Present Simple or Present Continuous?

Сборник упражнений по грамматике английского языка

Автор – составитель старший преподаватель кафедры иностранных языков МГОУ Сырина Татьяна Александровна

Present Simple

Подчеркивает регулярность действия или единичный факт в настоящем времени.

They go to the University every day.

Present Simple совпадает с формой инфинитива без частицы to во всех лицах кроме 3-го лица единственного числа, имеющего окончание –s.

I work You work He works She works It works

We work They work

Вопросительная и отрицательная формы образуются с помощью вспомогательного глагола «do», который в 3-ем лице единственного числа имеет форму «does» и инфинитива смыслового глагола без частицы to.

Do you always read English newspapers? No, I don’t. I do not (don’t) always read English newspapers.

Does he speak English? No, he doesn’t. He does not (doesn’t) speak English.

Present Simple употребляется для выражения обычных, постоянных или повторяющихся действий и с ним часто используются наречия usually, always, often, frequently, seldom, rarely, never, sometimes и словосочетания every day (evening, morning), every week (month, year).

We usually go for a walk in the evening.

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

First, we use the Present Simple when something is generally true:

The sun rises in the east.
People need food.
It snows in winter.
The sky isn't green.
Plants die without water.
Two and two make four.

2: We also need to use this tense for a situation that we think is more or less permanent (see the present continuous for a temporary situation - one which we think won't last long):

Where do you live?
She works in a bank.
They love coffee.
She has three children.
I am married.
I don't like mushrooms.

3: The next use is for habits or things that we do regularly. We often use adverbs of frequency in this case (also see the present continuous for new, temporary or annoying habits):

Do you smoke?
I play tennis every Tuesday.
We often go to the cinema.
She gets up at seven o'clock every day.
At the weekend, we usually go to the market.
How often do you study English?
I don't travel very often.

4: Four, we use the simple present to talk about what happens in books, plays, or films:

The hero dies at the end of the film.
A young woman travels through Europe, where she meets different people, and finally falls in love.
In this book, an army invades Britain.
The main character is very pretty and works in a bookshop.

5: We use it in the first and the zero conditionals:

If it rains, I won't come.
If you heat water to 100 degrees, it boils.

6: Strangely, we can use this tense to talk about the future. When you are discussing a timetable or a fixed plan, you can use this tense. Usually, the timetable is fixed by an organisation, not by us:

School begins at nine tomorrow.
Our train leaves at eleven.
What time does the film start?
The plane doesn't arrive at seven, it arrives at seven thirty.
When does the class finish?

7: We also use it to talk about the future after words like ' 'when', 'until', 'after', 'before' and 'as soon as' in a future sentence:

I will call you when I have time. (Not: 'will have')
I won't go out until it stops raining.
She'll come as soon as her babysitter arrives.
I'm going to make dinner after I watch the news.
I'll give you the book before you go.

8: We need to use this simple tense with stative verbs (verbs which we don't use in continuous tenses), in situations where we'd usually use the present continuous:

This soup tastes great.
You look fabulous.
I think she is very pretty.
I am cold.
I promise I will help you.

How to pronounce –S- ending

Exercises

№ 1 Choose the proper option.

1) I sometimes ______ (stay) up till midnight.

a) stayed

b) stays

c) stay

d) am staying

2) She never ________ (make) mistakes during her exams.

a) makes

b) had made

c) is making

d) doesn't make

3) The King _______ (order) his soldiers to retreat.

a) orders

b) is order

c) order

d) is ordering

4) Peter ____ (work) 40 hours a week.

a) work

b) works

c) is working

d) are working

5) How much..... you earn?

a) do

b) does

6)..... London have many museums?

a) do

b) does

7)..... it snow a lot in Iceland?

a) do

b) does

8)..... you speak English?

a) do

b) does

9)..... they live in London?

a) do

b) does

10)..... you have a car?

a) do

b) does

11)..... your parrot talk?

a) do

b) does

12) What..... we have to do for homework?

a) do

b) does

13) What time..... this class finish?

a) do

b) does

14) How often..... you rent a video?

a) do

b) does

15) The child ______ to school every day.

a) will goes

b) go

c) goes

16) His father ______ him there in his car.

a) take

b) takes

c) taken

d) carries

17) She always ______ lunch at school.

a) takes

b) have

c) has

18) Richard’s life in Paris is a bit difficult. He ______ only English.

a) understand

b) doesn’t understand

c) doesn’t know

d) knows

19) What’s the matter? You ______ very sad.

a) look

b) looks

20) Liz is very good at tennis. She ______ every game.

a) gets

b) won

c) wins

d) is

21) Winter is warm here. It ______ very seldom. But sometimes it ______.

a) rain, snows

b) snows, rains

c) snow, rain

d) rains, snow

22) Helen is on a diet. She ______ very little.

a) doesn’t eat

b) eats

c) ate

23) He ______ in a hurry.

a) is

b) be

c) doesn’t be

24) The exams at school ______ in June.

a) have

b) start

c) starts

25) Linda and I ______ for a company, which ______ cars.

a) works, produces

b) work, produces

c) work, produce

26) I ______ work at ten o’clock, and Linda ______ to the office at nine.

a) start, comes

b) start, goes

c) start, come

27) She ______ at typing, she ______ letters and reports every day.

a) be good, writes

b) is good, make

c) is good, writes

28) I sometimes ______ my friend translate letters, as I ______ French rather well.

a) help, don’t know

b) don’t help, know

c) help, knew

d) help, know

29) The secretary ______ the phone calls, sometimes she ______ visitors around the factory.

a) answer, show

b) don’t answer, shows

c) answers, shows

30) She ______ her job. She ______ to be a secretary.

a) isn’t liked, wants

b) doesn’t like, wants

c) don’t like, want

31) Helen often ______ meetings for her boss and other managers of the company.

a) don’t arrange

b) arrange

c) arranges

32) They ______ to going to bed late at night.

a) are not accustomed

b) don’t accustomed

c) accustom

33) Nelly ______ TV three times a week.

a) likes

b) don’t watch

c) watches

34) ______ you ______ where your brother ______?

a) Do... know, is

b) Do... know, was

c) Are... know, is

№ 2 Rewrite and retell the following texts in the third person, singular beginning with the words: My friend’s | sister’s | brоther’s name is … etc.

A. I am Jane Smith. I live in a small town. I have got a mother and a father. I go to school. I get up at seven o’clock. I put on my dressing gown and slippers and tiptoe to the bathroom. There I clean my teeth, wash my hands and face, and comb my hair. Then I return to my bedroom and dress. After breakfast I put on my coat, seize up my bag and set off for school. I am always in time for classes.

B. I’m Jack Kelly. I’m seventeen. I go to college. In week-days I wake up at seven ‘clock. I switch on the light, do my morning exercises, wash and dress. Then I have breakfast and set off for college. I live a long way from it. So I usually take a bus to get there in time. I learn English. I read and translate texts. Ask my fellow-students questions on the texts and answer their questions. I try to speak English as much as possible.

C. I’m Peg Jones. I live in the South of the country. I work at the Institute of Foreign Languages. I teach freshman English. I only speak English to my students in class. I like them and I try to make my lessons as interesting as possible. I often read to my students and I usually laugh over funny stories together with them. I also explain grammar rules to them and make them do a lot of exercises. I think they are fine girls and boys.

D. I’m John Brown. I live in the north of the country. I work at a big plant. I usually spend eight hours a day there, but sometimes I stay at the plant a little longer. On evenings I go to the town library and read articles in the latest journals.

Present Continuous (Progressive)

Present Continuous образуется при помощи глагола to be в соответствующей форме + Participle I (–ing)

I am working You are working He is working She is working It is working

We are working You are working They are working

Вопросительная форма образуется путем постановки вспомогательного глагола to be в соответствующем лице, числе и времени перед подлежащим:

Are you reading a book now?

What are they doing here?

Who is he looking at?

Отрицательная форма образуется при помощи отрицательной частицы not, которая ставится после вспомогательного глагола:

I am not reading now.

He is not playing tennis at the moment.

Present Continuous (Progressive) употребляется для выражения действия как процесса (незаконченного, длящегося) происходящего:

а) в момент речи: It is raining. – Идет дождь (в данный момент).

“What are you doing?” Что вы делаете?

“I am reading.” Я читаю.

Note: такие выражения как – to see the sights of (осматривать достопримечательности), to see somebody home/off (провожать кого-то), to have dinner (lunch, supper) – обедать, ужинать, могут употребляться в формах Continuous.

They are seeing the sights of Rome now. – Они осматривают достопримечательности Рима сейчас.

He is having dinner. – Он обедает;

б) в настоящий период времени:

My son is very busy. He is getting ready for his final exams. Мой сын очень занят. Он готовится к выпускным экзаменам.

Present Continuous (Progressive) употребляется также для выражения заранее намеченного, запланированного действия, которое непременно осуществится (совершится) в будущем, часто в ближайшем будущем. В этом случае в английском предложении обычно имеется обстоятельство времени, указывающее на будущее время:

We are dining out next Saturday.

В следующую субботу мы обедаем в гостях.

Также может употребляться выражение to be going to.

They are going to the park tomorrow.

Они идут завтра в парк.

They are going to do it on Monday.

Они собираются сделать это в понедельник.

В значении будущего времени Present Continuous (Progressive) часто употребляется с глаголами движения – to go, to come, to start, to leave, to move.

I’m leaving the house in five minutes. Я выхожу из дома через 5 минут.

He is coming soon. Он скоро придет.

Глаголы, выражающие чувства, восприятия и умственную деятельность, а также некоторые другие глаголы во временах группы Continuous не употребляются. К таким глаголам относятся: to want – хотеть, to like – нравиться, to prefer – предпочитать, to dislike – не нравиться, to have – иметь, to love – любить, to wish – желать, to see – видеть, to hear – слышать, to feel – чувствовать, to notice – замечать, to know – знать, to understand – понимать, to remember – помнить, to recognize – узнавать, to forget – забывать, to seem – казаться, to be – быть, to believe – верить, to doubt – сомневаться, to guess – считать, думать, to imagine – воображать, представлять, to mean – означать, to suppose – полагать, предполагать.

Present Continuous tense

We use the present continuous tense to talk about the present:

ü for something that is happening at the moment of speaking:

I ’m just leaving work. I’ll be home in an hour.
Please be quiet. The children are sleeping.

ü for something which is happening before and after a given time:

At eight o’clock we are usually having breakfast.
When I get home the children are doing their homework.

ü for something which we think is temporary:

Michael is at university. He ’s studying history.
I ’m working in London for the next two weeks.

ü for something which is new and contrasts with a previous state:

These days most people are using email instead of writing letters.
What sort of clothes are teenagers wearing nowadays? What sort of music are they listening to?

ü to show that something is changing, growing or developing:

The children are growing quickly.
The climate is changing rapidly.
Your English is improving.

ü for something which happens again and again:

It ’s always raining in London.
They are always arguing.
George is great. He ’s always laughing.

Note: We normally use always with this use.

2. We use the present continuous tense to talk about the future:

for something which has been arranged or planned:

Mary is going to a new school next term.
What are you doing next week?

3. We can use the present continuous to talk about the past:

When we are telling a story:

When we are summarising the story from a book, film or play etc.:

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _

Exercises

№ 1 Replace the infinitives in brackets by the Present Continuous.

1. I _____to you, boy. (to speak)

2. I’m glad you______ with us. (to stay)

3. Listen! Somebody ______the back door. (to open)

4. Go on with what you _____me. (to tell)

5. We ____about the weather now. (to talk)

6. You _______with the only beautiful girl in the room, Jack. (to dance)

7. Sure, it is Tom you ____ to. (to phone)

8. It _____so heavily! (to rain)

9. She ______ even ____to be polite. (not to try)

10. It ____any longer. (not to rain)

11. Now listen, I _______. (not to joke)

12. Don’t be afraid, nobody _____. (to come)

13. Keep quiet, nothing out of ordinary ______. (to happen)

14. _______we really ______at last? (to start)

15. _______they _____too fast? (to walk)

16. What’s the matter? Why _____you ____? (to tremble)

17. My God, what ____you____! (to say)