[Grammar] Habits, present simple or present prog, both?

[captain1]

Hello, I found a website for learning English. In that website I saw the sentences:
He talks on the phone every day
and:
He is talking on the phone every day.

The problem for me is the ability to use present progressive for habits. I know that in order to write sentences with habits the only appropriate tense is the present simple.

Can we use present progressive for Habits?

Are these sentence have the same meaning?

Thanks.

 

[Rover_KE]

'He talks on the phone every day' is fine.

'He is talking on the phone every day' needs something before it, such as 'It's so hard for me to get in touch with him because...'

Note: 'Do these sentences have the same meaning?'

 

[captain1]

I still don't understand. Is it Ok to use present
progressive in order to write sentences of habits?

 

[MikeNewYork]

Sometimes, but in this case, it is "every day" that makes it habitual. The word "always" can have the same effect.

 

[captain1]

Sometimes, but in this case, it is "every day" that makes it habitual. The word "always" can have the same effect.

How is possible that present simple and present progressive have the same meaning for habits?

I know that present progressive is for short action, so how is it possible, habits= long action(every day!!).


Please for once, I don't understand, my head tells me: just present simple can be used for writing habits.

 

[MikeNewYork]

I have already answered that. See post 4.

 

[captain1]

I read that present progressive is for a new habit or for a temporary habit(I am playing basketball everyday, 3 years ago I didn't do that) but present simple is for a constant habit.(like I do something for a long time, like to say: I sleep everyday.
So there are two meaning of habits?


I understand from you that the word everyday makes them habitual and sometime they have the same meaning but what are the rules here?

 

[MikeNewYork]

I don't know of a rule. The meaning is the meaning.

 

[captain1]

So, I would like to sum(I want to close the thread):

Habits that I write in present simple and in present progressive have the same meaning?



I sleep everyday
I am sleeping everyday

Do these sentence have the same meaning?


Thanks.

 

[Rover_KE]

No. See my post #2.

Use the present simple only. I can't think of any context where the present progressive would be preferable.

 

[captain1]

'He is talking on the phone every day' needs something before it, such as 'It's so hard for me to get in touch with him because...'

In according to what you wrote, it sounds correct. It sounds like we can use present progressive.

 

[Rover_KE]

We can, but it would work just as well with the simple present.

 

[Weaver67]

Not a teacher.

The present progressive (continuous) tense can be used to describe regular but unplanned events (and often unwanted). It is often used in somewhat emotive context.

Let's imagine, you have just looked into the fridge and found out that someone has made a bottle of your favourite drink half empty - of course, without asking your permission. You know this happens regularly, but there is no possibility to predict when to expect it next time. This is a kind of sitaution where you can be expected to use sometink like "Someone's always drinking my milk!"

This internet resoucre, among many others concerning the topic of English Grammar, is considered very reliable: http://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/present-continuous-i-am-working.

 

[Raymott]

I know that in order to write sentences with habits the only appropriate tense is the present simple.
...
Can we use present progressive for Habits?

And don't say you know something, and then ask whether it's true or not. In English, you can't know something which isn't true. (Actually that's a rule of logic, but it applies to English).

 

[Tdol]

How is possible that present simple and present progressive have the same meaning for habits?

When we use the present progressive for habits, it often does not have the same meaning- it can be used to express frustration or annoyance (often with always). He's always talking on the phone could be used to express frustration because you cannot get in touch with him, so it is not the same as the neutral present simple.