1. Действия, происходящие в момент речи или в настоящий период времени. Индикаторами времени могут быть следующие слова и словосочетания: now сейчас, at present в настоящее время, at this moment в этот момент, still до сих пор, (все) еще и др.
| The children are playing football now. | Дети сейчас играют в футбол. |
2. Временные ситуации.Действия, совершающиеся в настоящий период времени, хотя и не обязательно в момент речи. Период времени может быть указан (today сегодня, this week на этой неделе, this month / year в этом месяце / году и др.) либо подразумеваться из контекста.
| Не is writing a new play. | Он пишет новую пьесу. |
3. Часто повторяющиеся действия с always всегда, constantly постоянно, continually непрерывно для выражения раздражения или критики.
| She ’s always criticizing me! | Она всегда критикует меня. |
(На самом деле она не всегда критикует говорящего, просто с его точки зрения она делает это слишком часто).
4. Изменяющиеся или развивающиеся ситуации.
| More and more forests are disappearing because of fire. | Все больше и больше леса исчезает из-за пожара. |
5. Заведомо спланированные и уже организованные действия в ближайшем будущем. Время действия должно быть указано или ясно из контекста. См. будущие времена. The Present Simple (Indefinite) Tense and the Present Continuous (Progressive) Tense with a future meaning.
| I am meeting some friends after work. | Я встречусь с друзьями после работы. |
(Встреча организована заранее.)
6. В обстоятельственных придаточных предложениях условия и времени, которые вводятся союзами if если, unless если … не, provided that при условии если, when когда, until, till до тех пор, пока не, as soon as как только, as long as пока, before прежде чем и т. д. для описания будущих действий вместо theFuture Continuous (Progressive) Tense. См. будущие времена. Придаточные предложения времени и условия
| I’ll be washing up while you are sweeping the floor. | Я буду мыть посуду, в то время как ты будешь подметать пол. |
Глаголы, описывающие постоянные состояния (Stative Verbs), как правило, не употребляются во временах группы Continuous. Вместо данного времени необходимо употребить времена группы Simple (Indefinite).
Некоторые глаголы состояния (see видеть, понимать, smell иметь запах, taste иметь вкус, feel чувствовать, think думать, have иметь и т. д.) могут употребляться во временах группы Continuous, если они выражают не состояние, а действие.
| Состояние / State | Действие / Action | |
| appear | He appears to know what he’s doing. (= казаться) Кажется, он знает, что делает. | She is appearing on stage tonight. (= выступать) Сегодня вечером она выступает на сцене. |
| fit | These shoes fit me perfectly. (= быть в пору) Эти туфли как раз мне впору. | Boris is fitting a new lock on the door. (= устанавливать) Борис устанавливает новый замок в двери. |
| have | She has hundreds of CD’s. (= иметь) У нее есть сотни дисков. | I’ m having a great time. (= опыт, впечатления) Я хорошо провожу время. She’ s having the shower. (= принимать) Она принимает душ. We’ re having breakfast. (= прием пищи) Мы завтракаем. |
| see | I can see our house from up here. (= видеть) Я вижу наш дом отсюда. I see what you mean. (= понимать) Я понимаю, что ты имеешь в виду. | I’ m seeing Mary tonight. (= встречаться) Сегодня вечером я встречаюсь с Мэри. |
| smell | The food smells very good. (= пахнуть, иметь аромат) Еда пахнет очень хорошо. | She is smelling flowers. (= нюхать) Она нюхает цветы. |
| taste | The dessert tastes delicious. (= иметь вкус) Десерт очень вкусный. | She’ s tasting the food to see if it’s good. (= пробовать на вкус) Она пробует еду на вкус, чтобы убедиться, что она хорошая. |
| think | I think they are best friends. (= верить, полагать) Я думаю, что они лучшие друзья. | I’ m thinking about his offer. (= обдумывать) Я обдумываю его предположение. |
EXERCISES
| Exercise 1. | Write the -ingforms of these verbs. |
| answer | arrive | begin | break | clean | come | cry | dance |
| decide | die | dig | dream | eat | enjoy | feel | forget |
| get | go | have | help | hit | jump | laugh | lie |
| listen | live | make | play | put | rain | rob | shout |
| sing | sit | slim | stand | start | stop | swim | talk |
| tie | turn | visit | wash | wear | win | work | write |
| Exercise 2. | Give the correct form of the Present Continuous of each verb. |
| 1. | She ____ (read) in her bedroom at the moment. |
| 2. | I ____ (look) for your keys now. |
| 3. | The girls ____ (visit) their grandmother today. |
| 4. | I ____ (work) very hard these days. |
| 5. | Paul ____ (study) at the institute. |
| 6. | Monika always____ (come)to class late. |
| 7. | We always____ (lose)our luggage. |
| 8. | The population of the world ____ (rise) very fast |
| 9. | The Earth ____ (get) hotter and hotter. |
| 10. | They ____ (build) a new hotel in the city center at the moment. |
| Exercise 3. | Say that somebody is not doing the same. |
| Model: | We are looking for a new flat. (He ____) |
| He is not looking for a new flat. |
| 1. | Carol is working at home today. (They ____) |
| 2. | You are studying too hard for this exam. (Greg ____) |
| 3. | She’s watching television now. (Her parents____) |
| 4. | I am playing a lot of football this year. (My brother ____) |
| 5. | My friend is reading a very good book at the moment. (I ____) |
| 6. | Helen and Jane are makinga cake for tea. (Annie ____) |
| 7. | They are buying a new car. (We ____) |
| 8. | David’s spending a lot of time in the library these days. (I ____) |
| Exercise 4. | Write the questions using the Present Continuous. |
| Model: | Joan/work/today. Is Joan working today? |
| What/she/do? What ’ s she doing? |
| 1. | You/learn/German at school? |
| 2. | Where/they/stay? |
| 3. | What/language/your sister/study? |
| 4. | Why/you/talk/too fast? |
| 5. | Bill/cook/dinner now? |
| 6. | Why/he/shout? |
| 7. | Where/they/wait? |
| 8. | The Internet/become/less of a novelty? |
| 9. | Why/Mary/work/hard? |
| 10. | Where/John and I/stay? |
| Exercise 5. | In pairs, act out similar dialogues using the prompts below, as in the example. |
| Model: | Dad/I/living room/watch TV |
| A: | Dad, where are you? |
| B: | I’m in the living room. |
| A: | What are you doing? |
| B: | I’m watching TV. |
| 1. | Mum/I/kitchen/cook; |
| 2. | Paul/Lisa/dining room/have breakfast; |
| 3. | John/granny/garden/water the flowers; |
| 4. | Dad/uncle Greg/garage/clean his bike; |
| 5. | Spencer/I/my bedroom/read a book; |
| 6. | Amanda/children/yard/play badminton. |
| Exercise 6. | Are all of these sentences correct? Find the mistakes and correct them. |
| 1. | You look very beautiful today. |
| 2. | We are wait for a phone call. |
| 3. | Chris and Helen are spending a week in France last year. |
| 4. | You always comelate for the meetings! |
| 5. | George and Mary is watching TV. |
| 6. | You isn’t listening to the teacher. |
| 7. | Are Sally wait for a letter from her parents? |
| 8. | The sun is shining beautifully tomorrow. |
| 9. | Your coffee get cold |
| 10. | Going where you are? |
| Exercise 7. | What can you say in these situations? Add a sentence with the Present Continuous. |
| Model: | A friend rings you up at work. |
| – Sorry, I can’t talk now. I’m working now. |
| 1. | A friend rings you up in the middle of your favourite film. – Is it important? I ____ |
| 2. | A friend wants to talk to you, but you have just started to write an important letter. – Can I talk to you later? I ____ |
| 3. | Your granny wants you to help in the garden, but you are busy with your homework – Can I help you later? I ____ |
| 4. | A friend is at your flat and suggests going out, but you can see rain outside. – I don’t want to go out now. Look,____ |
| 5. | You want to get off the bus, but the man next to you is sitting on your coat. Excuse me,____ |
| Exercise 8. | A. Tony is working hard these days. There’s a lot to do for the university and even his private life is very busy. What is he doing now (but not at the moment of speaking)? |
| revise | cram up | take | look after |
| decorate | lead | prepare | write |
| 1. | I ____ a very busy life right now. |
| 2. | I ____ for a maths test at the moment. |
| 3. | I ____ also ____ for my physics exams. |
| 4. | I ____ an essay for my English course. |
| 5. | I ____ to/a presentation for history. |
| 6. | At home we ____ my room. |
| 7. | I ____ driving lessons. |
| 8. | I ____ Tom’s dog this week. |
| B. Now write what Tony is doing these days. |
| Model: | Tony is working hard these days. |
| Exercise 9. | Say what is happening to some of the following. You may use the words more than once. |
| Model: | More and more world’s forests are disappearing because of fires. |
| the world’s forests climate the world’s population days (length) wild animals | lakes and rivers weather cost of leaving cities prices | unemployment your English young people children computers |
| become bigger become shorter get warmer grow become polluted recognize the advantage of | become faster disappear improve become extinct get better at buy cars | get older become longer increase rise get better get higher education |
| Exercise 10. | Who of your acquaintance often / always / constantly / continually do some of the following things (or others)? |
| Model: | My sister is always losing her temper! |
| lose their temper change their job fall in love | lose things buy new clothes forget things | quarrel cry criticize | worry about nothing complain about their health talk nonsense |
| Exercise 11. | A. Paul and Mark are school friends. They finished school several years ago. Now they are speaking about their schoolmates. Complete their conversation. |
| Paul: Mark: Paul: Mark: Paul: Mark: Paul: Mark: Paul: Mark: Paul: | Hi, Mark. How 1.____ (you / get on) in your new job? Not bad. It wasn’t so good at first, but 2.____ (things / get) better now. What about Matthew? Is he OK? Yes, but 3.____ (he / not / enjoy) his work at the moment. He’s been in the same job for a long time and 4.____ (he / begin) to get bored with it. As for me, I saw Steve few days ago. Oh, did you? 5.____ (what / he / do) these days? He’s at university. 6.____ (what / he / study)? Electronics. 7.____ (he / enjoy) it? Yes, he says it’s a very good course. |
| B. What are your schoolmates doing now? Write some sentences. |
| Exercise 12. | Work in pairs. You are speaking to your cousin. What are your relatives doing these days / week / months. Make your dialogue as long as you can. |
