og 4J) Present continuous and present simple (1) (Lam doing and I do) 1) Study the explanations and compare the examples: Present continuous {1 am doing) Present simple (I do} Use the continuous for something that is Use the simple for things in general or things happening at or around the time of speaking. | that happen repeatedly. The action is not finished. Lam dejng | --Ido - past ‘note Future | past mow © ‘The water is boiling. Can you tua it off? | © Water boils at 100 degeees celsius. © Listen to those people. What language are | ® Excuse me, do you speak English? they speaking? © Let's go out. It isn’t raining now. © It doesn’t rain very much in summer. © ‘Don’t disturb me. T'm bnsy.” ‘Why? | @ What do you usually do at weekends? ‘What are you doing?” © What do you do? (= What's your job?) © Tim going to bed now. Goodnight! © always go to bed before midnight. ® Maria is in Britain at the moment. She's | ® Most people learn to swim when they are learning English. children. Use the continuous for a éemporary Use the simple for a permanent situation: situation: © I'm living with some friends until I finda | © My pazents live in London. They have flat. lived there all their lives. © “You're working hard today.” “Yes,Pve | © John isn’t lazy. He works very hard most gora lor to do.” of the time. See Unit 1 for more information. See Unit 2 for more information. (3) Talways do and I'm always doing Usually we say ‘1 always do something’ (=I do it every time): © Talways go to work by car. (not ‘I'm always going’) ‘You can also say ‘I’m always doing something’, but this has a different meaning. For example: ‘ve lost my key again. I’m always losing thing: ('m always losing things’ does not mean that I lose things every time. It means that I lose things too ofter, more often than normal. eer “You're always -ing’ means that you do something very often, more often than the speaker thinks is normal or reasonable. © You're always watching television. You should do something more active. © John is never satisfied. He's always complaining. G) Present continuous and simple (2) Present tenses for he future — {SEEDEXERCISES Are the underlined verbs right or wrong? Correct the verbs that are wrong. 1 Water boils at 100 degrees celsius. RIGHT, 2 The water boils. Can you turn it off? WRONG: ie boiling 3 Look! That man tries to open the door of your car. . 4 Can you hear those people? What do they talk about? $ The moon goss round the earth. 6 Iimust go now. It gets late. 7 Lusually go to work by car. 8 ‘Hurry up! It’s time to leave.’ ‘OK, T come.” 9 Theat you've got a new job. How do you get on? Put the verb in the correct form, present continuous or present simple, 1 Let’s go out. It ..ign’t. raining... (not/eain) now. 2 Julia is very good at languages. She ...2peake.. (speak) four languages very well. 3 Hurry up! Everybody so snnn (wait) for you. Bonn {youflisten) to the radio?” ‘No, you can turn it off Shon {youllisten) to the radio every day?” ‘No, just occasionally.” 6 The River Nile (flow) into the Meditercancan, 7 Look at the river. Tt son (flow) very fast today ~ muuch faster than usual. 8 We usually _. (grow) vegetables in our garden but this year we se (nougrow) any. 9 ‘How is your English?” ‘Not bad. It (improve) slowly.” 10 Ron is in London at the moment. He ~. (stay) at the Park Hlotel. He (alwaysstay} there when he’s in London. 11 Can we stop walking 50 soon? I soon (start) to fee! tired. 12 ‘Can you drive?” ‘I. so « (learn). My father... {teach} me.” 13 Normally | (finish) work at 5.00, but this week I sow (work) until 6.00 to earn a bit more money. 14 My parents (live} in Bristol. They were born there and have never lived anywhere else, Where (your parents/live}? 15 Sonia {look} for a place to live. She {stay} with her sister until she finds somewhere. 16 ‘What _ (your father/do}?" ‘He's an architect but he snes ... (nothwork) at the moment.” 1? (ata party) Usually 1....... . sow (enjoy) parties but 1... (not/enjoy) this one very much. 18 The train is never lace. It 19 Jim is very untidy. He ._ {always/leave) on time. {alwaysfleave) his things all over the place. Finish B's sentences, Use always -ing (see Section B). 1 A: Pm afraid I've lost my key again. b: Not againt ...Yeuire.alivaye. lasing your key. 2 a: The car has broken down again. B: That car is useless! Tr... 3: Lookt You've made the same mistake agai 3%: Oh no, not again! 1 4 A: Oh, Pve left the lights on again. 8: Typical! You -(im Present continuous and present simple (2) (Lam doing and I do) ‘We use continuous tenses only for actions and happenings {they are eating / it is raining et Some verbs {for example, know and like} are not action verbs. You cannot say ‘Tam know ‘they are liking’; you can only say ‘I know’, ‘they like’, The following verbs are not normally used in continzous tenses: like love hate want need prefer know realise suppose mean understand believe remember belong contain consist depend seem © I'm hungry. I want something to eat. {nof ‘Pm wanting’) © Do you understand what I mean? © Ann doesn’t seem very happy at the moment. ‘When think means ‘believe’, do not use the continuous: © What do you think (= believe) will happen? (not ‘what are you thinking’) but @ You look serious, What are you thinking about? (= What is going on in your minc © I'm thinking of giving up my job. (= Tam considering) ‘When have means ‘possess’ etc., do not use the continuous (see Unit 17}: © We're enjoying our holiday. We have a nice room in the hotel, (not ‘we're having? but ® We're enjoying our holiday. We're having a great time. See hear smell taste ‘We normally use the present simple (not continous) with these verbs: ® Do you see that man over there? (not ‘are you seeing") ‘© This room smells. Let’s open a window. ‘We often use can + see/hear/smell/taste: @ Listen! Can you hear something? But you can use the continuous with see {I’m seeing) when the meaning is ‘having a meetin with" (especially in the future ~ see Unit 19): @ I'm seeing the manager tomorrow morning. He is selfish and He is being selfish The present continuous of be is I am being / he is heing / you are being exc. I'm being = ‘I'm behaving / 7m acting’. Compare: © Ican’t understand why he’s being so selfish. He isn’t usually like that. {being selfish = behaving selfishly at the moment) but © He never thinks about other people. He is very selfish. (not ‘he is being’) {= he is selfish generally, not only at the moment) We use am/isfare being to say how somebody is behaving. It is not usually possible in othe sentences: © It’s hot today. (not “cis being hor’) © Sarah is very tired. (not “is being tire Look and feel You can use the present simple or continuous when you say how somebody looks or feels © You look well today. or You're looking well soday. © How do you feel now? or How are you feeling now? but © Tusually feel tired in the morning. (not ‘I'm usually feeling’) Present continuous and smple (1)-> Have > Presont tanses forthe futureAe ae fi unit EXERCISES 4 AL Are the underlined verbs right or wrong? Correct the ones that are wrong. 1 Pimsesing the manager tomorrow morning. 2 Pum feeling hungry. Is there anything to eat? 3 Ate you believing in God? 4 This sauce is great. It's tasting really good. 5 Lanthinking this is your key. Am I right? 42 Look at the pictures. Use the words in brackets to make sentences. (You should also study Unit 3 before you do this exercise.) ‘The Hiner [sonal pooh 1 | (you/ not / seem / very happy today) eu dont seem very happy Poday, GSS Tf has /you do) Beau Foy Fh 3 Eo is uel belong to?) Pee no idea. back in half an hour? A) have / dinner) 3. Put the verb into the correct form, present continuous or present simple. 1 Are you hungry? 2 Jillis interested in politics but she Poyouwant. something to cat? (youtwane) swimnneamnnnnee 80 8 political party. (not/belong) 3 Don't put the dictionary away. 1 it. fuse) 4 Don’t put the dictionary away. I it. {need} 5 Who is that man? What (he/want) 6 Who is that man? Why so a US? thelook) 7 George says he's 80 years old but nobody 8 She told me her name but I . itnow. {noviremember} 91. a of selling my cat. (think) Would you be interested in buying it? 101 se you should sell your car. (think} You it very often. (not/use) LL Lused to drink a lor of coffee but these days 12. Ait nena mainly of nitrogen and oxygen. {consist} him. (believe) tea. (prefer) BA Complete the sentences using the most suitable form of be. Sometimes you must use the simple {anvislare} and sometimes the continuous is more suitable (anvisfare being). 1 Ican’t understand why ..he'e.belng,, so selfish. He isn't usually like that. 2 Jack. very nice to me at the moment. I wonder why. 3 You'll ike fill when you meet her. She. very nice, 4 Normally you are very sensible, so why so silly about this matter? § Why isn’t Sarah at work today? ile