I ..... complete silence now while I try this experiment

English as a Second Language English Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms
1

I ..... complete silence now while I try this experiment. (*) am wanting (*) want (*) did want (*) have wanted

This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://english.best/questions/5793,i-___-complete-silence-now-while-i-try-this-experiment/
2 Likes
3

I think the younger generation in the US has started to use “want to” in the progressive form as well, so it’s no longer a static verb, but since it’s a multiple-choice question, I would still choose “want to” because “I’m wanting to” just doesn’t sound right to me.

1 Like
4

I don’t see how “want to” could possibly be used in this sentence. " I want to" implies an action you want to perform yourself. The sentence is expressing what the speaker wants others to do, or the condition they want.

I want complete silence.
I want you to be completely silent.
I want to do this experiment in complete silence.

All of the above work.

2 Likes