Pauline. (Sillitoe)

...He could afford to control himself now.

"Daisy' s leaving you."

"Nonsense."

"I am, though," she said with a visible effort.

"She 's not leaving me!" Tom's words suddenly leaned down over Gatsby. (Fitzgerald)

The implication of a future action is endowed with modal force and special emotive functions in cases like the following:

Examine also the connotative value of the Present Continuous in the following example:

Fleur huddled her chin in her fur. It was easterly and cold. A voice behind her said, "Well, Fleur, am I going East?"

Wilfrid! His collar up to his ears, a cigarette between his lips, hands in pockets, eyes devouring.

"You are very silly, Wilfrid!"

"Anything you like; am I going East?" (Galsworthy)

Am I going East? comes to mean: Shall I go East? → Do you want me to go East?

4) actions anticipated or planned in the future with the implication that something must necessarily take place:

a) When is the action coming on? Next month? (Galsworthy)

b) "If you think I might risk it, Miss, I'd like to slip round to my dentist". — Oh! What race is being run this afternoon, then, topping?" (Galsworthy)

It is important to observe the difference between I start work to-morrow and I'm starting work to-morrow. The first suggests that to-morrow is the day fixed for starting, the second that the speaker now intends to start. Verbs which refer to activities that are commonly fixed by firm decisions are more likely to be used in the Present Indefinite with the future sense, e. g.: to begin, to start, to end, to finish.

5) a future action of irregular occurrence, as in: He is playing Shuberfs to-morrow.

The use of the Present Continuous may imply, in contrast to the simple Present, that the action is sporadic, unsettled, inexplicable. In patterns of this kind a particular content of the Continuous form as contrasted to the simple Present shows more clearly; the implication is that even though there may be a recurrent activity, no explanation for it will be found. ¹

6) imperative modality. The expressive element of transposition into the Imperative is particularly strong:

He tried to brush Anthony aside. But Anthony firmly stood his ground. "I'm sorry", he said, his teeth together, "You're not going in there". (Gordon) You are not going is synonymous with Don't go! → Don't you go!

Examine also the variant meanings of the Present Continuous in the following dialogue:

"We're going after buff in the morning", he told her.

"I'm coming". she said.

"No, you're not".

"Oh, yes, I am. Mayn't I, Francis?"

"We'll put on another show for you tomorrow" Francis Macomber said.

"You are not coming", Wilson said. (Hemingway)

The pattern-value of the Present Continuous may be shown diagrammatically as follows:

¹ See: F. R. Palmer. A Linguistic Study of the English Verb. London, 1965.

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