# is this sentence correct? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 21, 2016, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-correct/766487 "2016-09-21T06:12:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Reza](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Reza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reza)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-correct/766487/1 "2016-09-21T06:12:13Z")
which one is correct? A. The water is boiling. B. The water is being boiled. I wrote the first one, but somebody said that the water looks like the subject of the verb so it must be in passive form as the sentence B. I said that one of the boil meaning is " to undergo the process of boiling" so I feel that I can say "the water is boiling’ by they way, in this sentence we try to mean that “right now” the water is boiling. Like " Hey the water is boiling, could you please turn the oven off?" Please help. thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 7:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-correct/766487/2 "2016-09-21T07:35:13Z")
Both sentences are correct, although the first one (A) is far more common. The verb “to boil” can mean either “to become so hot that bubbles are formed in a liquid and rise to the top” or “to heat (a liquid or a container with liquid in it) so that bubbles are formed and rise to the top.” Sentence B seems a little odd. The passive voice is typically used when one doesn’t know who or what is responsible for the action, or is trying to avoid naming it. I suppose I could cook up (heh) a scenario to justify this use of the passive voice, but it would be contrived. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-correct/766487/3 "2016-09-21T08:06:22Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > The verb “to boil” can mean either “to become so hot that bubbles are formed in a liquid and rise to the top” or “to heat (a liquid or a container with liquid in it) so that bubbles are formed and rise to the top.” A lot of English verbs are like this. They have both a transitive and an intransitive usage, whereby the [_patient_](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patient_(grammar)) (in this case _the water_) can be the subject without requiring passive voice.[ul] [li]_Suddenly the door opened_.[/li][li](_Suddenly the door was opened_.)[/ul][ul][/li][li]_These things break a lot.[/li][li](These things get broken a lot.)_[/li][/ul]Etc. Both usages are correct, but pragmatically there is a difference in emphasis. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 8:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-correct/766487/4 "2016-09-21T08:42:30Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Both usages are correct, but pragmatically there is a difference in emphasis. I should add that semantically there can be an important difference, too, because it can mean that an action happens by its own accord, or by some circumstance. _The water is boiling_ usually involves some kind of human agency, but _the water is freezing_, could simply mean that the atmosphere is cold enough for that to happen. In other words, these are distinct meanings. ---
**Author:** ![Reza](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Reza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reza)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 8:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-correct/766487/5 "2016-09-21T08:46:51Z")
Jeff & quizot, Thanks a lot 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 10:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-correct/766487/6 "2016-09-21T10:00:15Z")
Suggested alternatives: The water has boiled. I have boiled the water. It’s done, let’s eat. I don’t know, whatever, you know what I meant. Jeez, Mom! ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 10:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-correct/766487/7 "2016-09-21T10:08:11Z")
“The water is boiling” means to me that it has reached 212 degrees and there are all sorts of bubbles coming out of it. “The water is being boiled” means to me that someone has put a pot full of water on the stove and hopefully soon it will get really hot and bubbles will come out. ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 10:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-correct/766487/8 "2016-09-21T10:27:43Z")
There is a difference in an implication of an agent. “The water is boiling” excludes an assumption that somebody is in control of the process. An intention to produce boiled water is implied by “The water is being boiled”. Compare with “A car is rolling down the hill” and “A car is being rolled down a hill”. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-correct/766487/9 "2016-09-21T12:52:35Z")
> [@Alley\_Dweller](#): > > “The water is boiling” means to me that it has reached 212 degrees and there are all sorts of bubbles coming out of it. > > “The water is being boiled” means to me that someone has put a pot full of water on the stove and hopefully soon it will get really hot and bubbles will come out. This is the most obvious difference to me as well. They don’t mean the same thing so they aren’t comparable. I have no idea why anyone would think the first one is grammatically incorrect. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-correct/766487/10 "2016-09-21T13:03:10Z")
At a guess? Either because its literal translation would be incorrect in that person’s mother tongue (which at least makes sense), or because they’ve never realized that in their own language it is perfectly correct to say that the water is boiling (which I’ve encountered many times with other somewhat-unusual structures such as “it’s raining”). In either case, they’re trying to apply a rule which does not exist outside their minds. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-correct/766487/11 "2016-09-21T13:49:14Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > There is a difference in an implication of an agent. > > “The water is boiling” excludes an assumption that somebody is in control of the process. An intention to produce boiled water is implied by “The water is being boiled”. Which is what I said in post #4, so for the purpose of the OP, who wants say, “The water is ready; please turn it off,” saying, _The water is being boiled_ is _not pragmatically appropriate_, though it’s grammatically possible (or “correct”). Often when these threads come up with someone asking what is “correct,” I think they really should be asking what is _appropriate_, because–as **Jeff Lichtman** pointed out in the second response–this case isn’t about _grammatical_ correctness. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-correct/766487/12 "2016-09-21T13:52:40Z")
Actually, the person who objected to **Reza** ’s original construction truly thought that “the water is boiling” was grammatically incorrect - he thought water can’t be both the agent and object of boiling. It can. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-correct/766487/13 "2016-09-21T13:54:25Z")
Both are fine, but I use the phrase “on the boil” to mean water that is put on the stove to boil, but not currently boiling. I’m not entirely sure if that’s a regional or common usage. ---
**Author:** ![Lasciel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e79b87/32.png) [@Lasciel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lasciel)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-correct/766487/14 "2016-09-21T15:04:44Z")
I’ve heard “on the boil” around here too. (Southern Appalachia) To me, colloquially, “water is boiling” means it’s ready NOW, “water is being boiled” means it’ll be ready soon. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-correct/766487/15 "2016-09-21T15:23:46Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Both are fine, but I use the phrase “on the boil” to mean water that is put on the stove to boil, but not currently boiling. I’m not entirely sure if that’s a regional or common usage. “On to boil” is also heard, and the short form is just “on.” > [@Nava](#): > > Actually, the person who objected to **Reza** ’s original construction truly thought that “the water is boiling” was grammatically incorrect - he thought water can’t be both the agent and object of boiling. It can. What? The verb is “is” (of the protean “to be”). “Boiling” is just an adjective. Grammatically the sentence is exactly like saying “the water is hot.” ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-correct/766487/16 "2016-09-21T15:29:47Z")
I know. But that person saw “boiling” as the action, not as a complement of “is”. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lichtman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jeff_lichtman/32/1531_2.png) [@Jeff\_Lichtman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lichtman)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-correct/766487/17 "2016-09-21T17:09:54Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > What? The verb is “is” (of the protean “to be”). “Boiling” is just an adjective. “Is boiling” could be seen as a verb in the present continuous, similar to “I am eating,” and “The sky is falling.” ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-correct/766487/18 "2016-09-21T17:18:31Z")
> [@Jeff\_Lichtman](#): > > “Is boiling” could be seen as a verb in the present continuous, similar to “I am eating,” and “The sky is falling.” I agree with this analysis–“is boiling” is a verb. It’s a curious quirk of English that we don’t use the simple present tense form of the verb to express actions happening in the present, but have to use a linking verb. So we wouldn’t say “The water boils.” We have to say “The water is boiling,” which means that at this moment, the action “boil” is being done by “the water.” ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-correct/766487/19 "2016-09-21T17:22:52Z")
Well, I disagree. Boiling isn’t an action that water takes; it is an action taken upon water, or (thereafter) a condition of the water. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2016, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-correct/766487/20 "2016-09-21T17:47:56Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > Well, I disagree. Boiling isn’t an action that water takes; it is an action taken upon water, or (thereafter) a condition of the water. Well, I disagree with that. There is a whole class of verbs in which the patient (the thing apparently acted on) can be the subject. The window broken; the window was broken. Down with grammar Nazis! I once saw a compilation of 54 classes of English verbs according to their relations with subjects, objects, indirect objects and even other kinds of complements (sentential, for example). Fascinating. I bet you a buck you can’t find a verb that takes three objects. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-sentence-correct/766487.md?page=2)