McDonald's I'm lovin' it

Next time when you're spending a blissfully intimate moment with your beloved, you might want to coo into her soft tofu ears: "I'm loving you." I'm not sure how she would react, but what I do know is that McDonald's tagline- I'm lovin' it- sure has a way of getting our attention.

"Love" is a stative verb which cannot be expressed in the present continuous tense. Just as we do not say "He's believing what you've just told him," it's also wrong to say "I'm loving you" or "I'm loving it". If you want to express your love, you should instead say "I love you, darling" from the depths of your heart. And your beloved should be left in no doubt that you mean what you say. Now, try saying "I'm lovin' you, darling." Does it sound the same? I doubt it. I think it lacks the simple directness of the declarative expression of love in "I love you."

But then McDonald's "I'm lovin' it" tagline is different. It may be wrong in grammar, but it's deliberate. Now, let's change McDonald's tagline to the grammatically correct stative verb form:  "I love it." Say it a few times and you'll know what I mean: It's bland, and it induces a dryness in your mouth. On the other hand, the present continuous form of "I'm lovin' it" possesses the quality of freshness and motion that gives the expression life and makes it more dynamic. That's why the present continuous tense (-ing) form is referred to as dynamic and not static.

Call it creative licence!

Stative verbs usually refer to a state or condition which is quite static or unchanging. They do not refer to an action and so are not used in the present continuous tense form. Thus, we should say "I hate this TV show"  instead of  "I'm hating this TV show." Now, say which verbs are used correctly in the following sentences:

a. The girls are seeming tired.
b. He is believing what you told her.
c. I'm seeing him this afternoon.
d. I'm having a brand new car.
e. I'm liking swimming very much.
f. Jeff is loving his new job as a junior reporter.
g. They're preferring a new coach for their football club.
h. We're having a party next weekend.
i. She's remembering what happened at the club meeting yesterday.
j.  I'm wanting to apply for the new job vacancy Penang.
k. I'm seeing what it means.
l.  Kate's thinking that coffee is good for her health.
m. This vegetable soup is tasting delicious.
n. He's needing another loan to pay off his gambling debts.
o. We're remembering the people we met on our trek across the jungle.
p. They're thinking about their next holiday in February.
q. She's seeing three clowns coming down the road.
r. I'm knowing how to solve this difficult math problem.
s. The children are hearing what we're discussing.
t. He's liking the bowl of fish noodle.
u. Don't you agree that they are being silly?
v. The crate is containing 12 bottles.
w. Kamil is knowing the answer to every question.
x. I'm smelling the soup to see if it's good.
y. She's smelling the new lotion that she has just bought.
z. I've been meaning to ask you out, but I just can't find the time.

This article is available at: http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2012/7/10/lifefocus/11572022&sec=lifefocus

What's the missing word in this banner headline?
In this sort of writing, sometimes known as telegraphic writing, writers often leave out the articles or determiners- a, an, the. However, in your academic or day-to-day business writing, you should write clearly and fluently so as to get your message across. In the banner headline, the determiner 'the' is missing. Indicate if 'the' is necessary in the following sentences:

1. World is full of suffering.
2. I enjoy cycling in countryside.
3. She is smartest girl in university.
4.Your request for an appointment in accounts department has been rejected.
5. Errors in the pronunciation of English are commonly heard among Malaysian speakers.

Will Smith - You Want Something? Go Get It.

13 Year Old Boy  Finds Mistake in Metropolitan Museum of Art Map

When 13-year-old Benjamin Lerman Coady recently visited the New York City's Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met), one of the world's premier destinations for artistic and historical exhibitions, little did he expect that he would be a hero. Yet, that’s what happened when the seventh grader, a fledgling history buff who recently studied the Byzantine Empire in school, found out when he pointed out an error in The Met’s Byzantine Gallery.While checking some of the dates on the map, Coady noticed that sections featuring Spain and Africa were missing. Before leaving the museum, he attempted to inform the museum that the map was inaccurate, but the front desk just didn’t believe him. As he put it: “I’m only a kid”.

A few months later the curator emailed Coady and admitted that there had been a mistake. And this is what Coady picked up from his experience: "If you have a question, always ask it; always take chances."