Today we’re going to focus on a very common mistake that many non-native English speakers make. How many of you are familiar with the slogan from McDonald’s? You know: “I’m lovin’ it”.
Well, because of McDonalds’ global presence, their slogan has made its way into the English language. As a result, this slogan has become so common, that people sometimes use this expression in everyday conversation - even when they’re not talking about McDonald’s.
BUT, this is a SLANG expression that is not appropriate for the business world.
Let me explain why…
There are some verbs (called STATIVE VERBS) that cannot be used in the Progressive form – Meaning, they can’t be used with “ing” at the end.
A Stative Verb is a verb that doesn’t reflect a dynamic action. Rather, it’s a state, (like, a state of mind, or a state of being).
For example, the verb “to own” is a Stative Verb. Therefore, you cannot say “I am owning a house”. Even if you own that house right now, you can only say “I own a house”. There is no dynamic action here. It’s a state.
Similarly, it is incorrect to say “I am loving it”. You can only say “I love it”.
But it is okay to use it as a slang expression amongst friends. So, if you’re at a party on the weekend, and your friend walks in wearing a great outfit, by all means – tell her “I’m loving your outfit”.
But not at work…
Here are a few more common Stative Verbs that cannot be used with “ing”:
• Like
• Hate
• Prefer
• Want
• Know
• Understand
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I hope today’s post has been helpful. Let us know…
And join us next week for more helpful tips on Mistake-free Mondays.
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