Do you agree the Past Continuous (Past Progressive) tense shouldn't be used in narration?

[GrushaVashnadze]

Because stative verbs are inherently continuous, it sounds odd to put them in a continuous tense. Avoid using the above words in the past continuous—you can use them in the simple past instead.

There is quite a lot of variation in different dialects, though. Use of the past continuous is far more common, for example, in Indian dialects of English. I quite like it: it has a lovely musicality, which sometimes can trump strict "correctness" of usage.

 

[SimonDoom]

I was believing this crazy story more and more with every passing minute.

No, this was no half-hearted hatred. Now I was hating them with all my heart, with every fiber of my being, with every inch of wiring and every square millimeter of circuit board in my cavernous body!

You're involving me again, buddy. I told you to keep me out of this.

He stood there, smiling quietly, knowing exactly what was going on but not saying a word to help the rest of us.

I'm not just liking this, I'm lovin' it!

I gotta cut back. I'm waking up every morning needing more and more. I can't afford this shit.

Okay, I really can't think of a way to use "was preferring" but the others don't sound that bad, do they?

I think they work quite well, actually, but notice that your examples are all written in a colloquial manner, like somebody talking. There are no grammar rules for dialogue because people do not in fact speak with perfect grammar. I can see these examples working as well in a first-person POV narration where the narrator injects a lot of casual personality into the narration. I don't think these examples would work as well in a more formal, third-person narrative style.

 

[joy_of_cooking]

I don't think these examples would work as well in a more formal, third-person narrative style.

That's fair.

 

[33RPMVinylPants]

I was believing this crazy story more and more with every passing minute.

No, this was no half-hearted hatred. Now I was hating them with all my heart, with every fiber of my being, with every inch of wiring and every square millimeter of circuit board in my cavernous body!

You're involving me again, buddy. I told you to keep me out of this.

He stood there, smiling quietly, knowing exactly what was going on but not saying a word to help the rest of us.

I'm not just liking this, I'm lovin' it!

I gotta cut back. I'm waking up every morning needing more and more. I can't afford this shit.

Okay, I really can't think of a way to use "was preferring" but the others don't sound that bad, do they?

The active verb in most of those sentences is "was"

I was believing

I was hating

You are involving

I am not just liking, I am loving

I am waking

 

[SimonDoom]

The active verb in most of those sentences is "was"

I was believing

I was hating

You are involving

I am not just liking, I am loving

I am waking

No, it's not a matter of active verbs or passive verbs. The sentence "I was believing this crazy story" is in active VOICE, but past progressive TENSE.

Past progressive tense is formed by combining the past form of the verb "to be" ("was" or "were") with a participle form of another verb. Active v. Passive doesn't really have anything to do with it.

The passive voice/past progressive form of this sentence would be:

"This crazy story was being believed by me."

That sounds terribly awkward.

 

[SimonDoom]

This whole thread has nothing to do with Grammar Naziism. It's a matter of style, not rules. There's nothing grammatically wrong with using past progressive; it's just that in certain cases it doesn't quite convey what you probably want to say. But sometimes it does.

 

[Gamblnluck]

I wish I'd been given that advice before I gave up writing. But now it's too late.

Never too late. Just get an idea for a story and go for it. Don't get in a hurry. Tell it to yourself first, then put it on paper.

 

[JohnSm123]

If you've given up writing, what are you doing here in the Authors' Hangout? Besides annoying everyone, that is.

Mods, can we please have a Trolls' Den forum where people like this can fester away with others of their kind?

No need to make a forum just for me. Besides, I'll get banned sooner or later, so that forum will become useless.

 

[AwkwardlySet]

I must say that I am starting to like this guy. His trolling has style and is still quite successful, it seems

 

[theWollstonecraftWoman]

There is a certain type of verb that cannot be used in any continuous tense, including the past continuous tense. These are called stative verbs, also known as state-of-being verbs or, fittingly, non-continuous verbs.

Stative verbs are less like actions and more like states or feelings. They describe continual states of mind, such as opinions, needs, or awareness. Some of the most common examples of stative verbs include:

believe
dislike
hate
involve
know
like
love
need
prefer
realize
seem
understand
want

Because stative verbs are inherently continuous, it sounds odd to put them in a continuous tense. Avoid using the above words in the past continuous—you can use them in the simple past instead.

Like, I can't use believe, like because it's understood that it isn't, like, continuous. That's, like, not some I realize as I believe, like, I just hate the need not to seem to prefer something and want to, like, in involve my readers progressively in that they know it is like continuous and progressive, like, not to hate me continuously. Like that's what I feel. Like, what do you feel?

 

[theWollstonecraftWoman]

I'm in a strange mood. Must be the meds.

 

[Candy_Kane54]

I'm in a strange mood. Must be the meds.

As long as they are legal and prescribed, have fun.

 

[StillStunned]

I'm in a strange mood. Must be the meds.

Welcome to Club Med!

(I'm not on any medication, I just wanted to make the joke.)

 

[theWollstonecraftWoman]

As long as they are legal and prescribed, have fun.

They are, and I am.

Welcome to Club Med!

(I'm not on any medication, I just wanted to make the joke.)

Been there, done that, got several of the T-shirts!

 

[JohnSm123]

I must say that I am starting to like this guy. His trolling has style and is still quite successful, it seems

I'm not trolling. I'm the most miserable person that has ever existed.

 

[HordHolm]

I'm not trolling. I'm the most miserable person that has ever existed.

There's a dying street kid living on a Manila trash heap who might disagree. Get over yourself.

 

[JohnSm123]

There's a dying street kid living on a Manila trash heap who might disagree. Get over yourself.

If he/she is dying, his/her problems will end soon. So I still think I'm more miserable. I'll keep suffering for years knowing that nobody likes me, that I'll never be an author, and that nothing awaits me after death.

 

[HordHolm]

If he/she is dying, his/her problems will end soon. So I still think I'm more miserable. I'll keep suffering for years knowing that nobody likes me, that I'll never be an author, and that nothing awaits me after death.

Yeah, whatever. Keep blathering on and it will all be a self-fulfilling prophecy. Bye, bye.

 

[AG31]

I don't agree to ANY rules about writing. It all depends on what the goal is.

 

[nice90sguy]

believe
dislike
hate
involve
know
like
love
need
prefer
realize
seem
understand
want

English is hard to pin down with rules.
While I was busy hating on him, I kept on needing him, and all the while he stayed loving me