THE GIFT OF GAB

verbs can sometimes be deployed in the dynamic sense; that is, they can be used in the progressive tenses when they depict actions, not states/conditions. For instance, when ‘see’ indicates an arrangement to meet with someone, it can be used in the progressive tense thus:

I am ‘seeing’ my doctor tomorrow morning (standard).

Moreover, when ‘hear’ expresses adjudication in the court of law, it can be used in the continuous tense, as in:

The court is ‘hearing’ his case tomorrow (standard).

In rounding off:

I am ‘having’ (eating) lunch (standard). Are you ‘hearing’ (to maintain contact) from Musa (standard)?

Aminat was ‘thinking’ (to process one’s thoughts) when the teacher beckoned to her (standard).

The doctor is ‘feeling’ (to touch in order to ascertain something) Brenda’s pulse.

John and Victoria had been ‘seeing’ (to be in a romantic relationship) in 2009 before the latter met Frank (standard).

Although tense is intricate to handle, it is central to grammaticality. We, therefore, must keep learning the appropriate deployment of the different tenses in the English language.

Dr Bamgbose (Dr GAB) has a PHD in English and lectures at the Pan-atlantic University, Lagos. He is a social commentator who writes on different issues of national concern and the author of daily online English lessons titled “English for Today” with hundreds of lessons available on his website www.englishdietng.com.