Functions and notions

Characteristic behaviour

We can use certain verb forms and expressions to describe characteristic or habitual behaviour.

Present and past simple

Simple verb forms are the most common way to describe characteristic behaviour. They are often used with adverbs of frequency.

• They eat organic vegetables.
• Yuppies invested their money in houses.
• He always has lunch in a restaurant, but he doesn't usually eat out in the evening.

Present continuous

We use continuous verb forms to describe characteristic behaviour when it is part of a new trend.

• More and more women are having children in their 30s.

We can use the adverbs of frequency always and forever with the present continuous to criticise someone's characteristic behaviour.

• Jon's always getting into trouble and fighting.
• My sister is forever complaining about her boyfriend.

Used + infinitive

We use used + infinitive to talk about characteristic behaviour in the past.

• They used to eat meat, but they don't now.

Will and would

We use will and would to talk about characteristic behaviour in the present and in the past.

• He'll spend hours at a time on the Internet.
• Tom won't get home before sunrise at the weekends.

Keep

We use keep followed by the -ing form of the verb to talk about (and criticise) habitual behaviour.

• The kids keep doing dangerous things.
• He keeps telling me what to do.

Expressions

Tend + infinitive, be (un)likely + infinitive

We use tend + infinitive and be (un)likely + infinitive to talk about what is frequently true, and therefore characteristic, about a person's behaviour.

• I tend to use my mobile for sending text messages.
• These days, retired people are more likely to spend their money than save it for their children.

Be in the habit of + -ing

We use be in the habit of + -ing to talk about characteristic behaviour.

• We're not in the habit of spending much on clothes.