Why cannot we not say “I have been having a dog”? The Next CEO of Stack Overflow“How long have you [had/been having] this?” - Cont. or Simple?Is it correct to say “ have been not” in English?have been + V ing vs have been + V edWhat is the grammatically correct way to say “Have you ever been shot at?”“Should never have been” or “should have never been”?Can't have (been) V.S. couldn't have (been)have / having something + -en formOne of the main reasons I picked up a guitar(English Grammar ) reason why my answer is wrong why it is not has been visiting , why is answer is have been visitedIs it correct to say “proud of having met you”, or should it be “proud to have met”?

Horror film about a man brought out of cryogenic suspension without a soul, around 1990

A hang glider, sudden unexpected lift to 25,000 feet altitude, what could do this?

What does it mean 'exit 1' for a job status after rclone sync

Gauss' Posthumous Publications?

Direct Implications Between USA and UK in Event of No-Deal Brexit

Man transported from Alternate World into ours by a Neutrino Detector

What happens if you break a law in another country outside of that country?

Simplify trigonometric expression using trigonometric identities

Is it reasonable to ask other researchers to send me their previous grant applications?

Prodigo = pro + ago?

Mathematica command that allows it to read my intentions

Finitely generated matrix groups whose eigenvalues are all algebraic

Why do we say “un seul M” and not “une seule M” even though M is a “consonne”?

Can you teleport closer to a creature you are Frightened of?

Is the offspring between a demon and a celestial possible? If so what is it called and is it in a book somewhere?

Can Sri Krishna be called 'a person'?

Is it possible to create a QR code using text?

Does int main() need a declaration on C++?

How can the PCs determine if an item is a phylactery?

Does the Idaho Potato Commission associate potato skins with healthy eating?

What is the difference between 'contrib' and 'non-free' packages repositories?

Ising model simulation

Why did Batya get tzaraat?

Masking layers by a vector polygon layer in QGIS



Why cannot we not say “I have been having a dog”?



The Next CEO of Stack Overflow“How long have you [had/been having] this?” - Cont. or Simple?Is it correct to say “ have been not” in English?have been + V ing vs have been + V edWhat is the grammatically correct way to say “Have you ever been shot at?”“Should never have been” or “should have never been”?Can't have (been) V.S. couldn't have (been)have / having something + -en formOne of the main reasons I picked up a guitar(English Grammar ) reason why my answer is wrong why it is not has been visiting , why is answer is have been visitedIs it correct to say “proud of having met you”, or should it be “proud to have met”?










1















So I can say "I have been playing the guitar since I was 6" but "I have been having a dog since I was 6" sounds incorrect. Why?









share







New contributor




Hannah is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.















  • 3





    "Having", in that sense, implies repeated actions rather than a continuous action. "I have been having a hot dog for breakfast since I was 6."

    – Hot Licks
    3 hours ago






  • 1





    Too many "nots"... "Why can't we say...?" or "Why can we not say...?"

    – Mari-Lou A
    2 hours ago











  • [Why can't we say or why don't we say]

    – Lambie
    2 hours ago











  • The right question is not "Why can't we say" etc. because you can say anything you like. The question is what does it mean when I say A or B.

    – Lambie
    2 hours ago











  • @TonyK enough. I will bring this to moderator attention and see this through. You do not go around putting people down and using language some would consider bullying. Delete the comment now or I will raise this.

    – Lordology
    2 hours ago
















1















So I can say "I have been playing the guitar since I was 6" but "I have been having a dog since I was 6" sounds incorrect. Why?









share







New contributor




Hannah is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.















  • 3





    "Having", in that sense, implies repeated actions rather than a continuous action. "I have been having a hot dog for breakfast since I was 6."

    – Hot Licks
    3 hours ago






  • 1





    Too many "nots"... "Why can't we say...?" or "Why can we not say...?"

    – Mari-Lou A
    2 hours ago











  • [Why can't we say or why don't we say]

    – Lambie
    2 hours ago











  • The right question is not "Why can't we say" etc. because you can say anything you like. The question is what does it mean when I say A or B.

    – Lambie
    2 hours ago











  • @TonyK enough. I will bring this to moderator attention and see this through. You do not go around putting people down and using language some would consider bullying. Delete the comment now or I will raise this.

    – Lordology
    2 hours ago














1












1








1








So I can say "I have been playing the guitar since I was 6" but "I have been having a dog since I was 6" sounds incorrect. Why?









share







New contributor




Hannah is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.












So I can say "I have been playing the guitar since I was 6" but "I have been having a dog since I was 6" sounds incorrect. Why?







grammar





share







New contributor




Hannah is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.










share







New contributor




Hannah is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.








share



share






New contributor




Hannah is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.









asked 3 hours ago









HannahHannah

91




91




New contributor




Hannah is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.





New contributor





Hannah is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.






Hannah is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
Check out our Code of Conduct.







  • 3





    "Having", in that sense, implies repeated actions rather than a continuous action. "I have been having a hot dog for breakfast since I was 6."

    – Hot Licks
    3 hours ago






  • 1





    Too many "nots"... "Why can't we say...?" or "Why can we not say...?"

    – Mari-Lou A
    2 hours ago











  • [Why can't we say or why don't we say]

    – Lambie
    2 hours ago











  • The right question is not "Why can't we say" etc. because you can say anything you like. The question is what does it mean when I say A or B.

    – Lambie
    2 hours ago











  • @TonyK enough. I will bring this to moderator attention and see this through. You do not go around putting people down and using language some would consider bullying. Delete the comment now or I will raise this.

    – Lordology
    2 hours ago













  • 3





    "Having", in that sense, implies repeated actions rather than a continuous action. "I have been having a hot dog for breakfast since I was 6."

    – Hot Licks
    3 hours ago






  • 1





    Too many "nots"... "Why can't we say...?" or "Why can we not say...?"

    – Mari-Lou A
    2 hours ago











  • [Why can't we say or why don't we say]

    – Lambie
    2 hours ago











  • The right question is not "Why can't we say" etc. because you can say anything you like. The question is what does it mean when I say A or B.

    – Lambie
    2 hours ago











  • @TonyK enough. I will bring this to moderator attention and see this through. You do not go around putting people down and using language some would consider bullying. Delete the comment now or I will raise this.

    – Lordology
    2 hours ago








3




3





"Having", in that sense, implies repeated actions rather than a continuous action. "I have been having a hot dog for breakfast since I was 6."

– Hot Licks
3 hours ago





"Having", in that sense, implies repeated actions rather than a continuous action. "I have been having a hot dog for breakfast since I was 6."

– Hot Licks
3 hours ago




1




1





Too many "nots"... "Why can't we say...?" or "Why can we not say...?"

– Mari-Lou A
2 hours ago





Too many "nots"... "Why can't we say...?" or "Why can we not say...?"

– Mari-Lou A
2 hours ago













[Why can't we say or why don't we say]

– Lambie
2 hours ago





[Why can't we say or why don't we say]

– Lambie
2 hours ago













The right question is not "Why can't we say" etc. because you can say anything you like. The question is what does it mean when I say A or B.

– Lambie
2 hours ago





The right question is not "Why can't we say" etc. because you can say anything you like. The question is what does it mean when I say A or B.

– Lambie
2 hours ago













@TonyK enough. I will bring this to moderator attention and see this through. You do not go around putting people down and using language some would consider bullying. Delete the comment now or I will raise this.

– Lordology
2 hours ago






@TonyK enough. I will bring this to moderator attention and see this through. You do not go around putting people down and using language some would consider bullying. Delete the comment now or I will raise this.

– Lordology
2 hours ago











4 Answers
4






active

oldest

votes


















6














Question: So I can say "I have been playing the guitar since I was 6" but "I have been having a dog since I was 6" sounds incorrect. Why?



Answer:




To play a guitar is an activity. It can have started in the past and
be going on until now. Active verbs can be used progressively (with to
be and ing).




To have a dog means to own a dog. The verb to "have" in the sense of possess is not usually used in the progressive tenses. It is not an active verb like play and does not take a direct object. (Though in some circumstances it is used progressively, let's ignore that for now.) If you want to show the fact your owning a dog began when you were six and is still part of your life, you have to say:




I have had a dog since I was six. You have to use the present perfect.




That's the formal answer for you.



(please note: there is an idiom in the English language which is: to have a cow, which means to express the fact you are upset. That can be used progressively: She's pretty angry. She's having a cow.]






share|improve this answer























  • You can also say things like "I'm having a bit of a problem with this task," although I'm struggling to think of a context where you can would use progressive "have" with a non-abstract object

    – Azor Ahai
    18 mins ago











  • @AzorAhai I'm having chicken for dinner.

    – Lambie
    10 mins ago



















2














The present continuous is not normally used with stative verbs such as "be", "have" (possession), "want", "cost" etc.




  1. He has a wife and two children. YES

  2. He is having a wife and two children. NO

  3. He has been married since 2015 YES

  4. He has been being married since 2015 NO

  5. She has played the guitar since she was six. YES

  6. She has been playing the guitar since she was six. YES

  7. I have had a dog since I was six [years old] YES

  8. I have been having a dog since I was six [years old] NO






share|improve this answer






























    1














    The verb "having" implies that you are experiancing, enduring, or undergoing something.



    The sentence is gramatically correct, however, the present perfect tense usage coupled with the verb "having" implies that something isnt right. I believe its because the verb "having" implies that there are factors outside of your control or that you are experiancing . Like: having a heart attack, having a baby, having a bad day, having an epiphany...






    share|improve this answer










    New contributor




    user342390 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
    Check out our Code of Conduct.















    • 1





      I'm afraid this makes no sense at all.

      – TonyK
      1 hour ago


















    -3














    Because you can say "I am playing guitar", but you can't say "I am having a dog". (Please, no irrelevant comments about eating hot dogs.)






    share|improve this answer























    • You can't say "I am playing guitar" and you can say "I am having a dog". While it may be a localism to some places, countable singular nouns need determiners. As for "I am having a dog", having refers to eating, so it's grammatical, much like I am having a milkshake is.

      – Lordology
      2 hours ago







    • 1





      @Lordology: "I am playing guitar" is perfectly acceptable, as Google Ngram Viewer attests. As for "I am having a dog": I did ask you to leave hot dogs out of this, but you seem to have ignored my request. Oh well.

      – TonyK
      2 hours ago












    • I don't care. Whether you are or aren't "allowed" to mention hot dogs, you can't avoid the fact it's grammatical.

      – Lordology
      2 hours ago






    • 1





      @Lordology how many people do you know have been eating only one type of food, continuously or intermittently since they were six years of age? This has nothing to do with dietary preferences. The OP is clearly asking about owning a pet dog.

      – Mari-Lou A
      2 hours ago






    • 2





      @Lordology - Please explain why You can't say "I am playing guitar"!!!

      – Hot Licks
      1 hour ago











    Your Answer








    StackExchange.ready(function()
    var channelOptions =
    tags: "".split(" "),
    id: "97"
    ;
    initTagRenderer("".split(" "), "".split(" "), channelOptions);

    StackExchange.using("externalEditor", function()
    // Have to fire editor after snippets, if snippets enabled
    if (StackExchange.settings.snippets.snippetsEnabled)
    StackExchange.using("snippets", function()
    createEditor();
    );

    else
    createEditor();

    );

    function createEditor()
    StackExchange.prepareEditor(
    heartbeatType: 'answer',
    autoActivateHeartbeat: false,
    convertImagesToLinks: false,
    noModals: true,
    showLowRepImageUploadWarning: true,
    reputationToPostImages: null,
    bindNavPrevention: true,
    postfix: "",
    imageUploader:
    brandingHtml: "Powered by u003ca class="icon-imgur-white" href="https://imgur.com/"u003eu003c/au003e",
    contentPolicyHtml: "User contributions licensed under u003ca href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/"u003ecc by-sa 3.0 with attribution requiredu003c/au003e u003ca href="https://stackoverflow.com/legal/content-policy"u003e(content policy)u003c/au003e",
    allowUrls: true
    ,
    noCode: true, onDemand: true,
    discardSelector: ".discard-answer"
    ,immediatelyShowMarkdownHelp:true
    );



    );






    Hannah is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.









    draft saved

    draft discarded


















    StackExchange.ready(
    function ()
    StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fenglish.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f492185%2fwhy-cannot-we-not-say-i-have-been-having-a-dog%23new-answer', 'question_page');

    );

    Post as a guest















    Required, but never shown

























    4 Answers
    4






    active

    oldest

    votes








    4 Answers
    4






    active

    oldest

    votes









    active

    oldest

    votes






    active

    oldest

    votes









    6














    Question: So I can say "I have been playing the guitar since I was 6" but "I have been having a dog since I was 6" sounds incorrect. Why?



    Answer:




    To play a guitar is an activity. It can have started in the past and
    be going on until now. Active verbs can be used progressively (with to
    be and ing).




    To have a dog means to own a dog. The verb to "have" in the sense of possess is not usually used in the progressive tenses. It is not an active verb like play and does not take a direct object. (Though in some circumstances it is used progressively, let's ignore that for now.) If you want to show the fact your owning a dog began when you were six and is still part of your life, you have to say:




    I have had a dog since I was six. You have to use the present perfect.




    That's the formal answer for you.



    (please note: there is an idiom in the English language which is: to have a cow, which means to express the fact you are upset. That can be used progressively: She's pretty angry. She's having a cow.]






    share|improve this answer























    • You can also say things like "I'm having a bit of a problem with this task," although I'm struggling to think of a context where you can would use progressive "have" with a non-abstract object

      – Azor Ahai
      18 mins ago











    • @AzorAhai I'm having chicken for dinner.

      – Lambie
      10 mins ago
















    6














    Question: So I can say "I have been playing the guitar since I was 6" but "I have been having a dog since I was 6" sounds incorrect. Why?



    Answer:




    To play a guitar is an activity. It can have started in the past and
    be going on until now. Active verbs can be used progressively (with to
    be and ing).




    To have a dog means to own a dog. The verb to "have" in the sense of possess is not usually used in the progressive tenses. It is not an active verb like play and does not take a direct object. (Though in some circumstances it is used progressively, let's ignore that for now.) If you want to show the fact your owning a dog began when you were six and is still part of your life, you have to say:




    I have had a dog since I was six. You have to use the present perfect.




    That's the formal answer for you.



    (please note: there is an idiom in the English language which is: to have a cow, which means to express the fact you are upset. That can be used progressively: She's pretty angry. She's having a cow.]






    share|improve this answer























    • You can also say things like "I'm having a bit of a problem with this task," although I'm struggling to think of a context where you can would use progressive "have" with a non-abstract object

      – Azor Ahai
      18 mins ago











    • @AzorAhai I'm having chicken for dinner.

      – Lambie
      10 mins ago














    6












    6








    6







    Question: So I can say "I have been playing the guitar since I was 6" but "I have been having a dog since I was 6" sounds incorrect. Why?



    Answer:




    To play a guitar is an activity. It can have started in the past and
    be going on until now. Active verbs can be used progressively (with to
    be and ing).




    To have a dog means to own a dog. The verb to "have" in the sense of possess is not usually used in the progressive tenses. It is not an active verb like play and does not take a direct object. (Though in some circumstances it is used progressively, let's ignore that for now.) If you want to show the fact your owning a dog began when you were six and is still part of your life, you have to say:




    I have had a dog since I was six. You have to use the present perfect.




    That's the formal answer for you.



    (please note: there is an idiom in the English language which is: to have a cow, which means to express the fact you are upset. That can be used progressively: She's pretty angry. She's having a cow.]






    share|improve this answer













    Question: So I can say "I have been playing the guitar since I was 6" but "I have been having a dog since I was 6" sounds incorrect. Why?



    Answer:




    To play a guitar is an activity. It can have started in the past and
    be going on until now. Active verbs can be used progressively (with to
    be and ing).




    To have a dog means to own a dog. The verb to "have" in the sense of possess is not usually used in the progressive tenses. It is not an active verb like play and does not take a direct object. (Though in some circumstances it is used progressively, let's ignore that for now.) If you want to show the fact your owning a dog began when you were six and is still part of your life, you have to say:




    I have had a dog since I was six. You have to use the present perfect.




    That's the formal answer for you.



    (please note: there is an idiom in the English language which is: to have a cow, which means to express the fact you are upset. That can be used progressively: She's pretty angry. She's having a cow.]







    share|improve this answer












    share|improve this answer



    share|improve this answer










    answered 2 hours ago









    LambieLambie

    7,6261933




    7,6261933












    • You can also say things like "I'm having a bit of a problem with this task," although I'm struggling to think of a context where you can would use progressive "have" with a non-abstract object

      – Azor Ahai
      18 mins ago











    • @AzorAhai I'm having chicken for dinner.

      – Lambie
      10 mins ago


















    • You can also say things like "I'm having a bit of a problem with this task," although I'm struggling to think of a context where you can would use progressive "have" with a non-abstract object

      – Azor Ahai
      18 mins ago











    • @AzorAhai I'm having chicken for dinner.

      – Lambie
      10 mins ago

















    You can also say things like "I'm having a bit of a problem with this task," although I'm struggling to think of a context where you can would use progressive "have" with a non-abstract object

    – Azor Ahai
    18 mins ago





    You can also say things like "I'm having a bit of a problem with this task," although I'm struggling to think of a context where you can would use progressive "have" with a non-abstract object

    – Azor Ahai
    18 mins ago













    @AzorAhai I'm having chicken for dinner.

    – Lambie
    10 mins ago






    @AzorAhai I'm having chicken for dinner.

    – Lambie
    10 mins ago














    2














    The present continuous is not normally used with stative verbs such as "be", "have" (possession), "want", "cost" etc.




    1. He has a wife and two children. YES

    2. He is having a wife and two children. NO

    3. He has been married since 2015 YES

    4. He has been being married since 2015 NO

    5. She has played the guitar since she was six. YES

    6. She has been playing the guitar since she was six. YES

    7. I have had a dog since I was six [years old] YES

    8. I have been having a dog since I was six [years old] NO






    share|improve this answer



























      2














      The present continuous is not normally used with stative verbs such as "be", "have" (possession), "want", "cost" etc.




      1. He has a wife and two children. YES

      2. He is having a wife and two children. NO

      3. He has been married since 2015 YES

      4. He has been being married since 2015 NO

      5. She has played the guitar since she was six. YES

      6. She has been playing the guitar since she was six. YES

      7. I have had a dog since I was six [years old] YES

      8. I have been having a dog since I was six [years old] NO






      share|improve this answer

























        2












        2








        2







        The present continuous is not normally used with stative verbs such as "be", "have" (possession), "want", "cost" etc.




        1. He has a wife and two children. YES

        2. He is having a wife and two children. NO

        3. He has been married since 2015 YES

        4. He has been being married since 2015 NO

        5. She has played the guitar since she was six. YES

        6. She has been playing the guitar since she was six. YES

        7. I have had a dog since I was six [years old] YES

        8. I have been having a dog since I was six [years old] NO






        share|improve this answer













        The present continuous is not normally used with stative verbs such as "be", "have" (possession), "want", "cost" etc.




        1. He has a wife and two children. YES

        2. He is having a wife and two children. NO

        3. He has been married since 2015 YES

        4. He has been being married since 2015 NO

        5. She has played the guitar since she was six. YES

        6. She has been playing the guitar since she was six. YES

        7. I have had a dog since I was six [years old] YES

        8. I have been having a dog since I was six [years old] NO







        share|improve this answer












        share|improve this answer



        share|improve this answer










        answered 2 hours ago









        Mari-Lou AMari-Lou A

        62.4k57224462




        62.4k57224462





















            1














            The verb "having" implies that you are experiancing, enduring, or undergoing something.



            The sentence is gramatically correct, however, the present perfect tense usage coupled with the verb "having" implies that something isnt right. I believe its because the verb "having" implies that there are factors outside of your control or that you are experiancing . Like: having a heart attack, having a baby, having a bad day, having an epiphany...






            share|improve this answer










            New contributor




            user342390 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.















            • 1





              I'm afraid this makes no sense at all.

              – TonyK
              1 hour ago















            1














            The verb "having" implies that you are experiancing, enduring, or undergoing something.



            The sentence is gramatically correct, however, the present perfect tense usage coupled with the verb "having" implies that something isnt right. I believe its because the verb "having" implies that there are factors outside of your control or that you are experiancing . Like: having a heart attack, having a baby, having a bad day, having an epiphany...






            share|improve this answer










            New contributor




            user342390 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.















            • 1





              I'm afraid this makes no sense at all.

              – TonyK
              1 hour ago













            1












            1








            1







            The verb "having" implies that you are experiancing, enduring, or undergoing something.



            The sentence is gramatically correct, however, the present perfect tense usage coupled with the verb "having" implies that something isnt right. I believe its because the verb "having" implies that there are factors outside of your control or that you are experiancing . Like: having a heart attack, having a baby, having a bad day, having an epiphany...






            share|improve this answer










            New contributor




            user342390 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.










            The verb "having" implies that you are experiancing, enduring, or undergoing something.



            The sentence is gramatically correct, however, the present perfect tense usage coupled with the verb "having" implies that something isnt right. I believe its because the verb "having" implies that there are factors outside of your control or that you are experiancing . Like: having a heart attack, having a baby, having a bad day, having an epiphany...







            share|improve this answer










            New contributor




            user342390 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.









            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer








            edited 1 hour ago





















            New contributor




            user342390 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.









            answered 1 hour ago









            user342390user342390

            212




            212




            New contributor




            user342390 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.





            New contributor





            user342390 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.






            user342390 is a new contributor to this site. Take care in asking for clarification, commenting, and answering.
            Check out our Code of Conduct.







            • 1





              I'm afraid this makes no sense at all.

              – TonyK
              1 hour ago












            • 1





              I'm afraid this makes no sense at all.

              – TonyK
              1 hour ago







            1




            1





            I'm afraid this makes no sense at all.

            – TonyK
            1 hour ago





            I'm afraid this makes no sense at all.

            – TonyK
            1 hour ago











            -3














            Because you can say "I am playing guitar", but you can't say "I am having a dog". (Please, no irrelevant comments about eating hot dogs.)






            share|improve this answer























            • You can't say "I am playing guitar" and you can say "I am having a dog". While it may be a localism to some places, countable singular nouns need determiners. As for "I am having a dog", having refers to eating, so it's grammatical, much like I am having a milkshake is.

              – Lordology
              2 hours ago







            • 1





              @Lordology: "I am playing guitar" is perfectly acceptable, as Google Ngram Viewer attests. As for "I am having a dog": I did ask you to leave hot dogs out of this, but you seem to have ignored my request. Oh well.

              – TonyK
              2 hours ago












            • I don't care. Whether you are or aren't "allowed" to mention hot dogs, you can't avoid the fact it's grammatical.

              – Lordology
              2 hours ago






            • 1





              @Lordology how many people do you know have been eating only one type of food, continuously or intermittently since they were six years of age? This has nothing to do with dietary preferences. The OP is clearly asking about owning a pet dog.

              – Mari-Lou A
              2 hours ago






            • 2





              @Lordology - Please explain why You can't say "I am playing guitar"!!!

              – Hot Licks
              1 hour ago















            -3














            Because you can say "I am playing guitar", but you can't say "I am having a dog". (Please, no irrelevant comments about eating hot dogs.)






            share|improve this answer























            • You can't say "I am playing guitar" and you can say "I am having a dog". While it may be a localism to some places, countable singular nouns need determiners. As for "I am having a dog", having refers to eating, so it's grammatical, much like I am having a milkshake is.

              – Lordology
              2 hours ago







            • 1





              @Lordology: "I am playing guitar" is perfectly acceptable, as Google Ngram Viewer attests. As for "I am having a dog": I did ask you to leave hot dogs out of this, but you seem to have ignored my request. Oh well.

              – TonyK
              2 hours ago












            • I don't care. Whether you are or aren't "allowed" to mention hot dogs, you can't avoid the fact it's grammatical.

              – Lordology
              2 hours ago






            • 1





              @Lordology how many people do you know have been eating only one type of food, continuously or intermittently since they were six years of age? This has nothing to do with dietary preferences. The OP is clearly asking about owning a pet dog.

              – Mari-Lou A
              2 hours ago






            • 2





              @Lordology - Please explain why You can't say "I am playing guitar"!!!

              – Hot Licks
              1 hour ago













            -3












            -3








            -3







            Because you can say "I am playing guitar", but you can't say "I am having a dog". (Please, no irrelevant comments about eating hot dogs.)






            share|improve this answer













            Because you can say "I am playing guitar", but you can't say "I am having a dog". (Please, no irrelevant comments about eating hot dogs.)







            share|improve this answer












            share|improve this answer



            share|improve this answer










            answered 2 hours ago









            TonyKTonyK

            1,984310




            1,984310












            • You can't say "I am playing guitar" and you can say "I am having a dog". While it may be a localism to some places, countable singular nouns need determiners. As for "I am having a dog", having refers to eating, so it's grammatical, much like I am having a milkshake is.

              – Lordology
              2 hours ago







            • 1





              @Lordology: "I am playing guitar" is perfectly acceptable, as Google Ngram Viewer attests. As for "I am having a dog": I did ask you to leave hot dogs out of this, but you seem to have ignored my request. Oh well.

              – TonyK
              2 hours ago












            • I don't care. Whether you are or aren't "allowed" to mention hot dogs, you can't avoid the fact it's grammatical.

              – Lordology
              2 hours ago






            • 1





              @Lordology how many people do you know have been eating only one type of food, continuously or intermittently since they were six years of age? This has nothing to do with dietary preferences. The OP is clearly asking about owning a pet dog.

              – Mari-Lou A
              2 hours ago






            • 2





              @Lordology - Please explain why You can't say "I am playing guitar"!!!

              – Hot Licks
              1 hour ago

















            • You can't say "I am playing guitar" and you can say "I am having a dog". While it may be a localism to some places, countable singular nouns need determiners. As for "I am having a dog", having refers to eating, so it's grammatical, much like I am having a milkshake is.

              – Lordology
              2 hours ago







            • 1





              @Lordology: "I am playing guitar" is perfectly acceptable, as Google Ngram Viewer attests. As for "I am having a dog": I did ask you to leave hot dogs out of this, but you seem to have ignored my request. Oh well.

              – TonyK
              2 hours ago












            • I don't care. Whether you are or aren't "allowed" to mention hot dogs, you can't avoid the fact it's grammatical.

              – Lordology
              2 hours ago






            • 1





              @Lordology how many people do you know have been eating only one type of food, continuously or intermittently since they were six years of age? This has nothing to do with dietary preferences. The OP is clearly asking about owning a pet dog.

              – Mari-Lou A
              2 hours ago






            • 2





              @Lordology - Please explain why You can't say "I am playing guitar"!!!

              – Hot Licks
              1 hour ago
















            You can't say "I am playing guitar" and you can say "I am having a dog". While it may be a localism to some places, countable singular nouns need determiners. As for "I am having a dog", having refers to eating, so it's grammatical, much like I am having a milkshake is.

            – Lordology
            2 hours ago






            You can't say "I am playing guitar" and you can say "I am having a dog". While it may be a localism to some places, countable singular nouns need determiners. As for "I am having a dog", having refers to eating, so it's grammatical, much like I am having a milkshake is.

            – Lordology
            2 hours ago





            1




            1





            @Lordology: "I am playing guitar" is perfectly acceptable, as Google Ngram Viewer attests. As for "I am having a dog": I did ask you to leave hot dogs out of this, but you seem to have ignored my request. Oh well.

            – TonyK
            2 hours ago






            @Lordology: "I am playing guitar" is perfectly acceptable, as Google Ngram Viewer attests. As for "I am having a dog": I did ask you to leave hot dogs out of this, but you seem to have ignored my request. Oh well.

            – TonyK
            2 hours ago














            I don't care. Whether you are or aren't "allowed" to mention hot dogs, you can't avoid the fact it's grammatical.

            – Lordology
            2 hours ago





            I don't care. Whether you are or aren't "allowed" to mention hot dogs, you can't avoid the fact it's grammatical.

            – Lordology
            2 hours ago




            1




            1





            @Lordology how many people do you know have been eating only one type of food, continuously or intermittently since they were six years of age? This has nothing to do with dietary preferences. The OP is clearly asking about owning a pet dog.

            – Mari-Lou A
            2 hours ago





            @Lordology how many people do you know have been eating only one type of food, continuously or intermittently since they were six years of age? This has nothing to do with dietary preferences. The OP is clearly asking about owning a pet dog.

            – Mari-Lou A
            2 hours ago




            2




            2





            @Lordology - Please explain why You can't say "I am playing guitar"!!!

            – Hot Licks
            1 hour ago





            @Lordology - Please explain why You can't say "I am playing guitar"!!!

            – Hot Licks
            1 hour ago










            Hannah is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.









            draft saved

            draft discarded


















            Hannah is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.












            Hannah is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.











            Hannah is a new contributor. Be nice, and check out our Code of Conduct.














            Thanks for contributing an answer to English Language & Usage Stack Exchange!


            • Please be sure to answer the question. Provide details and share your research!

            But avoid


            • Asking for help, clarification, or responding to other answers.

            • Making statements based on opinion; back them up with references or personal experience.

            To learn more, see our tips on writing great answers.




            draft saved


            draft discarded














            StackExchange.ready(
            function ()
            StackExchange.openid.initPostLogin('.new-post-login', 'https%3a%2f%2fenglish.stackexchange.com%2fquestions%2f492185%2fwhy-cannot-we-not-say-i-have-been-having-a-dog%23new-answer', 'question_page');

            );

            Post as a guest















            Required, but never shown





















































            Required, but never shown














            Required, but never shown












            Required, but never shown







            Required, but never shown

































            Required, but never shown














            Required, but never shown












            Required, but never shown







            Required, but never shown







            Popular posts from this blog

            Isabella Eugénie Boyer Biographie | Références | Menu de navigationmodifiermodifier le codeComparator to Compute the Relative Value of a U.S. Dollar Amount – 1774 to Present.

            Join wedge with single bond in chemfigHow to make only one part of double bond bold with chemfig?Crossing bonds in chemfigjoining atoms in chemfig. Two adjacent molculesHow do I selectively change bond length in chemfig?Ugly bond joints in chemfigchemfig: reaction above arrowUsing the mhchem and chemfig packages in conjunctionBonding to specific element letter using chemfigResonance hybrids in chemfigScale chemfig molecule in beamer with tikzWhy does this chemfig bond with a hook start in the middle of the atom?

            Should we avoid writing fiction about historical events without extensive research?How do we write a story about genocide committed by a fascist government without falling into the “Nazi Germany” cliché?Researching sensitive subjectsShould I avoid “lecturing” my readers?Archetypical/popular historical fictionHow to write a “strong” passage?Will what worked 'back then' work today? (Novels)Historical Fiction: using you and thouHow do you make characters relatable if they exist in a completely different moral context?How do I write a MODERN combat/violence scene without being dry?Fictionizing firsthand accounts from history?Is it possible to narrate a novel in a faux-historical style without alienating the reader?