IN-CLASS 9/10 DECEMBER THE PRESENT TENSE

page 1 of 2

5202 GRAMMAR (bung; ECTS 3) Winter Semester 2003-04 Tuesdays 16-18 in A3, Wednesdays 8-10 in C29 Sara B. Young sara.b.young@anglistik.uni-giessen.de www.uni-giessen.de/~ga1047

The Present Tense Simple Present, Present Progressive, Present Emphatic

Uses of the Simple Present Present action There he goes. Present condition The apples are rotten. Regularly occurring action My sister chews her nails. Regularly occurring condition My brother is usually late. Constant action The sun radiates energy. Constant condition Human blood is red. Historic present (headline, Ship sinks in midnight collision. summaries of events) In May 1945, the war in Europe comes to an end. Literary summaries, discussion of Dickens draws his characters from the London literary works underworld of his time. Often with performative verbs * I admit I cant see as well as I used to. (an admission) (verbs that perform the action I refuse to believe that he didnt know the car was they describe) stolen. (refusal)
* Performative verbs include accept, acknowledge, admit, advise, apologize, assume, deny, guarantee, hope, inform, predict, promise, recommend, refuse suggest, suppose, warn

Uses of the Present Progressive * ** Continuing action (short) I am doing the dishes. Actions in progress The students are listening closely. Continuing action (longer term I am working on a novel. but still temporary actions) I am staying in a hotel until I find an apartment. Changes, developments, trends The growing number of visitors is damaging the footpaths. Im beginning to realize how difficult it is to be a teacher. Continuing condition The children are being very difficult this week. Expressing disapproval Bill is always working late at the office. Youre forever criticizing my cooking!
See also the handout The Future Tense for information on the simple present and the present progressive being used to express future meaning.

* We often use time expressions with the present progressive that emphasize that the action or event is happening now (at the moment, at present, currently, just, still, now, etc.). ** Verbs generally not used in the progressive: - verbs of the senses: hear, feel, see, smell, taste - verbs of emotion: dislike, hate, hope, like, love, prefer, want, wish - verbs of the mind: agree, assume, believe, disagree, doubt, fear, feel, know, mean, mind, prefer, remember, realize, regret, see, suppose, understand - other verbs: appear, belong to, concern, consist, contain, cost, depend on, fit, include, involve, look, matter, need, owe, own, possess, resemble, seem, suspect - be: not when it describes a state or situation (He is at home now.) - have: not when it is used to mean possess or own Exception 1: to emphasize that a state is temporary or unusual - I bumped my head and now I am seeing stars! - Hes being very noisy! Exception 2: to show that a process is taking place gradually or that a situation is temporary - I am on holiday in New York and loving every minute of it. - I am slowly remembering all the details of the accident.

IN-CLASS 9/10 DECEMBER THE PRESENT TENSE

page 2 of 2

Emphasizing a statement Denying a contrary assertion

Uses of the Present Emphatic I do believe you dropped this. Despite the claim in the review, that restaurant does bake all its own pies daily.

Simple Present vs. Present Progressive Exercise: Suggest a verb to complete each sentence. Use the simple present or present progressive. Add words outside the provided blanks as necessary. Example: Even though Sarah says shes feeling better, I think she IS still __LOSING__ weight. 1. Frank __________ stamps in his spare time. Its his hobby. 2. The airline currently __________ half-price tickets to Japan, but for one month only. 3. My mother __________ all the doors and windows before she goes to bed. 4. Because of the present threat of war, the best qualified people __________ the country. 5. Both ancient and recent records show that farmers __________ long hours. 6. She has an important project to finish by next week, so she __________ in the evenings at present. 7. Philip is an excellent linguist. He __________ six languages fluently. 8. How are you getting on with the book? At the moment, I am __________ on chapter four. Simple Present vs. Present Progressive Exercise: Complete the sentences with appropriate verbs Use the same verb for each sentence in the pair. Use the simple present or present progressive as appropriate. 1a. It __________ us a fortune at the moment to send our daughter to dance classes. 1b. It __________ a fortune to fly first class to Japan. 2a. I __________ sitting down at the end of a long day and reading a good book. 2b. Its a wonderful book. I __________ every moment of it. 3a. Weve always wanted a house in the country, but we __________ on where it should be. 3b. When they agree with each other on so many important issues, I cant understand why they __________ now on this relatively minor matter. 4a. With growing concerns about the environment, people __________ to use recycled paper products. 4b. He doesnt like publicity, and __________ to stay firmly in the background. 5a. Can I speak to Dorothy? She __________ a shower. Can I take a message? 5b. My brother __________ three children, all girls.

Bauer, Mary Beth, Lawrence Biener, Linda Capo, et al. Grammar and Composition. Level 3. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1982. 228-9. and Level 4, 208-9. Hewings, Martin. Advanced Grammar in Use: A self-study reference and practice book for advanced learners of English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. 2-5. Bosewitz, Ren. Penguin Students Grammar of English. Harmondsworth, England: Penguin Books Ltd, 1987. 122-165.