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rreseni simple ^i аи; anu
(I am doing) (1)
иимшшииь
We use the present simple to describe things that are always true, or situations that exist now and,
as far as we know, will go on indefinitely:
• It takes me five minutes to get to school.
• Trees grow more quickly in summer than in winter.
• Liz plays the violin brilliantly.
To talk about particular actions or events that have begun but have not ended at the time of
speaking, we use the present continuous:
• The car isn''t starting again.
• ''Who are you phoning?'' ''I''m trying to get through to Joan.''
• The shop is so inefficient that many customers are taking their business elsewhere.
We often use time expressions such as at the moment, at present, currently, just, and still to
emphasise that the action or event is happening now:
• ''Have you done the shopping?'' Tm just going.''
Notice that the action or event may not be going on at the time of speaking:
• The police are talking to a number of people about the robbery.
We use the present simple to talk about habits or things that happen on a regular basis:
• I leave work at 5.30 most days.
• Each July we go to Turkey for a holiday.
However, when we describe repeated actions or events that are happening at or around the time
of speaking, we use the present continuous:
• Why are you jumping up and down?
• I''m hearing a lot of good reports about your work these days.
We can use the present continuous or the present simple to describe something that we regularly
do at a particular time. Compare:
• We usually watch the news on TV at 9.00. (= we start watching at 9.00)
• We''re usually watching the news on TV at 9.00. (= we''re already watching at 9.00)
We use the present continuous to imply that a situation is or may be temporary. Compare:
• Banks lend money to make a profit, (this is what usually happens)
• Banks are lending more money (these days) to encourage businesses to expand, (implies a
temporary arrangement)
• She teaches Maths in a school in Bonn, (a permanent arrangement)
• She''s teaching Maths in a school in Bonn, (implies that this is not, or may not be, permanent)
We often use the present simple with verbs that perform the action they describe:
• I admit I can''t see as well as I used to. (= an admission)
• I refuse to believe that he didn''t know the car was stolen. (= a refusal)
Other verbs like this (sometimes called performative verbs) include accept, acknowledge, advise,
apologise, assume, deny, guarantee, hope, inform, predict, promise, recommend, suggest,
suppose, warn.
We can use modals with performative verbs to make what we say more tentative or polite:.
• I would advise you to arrive two hours before the flight leaves.
• I''m afraid I have to inform you that your application for funding has been turned down.
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UNIT
1
EXERCISES
11
Surest a verb to complete each sentence. Use the present srmple or present continuous.
UseL to add any words outstde the space, as гп the example. (A & B)
1 Even though Sarah says she''s feehng better I think she L still „1Ш*. weight.
7 Frank
stamps in his spare time. It s his hobby.
Recurrently..^ „ ^ ^
^
^
^
^
] ZZ Represent 2 £ of war, the best qualified people
the country.
6 Both ancient and recent records show that farmers
long nours^
7 She has an important project to finish by next week, so she
ш the evening
8 Philip is an excellent linguist.
p
10
l
He
six languages
\fJ(b (МП 1Л
fluently.
-л W i ,
9 ''How are you getting on with
the book?'' ''At the moment
I
chapter four.''
•
p
л
Ш..
1.2
any words outside the spaces. (A to E)
talk/threaten/negotiate
recommend/warn/apologise
Say/tell/do
suggest/hope/promise
and L still . . f e ^ . . it difficult to move about.
1 She f only j u s t . . - « . . . from the operation
At the moment she ..*.*pe^9.. most of her time in bed.
У
2 What I
is that you
well m your,ob
next week, they
О и
even
У
5 I "
... for the delay in replying to your letter. To place an order for the book you
eauire"i
that you telephone Mrs Jones in our sales department. I
you however, that delivery time is likely to be about six weeks.
h
1.3
words outside the space. (C & D)
! ''Shall I phone at 6.00Г ''No, we normally
" ^ ^ f "
^ a s k how I''m
2 Since I won the lottery, my telephone hasn''t stopped ringing. People
going to spend the money, (phone)
3 Alice
her mother in London most weekends, (see)
] r ? l ( y p t m )
4 We шиаПу:.:.
up at about 7.00. Couldn''t you come an hour later? (get up)
!
swimming in the evenings to try to lose weight, (go)
5
binipiu
(I
am
doing)
[i
u u ; diiu
piestMiL
UUIILIIIUUUS
(2)
We often prefer to use the present simple rather than the present continuous with verbs describing
states:
• I really enjoy travelling.
• The group currently consists of five people, but we hope to get more members soon.
Г Other common state verbs include agree, assume, believe, belong to, contain, cost, disagree, feel,
hate, have, hope, know, like, look, love, own, prefer, realise, regret, resemble, smell, taste.
However, we can use the present continuous with some state verbs when we want to emphasise
that a situation is temporary, for a period of time around the present. Compare:
• I consider him to be extremely fortunate. (This is my view) and
• I''m considering taking early retirement. (This is something I''m thinking about now)
• The children love having Jean stay with us. (They love it when Jean stays) and
• The children are loving having Jean stay with us. (Jean is staying with us now)
With some verbs used to describe a temporary state (e.g. ache, feel, hurt, look (= seem)), there is
little difference in meaning when we use the present simple and present continuous:
• What''s the matter with Bill? He looks / is looking awful.
When have has a non-state meaning - for example when it means ''eat'', ''undergo'', ''take'' or
''hold'' - we can use the present continuous:
• ''What''s that terrible noise?'' ''The neighbours are having a party.''
eWe use the present continuous when we talk about changes, developments, and trends:
•
• The growing number of visitors is damaging the footpaths.
• I''m beginning to realise how difficult it is to be a teacher.
When we tell a story or joke we often describe the main events using the present (or past) simple
and longer, background events using the present (or past) continuous:
• She goes (or went) up to this man and looks (or looked) straight into his eyes. She''s carrying
(or was carrying) a bag full of shopping...
We can also use the present simple and present continuous like this in
commentaries (for example, on sports events) and in giving instructions:
• King serves to the left hand court and Adams makes a wonderful
return. She''s playing magnificent tennis in this match...
• You hold the can in one hand. Right, you''re holding it in one hand;
now you take off the lid with the other.
When we want to emphasise that something is done repeatedly, we can use the present continuous
with words like always, constantly, continually, or forever. Often we do this when we want to
show that we are unhappy about it, including our own behaviour:
• They''re constantly having parties until the early hours of the morning.
We use the past continuous (see Unit 6) in the same way:
• He was forever including me in his crazy schemes.
The present simple is used to report what we have heard or what we have read:
• This newspaper article explains why unemployment has been rising so quickly.
We also use the present simple in spoken English in phrases such as I gather, I hear, I see, and I
understand to introduce news that we have heard, read or seen (e.g. on television):
• I gather you''re worried about the new job?
• The Prince is coming to visit, and I hear he''s very rich.
Present simple and present continuous (1) =Ф ^ Д | Present continuous for the future =
Present simple for the future => BlffiXFl Present simple in reporting => IH''IHtH
UNIT
EXERCISES
2.1
Complete the sentences with appropriate verbs. Use the same verb for each sentence in the pair.
Choose the present continuous if possible; if not, use the present simple. (A)
1 a
b
2 a
b
3 a
b
4 a
b
5 a
b
6 a
b
2.2
It
us a fortune at the moment to send our daughter to dance classes.
It
a fortune to fly first class to Japan.
I
sitting down at the end of a long day and reading a good book.
It''s a wonderful book. I
every moment of it.
We''ve always wanted a house in the country, but we
on where it should be.
When they agree with each other on so many important issues, I can''t understand why they
now on this relatively minor matter.
With growing concerns about the environment, people
to use recycled paper
products,
He doesn''t like publicity, and
to stay firmly in the background.
''Can I speak to Dorothy?'' ''She
a shower. Can I take a message?''
My brother
three children, all girls.
Although he
three cars, all of them are extremely old.
In the north of the country, fewer and fewer people
the houses they live in.
Choose the present simple or present continuous for the verbs in these texts. (B)
1 Fletcher
(pass) to Coles who
(shoot) just over the bar. United
(attack) much more in this half...
2 A man
(come) home late one night after the office Christmas party. His wife
(wait) for him, and she
(say) to him...
3 Now that the rice
(cook) you
(chop up) the carrots and tomatoes and you
(put) them in a dish...
2.3
Expand one of the sets of notes below to complete each dialogue. (C)
continually/change/mind
constantly/criticise/driving
forever/moan/work
forever/ask me/money
always/complain/handwriting
1 A: I can''t read this.B: You''re always complaining about roy handwriting.
2 A: Can I borrow £Ю?в: You''re...
3 A: That was a dangerous thing to do!g. You''re...
4 A: I think I''ll stay here after all. B: You''re...
5 A: I had a bad day at the office again.g. You''re...
2.4
How might you report the news in these headlines using the phrases given? (D)
MORE CASH FOR HEALTH SERVICE
Example: I see that tlie Queen''s going to visit India, next spring.
I see...
I understand.
I gather...
It says here...
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(i
did)
nave
uunc;
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paoi
( 1 ))
Present perfect
When we talk about something that happened in the past, but we don''t specify precisely when it
happened (perhaps we don''t know, or it is not important to say when it happened), we use the
present perfect (but see E below):
• A French yachtsman has broken the record for sailing round the world single-handed.
• I have complained about the traffic before.
When we use the present perfect, it suggests some kind of connection between what happened in
the past, and the present time. Often we are interested in the way that something that happened in
the past affects the situation that exists now:
• I''ve washed my hands so that I can help you with the cooking.
• We can''t go ahead with the meeting, because very few people have shown any interest.
The connection with the present may also be that something happened recently, with a
consequence for the present:
• I''ve found the letter you were looking for. Here it is.
• My ceiling has fallen in and the kitchen is flooded. Come quickly!
When we talk about how long an existing situation has lasted, even if we don''t give a precise
length of time, we use the present perfect (but see F below):
• They''ve grown such a lot since we last saw them.
• Prices have fallen sharply over the past six months.
• We''ve recently started to walk to work instead of taking the bus.
We often use the present perfect to say that an action or event has been repeated a number of
times up to now (see also Unit 4B):
• They''ve been to Chile three times.
• I''ve often wished I''d learned to read music.
Past simple
When we want to indicate that something happened at a specific time in the past, we use the past
simple. We can either say when it happened, using a time adverb, or assume that the hearer
already knows when it happened or can understand this from the context:
• She arrived at Kennedy Airport at 2 o''clock this morning.
• Jane left just a few minutes ago.
• Jim decided to continue the course, even though it was proving very difficult.
We use the past simple for situations that existed for a period of time in the past, but not now:
• When I was younger I played badminton for my local team.
• The Pharaohs ruled Egypt for thousands of years.
If we are interested in when a present situation began rather than how long it has been going on
for, we use the past simple. Compare:
• I started to get the pains three weeks ago.
• I''ve had the pains for three weeks now.
a • When did you arrive in Britain?
• How long have you been in Britain?
•However, we also use the past simple to talk about how long something went on for if the action
or event is no longer going on (see also Unit 4C):
• I stayed with my grandparents for six months. (= I am no longer staying there)
• ''He spent some time in Paris when he was younger.'' ''How long did he live there?''
Present perfect and past simple (2) and (3) =
Past continuous and past simple =
