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Here is my question, are both of the following acceptable?

I start dieting after Christmas.

I will start dieting after Christmas.

This is the task from Oxford English Grammar Advanced.

Note: I know the answer, because I have the key, but in my opinion both sentences are grammatically correct, taking into account what we want to ephasize, so that's why I am asking.

EDIT: thank you Edwin Ashworth. What about these sentences :

Rob comes round after 7.

Rob is coming round after 7.

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  • To be fair, while both variants are grammatical, they wouldn't be used in exactly the same circumstances. The use of the present simple (I'd say in phase structure, inchoative 'start Ving') I start dieting after Christmas is typically unmarked, a plain statement of intent, with no overtones (unless added by stress). Choosing I will start dieting after Christmas would usually be used to show resignation or resolve; again, tone (wavery/detached, or determined) will differentiate in speech. // 'Rob comes round after 7' shows habitual practice, 'Rob is coming round after 7' is semelfactive. – Edwin Ashworth May 24 '23 at 18:00
  • See the completed comment; the answer given at the duplicate includes a sentence of this form (present comtinuous for future one-off event). How old is your book? Admittedly, 'He is coming round later' could well be seen as conversational/informal. But it's certainly idiomatic. See this good BBC article. – Edwin Ashworth May 24 '23 at 18:10
  • Okey Edwin, thanks, but What if Rob doesn't always come round after 7- what if this is a plain statement of intent? – linaaa.styrczula May 24 '23 at 18:25
  • Then 'Rob comes round after 7', which is used almost exclusively to show habitual practice, is barred. It could just be used if say you were going through a timetable of expected visitors. – Edwin Ashworth May 24 '23 at 18:33
  • Thank you. What if i change the sentence to: Rob comes round tomorrow after 7. Here it doesn't sound like habitual action. Am i correct? – linaaa.styrczula May 24 '23 at 18:52
  • If you put in enough context to allow (or at least suggest) a future interpretation, you can do it with practically any construction, since there's no future tense. But if you use an active (not stative) predicate in the present without specifying a context, a generic is always an option. – John Lawler May 24 '23 at 19:53
  • Yes; 'Rob comes round tomorrow after 7' = 'Rob is due to come round tomorrow after 7'. – Edwin Ashworth May 25 '23 at 13:08

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