Hello teacher,
I have a question:
I want to know if โmissโ (to feel sad about someone because they are not with you any more) is a stative or a dynamic verb? If we use this as a dynamic verb with no change in meaning, can we say โI am missing youโ?
You may have heard about Stative (or โstateโ) Verbsโ they are the ones that canโt be used in the progressive form. Hereโs an example:
- I like it.
โLikeโ is a stative verb, so we canโt say โIโm liking itโ. This would be a mistake and your teacher would correct it if you wrote it in a composition.
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If youโre not familiar with state verbs, please click on this link first:
All State Verbs List in English with Examples!
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However, if you are around native speakers a lot, you might notice that they actually say things like โIโm liking it.โ or โIโm hearing you.โ or โIโm missing you.โ
How unfair! Language learners all over the world memorize long lists of stative verbs and make sure they donโt use them in the progressive form, while native speakers are free to use them as they please. Or so it seems.
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WHY DO THEY DO IT?
The progressive form expresses a temporary state and this is what you can emphasize when employing it.
- Iโm liking my new car.
This sentence expresses the idea that itโs something happening around now and itโs not a permanent state. The excitement might soon wear off and I might stop enjoying the experience soon.
Similarly, when we say โIโm missing you.โ, it shows how intense this emotion is right now.
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This use hasnโt been around for a long time and is still considered incorrect by many teachers. Itโs also informal, so you should definitely avoid using it in formal writing.
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