McDonald's: "I'm lovin' it"

Question

Hello all.Is it correct to use the present progressive form in this slogan? Shouldn't the simple present tense be employed?-Andreas

Usenet · Accepted Answer

[nq:1]Hello all. Is it correct to use the present progressive form in this slogan? Shouldn't the simple present tense be employed?[/nq]
Grammar is hardly the most important aspect of a slogan, and logic isn't all that important either. Have you seen the thread here on "fuelling the spark"? I think only one person correctly identified "fuelling" (USX "fueling") as a present participle. Grammar wasn't what mattered.
The present progressive may not be the only possible choice for the McDonald's slogan, but it's hardly incorrect. The general construction is completely normal English: "I"m eating dinner." "He's walking the dog." "We're admiring the view." It's just that some examples of the structure are more idiomatic than others, and "loving" doesn't sound very idiomatic. But that's because people tend not to use "loving" in such structures. And that in turn is the result of semantics: People tend to think of love as a permanent condition, so they use the simple present rather than the present progressive, which implies a transitory condition.
Anyway, to repeat, it's a slogan. Its slight unfamiliarity is part of its attractiveness. When you hear it, you automatically think of McDonald's, which is just what McDonald's wants. And native speakers have no problem understanding it. In short, it's just what you'd want in a slogan if you were looking for a very general favorable statement about your product.
Now, if you were simply writing a sentence to be inserted into a paragraph on the general subject of your affection for something, you'd probably use the simple present. But the other considerations that affect a choice of slogan make McDonald's present progressive version far more attractive to them.

Bob Lieblich
Who's loving me?

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Hello all. Is it correct to use the present progressive form in this slogan? Shouldn't the simple present tense be employed?[/nq]
I don't find the usage at all odd or incorrect.
On the other hand, even if it were ungrammatical, in the US one takes for granted that slogans are slogans. They are designed for effect, and sometimes the wrong word is the right word, while the correct usage might be pedantic and off-putting.
"Winston tastes good, like a cigarette should." Or was that "Winstons taste good like a cigarette should"?
My memory fails me as to which usage was employed. Of course, the "like vs as" discussion has probably taken place on AEU and on AUE.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Hello all. Is it correct to use the present progressive form in this slogan? Shouldn't the simple present tense be employed?[/nq]
This is similar to a question I have about usage in a chess book: After a particualr move by white the comment is:
"White nurtures a small advantage."
Is that possible?

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Hello all. Is it correct to use the present progressive form in this slogan? Shouldn't the simple present tense be employed? -Andreas[/nq]
See my response to "Fuelling the spark" earlier. Whether the grammar is correct or not, my sentiments apply exactly to this catchphrase.

Steve Howarth

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]This is similar to a question I have about usage in a chess book: After a particualr move by white the comment is: "White nurtures a small advantage." Is that possible?[/nq]
I don't see anything wrong with it. The simple present is more immediate than "is nurturing" would be; perhaps one could characterize it as inclining to a 'narrative' tone as distinct from a 'declarative'. This usage helps draw the reader into the game.

Odysseus

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Hello all. Is it correct to use the present progressive form in this slogan? Shouldn't the simple present tense be employed?[/nq]
[nq:1]Grammar is hardly the most important aspect of a slogan, and logic isn't all that important either. Have you seen ... But the other considerations that affect a choice of slogan make McDonald's present progressive version far more attractive to them.[/nq]
The perceived grammar problem here is that 'love' is a stative verb (check here for a definition http://tinyurl.com/6wrbs ). That's what makes the McDonalds slogan sound unusual/marked, and that's what makes it memorable and thereby effective.
DC

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]This is similar to a question I have about usage ... comment is: "White nurtures a small advantage." Is that possible?[/nq]
[nq:1]I don't see anything wrong with it. The simple present is more immediate than "is nurturing" would be; perhaps one could characterize it as inclining to a 'narrative' tone as distinct from a 'declarative'. This usage helps draw the reader into the game.[/nq]
My problem is that 'nurturing' implies continuous action, whereas the comment was to a sinfle static position.
'White has a small advantage' would be fine - he has one in the position on the board right now. But is he nurturing that advantage now?

It's a stupid ****** word, anyway.

Usenet · Answer

[nq:2]Grammar is hardly the most important aspect of a slogan, ... make McDonald's present progressive version far more attractive to them.[/nq]
[nq:1]The perceived grammar problem here is that 'love' is a stative verb (check here for a definition ). That's what makes the McDonalds slogan sound unusual/marked, and that's what makes it memorable and thereby effective.[/nq]
"I'm loving ..." is now common in some varieties of colloquial English, among younger age groups, in Britain. I think it started in the South East of England.
The McDonald's slogan resonates with current "cool" culture (if "cool" is the right word).

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Is it correct to use the present progressive form in this slogan?[/nq]
Correct, yes. Usual, no. Since it is unusual, people notice the slogan.
[nq:1]Shouldn't the simple present tense be employed?[/nq]
Usual? Yes. A good slogan? No.
GFH

Usenet · Answer

[nq:1]Is it correct to use the present progressive form in this slogan? Shouldn't the simple present tense be employed?[/nq]
Wrong question . . .
Neither grammatic rules nor stylistic preferences apply to advertising slogans in the way they are accepted to apply to ordinary speech or ordinary writing.
Cf. the notorious slogan: "Winston tastes good, like a cigarette should." This broke a rule of grammar but was a popular and presumably effective slogan, apparently because it rhymed.

Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)

McDonald's: "I'm lovin' it"

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