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After saying "He used to play football" is it correct to add "but he isn't playing anymore"? Or is adding "he doesn't play anymore" the only possible option?

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    Both are correct.
    – Lambie
    Commented Oct 11 at 16:24
  • Wow, I completely misunderstood the question. I didn't think they were asking for a choice between the two continuations. I thought they were asking if it's correct to say it even though it's the only possibility.
    – Barmar
    Commented Oct 11 at 16:47
  • It may be worth noting that there is a US/British difference concerning the word 'anymore'. In US English, anymore can be used as an adverb meaning ‘any longer’ or ‘to any further extent’. He isn't playing football anymore. Also in US English, any more (two words) is used as a determiner to refer to quantities. There aren't any more cheesburgers. In UK English, anymore is typically considered incorrect, and any more is the correct spelling for both parts of speech.
    – Michael Harvey
    Commented Oct 14 at 13:02

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When you say "used to" it normally implies that this no longer is true, so it would be redundant to say that he's not playing anymore in either way. You might explain why he doesn't play now, or when he stopped playing, but that's not a grammatical issue.

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Either structure is fine; however, both constructions have different temporal nuances that make them less appropriate in certain contexts.

The phrase "isn't playing anymore," by using the present progressive, entails either (1) that there is a current period during which playing habitually fails or has failed to occur when otherwise expected or possible (e.g., "isn't playing anymore for now) or (2) that there is an imminent future time during which playing will fail to occur because of some present circumstance (e.g., "isn't playing anymore in the upcoming games"). The phrase "doesn't play anymore" has a habitual sense that does not entail any time frame beyond what is long enough to establish the possibility of a "habit."

Two more contrasting example for the habitual senses:

  1. John used to play football every day, but he has been busing with schoolwork recently and so isn't playing as regularly anymore.

vs.

  1. John used to play football every day when he was young; but now that he is older, he doesn't play anymore.
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  • The phrase "doesn't playing anymore" - typo?
    – Kreiri
    Commented Oct 11 at 20:38
  • The qualifier "anymore" also implies a habitual sense, regardless of whether you use "isn't" or "doesn't". "isn't playing now" would be present tense.
    – Barmar
    Commented Oct 11 at 21:32

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