"I've been knowing him for years"?

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Anonymous

#183072 Sat, 14 Jan 06 12:11 PM

Can anyone give me a satisfactory answer to this question?

Why can't we say, "I've been knowing him for years"?

My teacher said that it's because we don't use verbs like "know" in the progressive form, but that answer doesn't tell me very much at all.

Anonymous

Verbs

Mister Micawber

#183113 Sat, 14 Jan 06 02:38 PM

I'm afraid that your teacher is right-- in your grammar book there should be a section on verbs that we do not usually use in progressive forms. Some of them are: like, love, need, prefer, know, seem, mean, own, etc. They are mostly verbs of sensations and mental states.

Mister Micawber

Joined on Wed, Aug 4 2004

Yokohama

Veteran Member (22,643)

'The question is,' said Humpty Dumpty, 'which is to be master-- that's all.'

Grammar, Verbs

Ruslana

#183239 Sat, 14 Jan 06 07:43 PM

Agree. It must be, "I've known him for years".

Let me add some more verbs which cannot be used in progressive forms:

hate, want, wish, desire, see, hear, feel, notice, understand, remember, forget, believe, recognize, appear, possess, contain, consist, etc.

By the way, Mister Micawber, I wonder if the verb wonder may be used in progressive. Can I say, "I am (was) wondering if this phrase is (was) acceptable"? It is a progressive form here, isn't it? I have seen such constructions before but I am not sure they are correct (in BrE).

Ruslana

Joined on Sat, Dec 17 2005

Russia

Senior Member (3,197)

"When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace", - Jimi Hendrix

Verbs, Constructions

Anonymous

#183496 Sun, 15 Jan 06 11:33 AM

Ruslana wrote:

By the way, Mister Micawber, I wonder if the verb wonder may be used in progressive. Can I say, "I am (was) wondering if this phrase is (was) acceptable"? It is a progressive form here, isn't it? I have seen such constructions before but I am not sure they are correct (in BrE).

Yes, you can use it there. Also considering, thinking, pondering, etc.

Anonymous

Verbs, Constructions

Anonymous

#183501 Sun, 15 Jan 06 11:46 AM

Mister Micawber wrote:

I'm afraid that your teacher is right-- in your grammar book there should be a section on verbs that we do not usually use in progressive forms. Some of them are: like, love, need, prefer, know, seem, mean, own, etc. They are mostly verbs of sensations and mental states.

I thank you for that list, but it still doesn't mean much to me. Why is it that those verbs are not used in the progressive form?

Anonymous

Grammar, Verbs

Mister Micawber

#183520 Sun, 15 Jan 06 12:48 PM

I said, 'we do not usually use' them in progressive forms. Most of them also occur thus. They are usually used non-continous forms, I suppose, because they represent non-physical states: they are feelings, not actions, and show no activity (relatively speaking).

Perhaps Paco has a more definitive answer for you.

Mister Micawber

Ruslana

#183590 Sun, 15 Jan 06 03:17 PM

Anon#1, just memorize this peculiarity of English language.

Anon#2, thank you.

Ruslana

pieanne

#183595 Sun, 15 Jan 06 03:25 PM

Either you know a person or you don't. It's not a voluntary act from you. You cannot decide to engage in the process of "knowing", then stop it. It's an "either / or" situation, same as "to like, love, understand, believe, forget, remember, etc, etc..."

pieanne

Joined on Thu, Jan 20 2005

South of France ...But I'm Belgian!

Veteran Member (7,512)

I'm glad to help, but I'm not a native! And please excuse my typos...

Anonymous

#183636 Sun, 15 Jan 06 04:50 PM

Pieanne wrote:

Either you know a person or you don't. It's not a voluntary act from you. You cannot decide to engage in the process of "knowing", then stop it. It's an "either / or" situation, same as "to like, love, understand, believe, forget, remember, etc, etc..."

?My father died 4 years ago. I'm slowly forgetting him.

?I've never stopped believing in her.

?I'm remembering the time we went to Monaco.

Anonymous

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