Are running low vs run low

Question

If you notice your blood sugars are running high or low, knowing which insulin, basal or bolus to adjust and by how much to change insulin dosage by can be tricky.

http://www.diabetes.co.uk/insulin/adjusting-basal-bolus-insulin-doses.html

Why have they used the present progressive "are running low" and not the present simple "run low"?

I sometimes find it difficult to understand the use of " present progressive" in certain contexts?

CalifJim · Accepted Answer

JigneshbharatiWhy have they used the present progressive "are running low" and not the present simple "run low"?

Because they mean "are running low", and they don't mean"run low". Keep reading. It's a matter of knowing what these tenses mean.

'are running low' indicates that the patient is experiencing low blood sugar now, at the exact moment we say it. This is happening now.

'run low' indicates that the patient regularly experiences low blood sugar, perhaps from time to time, or once in a while, or occasionally. These episodes of low blood sugar happen again and again, with times in between when the blood sugar is not low. Therefore, the low blood sugar may or may not be happening at the moment we say it.

Because of the difference in meaning, 'run low' doesn't work as well as 'running low' in the given context, because the sentence seems to offer advice for what to do at the exact moment when the low blood sugar happens.

CJ

Are running low vs run low

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