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Nazanin saryazdi Posted 12 years ago
Grammar
hope
Is hope an action or a state verb? When do we say "I'm hoping..." and when " I hope" ?
Top answer
This website suggests that "hope" is a state verb. State Verbs • States or feelings • They are not actions we can see or hear • Not used in continuous tenses I do not agree, however, that "hope" is not used in continuous tenses. I'm hoping is definitely more "active" than I hope , but the progressive form seems more informal than the simple form, and maybe those "rules" apply only to very formal language.
- This website suggests that "hope" is a state verb.
- State Verbs • States or feelings • They are not actions we can see or hear • Not used in continuous tenses I do not agree, however, that "hope" is not used in continuous tenses.
- I'm hoping is definitely more "active" than I hope , but the progressive form seems more informal than the simple form, and maybe those "rules" apply only to very formal language.
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7 Answers
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This website suggests that "hope" is a state verb.
I do not agree, however, that "hope" is not used in c
State Verbs
• States or feelings
• They are not actions we can see or hear
• Not used in continuous tenses
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Very few verbs indeed are exclusively 'state' or 'action' verbs.
The 'state/stative'/'action/dynamic' division is an artificial one that can be helpful in attemtping to explain why some verbs are rarely used in progressive forms, but there are no absolute rules.
The 'state/stative'/'action/dynamic' division is an artificial one that can be helpful in attemtping to explain why some verbs are rarely used in progressive forms, but there are no absolute rules.
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Thank you,sir. When do we use I hope and when I am hoping? Swan says there is a slight difference, but he doesn't explain it.
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I'm hoping seems a little more tentative to me, in a sense that something I'm hoping for is less likely to occur than something I simply hope for, because the progressive form indicates some action on the part of the speaker. This may not necessarily always be true, though.
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Yes, but limited duration is characteristic of actions—that's why the progressive form seemed more "active" than the simple form to me. It just feels more immediate. However, as you say, the distinction between "state" and "action" is rather fuzzy and artificial when it comes to verbs and shouldn't be taught as hard and fast. It is useful as a general guideline, but there are some exceptions to it
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ozzourtiYes, but limited duration is characteristic of actions—I don't entirely agree - but that's probably a topic for the linguistics forum rather than this thread.
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