<u>If you are wanting to watch</u> <u>the birds nesting</u> <u>you must not let them see you.</u> <u>No error.</u>
- (a)If you are wanting to watch
- (b)the birds nesting
- (c)you must not let them see you.
- (d)No error.
Answer
Why
Correct: A, 'If you are wanting to watch'. 'Want' is a stative verb (it names a condition of the mind rather than an activity) and English does not put such verbs into the continuous. The segment has to read 'If you want to watch the birds nesting…'.
Why the others are wrong
- (b)the birds nesting: Error-free: 'watch' takes an object followed by an -ing form for an action in progress, so 'watch the birds nesting' is exactly right.
- (c)you must not let them see you.: Error-free: 'let' is followed by a bare infinitive, and 'let them see you' obeys that pattern.
- (d)No error.: The continuous form in the first segment is not standard English, so the sentence carries a mistake.
Concept
Stative verbs (want, know, believe, own, seem, prefer) describe states rather than actions, and they stay in the simple form even when the reference is to this very moment.
The present continuous is right for something in progress, so a candidate who reads 'are wanting' as 'want just now' can talk themselves into accepting it. The test is whether the verb names an activity a person could be caught doing. Wanting is not something you do; it is something you are. Modern English does put a few of these into the continuous for deliberate effect, as in 'I'm loving this', but an examination sentence is not the place for it. The 'if' half of this sentence is otherwise unremarkable and the fault is purely the verb form.
Key facts
- Common stative verbs include want, need, know, understand, believe, prefer, own, belong and seem.
- Watch, see, hear and feel take an object plus an -ing form for an action in progress: 'I watched him crossing the road'.
- 'Let', 'make' and 'see' take a bare infinitive when the action is complete: 'let them see you'.
Study next
Common traps
- Using the continuous to signal 'at this moment' with a verb of wanting.
- Adding 'to' after 'let'.
Asked as an error-spotting item: name the segment that carries the mistake, or mark 'No error.'
Related PYQs
No directly related past PYQ was found.
Practice
- practice, not a real PYQ
Which segment carries the error: (a) I am knowing / (b) the answer / (c) to this question. / (d) No error
- (a)I am knowing
- (b)the answer
- (c)to this question.
- (d)No error
Answer(a) I am knowing: 'know' is stative, so it must read 'I know the answer to this question.' - practice, not a real PYQ
Fill the blank: Do not let him ________ the letter.
- (a)to read
- (b)read
- (c)reading
- (d)reads
Answer(b) read: 'let' is followed by the bare infinitive.