Present Simple vs. Present Progressive
Spelling
III form spelling rules
stupefy – stupefies
watch - watches
do - does
IV form spelling rules:
except: be – being,
agree – agreeing
regret – regretting
short vowel + final “l” = double “l” eg. travel – travelling
stressed vowel + final “r” = double “r” eg. refer – referring
· “c” is followed by “k” eg. panic - panicking
Usage
We use the present simple for:`
I leave work at 5.30 most days.
Each July we go to Turkey for a holiday.
It takes me five minutes to get to school.
Trees grow more quickly in summer than in winter.
Ship sinks in midnight collision.
First you roll out the pastry.
On day three we visit Stratford-upon-Avon.
May 1945: The war in Europe comes to an end.
At the end of the play both families realise that their hatred caused the deaths of the lovers.
So then the second man asks the first one why he has a banana in his ear and the first one says…
I gather you're worried about the new job?
The Prince is coming to visit, and I hear he's very rich.
Here comes our hero!
We write to advise you …
We use the present progressive for:
She is reading now.
Why are you jumping up and down?
We're usually watching the news on TV at 9.00. (= we're already watching at 9.00)
It is gettingdark.
Usually I have breakfast, but this week I’m not eating anything in the morning.
She is always talking to me like that!
So I open the door, and I look out into the garden, and I see this man. He's wearing pyjamas and a policeman's helmet. 'Hello,' he says…
I’m hoping you can lend me $ 100.
I’m enclosing my cheque for $200.
State Verbs
a. State verbs describe a continuing state, so do not usually have a continuous form.
Typical examples are:
astonish, believe, belong, concern, consist, contain, deserve, deny, (dis)agree, doubt, fit, imagine, impress, include, know, lack, like, love, matter, mean, need, owe, own, please, possess, prefer, promise, seem, suppose, surprise, suspect, understand, want, wish, etc.
b. Some verbs have a stative meaning and a different active meaning.
Typical examples are:
be, depend, feel, have, hear, measure, see, taste, think, weigh
Compare these uses:
Event
Jill's being noisy.
We're having an interesting conversation!
David's thinking about getting a new job.
I'm just tasting the soup.
I'm feeling terrible.
We're weighing the baby.
Bill, I'm depending on you to win this contract for us.
State
Jack is noisy.
Deirdre has a Porsche.
I think I like you!
This fish tastes awful!
I feel that you are wrong.
This bag weighs a ton!
It depends what you mean.
c. 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:
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)
d. 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.
e. We can also use the present simple and present continuous like this in commentaries (for example, on sports events):
King serves to the left hand court and Adams makes a wonderful return. She's playing magnificent tennis in this match...
f. Making declarations: verbs describing opinions and feelings tend to be state verbs.
I hope you'll come to my party.
I bet you don't know the answer!
I hereby declare this hospital open!
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