Recently I've seen a sentence with "looking forward". Could you explain why it contains a progressive aspect. Doesn't this phrase mean a thought process which cannot be seen and thus must be regarded as stative and be used without progressive?
Consider a sentence like
I am looking forward to repaying your kindness.
Best Answer
There are a number of verbs expressing perception, emotion, wishing and thinking that do not normally have a progressive form, and it's reasonable to think that look forward to should be among them. In fact, both I look forward to . . . and I am looking forward to . . . are possible in your example. The progressive form implies a more temporary state and, for that reason, is probably more likely to be used in speech than in writing.