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Is is right to say "I have a pen" or "I am having a pen" ? I keep hearing people using the latter.

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    It depends on the variety of English. In area where Indian English does not predominate, the progressive be having is only used in very limited circumstances: experiencing a state,(I'm having a bad day) or planning an event (I'm having a party). But I have noticed that Indian English makes much more general use of the progressive with verbs like have and know than other varieties of English.
    – Colin Fine
    Commented Oct 18, 2018 at 9:10

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"I have a pen" is the correct way to show possession of an object.

"I am having" is used mostly for a state of being, such as

"I am having a bad day"

or

"I am having trouble with this math test"

or

"I am having a heart attack"

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    Note that there is no real difference between I am having a pen, I am having a heart attack, I am having sadness, and I am having dinner. But only the second and fourth of those would we deem correct. This is an annoyance. It's more about usage than it really is about logic. What you say is generally true, but it's also something that, unfortunately, has to be learned through experience. (And if you are eating a pen for dinner, you actually can be "having a pen." ;) Commented Apr 19, 2018 at 21:22

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