Lewis: are wishing/remember

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Marius Hancu - 30 Sep 2010 18:44 GMT

Hello:

Why progressive in "are wishing" and just simple present in
"remember"?

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... a lovely meaning too lovely to put into words, which makes the
dream so beautiful that you remember it all your life and are always
wishing you could get into that dream again.

C. S. Lewis, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe -
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Thanks.
Marius Hancu

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John Lawler - 30 Sep 2010 20:13 GMT

> Hello:
>
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
> Thanks.
> Marius Hancu

It's because of the generic present
"you remember it all your life".

You *could* use a generic
"you always wish you could.."
but the progressive reinforces
the repetitive nature of "always".

See (but only if you're really, really,
*really* interested in generics)
http://www.umich.edu/~jlawler/dissertation/

-John Lawler
In science one tries to tell people, in such a way as to
be understood by everyone, something that no one ever
knew before. But in poetry, it's the exact opposite.
-- Paul Dirac

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Marius Hancu - 30 Sep 2010 23:06 GMT

> > Why progressive in "are wishing" and just simple present in
> > "remember"?
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> > dream so beautiful that you remember it all your life and are always
> > wishing you could get into that dream again.

> It's because of the generic present
> "you remember it all your life".
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> but the progressive reinforces
> the repetitive nature of "always".

Beautiful, the two last lines.

> See (but only if you're really, really,
> *really* interested in generics)
> http://www.umich.edu/~jlawler/dissertation/
>
> -John Lawler

> In science one tries to tell people, in such a way as to
> be understood by everyone, something that no one ever
> knew before. But in poetry, it's the exact opposite.
> -- Paul Dirac

And that is very well said by Dirac.

Thank you, professor Lawler.
Marius Hancu

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Discussion Groups / English Usage / September 2010

Lewis: are wishing/remember