|
|
-ing
Tuesday, February 24, 2004, 00:17 GMT
"I love you" is simple present tense. "Love" is a state verb and is not used in the present continuous form. BUt what does "I'm loving it" mean in the new McDonald's ad? Is the "loving" a present participle, continuous or gerund? I'm a bit confused.
Thanks.
Tuesday, February 24, 2004, 00:31 GMT
It's no different than this:
"I play football." (This is something I do or know how to do. It doesn't necessarily mean I'm doing it right now, but it's a statement about me). "I am playing football." (I'm playing football right now as I make this statement. Now this statement can be modified to be more general or mean in the future too: "I'm playing football next Sunday." OR "I'm playing football this season." However, just saying: "I am playing football" signifies what one is doing at the time mentioned, i.e. now, next Sunday or this season). "I am loving it." (What the person in the add is saying is that he loves what is going on right now at McDonald's. If he were to say: "I love McDonalds", it would be a general statement. Since the new ads are about the new cheesesteaks available there now, the person is alluding to what is presently going on at McDonald's).
Tuesday, February 24, 2004, 00:34 GMT
*ad
Tuesday, February 24, 2004, 06:48 GMT
Thanks
Tuesday, February 24, 2004, 10:57 GMT
Any word that ends in "ing" is a gerund.
Wednesday, February 25, 2004, 06:59 GMT
"I love eating" or "My hobby is skiing" - eating and skiing here are gerunds but not are not in the present continuous tense. I don't think any word that ends with "ing' is a gerund. I've always thought present continuous and gerunds are two different things. Am I wrong?
Wednesday, February 25, 2004, 07:01 GMT
*are not in the present continuous
Wednesday, February 25, 2004, 07:47 GMT
No, Adam's wrong. Besides the trivial examples like "king" and "sing" there are heaps of "-ing" ending words which are not gerunds. The present participle is often used in the present continuous where it is no greund.
gerund [Show phonetics] noun [C] SPECIALIZED a word that ends in '-ing' which is made from a verb, and which is used like a noun: In the sentence 'Everyone enjoyed Tyler's singing', the word 'singing' is a gerund. http://www.dictionary.cambridge.org/define.asp?key=32640&dict=CALD
Thursday, February 26, 2004, 08:22 GMT
Yes.
Thursday, February 26, 2004, 09:26 GMT
Can we stop giving evil hamburger chains free advertising on Tom's site....
Thursday, February 26, 2004, 23:39 GMT
I don't think we can ... except, perhaps, by war.
|