Will be wanting?

Hi people!

I've found an exercise on the future continuous tense and I think one of the sentences in it is wrong or, at least, not usually heard. Here it is:

Andrew will be wanting to hear all the news about Sandra.

Is this sentence acceptable in any context? I thought that some verbs, namely the so-called "stative verbs" were not usually used in the progressive aspect. I also know that there are some cases in which we may use these verbs in the progressive. E.g.:

I enjoy going to the cinema on Sundays.

I'm really enjoying this party!

They will surely enjoy the experience.

This time next year, we will be enjoying a wonderful holiday in Paris.

But I just don't think "want" belongs to this kind of verbs and the sentece above sounds awkward to me. What do you think?

Thanks a lot!

Mara.

Thanks Clive!

I think I should have expressed myself better. I didn't mean to give sentences #1 and #3 as an example of progressive uses. My aim was just to contrast the use of the verb "enjoy" in both stative and progressive forms.

Regards,

Mara.

Paco2004 wrote:

Hello Mara I'm not so sure what you are asking for. But let me throw my two cents. English progressive tense is a peculiar operator. {Prog [dynamic Verb]} elongate the duration of the activity expressed by the dynamic verb (or one-time verb). That is, {Prog [dynamic verb]} gives a notion of continuousness or repetition to dynamic verbs. On the other hand, {Prog [stative verb]} shortens the duration of the state expressed by the stative verb. In another words, {Prog [stative verb]} gives a notion of temporariness to stative verbs. So, as Clive said, "Andrew will be wanting to hear all the news about Sandra" means "Andrew will be <temporarily> wanting to hear all the news about Sandra." because "want" is a stative verb. "Enjoy", on the other hand, is a one-time verb. So if you want to express a continuous state of enjoying something, you have to say "I am enjoying it". As for your example sentence "I enjoy going to the cinema on Sundays", this is not a statement telling a state. It is a statement in present tense to mean a habitual activity. paco

Hi Paco! I really liked your enlightening comments! Now, I don't seem to understand some points and would like to ask you some questions, if you don't mind.

My comments will be in blue.

I agree with everything you wrote up to the last two sentences:

You wrote:

"So if you want to express a continuous state of enjoying something, you have to say "I am enjoying it"." OK, I see that "I am enjoying" is in the progressive for it ends in -ing and we are focusing on the action in progression. Now, I think we are kind of messing things up here, for we should be cautious when using the words "continuous state". I though that the so-called "stative verbs" were the ones which expressed a "continuous state". The progressive with dynamic verbs may express the continuity of an "action". But if the verb is "stative" it already implies "continuity", "uninterruption". What the progressive does in a way  (with stative verbs) is to shorten that sense of coninuity, doesn't it? If not, it seems a bit contradictory to me.

 "As for your example sentence "I enjoy going to the cinema on Sundays", this is not a statement telling a state. It is a statement in present tense to mean a habitual activity." I see what you mean. But if "enjoy" in my example sentence is not a state, then what is it? Since "verb" has been proverbially defined as "a content word that denotes an action or a state" then all verbs must necessarily fall into one of the two categories. I know my sentence implies a habitual activity, but does that exclude the possibility of "enjoy" being a state?

I'd be really glad if you can help me out with this. I'm a bit confused.

Thanks a lot!

Mara.