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Progressive Tense



 
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ESL Forum | English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
adverbs of Frequency | Adjective of quality - is the definition correct?
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Progressive Tense #1 (permalink) Sat Jun 07, 2008 10:42 am   Progressive Tense
 

In the following sentence why the " hear" is in progressive, with ing?

I'm hearing a lot of good reports about your reports these days.
Sultano
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Progressive Tense #2 (permalink) Sat Jun 07, 2008 19:42 pm   Progressive Tense
 

Sultano wrote:
In the following sentence why the " hear" is in progressive, with ing?

I'm hearing a lot of good reports about your reports these days.

The clue here is these days. The speaker refers to a situation that is true for a current context.

I'm watching a lot of soccer these days, because the Euro Cup is being held at the moment.

The example shows that the present continuous/progressive does not only refer to something (an 'ongoing activity') at the very moment it is being said. It can also refer to future plans or general situations that are subject to time limitations.
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Progressive Tense #3 (permalink) Sat Jun 07, 2008 23:33 pm   Progressive Tense
 

Hi Sultano

So-called "verbs of the senses" can also be used in continuous forms. It depends on the way the verb is used (the meaning). The way the verb 'hear' is used in your sentence suggests activity. It suggests that "a lot of people are telling me..." or "everyone is saying..." In other words, the reason that I am hearing a lot of good reports is not simply due to the fact that I have ears and the sense of hearing, but because currently people are actively reporting good things about you.
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