众所周知,英语动词有时态。在理论上，每个动词都可以有不同时态;事实上，并不如此。特别要注意的是，有些动词通常不以“进行式时态”(continuous tenses)出现，不管这进行式时态是现在的、过去的、现在完成的等等。

这样的动词是指哪些呢?

㈠ 与“情绪”有关的，如“want, desire, prefer, love, hope, hate, like, dislike, wish, forgive”等。

㈡ 与“五官”有关的，如“see, hear, smell, feel, notice, taste”等。

㈢ 与“拥有”有关的，如“owe, own, belong, possess”等。

㈣ 与“思考”有关的，如“understand, realise, mean, know, remember, forget, believe, suppose, agree, think imagine, recall, recognise, mind”等。

㈤ 接系动词，如“appear, seem, become, get, grow, turn, remain, look, sound”等。

㈥ 助动词，如“be, have”等。

㈦ 其他，如“equal, contain, deserve, need, depend, result, consist, care, doubt, differ, find”等。

因此，避免用(a)这样的句子;可用像(b)或(c)这样的句式：

①a. We are noticing a stranger entering the shop.

b. I noticed him stand near the cashier.

c. Have you noticed anything wrong with him?

②a. I am liking to be honest.

b. You don’t like to be a liar, do you?

c. Yes, we all dislike liars.

③a. You have done something wrong. Are you realising your mistake?

b. Yes, I realise it.

c. It’s really good for you to have realised your wrong-doing.

虽然在习惯上，上述几类动词不以进行式时态出现，但在特殊情况下或动词的意思转变时，有关的动词也可以用进行式的。例如：

⒈当主语意识强烈时或紧密地运用某感官时，与这感官有关的动词这时便可以进行式出现，如：

④ Don’t disturb your parents. They are listening to the news.

⑤ Why are you smelling the fish like that? Do you think it has gone wrong?

⑥ The police are watching the house to make sure that nobody leaves it.

⑦ The doctor is feeling the boy’s forehead with his eyes closed.

⑧ Mother was tasting the soup to make sure if it was nice.

⒉当意思转变时，感官动词可以是进行式时态，如：

⑨ The Selection Committee is seeing the shortlisted applicants now.(面试)

⑩ We have been hearing about his problems. What can we do to help?(获悉)