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English 1b3 Posted 16 years ago
Grammar

Mixed, Normal, and Continuous Verbs

This is how I understand it:

Normal verbs use the present perfect continuous, not the present perfect.

Non-continuous verbs use the present perfect, not the present perfect continuous.

Mixed verbs use one or the other, depending on whether the one is a normal or non-continuous verb.

1) Is the verb to become a normal, non-continuous, or mixed verb?

2) What is 'become' here? It seems that it can use either tense/aspect, meaning the verb is mixed, I assume.

Learning to overcome these obstacles has become/has been becoming less challenging over the years.

Thank you.
  

Top answer

'-- Whatever do you mean by this? Most verbs use both.

— Mister Micawber

  • '-- Whatever do you mean by this?
  • Most verbs use both.
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35 Answers
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'Normal verbs use the present perfect continuous, not the present perfect.'-- Whatever do you mean by this? Most verbs use both.
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http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/presentperfect.html

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/presentperfectcontinuous.html%20

"It is important to rememb

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I don't want to wade through all that. I asked you about 'normal verbs' that can't use present perfect-- a puzzling statement.
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I apologize. That statement is wrong. I don't know how I made that mistake.

Could you answer my question re: because please?
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All I can say about that is that 'be + becoming' is awkward but in occasional use. I think most style manuals (if they address it) would urge revision.

Does that help?
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Mister Micawber
Does that help?


Thanks, I think I have it: It is a mixed verb, but generally used as a non-continuous verb, thus requiring the present perfect on most occasions. Correct?
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Sounds reasonable, offhand.
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English 1b3Normal verbs use the present perfect continuous, not the present perfect.
No. They use both, as I see you recognize from a later post.
But the point is not so much whether a verb is in the simple or the continuous, but what it means when it is simple and what it means when it is continuous. The two basic meanings that seem to be
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Hi, CJ

Thanks for that thorough summary.
CalifJimI don't see a difference between "normal" and "mixed", so I'd say that become, as you illustrate it above, could be considered either "normal" or "mixed". Maybe I don't understand the categories on that site.
You don't understand the difference in meaning between mixed and normal?
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It seems to be a distinction without a difference.

If you can do the same things with a mixed verb that you can do with a normal verb, why bother to make a separate category?

CJ
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