Dr. Diouf Business English - 104448

Pofessor: Dr.
DIOUF
GRAMMAR: WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? PRESENT SIMPLE AND PRESENT CONTINUOUS
Present Simple
We use the Present Simple to express:
Things which are always true:
• Water boils at 100 degrees.
Permanent situations (or nearly permanent; true for a few years at least):
• Julie lives in London.
Habits or things we do regularly:
• I drink coffee every morning.
Future events which are part of a timetable:
• My plane leaves at eight tonight.
To talk about the future after certain words ('when' 'until' 'after' 'before' 'as soon as'):
• I'll call you when I get home.
To talk about what happens in books, plays and films:
• At the end of the book, the detective catches the killer.
Remember: We use the present simple with stative verbs. We can't use any continuous tense (including
the present continuous tense, of course) with stative verbs.
Stative verbs (sometimes called state verbs) describe a state, condition, or perception. The state can be physical,
mental, or emotional (e.g., “be,” “believe,” “love”). In contrast, action verbs (aka dynamic verbs) describe an action
carried out by or on the subject (e.g., “eat,” “throw,” “run”). I think he's the one.
Examples: Stative verbs and continuous tenses

✓ I believe in fairies. ✓ I saw a shooting star.
✗ I am believing in fairies. ✗ I was seeing a shooting star.
Note
Exceptions to the rule of not using stative verbs in continuous tenses include the stative verbs “feel” (e.g., “I’m
feeling ill”) and “look” (e.g., “it’s looking good”). It's also common for stative verbs that mean "become" to be used
in continuous tenses (e.g., “I'm getting tired”).
You might hear some other stative verbs used in continuous tenses in casual speech, often for emphasis (e.g.,
“I am loving this game” or “are you seeing what I’m seeing?”).
The simple tense is never incorrect for stative verbs, so use this if you’re ever in doubt.
SUMMARY:
Stative verbs describe a state rather than an action. They aren't usually used in the present continuous form.
I don't know the answer. I'm not knowing the answer.
She really likes you. She's really liking you.
He seems happy at the moment. He's seeming happy at the moment.
Stative verbs often relate to:
 thoughts and
opinions: agree, believe, doubt, guess, imagine, know, mean, recognise, remember, suspect, think, und
erstand
 feelings and emotions: dislike, hate, like, love, prefer, want, wish
 senses and perceptions: appear, be, feel, hear, look, see, seem, smell, taste
 possession and measurement: belong, have, measure, own, possess, weigh.
We use the Present Simple after the following time markers:

Always, Often, Normally, Generally, Usually, Sometimes, Occasionally, Seldom, Rarely, Never,
First, …; Then …; Every day, Every Night, Every Morning, Every Week, Every Month, Every
Summer, How often?, Once a week, Twice a day, On weekdays, At weekends, On Sundays, In the
Mornings, In the evenings…
PRESENT CONTINUOUS
We use the Present Continuous to express:
Things which are happening at the moment of speaking:
• The water is boiling now, so you can put in the pasta.
Temporary situations:
• Julie is living in Paris for a few months (usually she lives in London).
Situations which are slowly changing:
• I'm getting better and better at speaking English.
Temporary or new habits:
• I'm drinking too much coffee these days because I'm so busy at work.
Annoying habits (usually with 'always'):
• My flatmate is always leaving the kitchen in a mess!
Definite future plans:
• I'm meeting John after class today.
To talk about people in pictures and photos:
• In this photo, my mother is walking beside a lake.
We use the Present Continuous after the following time markers:

At the moment, At this moment, At present, Now, Right now, Just now, Listen!, Look!, Be quiet!,
Be silent!, Today, Tonight, This morning, This week, This month, This summer, This weekend, On
Sunday, This evening…
Exercise: Choose the Present Simple or Present Continuous.

1. (You / come) _______________________________________________________________ tonight?
2. (He / eat) _____________________________________________________________ rice every day?
3. I (work) _____________________________________________________________ at the moment.
4. (He / come) __________________________________________________________ to London often?
5. (He/play) _______________________________________________________________________
tennis now.
6. (You / come) ____________________________________________________ to the cinema later?
7. They (not / come) _________________________________________________ to the party tomorrow.
8. He (not / play) ______________________________________________________________ golf now.
9. (You / play) ________________________________________________________ tennis this Sunday?
10. They (go) _______________________________________________ to a restaurant every Saturday.
11. She (not / go) _________________________________________________ to the cinema very often.
12. You usually (arrive) ____________________________________________________________ late.
13. He normally (eat) _____________________________________________________ dinner at home.
14. (You / study) ___________________________________________________________ every night?
15. (They / work) ___________________________________________________________ late usually?
16. You (not / go) ______________________________________________________________ out later.
17. I (not / work) _______________________________________________________________ tonight.
18. (She / work) _________________________________________________________ at the moment?
19. I (not / drink) ________________________________________________________ coffee very often.
20. Julie (sleep) __________________________________________________________________ now.

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Pofessor: Dr.

GRAMMAR: WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? PRESENT SIMPLE AND PRESENT CONTINUOUS

We use the Present Simple to express:

Things which are always true:

• Water boils at 100 degrees.

• Julie lives in London.

Habits or things we do regularly:

• I drink coffee every morning.

Future events which are part of a timetable:

• My plane leaves at eight tonight.

• I'll call you when I get home.

To talk about what happens in books, plays and films:

• At the end of the book, the detective catches the killer.

Examples: Stative verbs and continuous tenses

We use the Present Simple after the following time markers:

Things which are happening at the moment of speaking:

• The water is boiling now, so you can put in the pasta.

Situations which are slowly changing:

• I'm getting better and better at speaking English.

Temporary or new habits:

Annoying habits (usually with 'always'):

• My flatmate is always leaving the kitchen in a mess!

Definite future plans:

• I'm meeting John after class today.

To talk about people in pictures and photos:

• In this photo, my mother is walking beside a lake.

We use the Present Continuous after the following time markers:

Exercise: Choose the Present Simple or Present Continuous.

2. (He / eat) _____________________________________________________________ rice every day?

3. I (work) _____________________________________________________________ at the moment.

4. (He / come) __________________________________________________________ to London often?

6. (You / come) ____________________________________________________ to the cinema later?

7. They (not / come) _________________________________________________ to the party tomorrow.

8. He (not / play) ______________________________________________________________ golf now.

9. (You / play) ________________________________________________________ tennis this Sunday?

10. They (go) _______________________________________________ to a restaurant every Saturday.

11. She (not / go) _________________________________________________ to the cinema very often.

12. You usually (arrive) ____________________________________________________________ late.

13. He normally (eat) _____________________________________________________ dinner at home.

14. (You / study) ___________________________________________________________ every night?

15. (They / work) ___________________________________________________________ late usually?

16. You (not / go) ______________________________________________________________ out later.

17. I (not / work) _______________________________________________________________ tonight.

18. (She / work) _________________________________________________________ at the moment?

19. I (not / drink) ________________________________________________________ coffee very often.

20. Julie (sleep) __________________________________________________________________ now.

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