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Practical Grammar 2 Unit 9

The document summarizes the differences between the present simple and present continuous tenses in 3 sentences: 1) The present simple is used to describe facts that are always or generally true, while the present continuous describes actions happening now or changing situations. 2) Stative verbs like be, like and know are usually used in the present simple, not the present continuous. 3) Time expressions like always, every day are often used with the present simple, while expressions like currently, now are often used with the present continuous.

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Paulina Bogacz
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
49 views

Practical Grammar 2 Unit 9

The document summarizes the differences between the present simple and present continuous tenses in 3 sentences: 1) The present simple is used to describe facts that are always or generally true, while the present continuous describes actions happening now or changing situations. 2) Stative verbs like be, like and know are usually used in the present simple, not the present continuous. 3) Time expressions like always, every day are often used with the present simple, while expressions like currently, now are often used with the present continuous.

Uploaded by

Paulina Bogacz
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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9 Present simple and present continuous I’m currently

The moon orbits


orbiting the Earth
the Earth once a
at a speed of
day at a speed of
28,000 kilometres
3,683 kilometres
per hour!
per hour.

Presentation

Present simple Present continuous

Use the present simple to talk about … Use the present continuous to talk about …
• facts and things that are always true: • actions happening now:
The moon orbits the Earth once a day. (= this is I’m currently orbiting the Earth. (= this is
always true) happening now)
• things that are generally true: • something that is happening now or around now:
I often have problems with my computer. (= this is I’m having lots of problems with my computer.
generally true) (= at the moment)
• general tendencies and repeated situations: • changing situations:
It gets cold at this time of year. (= every year) It’s getting colder. (= at the moment)
• permanent situations: • temporary or new situations:
Where does he live? He lives with his mum. Where is he living now? He’s staying with friends
(= there’s no plan to change this situation) (= for the moment, but this situation will change)

Stative verbs Time expressions and adverbs


You usually use the present simple with verbs such You often use these adverbs and expressions with the
as be, like, believe, look, understand and know. These present simple tense: always, sometimes, every day,
verbs describe states. You rarely use them in the present all the time.
continuous form: You often use these time expressions with the present
I understand what you mean. ✓ continuous: at the moment, currently, now, today.
I’m understanding what you mean. ✗

28 Practical Grammar 2 - sample pages

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Exercises
1 Choose the correct forms.
1 The Earth has / is having a population of 6.7 billion people.
2 The climate of the Earth becomes / is becoming warmer at the moment.
3 As you move towards the equator, the temperature becomes / is becoming warmer.
4 You live in France now but where do you come / are you coming from originally?
5 My family lives / is living in Nigeria for two years. After that we’ll move to Alaska.
6 Sorry, I can’t hear you because I stand / ’m standing on the platform at the train station.
7 The train comes / is coming into the station now. I’ll be home in ten minutes.
8 This car never starts / is never starting in the winter.
9 How often do you take / are you taking a holiday?
10 Do you understand / Are you understanding what I’m saying?
2 Complete the article about an internet businessman. Use the present simple or
present continuous forms of the verbs in brackets.

A day in the life of Simon Nixon of www.moneysupermarket.com


I normally 1 .................... (get up) at seven o’clock, but this week
I 2 .................... (start) work earlier because it’s a busy period.
I 3 .................... (usually arrive) at work by nine and I 4 ....................
(check) my emails. Today, I 5 .................... (work) on reports on
our websites because these tell me how many people
6
........................................ (currently visit) our websites. For
7
example, we .................... (have) about six million visitors
every month and this number 8 .................... (increase).
We 9 .................... (also make) a lot of improvements to our sites at the moment.
The internet business is very competitive and it 10 .................... (get) harder to stay at the top.

3 Complete these questions for Simon. Use the present simple or present continuous forms.
1 What time do you get up?
At seven o’clock.
2 Why earlier this week?
Because it’s a busy period.
3 When at work?
Around nine.
4 What today?
The reports on our websites.
5 How many people every month?
About 6 million.
6 the number of people who visit your sites ?
Yes, it is.
7 easier to stay at the top?
No it isn’t.

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