GRAMMAR
Present Simple
Present Continuous
Present Simple
•
•
•
•
I work
You work
We work
They work
don’t work
do you work?
• He/ she / it works
doesn’t work
• Does He/she /it work? Yes he does/no he doesn’t
• Do you work for this company?
Present Continuous
•
•
•
•
•
I am working - I’m not working….
You are working – You aren’t working
He/she/it is working - He/she/it isn’t working
We are working - You aren’t working
They are working – they aren’t working
• (Where/when/why…)are you/we/they… working?
• What languages is she/he/it studying?
Grammar
present simple/continuous
Are the sentences correct? Yes or No?
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Clearly the price of petrol increases at the
moment.
We meet our new employees in 20 minutes.
First we are doing the testing and then we are
sending the products to the packaging area.
Present simple or Continuous?
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Permanent situations
To talk about
certain/definite future
plans
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To give intructions
To criticise
irritating/annoying
actions
Actions happening now
Future programmes,
schedules and
timetables
Temporary present
actions
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Routines, habits
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General truths and facts
Present simple / Continuous
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Permanent situations
To talk about
certain/definite future
plans
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To give intructions
To criticise
irritating/annoying
actions
Actions happening now
Future programmes,
schedules and
timetables
Temporary present
actions
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Routines, habits
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General truths and facts
Present simple / Continuous
Permanent situations:
I live in Siena
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Actions happening now:
I am having an english lesson
To give intructions:
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First you turn left and then you go straignt on …
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To talk about certain/definite future plans.
She is arriving at 4pm and then will be getting the 5
O’clock train.
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Routines, habits:
I always check my emails first and then I start
studying
•
Future programmes, schedules and
timetables
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She is always using her phone during the lessons
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The meeting starts at 9am and ends at 6pm
tomorrow. The train arrives at 5 o’clock
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General truths and facts:
Water boils at 100 degrees.
To criticise irritating/annoying actions.
Temporary present actions.
Where are you staying? We are staying with our
friends in central London.
Present continuous and
always/forever/continually/constantly
Eg: You are forever making the same mistakes.
Eg: She's always arriving late for the meeting
This is used to talk about something irritating or
annoying or to criticise.
Adjectives used with the Present Simple
Always
Often
Sometimes/ Occasionally
Usually
Hardly ever
Rarely/seldom
= adjectives of frequency:
How often do you go out? I usually go out twice a
week.
Adjectives of frequency
Entrepreneurs take risks often in business
Or
Entrepreneurs often take risks in business
This company is always successful
Or
This always is company successful
Position of Adverbs
The adverbs go before main verbs
Eg:Entrepreneurs often take risks in business
BUT
After the verb to be
Eg:This company is always successful
Which sentence is correct?
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The company twice a week orders new
products.
The company orders twice a week new products.
The company orders new products twice a week
The phrases: Once a week, twice a year, three
times a month etc...
Go at the end of the sentence.
State verbs
• These verbs are not usually used in the
continuous form. They talk about a condition
or a situation which continues over a period of
time. It is not always clear or important when
this situation begins and ends.
State Verbs
• Verbs of emotion (like, hate,prefer, detest,fear…)
• Verbs of thinking (believe, doubt, think, suppose,
imagine…)
• Verbs of the senses (hear, see, smell, feel, appear…)
• Verbs used to describe things and their qualities
(contain, measure, carry, mean, need, consist of…)
• Verbs expressing possession (belong to, owe,own,
have (got)
Simple and continuous forms
Are these sentences correct?
This machine is having two handles at the front
and it is being very easy to operate.
The wine is tasting very good.
You are sounding French.
I see my boss tomorrow at 4pm
I’m hating the rain. When will it stop?
Simple and continuous forms
Are these sentences correct?
This machine has two handles at the front and it
is very easy to operate.
The wine tastes very good.
You are sound French.
I’m seeing my boss tomorrow at 4pm
I hate the rain! When will it stop?
Both forms
• When we talk about physical feelings, there is
not much difference between the continuous
and simple form:
Eg:How do you feel? And How are you feeling?
Eg:My leg hurts or My leg is hurting
Correct?
• Where are you from? You are sounding
French.
• This wine is tasting very nice. What is it?
• John is seeming unhappy? I’m wondering
what is wrong?
• What are you thinking about the increase in
the interest rate
This is correct
• Where are you from? You sound French.
• This wine tastes very nice. What is it?
• John seems unhappy? I’m wondering what is
wrong?
• What do you think about the increase in the
interest rate?
THE PAST
Past simple and Past Continuous
I worked for that company 5 year ago and ….
I was working for that company 5 year ago
when....
Past Simple or Continuous?
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Completed past actions
temporary past actions
Past situations (states or
conditions) which were
permanent
Used to describe
consecutive past actions,
one action after the
other
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A long, continuous
situation in past
happening at a specific
moment
or simultaneous actions
happening in past
Past habits or routines
Past actions changing at
a certain time
Past Simple or Continuous?
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Completed past actions
temporary past actions
Past situations (states or
conditions) which were
permanent
Used to describe
consecutive past actions,
one action after the
other
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A long, continuous
situation in past
happening at a specific
moment
or simultaneous actions
happening in past
Past habits or routines
Past actions changing at
a certain time
Was/were going to + verb
Example: The company was going to invest
more in market research.
(past continuous)
Did the company invest more? NO
 Was it an intention? YES
(but the intention never happened – the
company never invested)
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All past tenses used together =
narrative tenses
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Past Simple: When the manager arrived
the meeting started and he introduced the
new employees to the old staff.
Past continuous: When the manager
arrived the meeting was just starting.
Past Perfect: When the manager arrived
the meeting had just started.
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Past simple: for finished actions and for actions
happening one after the other. A sequence
of actions.
Past Continuous: An action in progress at a
specific time.
Past Perfect: When you are talking about the
past and you want to talk about something
earlier
When you arrived I called the manager.
First you arrived then I called (consecutive actions.
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When you arrived I was calling the manager.
One action interrupted the other.
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When you arrived I had called the manager.
One action happened before the other. (order
changes)
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