3rd February

Present Simple versus the Present Continuous

http://www.ecenglish.com/learnenglish/present-simple-and-present-continuous

Present Simple and Present Continuous

I surf
'I surf / I am surfing.'
What's the difference between the Present Simple / Present Continuous and how to use them.
We use the present simple tense when we want to talk about fixed habits or routines – things that don’t change.
We use the present continuous to talk about actions which are happening at the present moment, but will soon finish.
Compare these two statements:
  • (present simple) I play tennis.
  • (present continuous/ progressive) I am playing tennis.
(present simple) ‘I play tennis’ tells us that playing tennis is something the speaker always does. It is part of a routine or habit. We can call this a permanent situation.
(present continuous/ progressive) ‘I am playing tennis’ tells us that the speaker is playing tennis right now. Soon the game will be over. We call this a temporary situation.
With the present simple we say:
I play tennis
You play tennis
We play tennis
They play tennis
He/she/ it plays tennis.
With the present continuous we say:
I am playing tennis
You are playing tennis
We are playing tennis
He/she/it is playing tennis
Frequency Adverbs we use with the Present Simple
With the present simple we use these frequency adverbs:
(Notice that the adverb comes before the main verb in the sentence.)
Always: ‘I always read before I go to bed.’
Often: ‘Her sister often comes shopping with us.’
Frequently:‘Michael frequently visits his family.’
Sometimes:‘You sometimes go to the gym, don’t you?’
Occasionally:‘It occasionally rains in summer.’
Seldom:‘They seldom ask for help.’
Rarely: ‘He rarely goes out without his backpack.’
Hardly ever:‘I hardly ever eat pizza.’
Never: ‘Japanese people never wear shoes inside.’

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B6AG6_VeRc1zTFRKWDRsejUxaFk/view?usp=sharing
Time Expressions we use with the Present Continuous
With the present continuous we use these time expressions:
(Notice that the time expression can come at the start or at the end of the sentence.)
At the moment: ‘I’m watching TV, at the moment.’
These days: ‘Paul’s living in Cardiff, these days.’
Now: ‘What are you doing, now?’
Nowadays: ‘I think you are smoking too much, nowadays.’
Complete these sentences below using either the present simple or present continuous.


Simple Past

FORM

[VERB+ed] or irregular verbs
Examples:
  • You called Debbie.
  • Did you call Debbie?
  • You did not call Debbie.

USE 1 Completed Action in the Past

Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind.
Examples:
  • I saw a movie yesterday.
  • I didn't see a play yesterday.
  • Last year, I traveled to Japan.
  • Last year, I didn't travel to Korea.
  • Did you have dinner last night?
  • She washed her car.
  • He didn't wash his car.

USE 2 A Series of Completed Actions

We use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.
Examples:
  • I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim.
  • He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the others at 10:00.
  • Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs?

USE 3 Duration in Past

The Simple Past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes, all day, all year, etc.
Examples:
  • I lived in Brazil for two years.
  • Shauna studied Japanese for five years.
  • They sat at the beach all day.
  • They did not stay at the party the entire time.
  • We talked on the phone for thirty minutes.
  • A: How long did you wait for them?
    B: We waited for one hour.

USE 4 Habits in the Past

The Simple Past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as "used to." To make it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was younger, etc.
Examples:
  • I studied French when I was a child.
  • He played the violin.
  • He didn't play the piano.
  • Did you play a musical instrument when you were a kid?
  • She worked at the movie theater after school.
  • They never went to school, they always skipped class.
Irregular Verbs

Aucun commentaire:

Enregistrer un commentaire

Inscription à : Commentaires (Atom)