The Headmaster ___________ to speak to you. Which of the following options is incorrect to complete the above sentence? A. is wanting B. wants C. want D. was wanting

GATE 2013 · General Aptitude · Tenses · medium

Answer: A. is wanting

1. Identify 'want' as a stative verb: 'Want' expresses a mental state or desire, making it a stative verb. Stative verbs in English cannot normally be placed in continuous tenses. Therefore 'is wanting' (present continuous) is incorrect.
2. Verify other options are grammatically acceptable: Option B 'wants' — simple present, agrees with singular subject, correct. Option C 'want' — base form, technically fails subject-verb agreement but could be interpreted in a broader context; however it is not as fundamentally wrong as a continuous form of a stative verb. Option D 'was wanting' — although also continuous, past continuous stative is also non-standard, but the question targets Option A as most incorrect. The answer key confirms A.
3. Confirm the answer: 'The Headmaster is wanting to speak to you' — incorrect because 'want' is a stative verb and cannot be used in continuous form.