Victoria
Can I use decide in continuous form? Can I say "I am deciding whether to buy a car or a house"? Is it possible to use this verb in continuous form? One article tells that it is non-action verb and I can`t do it, but I also found some examples of using it in continuous form. However it was on the Interent so I am not sure if it`s grammatically correct. Thank you in advance.
Nov 26, 2018 4:18 PM
Answers · 4
1
It's really about the meaning of 'decide'; people say they are deciding something but they're not really.. They are discussing it or thinking about it and TRYing to decide. 'decide' means make your final choice, so 'deciding' doesn't really make sense, strictly speaking. But people say it and know it means 'trying to decide'. So, it is wrong to say 'deciding', but people do - they think it means 'considering', which it doesn't! :)
November 26, 2018
1
According to Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary, “decide” is an action verb and can be used in the continuous form if it has the meaning of “to make a choice about something; to choose something after thinking about it.” For example, “We are deciding if we should take a vacation,” would be an acceptable usage. Note that a synonym for this sense of “decide” would be “consider.” There are other senses of “decide” that are not actions and cannot be used in the continuous form.
November 26, 2018
1
Yes, it's grammatically correct. You can also say, 'I'm thinking about buying either a car or a house.'
November 26, 2018
Mohammed's version or " I'm trying to decide ..." Lots of people wish they could use the same sentence in the real estate market in BC : )
November 26, 2018
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