Hello~
I have watched a movie.
In the script in the movie, I guess “You are” looks omitted.
That is your problem
(You are) Always wishy-washy. (You are) Never taking action.
But I curious the sentence “You are never taking action” sounds grammatical.
Isn’t an adverb “never” used with Continuous Tense “be Ving”?
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The two phrased ‘always wishy washy’ and ‘never taking action’ are just fragments and not complete sentences. Also, what makes you think that you can’t use the present continuous with adverbs of frequency? It’s perfectly OK to say sentences like “You are never listening to me” or “You are never answering my questions” if you want to emphasize how angry you are about the other person’s ignorance for example.
Dear Torsten
Hi,
Ah~ha, I’ve got to know it.
Basically, I just thought it looked weird because adverbs of frequency shows how often someone does something.
But present continuous sentences convey that something is going on right now. Sometimes it also implies something is about to take place soon, though.
In light of it, I’ve just wondered how I could count the frequency of what is going on right now, since that is only a one-time event.
Anyway, I have to take and understand your reply as it is, because English is English. I need to understand English is also one of the languages I am sorry to keep asking you.
If you happen to have access to Netflix I recommend you start watching series because they contain lots of dialogs which are full of examples showing how the present progressive is used in modern (especially American) English. It is used in a greater number of contexts than the typical ESL textbooks usually try to teach.
As a matter of fact, I would recommend that you replace your textbooks with authentic materials.
Just to add to Torsten’s wise words, there is another underlying meaning of ‘never’ with the continuous tense. That is when you want to express shock or surprise because you can’t believe what someone is saying/doing. Imagine someone has told you that as a protest they are going to run naked along the high street. You say - You are never running through the high street with no clothes on!
Alan, I think when we are frustrated by the laxity of someone to take prompt and timely action, we say, ‘you are never listening to the woes of others’.
(Procrastination is a universal phenomenon and it agitates the common man everywhere.)
