Present continuous (I am doing)

Study this example situation:

Ann is in her ca r. She is on her way to work. She is driving to work.

This means: she is driving 110 w, at the time of speaking. The actio n is not finished.

Am/is/are -ing is the present continuous:

I am (= I'm) he/she/it ,s (= he's etc.)

we/you/they arc (= we're etc. )

driving working doing etc.

I am doing something= I'm in the middle of doing something; I've sta rted do ing it and I haven't finished yet. Often the action is happening at the time of speaking:

• Please don' t make so much noise. I'm working. (not ' I work') • 'Where's Marga ret?' 'She's having a bath.' (not 'she has a bath') • Let's go out now. It isn't raining any more. (not ' it doesn't rain') • (at a p art y) Hello, Jane. Are you enjoying the party? (n ot 'do you enjoy') • I'm tired. I'm going to bed now. Goodnight!

But the action is not necessarily ha ppening at the time of speaking. For example:

T om and Ann a re talking in a cafe. Tom says:

~ ( /({;j~\r!1'} \"' - ,ff;~~,~~ rm «ading an ;nrecm;ng book ,r rhe momenr. (~~~/ ~~! - ====:::::: I' ll lend it to you when I've finished ic.

AN." _ 1p1 ::,,.. ~-{ Tom is no t reading the book at the time of speaking. 1.(/fi\ I \\ TOM He means that he has started it but not finished it yet. -\1.lJ" - He is in the middle of reading it.

Some more examples: • Catherine wants to wo rk in Ita ly, so she is learning Italian. (but perhaps she isn't

learning Italia n exactly at the time of speaking) • Some friends o f mine are building their own house. They hope it will be finished before

next summer.

We use the present continuous when we talk a bout things ha ppening in a period around now (for example, today/ this week/ this evening etc. ):

• 'Yo u're working hard today.' 'Yes, I have a lo t to do.' (no t 'you work hard today') • 'Is Susan working this week?' 'No, she's o n holiday.'

We use the present continuous when we talk about changes happening around now: • The population of the world is rising very fast. (no~ 'rises' ) • Is your English getting better? (not 'does your English get better')

Present continuous and present simple - • jlj:i,ff ¢1 Present continuous for the future - i!tl1ilJ

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EXERCISES PAULA G. FERRARI TRAOIJCTORA PUBLICA NACIONAI.

Complete the se11te11ces with 011e of the following verbs in the correct form:

come get happen look make start stay try W6flt 'You •r~ W.9r.~i.!'!9 ... hard today.' 'Yes, I have a lot to do.'

2 I ...................... . ................ .... fo r Christine. Do you know where she is? 3 It ....... ....... ................................ dark. Shall I turn on the light? 4 They haven't got anywhere to li~e at the moment. They ..................... .. .................... .. ...... with

friends until they fi nd somewhere. 5 'Are you ready, Ann?' 'Yes, I ................................................... .' 6 Have you got an umbrella ? It .................................... .. ............ to rain. 7 You ...... . ..... .......... ......... a lot of noise. Could you be quieter? I ......... ....................... to concentrate. 8 Why are a ll these people here? What ........ .. ......... ...................... ......... ?

Use the words in brackets to complete the questions.

1 ' .... 1.f?. .('.;5?.l.i.t:1.W.Q.r.~J.t:1.9 ... this week?' 'No, he's on holiday.' (Colin/work) 2 Why .. ............. .......................... .......... at me like that ? What's the matter? (you/look) 3 'Jenny is a student at university.' ' Is she? What ......... ............ .............................. ?' (she/study) 4 ............................................ ....... to the radio or can I turn it off? (anybody/listen) 5 How is your English? ............. ..................................... better? (it/get)

Put the verb into the correct form. Sometimes you need the negative (I'm J!Ot'doing etc.).

1 I'm tired. I .'.IY!.95?.i.!'!9 ... (go) to bed now. Goodnight! 2 We can go out now. It . ..!~.t:1.'.~.r~.i.t:1!!"!9 ... (rain) any more.

3 'H . . b'' 'N d h I · · ow 1s your new JO • ot so goo at t e moment. . ............... ..... .... ........................ (en1oy) 1t very much.'

4 Catherine phoned me last night. She's on holiday in France. She ............................................ . (have) a great time and doesn't want to come back.

5 I want to lose weight, so this week I .... ...... ...... ................................. (eat) lunch. 6 Angela has just started evening classes. She ................ ................... .......... ...... (learn) German. 7 I think Paul and Ann have had an argument. They ....................... ............ .. .......... (speak) to each

o ther.

Read this conversation between Brian and Sarah. Put the verbs into the correct form.

SARAH: Brian! How nice to see you! What (I) .. .................. . ............ ......... ... (you/do) these days? BRIAN: I (2) ................................................ .. (train) to be a supermarket manager.

h ' . l'k ' ( / . ) . ' SARAH: Really? W at s 1t 1 e. (3) ................................................... yo u en1oy 1t .

BRIAN: It's all right. What about you? SARAH: Well, actually I (4) ................................... ..... .. ........ (not/work ) at the moment.

J ,s, .................... ............................. (try) to find a job but it's not easy. But I'm very busy. I (6 ) . .. . .. .. ........ ..... ... ..... .. ....... ... . . ..... (decorate) my flat.

BRIAN: (7) ........................ ........... ...... ...... (you/do) it a lone? SARAH : No, some friends of mine (8J ................. .. ..... ...... ......... .. ...... (help) me.

Complete the sentences using one of these verbs: get change rise fall mcrease You don 't have to use all the verbs and you can use a verb more than once.

t The population of the world .. ..it .r.1~!!19 ... very fast. 2 Ken is still ill but he ............................................. .. better slowly. 3 The world ..................... . .. . ........... .. ...... T hings never stay the same. 4 The cost of living . . ...... ...... ................... .......... . Every year th ings are more expensive. 5 The economic situation is already very bad and it ................... .................. ... worse.

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Present simple (I do)

Study this example situatio n:

Alex is a bus driver, but now he is in bed asleep. So: He is not driving a bus. (H e is asleep.) but He drives a bus. (H e is a bus driver. ) Drive(s)/work(s)/do(es) etc. is the present simple:

I/we/you/they drive/work/do etc. he/she/it drives/works/does etc.

Q We use the present simple to ta lk about things in general. We a re not chinking only about now. \Y/e use it to say that something happens a ll the time or repeatedly, or that something is true in genera l. It is not impo rtant whether the action is happening at the time of speaking:

• N urses look after patients in hospitals. • I usua lly go away at weekends. • The earth goes round the sun.

Remember that we say: he/she/it -s. Don' t forget the s: • I work ... but He works... They teach . . . but My sister teaches ...

For spelling (-s o r -es), see Appendix 6.

[3 We use do/does to make questions and negative sentences:

do I/we/you/they work? come? does he/she/it do?

I/we/you/they don't work

he/she/it doesn't come do

• I come from Canada. Where do you come from? • 'Would you like a cigarette?' 'No, thanks. I don't smoke.' • What does this word mean? (not 'What means this word?') • Rice doesn't grow in cold climates.

In the following examples do is also the main verb: • 'What do you do?' (= What's your job? ) 'I work in a shop.' • He's so lazy. He doesn't do anything to help me. (no t 'He doesn' t anything')

ID We use the present simple when we say how often we do things: • I get up at 8 o 'clock every morning. (not 'I'm getting') • How often do you go to the dentist? (not 'How often are you going?') • Ann doesn't drink tea very often. • In summer Jo hn usually plays tennis once or twice a week.

I promise / I apologise etc. Sometimes we do things by saying something. For example, when you promise to do somethin 'I . ' h h. g, you can say promise ... ; w en you suggest somet mg, you can say 'I suggest . . .'. We use the present simple (promise/suggest etc.) in sentences like this:

• I promise I won't be late. (not 'I'm promising') • 'What do you suggest I do?' 'I suggest that you .. .'

In the same way we say: I apologise ... / I advise ... / I insist ... / I agree ... / I refuse ... etc.

Present simple and present continuous ➔ 11 :h1ft1 Present simple for the future .... 11 ,iii]

EXERCISES PAULA G . FERRARI TRADUCTORA PUBI.ICA NACIONAL

2.1 Complete the se11te11ces usrng one of the following:

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ca usc(s) close(s) drink(s) live(s) open(s) ~pealt(sl take(s) place

1 Ann 6pe~k6 . German very well. 4 Bad driving many accidents. 2 I never . coffee. 5 ,..My parents in a very 3 _ The swimming pool a t sma ll fl a t.

9 o'clock and at 18.30 6 The Olympic Games .. every day. every four yea rs.

Put the verb into the correct form .

1 Jane .~o~en't a.rink. (not/drink ) tea very often. 2 What rime (the banks/ close) in Brita in? 3 'Where 4 'What 5 It

. (Martin/come) from ?' 'He's Scottish.' (you/do)?' ' I'm an electrical engineer.'

(take) me an hour to get to work. H ow long . (it/take) you?

6 (play) the piano but I 7 I don' t understand this sentence. What .

word/mean)?

(not/play) very well. . (this

2.3 Use one of the following 11erhs to complete these sentences. Sometim es you need the negative:

believe eat flow g-e gt'6W make n se tell translate

. from o ne 1 The sun goe~. round the earth. 7 An interpreter Jt9e~_n't grq~ .. in Brita in. 2 Rice language into another.

3 The sun in the east. 8 A lia r is someone who . 4 Bees honey. the truth. 5 Vegetarians meat. 9 The River Amazon 6 An atheist in God. the Atlantic O cean.

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2.4 Ask Liz questions about herself and her famil, ,.

1 Yo u know that Liz plays tennis. You want to know how often,. Ask her. How often .~9 Y.QV.. p.J;,ty_l~m,i~f .

2 Perhaps Liz's s ister plays tennis roo. Yo u want to know. Ask Liz . . your sister

3 Yo u know tha t Liz reads a newspaper every day. Yo u want to know which one. Ask her.

4 You know rhat Liz's bro ther works. You want to know what he doe!.. Ask Liz.

5 Yo u know tha t Liz goes to the cinema a lot. You want to know how o ften . Ask her.

6 You don' t know where Liz's mother lives. Ask Liz.

2.5 Con1plete using one of the fo llowing:

f apologise I insist I promise I recommend I StttJgut

l It's a nice day. I ~.a,i00e~~ we go our for a walk . 2 I won 't tell a nybody what you saiJ. 3 (in a restaurant) Yo u muse let me pay for the mea l. . 4 for what I sa id about you. It wasn't true and I shouldn' t have sa id it. 5 The new restaurant in Hil l Street 1s very gooJ . it.

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Present continuous and present simple (1) (I am doing and I do) Srudy rhe explanations and compare the examples:

Present continuous (I am doing) Use the continuous for something that is happening at o r around the rime of speaking. T he action is nor finished.

Present simple (I do) Use the simple for things in genera l or things that happen repeatedly.

◄ --------------- I do - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -► I am doing past now future past now future

• The water is boiling. Can you turn it off? • Listen to those people. What language are

they speaking? • Let's go out. It isn't raining now. • 'Don't disturb me. I' m busy.' 'Why?

What are you doing?' • I'm going to bed now. Goodnight! • Maria is in Britain at the moment. She's

learning English.

Use the continuo us for a temporary situation: • I'm living with some friends until I find a

flat. • 'You're working hard today.' 'Yes, I've

got a lot to do.'

See Unit 1 for more information.

I always do and I'm always doing

• Water boils at 100 degrees celsius. • Excuse me, do you speak English ?

• It doesn' t rain very much in summer. • What do you usually do at weekends? • What do you do ? (= What's your job?) • I always go to bed before midnight. • Most people learn to swim when they are

children.

Use the simple for a permanent situation:

• My pa rents live in London. They have lived there a ll their lives.

• John isn't lazy. He works very hard most of the time.

See Unit 2 for more information.

Usually we say 'l always do something' (= I do it every time): • I always go to work by car. (not ' I'm always going')

You can a lso say 'I'm always doing something', but this has a different meaning. For example:

I've lost m y key aga in. I'm always losing things.

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'I'm always losing things' does not mean that I lose things every time. It means that I lose things too often, more often than norrnal.

'You're always -ing' means that you do something very often, more often than the speaker thinks is normal o r reasonable.

• You're always watching television. You should do something more active. • John is never satisfied. He's always complaining.

Present continuous and simple (2) • rm Present tenses for the future .... 11 ,IU

EXERCISES ·ptAULA G. FERRAftl TMDUCTOIIA PU1U:A NAC10tW.

'-3.1 Are the underlined verbs right or u,rong? Correct the verbs that are wrong.

\X'.uer boils at 100 degrees celsius. -, The water boils. Can yo u tu rn it off? 3 Look! That man ~ to o pen the door of your car. 4 Can rou hea r those people? What do they ta lk about? 5 The moon ~ round the earth. 6 I must go now. It ~ la te. 7 I usually g.Q to work by car. 8 'H urry up! It's time to leave.' 'OK, I ~.' 9 I hear you've got a new job. How QQ yo u won?

...l~IQ.HT. , )VR.ON~.: .. 1.s t,qllln_g

3.2 Put the verb in the correct form, present continuous or present simple.

l Lee's go o ut. It .. i61ft_rajrii110 .. (not/rain) now.

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2 Jul ia is very good at languages. She . !5p.e~~!!? .. (speak) four languages very well. 3 Hurry up! Everybody . ..... . ... .... .... . .. . ...... (wait ) for you. 4 • . . .. .... . . . (you/listen) to the radio?' 'No, yo u can turn it off.' 5 . .... ..... ... (you/listen) to the radio every day?' ' No , just occasionally.' 6 T he River Nile ........ .... ... ... . . . . .. . (flow) into the Mediterranean. 7 Loo k at the river. It ........................................ ... (flow) very fast today - much faster than

usual. 8 We usua!Jy .... ..... ......... . . ................ (grow ) vegetables in o ur garden but this year we

.. . .. .. . ........ ... ............ .. (not/grow) any. 9 'How is your English?' 'Not bad. It ............ .. .. .................................. (improve) slowly.'

10 Ro n is in London at the moment. He .. ... . . .. . ......... ..... .. ............. (stay) at the Park Hotel. He ....................... ................... (a lways/stay) there when he' s in London.

11 Can we stop wa lking soon ? I .............................................. (sta rt ) to feel tired. 12 'Can you drive?' ' I ............................................ (learn). My father ............................ .......... .

(teach) me.' 13 Normally I ........................................... .. .. .. (finish) work at 5.00, but this week I

. .... ... ..... . ..................... (work) until 6.00 to earn a bit more money. 14 M y parents .. . ........ .. ............................ (liv,e) 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 a rchitect but he

........................... (not/work) at the moment.' 17 (~~~ party) Usually I ........... ... .. ...... . ............ (enjoy) parties but I . ..... ........ .... . ............ ... .

(not/enjoy) chis o ne very much. . 18 The tra in is never late. It ... . ... . ................ ..... ... . . (a lways/leave) on time. 19 J ir:n is very untid y. He ..................................... (always/leave) his things all over the place.

Finish B's sentences. Use always -ing (see Section B).

1 A: I'm afra id I've lost my key again. B: N ot again! .Yo.1,1.'r:~.~_1-~,.Y.5 .!9.~-1-?·0.Y<n.,tr ~ey ...

2 A: The car has broken down agam. B: That car is useless! It • • ......... · ... · · ·. · · · ...... .

3 A: Look! You've made the same mistake agam.

....... ......... .... .... ..... .. . . .... .

B: O h no , no t again! l .... • · · ·· · · · ·· ·· ····· ......... · ...... · · · · ........ ··· · · ··· .... ·· ...................

4 A: O h, I've left rhe lights o n again.

B: T yp ical!: Yo u .. • • .. · . .................... ····· ............... .

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