PRESENT SIMPLE
Present Simple is used to talk about habits, routines and facts.
What time do you usually leave your house to go to school?
Who do you usually take advice from if you have a problem?
Do you like classical music?
We usually have dinner at 7 p.m. on weekdays.
He always drinks a cup of coffee in the morning before work.
When does Rita usually get up?
Do you live alone?
something that is true in the present:
I'm nineteen years old.
I'm a student.
He lives in London.
something that is always true:
The human body contains 206 bones.
Light travels at almost 300,000 kilometres per second.
We often use adverbs of frequency like sometimes, always and never with the present
simple:
I sometimes go to the cinema.
She never plays football.
something that is fixed in the future:
The train leaves at 19.45 this evening.
We fly to Paris next week.
The school term starts next week.
summarising a book, film or play:
Shakespeare's Hamlet is the Prince of Denmark. One night he sees his father's ghost.
The ghost tells him he has been murdered …
The present continuous
The present continuous is made from the present tense of the verb be and the –ing form of a
verb:
We use the present continuous to talk about:
activities at the moment of speaking:
Please be quiet. The children are sleeping.
I'm just getting off the train. I'll be with you in 10 minutes.
future plans or arrangements:
Mary is going to a new school next term.
What are you doing next week?
She's buying a new laptop on Thursday.
something which is happening before and after a specific time:
At eight o'clock we are usually having breakfast.
When I get home the children are doing their homework.
something which we think is temporary:
Michael is at university. He's studying history.
I'm working in London for the next two weeks.
I'm staying at the Hotel Monopol.
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?
something which is changing, growing or developing:
The children are growing up quickly.
The climate is changing rapidly.
Your English is improving.
Summers are getting warmer and warmer nowadays.
something which happens again and again:
It's always raining in London.
They are always arguing.
George is great. He's always laughing.
You're always asking me silly questions.
Stative verbs
We do not normally use the continuous with stative verbs. Stative verbs include:
verbs of thinking and feeling:
believe-dislike- know – like- love-hate-prefer-realise- recognize-remember-suppose- think (=
believe)- understand- want – wish
verbs of the senses:
appear – feel – look – seem- smell – sound – taste
others:
agree – be – belong- disagree- need- owe- own- possess
We normally use the simple instead:
I understand you. (NOT I am understanding you.)
This cake tastes wonderful. (NOT This cake is tasting wonderful.)
FUTURE
We use will:
when we express beliefs about the future:
It will be a nice day tomorrow.
I think Brazil will win the World Cup.
I'm sure you will enjoy the film.
to mean want to or be willing to:
I hope you will come to my party.
George says he will help us.
to make offers and promises :
I'll see you tomorrow.
We'll send you an email.
to talk about offers and promises,instant decisions,predictions, future
facts,suggestions:
I will help with the cooking.(offer)
I will have coffee.(instant decision)
You will love your new house.(prediction)
Next Year Christmas Day will be on a Thursday.(future facts)
Shall we eat out tonight.?(suggestion)
I won’tell anyone your secret.(promise)
Oops, I forgot to phone Mum! I'll do it after dinner.
I can't decide what to wear tonight. I know! I'll wear my green shirt.
There's no milk. I'll buy some when I go to the shops.
4. BE GOING TO
to talk about plans or intentions:
I'm going to drive to work today.
They are going to move to Manchester.
to make predictions based on evidence we can see:
Be careful! You are going to fall. (= I can see that you might fall.)
Look at those black clouds. I think it's going to rain. (= I can see that it will rain.)
The Present Perfect Tense
The present perfect is formed from the present tense of the verb have and the past participle of a
verb.
Have
Has + V3
We use the present perfect:
for something that started in the past and continues in the present:
They've been married for nearly fifty years.
She has lived in Liverpool all her life.
when we are talking about our experience up to the present:
I've seen that film before.
I've played the guitar ever since I was a teenager.
He has written three books and he is working on another one.
We often use the adverb ever to talk about experience up to the present:
My last birthday was the worst day I have ever had.
or something that happened in the past but is important in the present:
I can't get in the house. I've lost my keys.
Teresa isn't at home. I think she has gone shopping.
We do not use the present perfect with adverbials which refer to a finished past time, but
we can use the present perfect with adverbials which refer to a time which is not yet
finished:
We have just bought a new car last week.
We have bought a new car this week.
Present perfect continuous
The present perfect continuous is formed with have/has been and the -ing form of the verb.
We normally use the present perfect continuous to emphasise that something is still
continuing in the present:
I'm tired out. I've been working all day.
They have been staying with us since last week.
We do not normally use the present perfect continuous with stative verbs. We use
the present perfect simple instead:
I have been waiting here for half an hour. Where were you?
You have been watching television all evening. Go and do your homework!
