Definition
Progressive aspect is a continuous aspect that expresses processes, not states.
Examples
(English)
The be + -ing construction indicates progressive aspect. Its characteristic of expressing processes rather than states can be seen in the following examples:
The first example is stative; the second is processual and paraphrasable as "Fred is acting in a silly manner."
Sources 5
- Comrie 1976a, 12, 33–36
- Richards, Platt, and Weber 1985, 231
- Chung and Timberlake 1985, 215
- Crystal 1987, 428
- Mish 1991, 940