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Present Simple and Continuous

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61 views8 pages

Present Simple and Continuous

Uploaded by

Hanna
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© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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ica Present continuous (I am doing) a Study this example situation: Ann is in her car. She is on her way to work. She is driving to work. This means: She is driving now, at the time of speaking. This is the present continuous tense: Iam (= I'm) he/she/(it) is (= he’s, etc.) ¢ driving welthey/you are (= we're, etc.) We use the present continuous when we talk about something that is happening at the time of speaking: Please don’t make so much noise. I’m studying. (not I study) “Where is Peggy?” _““She’s taking a bath.” (not she takes) Let’s go out now. It isn’t raining anymore. (ata party) Hello, Ann. Are you enjoying the party? (not do you enjoy) We also use the present continuous when we talk about something that is happening around the time of speaking, but not necessarily exactly at the time of speaking. Study this example situation: m= Tom and Ann are talking and having coffee in a cafe. Tom says: “I’m reading an interesting book at the moment. I'll lend it to you when I've finished it.” Tom is not reading the book at the time of speaking. He means that he has begun the book and hasn't finished it yet. He is in the middle of reading it. Here are some more examples: = Maria is studying English at a language school. (not studies) m= Have you heard about Brian? He is building his own house. (not builds) But perhaps Maria and Brian are not doing these things exactly at the time of speaking. We often use the present continuous when we talk about a period around the present. For example: today, this week, this season, etc.: m= “You're working hard today.” “Yes, Ihave alot to do.” = Tom isn’t playing football this season. He wants to concentrate on his studies. uO We use the present continuous when we talk about changing situations: = The population of the world is rising very fast. (not rises) m= Is your English getting better? (nor does... . get) UNIT 1. Exercises Put the vert 0 the correct for Examples: Please don’t make so much noise. Iam. studying... (study). Let’s go out now. It ../s2’[Link]/enéng...... (not/rain) anymore. Listen to those people. What language .[Link]...(theylspeak)? . Please be quiet. I... . - Look! It... (snow). Why (you/look) at me like that? Did I say something wrong? 1 ..(try) to concentrate. 2 3. 4. You... (make) a lot of noise. Can you be a little bit quieter? 5 6. 5 . Excuse me, 1 . (look) for a phone booth, Is there one near here? . (at the movies) I's a good movie, isn’t it? . (you/enjoy) it? . Listen! Can you hear those people next door? They ......1..-.. (yell) at each other again. 8. Why (you/wear) your coat today? It’s very warm 9. Daten (not/work) this week. I'm on vacation. (0. want to lose weight. I (notleat) anything today. ‘omplete these sentences using one of these verbs: get become change rise improve fall increase You don't have to use all the verbs and you can use some of them more than once. Example: The population of the world .../8. 8/29. very fast. 1, The number of people without jobs eos at the moment. 2. Heis still sick, but he . better slowly. 3. These days food ... more and more expensive, 4, The World ceo. . Things never stay the same. 5. The cost of living .. Every year things are more expensive. 6. George has gone to work in Spain. At first, his Spanish wasn’t very good, but now it 7. The economic situation is already very bad, andi. worse, B Read this conversation between Brian and Steve. Put each verb into the correct form. Brian and Steve meet in a restaurant. Brian: Hello, Steve. I haven’t seen you for ages. What (1) .8€.V2u.@eéng...... (youldo) these days? 212) creer ..u. (Work) in a department store. Really? (3) vss (you/enjoy) it? : Yeah, it's OK. How about you? Well, T(4) ‘not/work) at the moment, but I’m very busy. 16). (build) a house. Steve: Really? (6) Brian: No, some friends of mine (7) . . (you/do) it alone? (help) me. Simple present (I do) a Study this example situation: Alex is a bus driver. But now he is asleep in bed. So! He But: He drives a bus. not driving a bus (he is asleep) This is the simple present tense: I/we/you/they drive he/she/(it) drives We use the simple present to talk about things in general. We are not thinking only about the present. We use it to say that something happens all the time or repeatedly, or that something is true in general. It is not important whether the action is happening at the time of speaking: = The earth goes around the sun. m= Nurses take care of patients in hospitals. = In Canada, most stores close at 6:00 p.m. Remember that we say he/she/it -s. Don’t forget the s: = I work in a bank. Barry works in a department store. do I/we/you/they does he/she/it eed I/welyou/they don’t hhe/she/it doesn’t ¢ Work = Excuse me, do you speak English? m= “Would you like cigarette?” “No, thanks. I don’t smoke.” What does this word mean? (not What means this word?) m= Rice doesn’t grow in Alaska. For questions see also Unit 47. [a We use the simple present when we say how often we do things: [get up at 8:00 every morning. (not am getting) = How often do you go to the dentist? = Ann doesn’t go out very often. = In the summer, Tom usually plays tennis twice a week. Note that we say “Where do you come from?” (= Where are you from?): © Where do you come from? (not Where are you coming from?) = He comes from Japan. (not He is coming from Japan.) UNIT 2 Exercises 2.1] Put the verb into the correct fon Examples: Water ......04s. ..- (boil) at 100 degrees Celsius. George ...@aesr’t..ga. (not/go) to the movies very often. How many languages ..a@ yaw. SpeaK...... (youlspeak)? 1. The swimming pool .. seoee (Ope) at 9:00 ANU... sasnsseterneenrentete (close) at 6:30 every day. . “What (you/do)?” “I'm an electrical engineer.” 2. What time (the banks / close) here? 3. Ihave a car, but I nes (notuse) it very often. 4, How many cigarettes . (you/smoke) a day? 5. eo 6. . “Where .. wwe (Your father / come) from?” “He .. (come) from Mexico.” Te Mh senseseennnsne . (take) me an hour to get to work. How long... Gitake) you? . (play) the piano, but I . (notiplay) very well. 9. I don't ‘tunderstand the ‘word “deceive.” What (“deceive” / mean)? Read these sentences and correct them. The English is correct but the information is wrong. | Write two correct sentences each time. | Example: The sun goes around the earth. [Link] daesnit [Link]. the. earth. The. Carel. gaes. aceUnd Lhe. SUN. . 1. The sun rises in the west. 2. Mice catch cats. 3. Carpenters make things from metal. 4, The Amazon River flows into the Pacific Ocean. 2.3] Use these sentences to make questions. Begin your questions with the word(s) in parentheses ( Examples: Tom plays tennis. (How often?) Hawotten. dees Tom play. tenns.2. 1 jog in the morning. (What time / usually?) [Link] you usually jog... ‘Ann watches television. (How often?) How often . Iwrite to my parents, (How often?) Thave dinner in the evening. (What time usually?) Tom works. (Where?) Igo to the movies. (How often?) People do stupid things. (Why?) The car breaks down. (How often?) NoMeeNe Cees Present continuous (I am doing) or simple present (I do)? Before you study this unit, study Units L and 2. Study this explanation and compare the examples: Present continuous (I am doing) ‘Simple present (I do) Use the present continuous to talk about | Use the simple present to talk about something that is happening at or close things in general or things that happen to the time of speaking: repeatedly: lam doing past now future | past now future ‘The water is boiling. Could you turn it Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius. off, please? Listen to those people. What language Excuse me, do you speak English? are they speaking? “Where’s Tom?” “He’s playing tennis.” | ‘Tom plays tennis every Saturday. (you find a stranger in your room) What | What do you usually do on the weekend? are you doing here? What do you do? (= What's your job?) Maria is in Canada for three months. Most people learn to swim when they are She's learning English. children, Use the present continuous for a Use the simple present for a permanent temporary situation: situation: T’m living with some friends until can | My parents live in Boston. They have find an apartment. been there for 20 years. Mary usually has a summer job, but she | Jack doesn’t work during the summer. isn’t working this summer. He always takes a long vacation. Some verbs are used only in simple tenses. For example, you cannot say “I am knowing.” You can only say I know. Here is a list of verbs that are not normally used in continuous tenses (but there are exceptions): want like belong know suppose remember need love see realize mean forget prefer hate hear believe understand seem have (meaning “possess”; see also Unit 23) think (meaning “believe” / “have an opinion”) ® Do you like Rome? (not are you liking) = He doesn’t understand the problem. (not he isn’t understanding) m= These shoes belong to me. (not are belonging) = What do you think Tom will do? (= What do you believe he will do?) = Do you havea car? (not are you having) . but: _m What are you thinking about? (= What is going on in your mind?) UNIT 3. Exercises 3.1] Decide whether the verbs in these sentences are right or wrong. Correct the ones that are wrong. Examples: don’t know your telephone number. RIGHT... Please don’t make so much noise. I study. WRONG..4m studying Look! Somebody is climbing that tree over there. Can you hear those people? What do they talk about? Are you believing in God? ~ Look! That man tries to open the door of your car. ‘The moon goes around the earth. What are you thinking about my idea? ‘The government is worried because the number of people without jobs is increasing. 8. I'm usually going to work by car. Rayaeeee 3.2] Put the verb into the correct form, present continuous (Lam doing) or simple present (I do). Examples: Please don’t make so much noise. I a”[Link]...... (study) How many languages ./[Link].... (Tom/speak)? Jean .[Link]..... (not speak) any foreign languages. Ld... -~-v= (00thbelong) tos poltial party 2. Hurry! The bus wo. sevens (come). I snes: (not/Want) to iss it. 3. The Nile River (fiow) into the Mediterranean. 4. The river - (flow) very fast today — much faster than usual. 5. 7 {itlever/snow) in India? 6. We usually ---. (grow) vegetables in our garden, but this year WE verosnentn (not/grow) any. 7. A: Can you drive? : No, but I (learn). 8. You can borrow my umbrella. I. . (not/need) it right now. 9.1 ses ..-(get) hungry. Letsg0 get something to eat. 10. George is vegetarian, Heo. ccccesssse (not/eat) meat. 11, George says he’s 80 years old, but .. seo .. {not/believe) him. 12. Ronisin San Francisco now. He (stay) at the Hilton Hotel. He usually ._ (stay) at the Hilton Hotel when he’s in San Francisco. In these sentences, think about whether the situation is temporary or permanent. 13. My parents ...... (live) in Winnipeg. They were born there and have never lived anywhere else. Where (your parents /live)? Ud. She ses on. (Stay) with her sister until she finds somewhere else to live. 15. A: What (your father / do)? He's a teacher, bUt HE coset (nOt/WOrK) right now. ice eee Present tenses (I am doing /I do) with a future meaning Hi Present continuous with a future meaning Study this example situation: This is Tom’s schedule for next week He is playing tennis on Monday afternoon. He is going to the dentist on Tuesday morning. He is having dinner with Ann on Friday. Inall these examples, Tom has already decided and arranged to do these things. When you are talking about what you have already arranged to do, use the present continuous (I am doing). Do not use the simple present (Ido). mA: What are you doing tomorrow evening? (not what do you do) : I’m going to the theater. (not I go) : Are you playing tennis tomorrow? : Yes, but Tom isn’t playing. He hurt his leg. : Ann is coming tomorrow. : Oh, is she? What time is she arriving? 2 At 10:15. : Are you meeting her at the station? A: Ican’t, I’m working tomorrow morning. Itis also possible to use going to (do) in these sentences: = Whatare you going to do tomorrow evening? = Tomis going to play tennis on Monday afternoon. But the present continuous is usually more natural when you are talking about arrangements. See also Unit 5. Do not use will to talk about what you have already arranged to do: = What are you doing this evening? (nor what will you do) = Alex is getting married next month. (not Alex will get) For will see Units 6 and 7. oO Simple present with a future meaning We use the simple present when we are talking about timetables, schedules, etc. (for example, public transportation, movies): = What time does the movie begin? = The train leaves Boston at 7:25 a.m. and arrives in Washington, D.C., at 3:41 p.m. © The football game starts at 2:00. = Tomorrow is Wednesday. But we do not usually use the simple present for personal arrangements: = What time are you meeting Ann? (not do you meet) UNIT 4 Exercises A friend of yours is planning to go on vacation very soon. You ask him about his plans. Use the words in parentheses (... ) to make your questions. Example: (where! g0)? Where. Ve YOU. YOUNG 2..cccceseororen 1. (how long / stay?) 4. (go/ by car?) 2. (when /Ieave?) 5. (where / stay?) 3. (go/ alone?) . parentheses to write your sentences. Example: (go/ Hawaii) [Link].£0. Aa WAL cc. 1. (leave /next Friday) She 2. (stay / in Hawaii for two weeks) 3. (go/ with a friend of hers) 4, (stay/inahotel) They . 5. (go/ by plane) Tom wants you to visit him, but you are very busy. Look at your schedule for the next few days and explain to him why you can’t come. : Can you come on Monday evening? : Sorry, I'd love to, but Z'z2,alayiing volleyball, : What about Tuesday evening then? I'm afraid I can’t. I (1) ' Well, what are you doing on Wednesday evening? (2 Tees, Well, are you free on Thursday evening? : Pm afraid not. (3)... B Put the verb into the most appropriate form: present continuous (Lam doing) or simple present (Ido). . Example: We .. 8r8.92(1g............ (gO) to the theater this evening. Does the mavie begin. (the movie / begin) at 3:30 or 4:30? De We vssctnsestnsnusenee (Rave) a party next Saturday. Would you like to come? 21 j-vsn-n(NOt/go) away for my vacation next month because I don’t have enough money. .. (yow/go) away? 3. The concert this evening . (start) at 8:00. 4. George, is it true that you .... (get) married next week? 5. The art exhibit .... [Link] (Open) on May 3rd and (close) on July 15th. 6. What time ...... (the next train / leave)? 7. Ann,we seve (g0)t0 the park. sve (you/come) withus? 9

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