Talking about Habits
What Do We Mean by Habits?
Habits are tendencies or actions that have been repeated for a long time, so they are considered regular behavior. There are different ways for talking about habits in English.
Talking about Habits in English
Certain modals,semi-modals, as well as tenses and main verbs can be used to talk about habits. Here is the list:
Using 'Would'
You can use the modal verb 'would' to refer to past habits, or actions that you regularly did in the past. Sometimes when 'would' is used with adverbs of frequency that emphasize repetition, it implies a sense of annoyance. Check out the examples:
He would constantly talk about his ex-girlfriend.
He would play basketball on Sundays when he was at primary school.
Using 'Will'
The modal verb 'will' is used to refer to present habits that are sometimes annoying but not always. When the speaker wants to indicate annoyance they usually add stress to the modal verb 'will.'
He will get up late as usual.
She will talk for hours if you let her.
Using 'Used to'
We use the semi-modal 'used to' in the past tense to refer to past habits. When we use 'used to' we indicate that the habit is no longer repeated and does not happen anymore.
Tony used to go to the gym everyday.
Chiara and I used to play together when we were 7.
'Would' vs. 'Used to'
When it comes to action verbs either 'would' or 'used to' can be used to refer to past habits. But with state verbs using 'would' is not acceptable and you have to use 'used to.'
I used to dislike chicken and rice, but now I love it.
When we were kids, we would play outside until dark.
Using Past Simple and Present Simple
As you know, past simple and present simple both can be used to refer to habits in past and present, especially when they are used with adverbs of frequency. For example:
Daniella went to her grandmother's house every Monday.
She talks to a therapist twice a week.
Using 'Tend'
'Tend' is used to indicate that someone has a general inclination to regularly act in a specific way or show specific qualities. The verb after 'tend' has to be a to-infinitive. Check out the examples.
She tends to stay in her house on the weekends.
John tended to pay for her dinner every time they went out.
Talking about Annoying Habits
Present Continuous Tense
The present continuous tense can be used with adverbs of frequency like 'always' or 'constantly' to indicate that an action that someone repeats habitually is annoying. For example:
She is always trying to go through my personal stuff.
Jack and Sara are constantly lying to us.
Past Continuous Tense
We can also use a past continuous verb followed by the adverb 'always' or 'constantly' to refer to an action which was repeated in the past in a way that annoyed others.
Hanna was always blaming me for everything.
They were constantly arguing over trivial things.
The Verb 'Keep'
The verb 'keep' can be followed by gerunds to show that someone does something repeatedly in a way that annoys others. Here are some examples:
She keeps talking to my boyfriend.
My friends keep ditching me.
The Verb 'Keep': Past Tense
The verb 'keep' can be used in the past tense followed by a gerund to refer to things that happened repeatedly in the past in an annoying way. Take a look at the examples:
He kept accusing me of things I had nothing to do with.
Gianni kept wearing too much perfume.
Warning
The only modal verbs in this article are 'would' and 'will' and the only semi-modal is 'used to'. The other items are main verbs and 'tenses' that can help you discuss habits.
Review
You can use some modal and semi-modal verbs to talk about your habits. Habits are usually discussed with reference to the present or the past. But sometimes you may want to talk about an action or state that will become a habit in the future. Check out the table below to get to know the verbs and the tenses they are used in, to talk about habits.
past | present | future | |
|---|---|---|---|
will | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
would | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
used to | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ |
be used to | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
get used to | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
Quiz:
Which sentence correctly describes a past habit?
She would love chocolate when she was a child.
She used to eat chocolate every day as a child.
She will eat chocolate every day last year.
She keeps eating chocolate yesterday.
Which sentence correctly describes becoming accustomed to a habit in the future?
She will get used to waking up early.
She would get used to waking up early soon.
She used to get used to waking up early.
She keeps getting used to waking up early.
Sort the words to form a correct sentence.
Fill the blanks with the appropriate modal/phrase.
When I was a child, I
play soccer every weekend.
You'll
the noise after a few weeks.
I
forget important dates.
When I lived in Japan, I
sushi every week.
They
to the beach every weekend.
Match each incomplete sentence with the correct ending.
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