Present simple vs present continuous in English
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There are two choices in the English present tense, the present simple and present continuous. In this chapter the differences between these tenses is explained.
The present simple and the present continuous are both used to describe actions taking place in the present time, but the tenses are used for different moments in the present.
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The present simple is mostly used to refer to habits and routines in the present. The table below shows you all the situations in which the English present simple tense is used.
Situation | Example |
---|---|
You want to describe habits and routines. |
|
You want to describe a general or scientific fact. |
|
You want to describe an action that takes place, never takes place or is repeated constantly. |
|
You want to describe an event that is probably happening in the future. |
|
You want to refer to a past event. (In newspaper headlines and captions to photographs.) |
|
You want to give instructions or indications |
|
How to recognize the usage of the present simple tense? You can recognize the use of the present simple tense when the sentence contains words as:
The table below shows the situations in which the present continuous is used.
Situation | Example |
---|---|
You want to describe an action or event that takes place at that exact moment. |
|
You want to describe an action or event that is happening now, but not necessarily during the conversation. |
|
You want to describe an action or event that is already scheduled, but is not happening right now. |
|
You want to describe a temporary event or a temporary situation. |
|
You want to describe and emphasize a continuous series of repeated actions. Often combined with words as 'always, forever, constantly.' |
|
How to recognize the usage of the present continuous? You can recognize the use of the present continuous tense when the sentence contains words as:
Test your knowledge of the difference between the present simple and the present continuous by doing the exercises below!
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NB If you are writing a test like IELTS or TOEFL 'in a month or two' and you need to obtain a minimum score to enter a university, remember that according to education bodies like British Council and Cambridge English, it takes an average of 120-130 lesson hours to move from one level or band to the next. So with 'one or two' months, you need to already be at B2 or Upper Intermediate level to start preparing.
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Let me help you improve your English for any purpose. I am a native English speaker with a Master's degree in English, a Bachelor of Science degree and a CELTA teaching qualification.
I have been teaching for four years. As a copy-editor, I have been helping people improve their written English for over ten years (so yes, I can edit documents for you). Interviews: send me your CV and the job description and I will help you prepare.
Ready for certification? I will help you get ready for English language proficiency exams (TOEFL, TOEIC, IELTS, OET, C1 (CAE), C2 (CPE).)
We CAN meet free of charge (just book a FREE CHAT for 20 minutes) to discuss your learning needs/my teaching methods and to start talking.
It is useful if you take a quick online test to establish a starting point: https://www.cambridgeenglish.org/test-your-english/general-english/ Please let me know the results A1/2 B1/2 C1/2.
If you need to reschedule, please do so 24 hours in advance to avoid being charged.
NB If you are writing a test like IELTS or TOEFL 'in a month or two' and you need to obtain a minimum score to enter a university, remember that according to education bodies like British Council and Cambridge English, it takes an average of 120-130 lesson hours to move from one level or band to the next. So with 'one or two' months, you need to already be at B2 or Upper Intermediate level to start preparing.
For B2-C2 level students who enjoy photography: Would you would like to improve your English conversation and your photography? In a typical lesson, you will show me your latest photos and describe how and why you took them. Then we will discuss how photos are assessed in photographic competitions and, if necessary, we can go over the essentials of using a digital camera (although it's perfectly fine if you use your mobile phone to take photos).
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