look as a linking verb in Simple and Progressive

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Verona_82

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Hello!

Could anyone please comment on the following? I know that the verb 'look' can act as a linking verb, for example:

You look sad. What happened?
You are looking sad. What happened?

I've come across both structures lots of times. What is the difference between them, if any? Which one is preferable?
Why can we use both Present and Progressive with some linking verbs such as 'feel': (I feel rotten/I'm feeling rotten) but cannot do the same, for instance, with seem or appear? :-?

Thank you very much in advance.
 

Verona_82

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I would be very grateful if someone replied :)
 

5jj

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I would be very grateful if someone replied :)
The reason there were no prompt replies is probably that you have asked questions that are not easy to answer briefly.

With feel, look, sound and, far less commonly smell and taste, there is not a great deal of practical difference. The continuous may convey an impression of more limited duration.

I'll have to think about seem and appear.
 

TheParser

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Hello!

Could anyone please comment on the following? I know that the verb 'look' can act as a linking verb, for example:

You look sad. What happened?
You are looking sad. What happened?

I've come across both structures lots of times. What is the difference between them, if any? Which one is preferable?
Why can we use both Present and Progressive with some linking verbs such as 'feel': (I feel rotten/I'm feeling rotten) but cannot do the same, for instance, with seem or appear? :-?

Thank you very much in advance.


***** NOT A TEACHER / ONLY MY OPINION


Verona,

I researched your question and found these results.

(1) Mr. Walter K. Smart's English Review Grammar says:

In general, the progressive form of the verb ...

makes the action seem more vivid [my emphasis] and

emphasizes that the action is in progress [his emphasis]

at a certain time.

(a) Mr. Smart's example: He feels/is feeling tired.

(2) An adviser at another English helpline says that the progressive

expresses "heightened interest." I like that idea.

For example, which one seems more emotional and personal?

(a) Hello, Tom. You look sad. What happened?

(b) Hey, Tom. You're looking very sad. Tell me what's happened!!!

(3) Finally, Mr. Michael Swan in his popular Practical English Usage

says that "many 'non-progressive' verbs are occasionally [my

emphasis] used in progressive forms in order to emphasize the

idea of change or development [my emphasis].

(a) Maybe that is why some (many?) Americans have no trouble with

sentences such as:

This debate is seeming more and more like a conversation.

I don't know what the problem is, but I am seeming to have a difficult time in understanding it.

At first, I hated her. Now I am liking her more and more.

(from a popular restaurant company) I'm loving it!!!


Thank you
 

Verona_82

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It's I who should say "thank you" ))
Is the tendency to use non-progressive verbs in Progressive tenses also true for the verb 'to miss"?
I'll miss you
I'll be missing you - giving some emphasis?
 

Pedroski

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Yeah fivejedjon is right: it's a tricky subject.

'I am seeming to' will get you lots of hits if you search, especially with 'have' and 'be'. The same goes for 'I am appearing to'. But you won't find any or maybe very few examples 'I am seeming/appearing rotten.'

'seeming' is used quite frequently as an adjective, 'appearing' hardly at all. We would use 'apparent' instead. cf 'a seeming problem' 'an apparent problem' I think you could formulate sentences such as: 'I am seeming rotten now, but you will see, this is for your own good.' which, at least to my ear, doesn't sound too bad.

Otherwise, 'seem' and 'appear', in its sense of 'have the appearance of', when used with just an adjective after the noun, act like stative verbs. 'Why?' is a hard question to answer.
 

5jj

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I'll have to think about seem and appear.

Well, I thought about it. And I checked up in a few serious grammars. I am (for once!) with Pedroski - 'Why?' is a hard question to answer.

It appears that the verbs sound, look, smell, taste and feel used to describe the effect something has on our five basic senses can be used in both nonprogressive and progressive variants with little discernible difference (Quirk et al, 1985). Seem and appear seem (or appear) not to be used in the progressive form, at least in the senses we are discussing.

That's it, I'm afraid.
 

TheParser

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It's I who should say "thank you" ))
Is the tendency to use non-progressive verbs in Progressive tenses also true for the verb 'to miss"?
I'll miss you
I'll be missing you - giving some emphasis?

***** NOT A TEACHER / ONLY MY OPINION


Verona,


I am computer illiterate, so I cannot provide the link.

I found on the Web an excellent discussion that will help

you understand the difference.

Just google:

Is there any difference? English Grammar. forum.the free dictionary.com


Good luck
 

Verona_82

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Thank you! I got it. I just wanted to make sure that "I'll be missing you" is not considered incorrect by native speakers.
 
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