Module I1. Permanent truths: Summer follows spring. Gases expand when heated. 2. 'The present period' (= 'this is the situation at present'): My sister works in a bank. 3. Habitual

Module I

Verb tenses

Simple Present

Present Progressive

Traductorado Literario y Técnico-Científico en Inglés

Profesorado de Inglés

Instituto Superior de Profesorado No. 3, “Eduardo Lafferrière” Traductorado Literario y Técnico-Científico en Inglés Profesorado de Inglés

Cuaderno de trabajo 2

Simple Present

Uses of the simple present tense: “ I work/he works”

There are seven basic uses of the simple present tense. We use it for:

1. Permanent truths: Summer follows spring. Gases expand when heated.

2. 'The present period' (= 'this is the situation at present'): My sister works in a bank.

3. Habitual actions: I get up at 7. I sometimes stay up till midnight.

4. Future reference (for timetables, etc.): The concert begins at 7.30 next Friday evening.

5. Observations and declarations: I hope so. It says here that… I love you. I hate him.

6. Instructions: First you weigh the ingredients.

7. Commentaries: Becker serves to Lendl.

Stative and dynamic verbs

1 We call a few verbs like love stative because they refer to 'states'. A state has no beginning and no end. We don't 'control'

it, so we don't normally use stative verbs in progressive tenses:

She loves her baby more than anything. (Not 'is loving')

2 Most verbs in English are dynamic. We can use them in two ways:

- in the simple present tense to describe habits, etc. I often make cakes.

- in the present progressive to describe deliberate actions in progress: I'm making a cake.

3 We can describe three classes of verbs:

a Dynamic verbs which have simple or progressive forms (most verbs in English):

I often listen to records. (simple present tense)

I'm listening to a record. (present progressive tense)

b Verbs which are always stative:

This coat belongs to you. (simple present tense) (Not 'is belonging')

c Verbs that have stative or dynamic uses:

I'm weighing myself. (a deliberate action: present progressive tense)

I weigh 65 kilos. (a state) (Not *I'm weighing 65 kilos. ')



4 There are five groups of stative verbs referring to:

a feelings (like, love, etc.);

b thinking/ believing (think, understand, etc.)

c wants (want, prefer, etc.)

d perception (hear, see, etc.)

e being/ having/ owning (appear, seem, belong, etc.)

Present Progressive

Uses of the present progressive tense: 'I am working/ he is working'

There are four basic uses of the present progressive tense. We use it for:

1. Actions in progress at the moment of speaking: He's working at the moment.

2. Temporary situations/ actions, not necessarily in progress at the moment of speaking:

My daughter is studying English at Durham University.

3. Planned actions (+ future adverbial reference): We're spending next winter in Australia.

4. Repeated actions with adverbs like always, forever. She’s always helping people.







Complete each paragraph with one set of verbs, using the present simple or present progressive.

know / look / not be / repair / use be / be / have / say / tell be / live / look / move / resemble

A My computer (1) ………………………………………. very irritating right now. Every time I (2) ………………………………………. it to save something, it

(3) ………………………………………. it (4) ………………………………………. no space in its memory, which (5) ……………………………………………. ridiculous.

B Whales and dolphins (6) ………………………………. like fish, but they (7) ………………………………. mammals that (8) ……………………………………. in

the ocean and (9) ………………………………………. through water in ways that (10) ………………………………………. the movements of a dog rather

than those of a shark.

C Man: Excuse me. I (11) ………………………………………. for Mrs Adamson, but she (12) ………………………………………. in her usual classroom. (13)

………………………………………. you ………………………………………. where she is?

Woman: Oh, they (14) ………………………………………. her classroom ceiling this week so she (15) ………………………………………. the library as her

classroom.

Typical mistakes

He goes every Sunday morning

jogging.

usually/ normally/ generally

goes

He uses to go to the gym on

Thursdays.

likes

Tina, who really like Blur, bought

me a copy of their new record.

understand

I am understanding exactly what you mean.

!

Complete the sentences using either the present simple or present

progressive form of the verbs in brackets.

0 ¿Can you answer the phone? I ……… am making ……. (make) bread and my hands

are covered in flour.

1 Peter ……………………………. (think) that we spend too much money on the

environment, but I ……………………………. (disagree).

2 First you ……………………………. (fry) the potatoes and onions. Next you

……………………………. (beat) the eggs. Then you ……………………………. (mix) the eggs

with the potatoes and onions.

3 My sister ……………………………. (get) a bit fat because she has hurt her arm and she

can’t play tennis anymore.

4 I ……………………………. (be) surprised you ……………………………. (not go) to the MTV

concert. I ……………………………. (know) how much you ……………………………. (like) music.

5 This piano ……………………………. (weigh) more tan 200 kilos.

6 I ……………………………. (try) to get through to the bank to ask what time they

……………………………. (open) in the morning.



Find and correct five more adverbs in the wrong

position in this email.

Adverbs of frequency

These adverbs come in different positions in the sentence.

after auxiliary verbs/ before other verbs: always,

never

My friend doesn’t always remember my birthday.

after auxiliary verbs/ before other verbs or at the

beginning or end of a clause: usually, normally,

often, frequently, sometimes, occasionally

I sometimes order a take-away pizza.

Normally I check my email after lunch.

at the beginning or end of a clause: every week,

every day, tiwice a month

Twice a month we paly a match in another town.



Bibliografía

Foley, Mark, Hall, Diane. My Grammar Lab Intermediate B1-B2. Pearson

McCarthy, Michael, Mark, Geraldine, O'Keeffe, Anne, Carter, Ronald English Grammar Today Book An A-Z of Spoken and Written Grammar. Cambridge.

Alexander L.G. Longman English Grammar Practice for intermediate students. Longman

Alexander L.G. Longman English Grammar. Longman

Vince, Michael. Intermediate Language Practice. Macmillan

Documents

Module I1. Permanent truths: Summer follows spring. Gases expand when heated. 2. 'The present period' (= 'this is the situation at present'): My sister works in a bank. 3. Habitual