0

I saw this example on Cambridge Dictionary

The company has been listed on the stock exchange for 35 years.

My question is that:

is the verb "list" a stative verb?

If it was, then it could not be used with progressive tenses.

Dictionaries say nothing about whether it is a stative verb or not.

Can we say "The company has been being listed on the NASDAQ for years"?

1
  • We could, but as a rule wouldn't, say They have been being invited to the charity ball for thirty years. If you wanted to emphasize the recurrent aspect, most native speakers, IMO, would say "have been getting invited".
    – TimR
    Commented Nov 29, 2018 at 13:17

1 Answer 1

1

To list is a transitive verb meaning "to place {someone, something} on a list, to include {s-o, s-t} in a list".

We want to list you among our most satisfied customers.

The past participle of the transitive verb, listed, can be used in a passive construction:

She wanted to be listed by the university among its distinguished alumnae.

The past participle can also serve in an "adjectival" function (broadly construed):

I don't see your name listed here.

The past participle of a transitive verb denotes a conferred state.

The stock has been listed on the exchange since 1972.

The "listed" state has been continuous since 1972.

If the transitive verb in question refers to something in the world that recurs (like the annual charity ball invitation example in my comment above) and we want to emphasize that the action has been recurring, as distinct from being continuous, and we want to do so unambiguously, we wouldn't resort to a perfect continuous passive construction:

The stock has been being listed annually since 1972. speakers avoid this

[For the sake of the example let's assume a stock's listing must be renewed annually.]

They would find another way to state the fact. For example:

The stock was first listed in 1972 and has been relisted annually.

The stock has been getting listed since 1972.

There are many other ways to say it, of course.

You must log in to answer this question.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged .