I swear to tell the truth / I'm swearing to tell the truth

[milan2003_07]

In Oxford_English_Grammar_Course_Advanced by Michael Swan there is the following sentence (he explains the use of the Present Simple Tense):

"I swear to tell the truth".

Can I say "I'm swearing to tell the truth", if you say this at the moment of speaking?

 

[jutfrank]

No.

 

[milan2003_07]

Could you please post 1-2 examples of using "to swear" in Present Progressive?

 

[5jj]

In the sense in your sentence, swear is used performatively - the utterance of the word is the act. Examples of other such verbs include:

I name this ship 'Titanic'.
We find the defendant not guilty.
I declare this exhibition open.

The progressive aspect is not used for such acts.

 

[Flask]

I agree one hundred percent with 5jj that the progressive can't be used to perform the speech act of swearing to tell the truth. In non-speech-act contexts, however, or contexts with other types of speech acts, the progressive sentence could conceivably be used. Three have come to my mind.

1) Pause the video. You might be interested in this segment of the trial proceedings. I'm swearing to tell the truth.
2) I'm going to court this afternoon. I'm swearing to tell the truth, too. So don't expect me to lie to get you off the hook.
3) Why do you keep interrupting me? My hand is raised. I'm swearing to tell the truth.