PRESENT SIMPLE vs PRESENT CONTINUOUS

The main use of the Present Simple is to express the concept of an action that is repeated (or not at all) on a regular basis. Look at the following examples:

We use Present Simple for:

- Facts and permanent states E.g. Robert plays football for a small team in Birmingham General truths and laws of nature Water boils at 100 C

Habits and routines (with always, usually, etc.) My father drives to work - The future in timetables The match starts at 5:30 next Saturday The future in time clauses Ill tell Carrie when I see her

Sporting commentaries, reviews and narrations Robert takes the ball, passes it to Ben and scores - Feelings and emotions The fans love him. He is a very good player

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FORM:

The Present Simple takes the same form as the infinitive (except in one case the verb to be) InThe Present Simple In other words:

TO WORK I WORK YOU WORK WE WORK YOU WORK THEY WORK

Now, here you will perhaps notice two things which contradict the above statement about the The Present Simple taking the same form as the infinitive. The first is that we do not say I TO WORK, YOU TO WORK. In other words, it's the infinitive without TO (Some grammar books call it the bare infinitive). So it's I WORK, YOU WORK And the second thing, which I'm sure you've noticed, is that the third person singular has been omitted from the list: That is because the Third Person Singular is with S at the end - he workS, she playS, it runS

So we have now established that the Present Simple

takes S in the 3rd person singular he, she, it: EXAMPLES Affirmative sentences:

I buy expensive clothes My brother buys expensive clothes We sing rock songs She sings rock songs I play the piano Negative sentences: You cannot negate the verb itself in English. You need an auxiliary for that. And the auxiliary you use is DO combined with the negative adverb NOT. I like the English but I do not like the English weather However, in spoken English we always always use the contration of DO NOT which is DON'T I like English but I don't like England.

And in Third Person Singular we use DOES or DOES NOT: My friend likes French wine but he doesn't like Chilean wine However, in spoken English we always always use the contraction of DOES NOT which is DOESN'T

Questions: Use the auxiliary do.

Do you play basketball? Does he play basketball? The time expressions we use with the present simple are: usually - always - every day/week/month/year in the morning/afternoon/evening - at night/the weekend on Fridays - in July - in the Summer, etc. When we want to emphasise an action or situation in the present, particularly to emphasise that it actually happens, or that its different from what someone else thinks, we can use the emphatic Present Simple, with do or does. E.g. I know you dont like peanut butter No, youre wrong, I DO like peanut butter

PRESENT CONTINUOUS FORM

We use a form of TO BE (am, are or is), the infinitive of the verb and the ending ing. To be (am, are, is) + infinitive + -ing

EXAMPLES

Affirmative sentences

I am playing volleyball He/she is playing volleyball We/you/they are playing volleyball NOTE: Use am with I - is with he, she, it - and with all other pronouns are. We often use short forms in affirmative sentences in the Present Continuous.

Negative sentences
I am not playing volleyball He/she/it is not playing volleyball We/you/they are not playing volleyball

NOTE We often use short forms in negative sentences in the Present Continuous

Questions

In the Present Continuous we put the auxiliary verb ( am, are or is) before the subject. Am I playing volleyball? Is he/she/it playing volleyball? Are we/you/they playing volleyball?

USES

Generally speaking, we use the PRESENT CONTINUOUS

to express actions that take place (or do not take place) at the moment of speaking: I am drinking tea, you are working in the garden, she is shopping in a big store. However, English grammar permits us to use the Present Continuous to cover other time periods:

We also use the Present Continuous: For actions taking place at or around the moment of speaking E.g. Arthur is learning how to ski this week - For temporary situations E.g. We are staying at an expensive hotel at the moment For fixed arrangements in the near future E.g. Our friends are visiting us tomorrow

For currently changing and developing situations E.g. The team is playing better and better all the time

With adverbs such as always to express anger or irritation at a repeated action E.g. They are always talking in class

The time expressions we use in the present continuous are: now - at the moment - at present - these days nowadays - still - today - tonight, etc.

Some people use the term present progressive instead of present continuous. They mean the same thing.