[Grammar] Progressive forms - having a headache or have a headache

[DANAU]

Hi.

I am reading the Practical English Usage by Swan and got confused with the explanations on progressive forms.

- Are you having a headache? (incorrect). It should be "Do you have a headache?". I suppose "I am having a headache" is also incorrect?
- I am having a bad day. (correct)
- 'Where's Bernard?' 'He's playing tennis.' (correct)

I do not understand why present progressive tense cannot be used for "headache" but is acceptable for others.

Given present progressive tense is applied for situations that are going on now or 'around now' so I feel that "I am having a headache"
should be acceptable too.

 

[tedmc]

I think, with a headache, have is a stative verb. You either have it or you don't. It is not something you can keep.

It is similar to the Mcdonalds' tagline: I am loving it, which people say is not grammatical.

 

[emsr2d2]

Hi.

I am reading [STRIKE]the[/STRIKE] Practical English Usage by Swan and [STRIKE]got[/STRIKE] am confused [STRIKE]with[/STRIKE] by the explanations [STRIKE]on[/STRIKE] of progressive forms.

- Are you having a headache? (incorrect). It should be "Do you have a headache?". I suppose "I am having a headache" is also incorrect?
- I am having a bad day. (correct)
- 'Where's Bernard?' 'He's playing tennis.' (correct)

I do not understand why the present progressive tense cannot be used for "headache" but is acceptable for others.

Given that the present progressive tense [STRIKE]is[/STRIKE] can be applied [STRIKE]for[/STRIKE] to situations that are going on now or 'around now' so I feel that "I am having a headache" should be acceptable too.

Please note my corrections above.

It's not used in the progressive because, regardless of its duration, you either have a headache or you don't. It's a state of health. We don't say "I'm having cancer" or "She's having toothache".

When your head starts to hurt and gradually gets worse, while that's happening you could say "I'm getting a headache".

(Cross-posted with tedmc)

 

[emsr2d2]

Also, the tagline is "i'm lovin' it". Given that they thought to include the apostrophe, I've always wondered why they failed to capitalise "I". Still, it's not like anyone's going to McDonald's for lessons in correct English.

 

[jutfrank]

Sometimes, DANAU, the verb have carries the sense of possession, as it does in Swan's example. When we talk about possession, we don't use verbs in their -ing form. This is the same basic meaning of have that we use in sentences like:

I still have your phone in my bag.
You have ten minutes to go.

Confusingly, have very often has a sense of experiencing, where it is appropriate to use it in the -ing form. It can be very hard for learners to sense this difference in meaning.

Are you having a bad day?
He's having problems with his wife.

So with this latter sense in mind, we could imagine this sentence:

I'm having headaches almost every day now.


(There's nothing ungrammatical about I'm loving it, by the way. Are there really people who think there is?)

 

[GoesStation]

You'll also hear statements like She's having one of her headaches again.