Aren't you forgetting anything?

[blacknomi]

Aren't you forgetting anything?

I'd like to know why the present participle form works there.

IMO, forget is a verb that, most time, doesn't go with -ing form. It's a perceptive verb and stative.


Yes, you forget to give me the paycheck.

[Marylin]

I'd like to know why the present participle form works there.

IMO, forget is a verb that, most time, doesn't go with -ing form. It's a perceptive verb and stative.


Yes, you forget to give me the paycheck.

You are right about the grammar theory on the word "forget" but this partcular sentence is a different thing.
I think it should read:
Aren't you forgetting something?

It's a phrase one would use when you are giving the person a little hint and a nudge to see if they remember what it is they are forgetting.


ex. I am almost out the door when my sister stops me to say:

-Aren't you forgetting something?
-Oh, yeah, my driver's license, of course. Again!

[Casiopea]

It's fine. It's a continuous verb form (be + ing):

You are forgetting something, aren't you?
You aren't forgetting anything, are you?

Use 'something' with affirmative verbs, as Marylin suggests , and use 'anything' with negative verbs.

Post tag: You are forgetting something, aren't you?
Pre-tag: Aren't you forgetting something?

[blacknomi]

Thank you for the confirmation about my grammar point, Marylin.

About sentence patterns, as Cassy pointed out, there are post tag and pre-tag. Usually I would view the following pattern as a negative sentence. That's why I used "anything".

"Don't you agree?"

What a horror! Is that a positive sentence?


Which is correct?
1- Are you not forgetting anything?
2- Are you not forget something?

[Casiopea]

Which is correct?
1- Are you not forgetting anything?
2- Are you not forget something?

Aren't you forgetting something? "forget" is a verb, so when it occurs in combination with a form of Be, it takes -ing:

2-Are you not forgetting something?

Consider,

Are you forgetting anything? (non-specific)
Are you forgetting something? (specific)

Are you not a lawyer or something?
Are you not a lawyer or anything?

[blacknomi]

Are you not a lawyer or anything?

I can be anything. LOL!

[blacknomi]

Thanks, that's a good example. I was rolling on the floor laughing.

[blacknomi]

Aren't you forgetting something? "forget" is a verb, so when it occurs in combination with a form of Be, it takes -ing:

2-Are you not forgetting something?

Consider,

Are you forgetting anything? (non-specific)
Are you forgetting something? (specific)

Are you not a lawyer or something?
Are you not a lawyer or anything?

Sorry, that was a typo.

1- Are you forgetting anything? (non-specific)
2- Are you forgetting something? (specific)

Cassie, I'd like to know what is your standard to discriminate from non-specific to specific. I think it depends on the context we have. I agree with the specific one. But "Are you forgetting anything" could be specific if the speaker is using a sarcastic tone to remind his friend that *something* is missing.

[Casiopea]

To me, specific refers to known, or specified, whereas non-specific refers to unknown, or unspecified, which can be made specific:

Pat: What do you want to eat?
Sam: Anything that's good.

Language is fluid. It fits all containers.

[blacknomi]

Agreed.