Present progressive?

[Sir_Kasmus]

English Language Proficiency Tests, Advanced Level

ESL/EFL Test #120 "Perfect Tenses", question 8

That stupid dog ......... all day long.

(a) does always bark
(b) always is barking
(c) had always barked
(d) is always barking

English Language Proficiency Tests, Advanced Level

ESL/EFL Test #120 "Perfect Tenses", answer 8

That stupid dog is always barking all day long.

Correct answer: (d) is always barking

Your answer was: incorrect
That stupid dog does always bark all day long.
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Why is the sentence in present progressive?
Doesn't the stupid dog bark always all day long ?
Shouldn't the sentence be in the simple present?
That stupid dog barks all day long.

all day is regular, isn't it?

Sir_Kasmus

[Alan]

Hi Sir_Kasmus,,

By the way I like the name! You're quite right of course when you say: That dog always barks all day long is a typical use of the Present Simple. I chose the form is always barking to show another use of the Present Continuous (Progressive) and that is to indicate that the activity (in this case the barking) is also very irritating and so in a way this is not just a statement of fact alone but an added sense that the speaker wishes it would stop.

Hope that makes sense.

Alan
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English as a Second Language
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[doni]

I thought the dog had died and used:

(c) had always barked

[lost_soul]

I think in that case it is more natural to say the dog used to bark all day long or the dog would bark all day long.