Progressive Forms

Lecture 12
The Progressive Aspect

 The progressive aspect allows us to present an

event in different ways:
 as unfolding in time (progressive VP, i.e. marked for
progressive aspect) or
 as completed (non-progressive VP, i.e. not marked
for progressive aspect).

 The progressive aspect is marked by a form of be

+ the suffix -ing added to the next verb in the VP.
 ≠ -ing forms in non-finite clauses or as modifiers
A progressive verb form vs. a non-
progressive (or simple) verb form:

Simple verb form Progressive verb form

Permanent characteristics Changeable behaviour of
of persons and things persons; changeable
properties of things

I live in Shumen. I’m living in Shumen.

Mary sings well. Mary is singing well.
The roof leaks. The roof is leaking.
Types of verb - dynamic verbs and state
verbs

Dynamic verbs State verbs

Changeable event Permanent
conditions/properties

Typically under human Reactions of the

control senses/mind
beyond human control
Dynamic verbs - the progressive form represents
the middle phase of the action

She wrote a letter. vs. She was writing a letter at 5 p.m.

Palmer (1987: 58) - the Progressive does not
necessarily imply an unbroken activity.
I‟m reading The Mayor of Casterbridge.

may suggest either that

 I am at this moment sitting with a book in front of
me, or that
 I have read part of the book and intend to read
some more,
 but at that moment I am not actually reading it.

I‟m writing a letter. vs. I‟m writing a book.

The progressive aspect brings different types of
meaning to different types of dynamic verbs:

A. Durative action verbs: sing, swim, write.

Progressive 'temporary, ongoing action'
John sings well. vs. John is singing in the shower.
I raise my arm. vs. I‟m raising my arm.

B. Momentary action verbs: knock, kick, nod.

Progressive 'repeated momentary action'
Someone is knocking on the door.
He was jumping up and down for a long time.
Dynamic verbs
C. Transitional event verbs: break, die, drown,
stop.
Progressive 'approach to transition'
The old man was dying. vs. The old man died.
„The bus stops!‟ vs. „The bus is stopping‟

D. Process verbs: become, change, get, grow,

weaken.
Progressive 'on-going process'
It was getting dark. vs. It got dark.
 Potentially variable states

A. Verbs of position: sit, stand, lie, stay, live

Progressive 'temporary situation'
She was sitting on the sofa. vs. She always sits in that corner.

B. Bodily sensation verbs: ache, hurt, itch, tingle

Progressive 'temporary situation'
My head is aching. vs. My head aches whenever I read Kafka.
State verbs

 A. Verbs of perception: see, hear, feel, taste, smell

 B. Intellectual/emotional states: know, remember,

believe, forget, admire, appreciate

 C. Physical and abstract relationships: be (tall,

old, ...), remain; have, own, possess; belong to, contain;
become, fit, suit; mean, equal; cost, weigh; differ from,
resemble; concern, involve
 Complications with state verbs:
1. homonymous dynamic verb forms:

He saw the car coming. (stative: 'perceive visually')

He was seeing her to the airport. (dynamic: 'accompany')
The doctor is seeing another patient. (dynamic: 'admit for
consultation')

Do you think that's true? (stative: 'believe')

Are you thinking of leaving? (dynamic: 'plan', 'consider')

The soup smells good. (stative: 'emit smell')

The guests smelt the burning toast. (stative: 'perceive
smell')
The cook is smelling the soup. (dynamic: 'inhale fumes')
Complications with state verbs:
2. adverbials denoting gradual change turn
stative verbs into process verbs:

He resembles his father. (stative: 'look like')

He's resembling his father more and more
these days. (process: 'become like')

I forget how you say that in Russian.

(stative: 'not remember')
I'm gradually forgetting my Russian.
(process: 'lose from memory')
Leech (1971)

 Progressive is that it
A characteristic feature of the
has the effect of “surrounding a particular
event or moment by a temporal frame”

 the Progressive Present - the point of

orientation is „now‟
 the Progressive Past - an adverbial phrase or
clause
 When I saw him, he was running away.
When I saw him, he ran away.
 The progressive always  The non-progressive
indicates an activity indicates either simultaneity
continuing both before or more commonly,
and after the time immediate succession.
indicated.  The act of running away was
 The relationship between preceded by my seeing him.
a Progressive and a  The relationship of meaning
Simple Past form is one b/n 2 neighbouring Simple
of time-inclusion. Past forms is usually one of
time-sequence.
The ‘temporal frame’ effect is not an
independent feature of the Progressive
meaning
 due to „limited duration‟
 with 2 Progressive Past verbs there is
no „frame‟:
While she was working hard in the kitchen,
her husband was sitting down in front of
the TV.
Tense and aspect

 The Present Progressive - can be used to

present an event in future time as the
outcome of present plan, with or without an
adverbial which makes the future time
reference explicit:

 John is going to Paris next week.

 Are you coming to the party?
 The Past Progressive

The Simple verb form ('completed action') vs. the

Progressive verb form ('on-going action'):
Mary wrote a letter. (completed action)
Mary was writing a letter. (on-going action)

As a consequence it is possible to use the Progressive

form with a framing (backgrounding) function, while the
Simple form represents an action, which took place
within the temporal frame:
Mary was writing a letter when the phone suddenly rang.
 The Perfect Progressive
meaning contrast:
You've been painting the door. vs. You've painted the door.
(incomplete vs. completed action in the past with present
relevance)

An adverbial which expresses continuity combines with the

Progressive form:
Peter has been painting the garage door all morning.

An adverbial which refers to a completed period combines

with the Non-progressive form:
Paul has painted the kitchen door in less than an hour.