[Grammar] I am asking him to stop borrowing my car this evening.

[Son Ho]

[FONT=lato, sans-serif]Good morning, teachers!
I feel confused especially when the near future and the present continuous are little different. Would you please help me with the third sentence? Is it correct? Could we always use both of the tenses in the same situation like the sentence 2 and 3 except for go come travel and arrive?

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1. I am seeing Peter tomorrow. (Here the emphasis is on the arrangement that already exists.)
2. I am going to ask him to stop borrowing my car. (Here the emphasis is on the intentions of the speaker.)
3. I am asking him to stop borrowing my car this evening. (Here the emphasis is on the plan)

 

[jutfrank]

My answer to your question is that sentence 3 is not correct. This is because it is a poor example. You haven't shown that you understood the use of present continuous as a future form.

Have a look here: https://www.usingenglish.com/articles/ways-expressing-future-in-english.html

 

[Tarheel]

For the third sentence, try:

This evening I am going to ask him to stop borrowing the car.

(I realize that's not continuous tense.)

 

[Son Ho]

My answer to your question is that sentence 3 is not correct. This is because it is a poor example. You haven't shown that you understood the use of present continuous as a future form.

Have a look here: https://www.usingenglish.com/articles/ways-expressing-future-in-english.html

" The present progressive can refer to a future situation that has been arranged before the present time. The arrangement continues through the present until the situation occurs:... "

I think the subject in this sentence has arranged to meet and tell the object about the problem this evening. That's why I think we can use the present continuous as a future form. I wonder if the action ask just prefers to intention, not a fixed plan or arrangement with a definite place or time. I don't really know why it is incorrect. I tried to use the same verb in sentence 2 and 3 to find out what is wrong.

3. I am asking him to stop borrowing my car this evening.

 

[Rover_KE]

Is he borrowing it without asking? Just keep your car keys in your pocket.

Perhaps you mean you're going to tell him to stop asking you if he can borrow it.

 

[emsr2d2]

" The present progressive can refer to a future situation that has been arranged before the present time. The arrangement continues through the present until the situation occurs:... "

I think the subject in this sentence has arranged to meet and tell the object about the problem this evening. That's why I think we can use the present continuous as a future form. I wonder if the action ask just prefers to intention, not a fixed plan or arrangement with a definite place or time. I don't really know why it is incorrect. I tried to use the same verb in sentence 2 and 3 to find out what is wrong.

3. I am asking him to stop borrowing my car this evening.

The use of the present continuous to refer to future plans is used in things like "We're going to the cinema this evening" and "They're having nut roast for dinner on Christmas Day". It doesn't work with "ask". Not every verb can use the present continuous instead of "going to + bare infinitive.

 

[jutfrank]

I think the subject in this sentence has arranged to meet and tell the object about the problem this evening. That's why I think we can use the present continuous as a future form.

Well, okay, if that's what you mean, then fine. My point was that it's not a good example because we don't usually make such arrangements just to ask somebody to stop doing something. Perhaps you could come up with some better examples.