[Vocabulary] A creature of habit

Status
Not open for further replies.

phorntita

Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2009
Member Type
Academic
Native Language
Thai
Home Country
Thailand
Current Location
Thailand
Is this expression polite enough to say to others? I'm curious.

They said that Briton/British are avid magazine readers. What about Americans? Or nowadays, do most Americans creatures of that habit?
Did I make my question clear enough for the readers to answer it?
Please clarify it for me.
 

Anglika

No Longer With Us (RIP)
Joined
Oct 19, 2006
Member Type
Other
To be a "creature of habit" implies that the person is controlled by rules and while not actually rude is undoubtedly intended to be negative.

I cannot at present make sense of your second paragraph. Can you explain it better?
 

sarat_106

Key Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2008
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
Oriya
Home Country
India
Current Location
India
Is this expression polite enough to say to others? I'm curious.

They said that Briton/British are avid magazine readers. What about Americans? Or nowadays, do most Americans creatures of that habit?
Did I make my question clear enough for the readers to answer it?
Please clarify it for me.

Firstly, the structure of your question is incorrect. Seconly, in the phrase a creature of habit, the word ‘habit is used in the abstract sense and should not be related to a specific or concrete habit, such as a reading habit. After all who is not a creature of habit? Someone may posses either a good or bad habit and habit sometimes leads to addiction. An avid reader can be termed as addicted to reading. So your question should be changed to:
Are most Americans addicted to that habit? OrDo most Americans get addicted to that habit
On the other hand, you can use the phrase when you feel uncomfortable on account certain changes in rituals observed regularly as a matter of tradition or habit. Suppose on Christmas day you usually celebrate with your children and family but due to compelling circumstance, in some year you did it outside. So you could say:
I guess I'm a creature of habit, and it bugs me to have to change things.
 

phorntita

Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2009
Member Type
Academic
Native Language
Thai
Home Country
Thailand
Current Location
Thailand
To be a "creature of habit" implies that the person is controlled by rules and while not actually rude is undoubtedly intended to be negative.

I cannot at present make sense of your second paragraph. Can you explain it better?

Thank you Anglika. So, I can now assume that this expression "a creature of habit" or "creature of habits" means a negative sense towards other people's feelings, right? The following article that I've quoted here is an example of that said expression, but in another way. What is it then? I'm not sure. Any suggestion please.

>> He supposed he was aand creature of habit. The thought pleased him. The habit of hard work and attention to detail had earned him a cubicle next to the window - and a position reporting directly to Mr. Barlow. A warm glow grew and spread under the crisp white shirt. Yes, a tidy life.
From twelve thirty to one fifteen each day, he sat on the same bench in the small park opposite the office. There, he ate his salad sandwiches in measured bites. Talking and laughing, the city girls swung by, bare legs flashing under flirty skirts. The sun caught in their tossing hair.
It was only at lunchtime or in the dark hours before dawn that a vague longing moved through him,
like the undertow that tugged at his ankles the time he took Mum paddling at Surfers.>>

They said that Briton/British are avid magazine readers. What about Americans? Or nowadays, do most Americans creatures of that habit >>

PS my 2 paragraph is not more than my understanding of that expression "creature of habits" = avid magazine readings of Americans which I thought by now that I may have missed the point this time.:-D
 
Last edited:

phorntita

Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2009
Member Type
Academic
Native Language
Thai
Home Country
Thailand
Current Location
Thailand
Firstly, the structure of your question is incorrect. Seconly, in the phrase a creature of habit, the word ‘habit is used in the abstract sense and should not be related to a specific or concrete habit, such as a reading habit. After all who is not a creature of habit? Someone may posses either a good or bad habit and habit sometimes leads to addiction. An avid reader can be termed as addicted to reading. So your question should be changed to:
Are most Americans addicted to that habit? OrDo most Americans get addicted to that habit
On the other hand, you can use the phrase when you feel uncomfortable on account certain changes in rituals observed regularly as a matter of tradition or habit. Suppose on Christmas day you usually celebrate with your children and family but due to compelling circumstance, in some year you did it outside. So you could say:
I guess I'm a creature of habit, and it bugs me to have to change things.

Thank you Sarat_106 for your explanation May I ask that only for the case of uncertainty that I ought to merely use that expression "a creature of habit", right? Why is that? Or whenever I feel some kind of uncertainty I should use that expression. It's one case I have to remember, right? :-D

Thread: [Vocabulary] A creature of habit Reply to Thread
 

sarat_106

Key Member
Joined
Mar 19, 2008
Member Type
English Teacher
Native Language
Oriya
Home Country
India
Current Location
India
Thank you Sarat_106 for your explanation May I ask that only for the case of uncertainty that I ought to merely use that expression "a creature of habit", right? Why is that? Or whenever I feel some kind of uncertainty I should use that expression. It's one case I have to remember, right? :-D

Thread: [Vocabulary] A creature of habit Reply to Thread

Yes, Please try to understand the phylosophy behind it.
A habit can be good(healthy) or bad(destructive), it can be acquired or natural. Natural habit is an inborn pattern of activity or tendency to act and that is characteristic of every living species including human. Eating, drinking, sleeping are natural habits and reading, playing are good acquired habits while taking drugs, cheating are acquired bad habits. All human beings act according to their nature but they have only the will power to acquire new habits or change habits either good to bad or vice-versa. No animal has this power excepting some special animals like dog and cows. Under proper environment a dog acts unselfishly with concern for the welfare of others ( as opposed to egoistic, a selfish person having this as natural instinct).So human beings are called creatures of habit and puppets of addiction.

So you react if anything goes againt habbit or addition.
 

phorntita

Member
Joined
Feb 21, 2009
Member Type
Academic
Native Language
Thai
Home Country
Thailand
Current Location
Thailand
Yes, Please try to understand the phylosophy behind it.
A habit can be good(healthy) or bad(destructive), it can be acquired or natural. Natural habit is an inborn pattern of activity or tendency to act and that is characteristic of every living species including human. Eating, drinking, sleeping are natural habits and reading, playing are good acquired habits while taking drugs, cheating are acquired bad habits. All human beings act according to their nature but they have only the will power to acquire new habits or change habits either good to bad or vice-versa. No animal has this power excepting some special animals like dog and cows. Under proper environment a dog acts unselfishly with concern for the welfare of others ( as opposed to egoistic, a selfish person having this as natural instinct).So human beings are called creatures of habit and puppets of addiction.


So you react if anything goes againt habbit or addition.
Thank you very much Sarat_106 for your clear explanation you've provided me. I can follow & visualize it in no time after reading it for the second & hope to be offered this kind of valuable thing again from you next time.
Phorntita :-D
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Top