Recently, I’ve heard an interesting pattern in the usage of English: using a verb in the progressive tense that is not normally used that way, or even to use a word that’s not a verb as a progressive verb.
As a review, the progressive tense is often formed by adding -ing to a word: “I am considering my optionsâ€, or “he was writing about that the other dayâ€.
One example I heard recently was using the verb “to hate†in the progressive. “What’s with the hating on moms today?â€
Another example I also used in the title, which is the adjective “harsh†used as a verb. “Stop harshing on Windows Vista: it’s not that bad!â€
In both cases, I knew what the speaker meant. If you rephrase the sentences in correct grammar, they sound a little stuffy. “What’s with your hateful attitude towards moms today?†“Stop being so harsh towards Windows Vista: it’s not that bad!â€
For the first time in a while, breaking existing grammar rules and inventing new ones doesn’t bother me much. It is slightly more efficient to say “hating on†instead of “being hateful towardsâ€, and making an adjective into a verb makes sense with “harshingâ€. I don’t think this would work with every adjective, though, so I don’t expect to hear “Stop sading over your bad grade†any time soon.
I put this new phrasing in the same category as the expression “my bad!â€. It’s not correct grammar, but the point is conveyed in a compact form, so the only harm is using the phrase inappropriately. Or maybe I’m becoming a little more descriptivist and pragmatic in my old age: the grammar is only incidental to communication.