Statives and Infinitives

Question

I have a few grammar questions.1. Stative verbs.At first, I thought that all "emotion, thinking, and being" verbs were all stative. But I found out I was wrong. "I assume he isn't coming" vs. "I'm assuming that he isn't comming." Both of these seem to work; however, does that mean they are both stative and dynamic? Can you explain a little?3. Infinitive Phrases & Noun ClauseIn french, I know that one says "I want that George works". But in English, we use the infinitive "I want George to go". Is there a rule as to why this happens? Here's another example, "I expect you will be there tmrw" vs. "I expect you to be there tmrw". Which one's correct? And why?

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

Some verbs can be used in both ways, to express a state, or an action.

For example:
I'm thinking about taking a vacation next month.
The action is one of considering, mulling it over, and making a decision.
I think he is a doctor. (state of thought)

BlackBlitz"I expect you will be there tmrw" vs. "I expect you to be there tmrw". Which one's correct? And why?

Both are correct. The meanings are different.

1) I expect you will be there tomorrow.
You may or may not be there tomorrow, but I believe that it is likely that you will be there. It is almost an implicit question, giving the other person the opportunity to confirm it.

2) I expect you to be there tomorrow.
This is a form of a demand, or even a threat. Mothers often use this expression when they talk sternly to their children.
I expect you to be quiet in church.
I expect you to be polite to Aunt Mary.
I expect you to clean up your room.

CalifJim · Answer

BlackBlitz1. Stative verbs.
At first, I thought that all "emotion, thinking, and being" verbs were all stative. But I found out I was wrong. "I assume he isn't coming" vs. "I'm assuming that he isn't comming." Both of these seem to work; however, does that mean they are both stative and dynamic? Can you explain a little?

The division of verbs into stative and dynamic is not the same as the division of verbs into non-progressive and progressive.

to live, for example, is stative, but it's not non-progressive.
That is, it designates a state, not an action, but it can be used in a progressive tense. (They are currently living in London.)

I'm not sure if that's what you wanted.

As for to assume, it seems to me that it is not really stative, though it is mental in some sense. It means to make an assumption, which sounds like an action to me, even though it's not a physical action. Wouldn't to recall also be an example of a mental "action" as well? And I'm sure there are others.

CJ

CalifJim · Answer

BlackBlitzIn french, I know that one says "I want that George works". But in English, we use the infinitive "I want George to go". Is there a rule as to why this happens?

No. There is no rule as such. The explanation is that different languages developed different ways of expressing certain relationships grammatically. To learn the grammar of English is, in a way, to learn the grammar of each of its words.

In English the grammar of want is different from the grammar of expect. These are different from the grammar of promise and different from the grammar of blame. Each word has its own ways of combining with others. Of course, there are whole groups of words that have the same patterns, so you don't actually have to learn the grammar of every word separately.

Both of your examples with expect are grammatically correct. expect happens to be a verb that can be used in more than one pattern.

CJ

Statives and Infinitives

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