| VERB | EXAMPLE | OTHER USES OF THIS VERB |
| be | (a) I am hungry. | |
| SENSES hear taste smell see | (b) I hear a noise. (c) This food tastes good. (d) I smell gas. (e) I see a butterfly. | You will be hearingfrom me. (I will write or phone you.) The doctor is seeinga patient. (meeting with) |
| MENTAL ACTIVITY know believe think understand recognize remember forget mean | (f) I know his phone number. (g) I believe his story. (h) I think he is a kind man. (believe) (i) I understand your problem now. (j) I don't recognize him. (k) I remember my first teacher. (1) I forget his name, (m) I mean this book, not that one. | I am thinkingabout this grammar. (Certain thoughts are going through my mind right now.) I have been meaningto call you. (intending) |
| POSSESSION possess own have belong | (n) He possesses many fine qualities. (o) She owns a house. (p) He has a car. (possesses) (q) That belongs to me. | I am havingtrouble. He is having a good time. (experiencing). |
| ATTITUDES want prefer need appreciate love like hate dislike seem | (r) I want to leave now. (s) He prefers to stay here. (t) I need some help. (u) I appreciate your help. (v) I love my family. (w) I like this book. (x) She hates dishonesty. (y) I dislike this book. (z) He seems to be a nice person. | |
| VERB ATTITUDES look appear | She looks cold. (seems to be) He appears to be asleep. (seems to be) | I am lookingout the window. (using my eyes to see) The actor is appearingon the stage. |
Note: Never … again is not used with the Present Simple
e.g. I’ m never painting the house by myself again.
(NOT: I never paint the house by myself again.)
Grammar Exercises
Exercise 1. Expand the following into sentences in order to make true statements with doesn’t or don’t where necessary.
1. water/ boil/at 100°C
Water boils at 100°C.
R ice/ grow/ on trees
Rice doesn’t grow on trees.
2. chicks/ hatch/ from eggs
3. kangaroos/ live/ in Spain
4. plants/ need/ water to grow
5. rain/ fall/ from clouds
6. astronauts/ travel/ in submarines
7. cows/ lay/ eggs
8. pandas/ live/ in Italy
9. elephants/ eat/ meat
10. fish/ walk/ on land
11. the sun/ set/ in the east
12. bees/ give milk
13. caterpillars/ turn/ into butterflies
14. wool/ come/ from sheep
Exercise 2. Read the following extracts and put the verbs in brackets into the Present Simple or the Present Continuous. Then, say what use of these tenses each extract shows.
A. These days, it seems everything 1) is changing (change). Cities 2) ___________________ (become) bigger and busier every year, technology 3) __________________ (develop) faster than ever before, and scientists 4) __________________ (learn) more about the way things work.
B. Water 1)_______________ (boil) at 100°C and 2) ________________ (freeze) when the temperature 3) _________________ (drop) below 0°C. Salt water 4) ______________ (be) different, however.
C. This film 1) ________ (be) great! It 2) _____________ (have) an all-star cast and the script 3) __________ (be) very funny. The action 4) _____________ (begin) when two young men 5) ________________ (try) to rob a bank.
D. Rogers 1) _______________ (kick) the ball and 2) ________________ (pass) it to Jones. Jones 3) ______________ (run) down the pitch. He 4) _______________ (pass) the ball to Smith who 5) ________________ (shoot) and 6) _____________ (score)!
Exercise 3. Fill in with the Present Simple or the Present Continuous, and then explain the meaning of each verb.
1. This food _______________ (taste) delicious.
2. Mother _______________ (taste) the sauce to see if it needs more salt.
3. I ________________ (think) I’ll buy the black dress, not the red one.
4. She ________________ (think) of going to study abroad.
5. The Smiths _______________ (have) a cottage in the mountains.
6. Susan ______________ (have) dinner with her cousin Helen tonight.
7. After a short walk through the park, he always ___________ (feel) relaxed and cheerful.
8. I _________________ (feel) in my pocket for my keys.
9. Tom ______________ (see) the company director in a few minutes.
10. When I open my bedroom window every morning, I _____________ (see) the tall cypress tree in the garden.
Exercise 4. Put the verbs in brackets into the Present Simple or the Present Continuous.
1. Dave _____________ (live) in Glasgow and ________________ (work) for an advertising company. He _______________ (have) a good job and ______________ (earn) a lot of money. He ________________ (meet) many people every day and _______________ (lead) a busy life. The company ________________ (expand) rapidly and today he ___________ (see) a new client.
2. John and Anna ________________ (fly) to Paris on Monday for a holiday. Their flight _______________ (take off) at 7.10 in the morning and ___________ (arrive) in Paris at 8.10. Anna’s cousin _____________ (own) a house there, so they ___________ (stay) with him.
3. My neighbour _______________ (bang) on the walls of his flat when he ___________ (do) repairs. This week he ________________ (install) a new bath, and the noise _____________ (drive) me crazy. He ___________________ (not/seem) to care about the way he ________________ (bother) other people.
4. Tom is an athlete. Every morning he ____________ (swim) ten laps in the pool and _____________ (lift) weights for an hour. This year he _____________ (train) harder because he ______________ (want) to compete in the next Olympic Games.
Exercise 5. Put the verb into the correct form, the Present Simple or the Present Continuous.
1. Are you hungry? Do you want (you/want) something to eat?
2. Nicky ______________ (think) of giving up her job.
3. (you/ believe) ___________________ in God?
4. I _______________ (feel) hungry. Is there anything to eat?
5. Who is that man? What ______________________ (he/want)?
6. Who is that man? Why ______________________ (he/look) at us?
7. Alan says he’s 80 years old, but nobody _____________ (believe) him.
8. She told me her name, but I _____________________ (not/remember) it now.
9. Air _________________ (consist) mainly of nitrogen and oxygen.
10. I can’t understand why he _______________ (be) so selfish. He isn’t usually like that.
11. He never thinks about other people. He _________ (be) very selfish.
12. Excuse me, ______________ (you/speak) English? – Yes, a bit.
13. Listen to those people. What language __________________ (they/speak)?
14. Let’s go out. It _______________ (not/ rain) now.
15. You _____________________ (always/ watch) television. You should do something more active.
16. The rate of unemployment ________________ (decrease) slowly.
17. Water ________________ (freeze) at 0 degrees Celsius.
18. We _________________ (go) to the opera next Saturday.
19. The hole in the ozone layer _________________ (become) bigger and bigger.
20. Mammals _____________ (feed) their babies on milk.
21. “What’s that noise?” – “It _______________ (sound) like Jane playing her trumpet!”
22. I ______________________ (never go) to that restaurant again! The food was horrible.
23. The Greens _____________________ (play) golf with my parents this weekend.
24. “What do you know about snakes?” – “I know that they are reptiles and they ____________ (lay) eggs.”
25. “Your hair _________________ (look) great today! Have you had it cut?” – “Yes, I had it done yesterday.”
26. Every morning when I ________________ (wake up) I ____________ (smell) fresh coffee coming from the kitchen.
Exercise 6. Detectives at work. Tom and Nick are watching the house across the street. Something strange is happening. Put the verbs in brackets in the Present Simple or the Present Continuous to make correct sentences.
TOM: – What are you staring (you stare) at?
NICK: – There's a man at the Johnsons' house. He doesn't live (not / live) there. I wonder what he
1) _____________________________ (do)
TOM: – Perhaps he 2) __________________________ (visit) the Johnsons.
NICK: – No. They're not at home. They both 3) _______________________ (work) in town.
They 4) _____________________________ (catch) the same train as Dad every morning. It's strange.
He 5) ______________________ (watch) the house very carefully.
TOM: – Now he 6) _______________________ (try) to open the gate, but it's locked. Look!
He 7) ________________________ (climb) over the garden wall. I can't see him now.
NICK: – Let's follow him. I want to see what he 8) _______________________ (do)
TOM: – He 9) ___________________________ (go) to the garage. He 10) __________________ (carry) a ladder. Now he 11) __________________________ (put) the ladder up to the bedroom window!
NICK: – He must be a burglar. Hey! You! What 12) _______________________ (you do)?
MAN: – It's all right, boys. I'm an insurance agent. I 13) _____________________ (examine) the roof. The Johnsons 14) ______________________ (know) that I'm here.
Exercise 7. Translate the sentences into English, paying attention to the Present Simple and the Present Continuous forms.
1. – Хто за професією твій батько?
– Він, взагалі-то, психолог, але зараз він не працює. Ти ж знаєш, що рівень безробіття зростає все більше і більше з кожним роком.
2. – Як ти себе почуваєш? Сьогодні ти виглядаєш не дуже добре. Щось сталося?
– Нічого. Я зазвичай відчуваю себе втомленим вранці.
3. Я не розумію, чому Джон поводиться так егоїстично. Зазвичай він не такий.
4. – Ти йдеш на вечірку до Еми сьогодні ввечері?
– Ну, я не знаю ще. А ти? Я б вважав за краще залишитися вдома, якщо ти не проти.
5. – Пробачте, о котрій годині вилітає літак до Берліна?
– Одну хвилину, я подивлюся. Рейс 502 відправляється о 7:45.
6. По четвергах ми з друзями зазвичай граємо в теніс, але цього тижня ми їдемо всі разом на пікнік, щоб провести цілий день па свіжому повітрі.
7. – Ти чув, Кері і Джон одружуються 13 серпня в соборі Святого Павла ополудні? Ось запрошення на весільну церемонію!
– То це правда!? Я повинна зателефонувати мамі негайно.
8. – Твої парфуми мають приємний аромат. Як вони називаються?
– Спасибі. Це Envy Me від Gucci.
9. – Чим закінчується фільм?
– Головний герой тікає з в'язниці, забирає з банківського сейфа вкрадений мільйон фунтів і відлітає на Кариби, хоча поліція йде за ним по п'ятах!
– Ух, ти! Цей фільм варто подивитися!
10. Сонце сходить на сході, заходить на заході. Місяць обертається навколо землі... або навпаки. Тато, допоможи мені! Я знову все переплутав.
11. – Я б хотів поговорити з містером Брауном, будь ласка.
– Боюся, в даний момент він не доступний. Він на важливій нараді з агентами ФБР. Передзвоніть пізніше!
