present continious tense for habitual or regular actions

Question

Hello everybody,In Michael Swan's "Practical English Usage" there is a passage about the usage of the present continious tense for habitual situations : "We use the simple present for regular and repeated actions and events ; but we can use the present progressive for things that are going on around these actions and events.". Does the blue-coloured part of the previous sentence means that I need to have some introductory clause which would express some habitual or regular action in the simple present in order to have the present continious tense used in this way in the clause which follows.The following sentences are given as examples :   At seven ,when the post comes,I'm usually having breakfast. You look lovely when you're smiling. I would also like to know whether the present continious tense is prefered to the simple present in similar situations or it's maybe more informal option of the two ? Thank you for the answer

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

VelimirDoes the blue-coloured part of the previous sentence means that I need to have some introductory clause which would express some habitual or regular action in the simple present in order to have the present continious tense used in this way in the clause which follows

You do not need an introductory clause, but it can be within a larger context of a paragraph. Example:
We went to the mall yesterday. It was a madhouse because the stores were having big sales. . Everybody was bargaining, pushing, and vying with each other to get the best deals.

VelimirYou look lovely when you're smiling.

You look lovely when you smile. >> I actually prefer the simple present, but prgressive is OK.
At seven ,when the post comes,I'm usually having breakfast. >> This is habitual, so the simple present is not used.

CalifJim · Answer

VelimirDoes the blue-coloured part of the previous sentence means that I need to have some introductory clause which would express some habitual or regular action in the simple present in order to have the present continious tense used in this way in the clause which follows.

No. It doesn't have to be an introductory clause. It doesn't even have to be in the same sentence. It doesn't even have to be in any sentence. Anything that provides the right context -- either in words or in the real world situation that is present at the time -- would be sufficient. But when you are an author of a grammar book, you have to set up all the situations as clearly as possible in words, so Swan added phrases to clarify the sorts of situations that make the present continuous appropriate.
-- You've been vacationing here for such a long time. Aren't you worried about the garden back home?
-- It's not a problem. The neighbors are checking it every day and watering the plants.

CJ

CalifJim · Answer

AlpheccaStarsWe went to the mall yesterday. It was a madhouse because the stores were having big sales. . Everybody was bargaining, pushing, and vying with each other to get the best deals.

But Velimir wanted to know about the habitual meaning of the present continuous, not the non-habitual past continuous.

This is more challenging than it looks at first!

CJ

Velimir · Answer

Hello AlpheccaStars and CalifJim ,

Thank you very much for your help.You're right CalifJim, I was asking about the use of present continious for describing habitual situations. You're also right that it is a challenging topic too

. This use of the present continious tense has always been one of the toughest points in the english language for me though it may seem simple for your native comprehension of the language. Exactly the sentences with the present continious as you have posted in your previous post CalifJim are a problem for me . From your answer I understand that whenever I provide any kind of indication of the regularity or habituality of the action in the previous talk I can use the present continious to denote "habituality" ofsome subsequent action logically connected to that previous action (= things that are going on around these actions and events). Or to put it simpler, it seems to me that :
" You've been vacationing here for such a long time. Aren't you worried about the garden back home?"
(which obviously conveys the sense of regularity of the action) somehow lends that sense of "habituality" to any other conceivable action I would put as an answer to the above question. For example, would it be a correct answer if I answered:
" Oh,not at all. I'm coming here regularly every week so it's not a problem really."
or
" Actually, I'm growing only sorts of flowers which don't need much water, so I don't need to worry about it."

(though the present continious in the second sentence doesn't sound so fine as it does in the first sentence) .

The core of the problem for me is that I often can't connect "habituality" and "regularity" of the action with the present continious tense because this usage sounds dissonant to me with the principal use of the present continious.

Thank you again for your help and I hope my post isn't overly confusing and unclear

present continious tense for habitual or regular actions

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