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The Present Tense
Every tense in the English
language has two forms:
the
simple form
and
the progressive form.
Choosing the wrong one can send the wrong message.
This is especially true for the present tense.
1
THE SIMPLE FORM
STRUCTURE
I
work.
You work.
We work.
They work.
He works.
She works.
It works. |
I
do not work.
You do not work.
We do not work.
They do not work.
He does not work.
She does not work.
It does not work. |
Do
I work?
Do you work?
Do we work?
Do they work?
Does he work?
Does she work?
Does it work? |
Yes,
I do.
Yes, you do.
Yes, we do.
Yes, they do.
Yes, he does.
Yes, she does.
Yes, it does. |
No,
I don't.
No, you don't.
No, we don't.
No, they don't.
No, he doesn't.
No, she doesn't.
No, it doesn't. |
1.1
REPEATED EVENTS
Some events happen over
and over.
They can be regular events, like taking a shower, eating lunch, driving to work, taking a
vacation, and so on.
Or they can be irregular events, like rain, headaches, great ideas, eating Chinese food,
and so on.
For ALL REPEATED EVENTS, we use the simple form of the present tense .
For events that are NOT repeated, we use
different verb tenses!
The sentences below
are written in the simple form of the present tense and communicate the idea of a REPEATED
EVENT.
I
GET UP
at six o'clock.
We
DRIVE to
work together.
She WORKS as a volunteer at
the clinic one Sunday per month.
They
DRIVE to the beach
whenever they feel like it.
You
PRONOUNCE
my name very well.
On the red time
line below, a number of repeated events are represented by blue
rectangles.
Notice that they take place
both in the past and in the future but not at the present
moment.
We
HOLD a sales meeting on
Monday mornings.
He
CALLS New York about three
times a week.
We
EAT dinner every night
at seven o'clock.
They
REVIEW their strategy
monthly.
I
GET a headache when I
eat shrimp.
1.1.1 TIME SIGNALS for REPEATED EVENTS
Words and phrases that tell us when an
event takes place are called time signals.
Time signals for the simple present tense
identify more than just one event.
Remember that the simple present tense is used
for repeated events.
So instead of
identifying one day (for example, "next Monday"), they identify a
number of days (for example, "Mondays", which means "all
Mondays").
Here are some
time signals
for the simple present tense.
EVERY ...
every day
every
morning
every afternoon
every evening
every
night
every other week
every third month
every fourth
year
DAYS AND DATES
on Mondays
on the
first of every month
on
holidays
PARTS OF DAYS
(in the) mornings
(in the) afternoons
(in the) evenings
(at) nights
AT CERTAIN TIMES
when I get home
when I have a problem
whenever my brother visits me
before I go to bed
before the market opens
after I get up
after the market
closes
HOW FREQUENTLY
twice a month
three
times a week
monthly
annually
1.1.2 FREQUENCY
ADVERBS
The words below
tell us how often something happens. They are similar to time signals and are called frequency adverbs. Their meanings are
relative. For example, you might say it OFTEN rains in New York
but someone else may say it SOMETIMES rains in New York.
|
always
usually = generally = normally
often = frequently
sometimes = occasionally
seldom = rarely
never
ever
|
(100% of
the time)
|
|
|
|
(0% of the
time)
(only with
questions or negative sentences )
|
What is
the pattern below?
I
am
always
at work by
nine.
We
are
never too old to
learn.
I
always
arrive in the office
before nine.
It
usually
snows in winter
where I live.
I
generally
call when I will
be late.
I
often
fly to London to
check on our project.
I
sometimes
buy Scotch
whiskey at the duty-free shop.
I
seldom
stay at a
Hilton.
Frequency adverbs generally appear
AFTER the verb "to be" but BEFORE all other
verbs.
In
addition:
If there is
an auxiliary verb (can, must, should,
will, have, ... ), the frequency adverb comes after
it.
If there
are two auxiliary verbs (would have,
should have, ... ), the frequency adverb comes after the
first. |
1.2 GENERAL TRUTHS & SCIENTIFIC LAWS
We also speak (and write) in the simple form
of the present tense about events that ALWAYS happen (scientific
laws, for example) and about conditions or situations that are
GENERALLY TRUE.
General truths and
scientific laws include events that happen so often and so
naturally that we don't even talk about their frequency (laws of
nature, animal behavior, and so on).
General truths include abilities, talents,
characteristics, relationships facts that are always the
case.
On the time line
below, the extended blue area (from the distant past to the
distant future) represents general truths and scientific laws.
Some examples are given below the time line.
George WORKS
in our department.
I
LIVE in
Munich.
She
SPEAKS English very
well.
Some animals
EAT their
young.
We
MANUFACTURE high technology
electronic goods.
Microsoft
DOMINATES its
market.
He
PLAYS the piano and the
guitar.
Warm air
RISES.
The sun
RISES in the east and
SETS in the
west.
1.2.1 TIME
SIGNALS for GENERAL TRUTHS & SCIENTIFIC
LAWS
General truths and scientific laws ARE ALWAYS
TRUE or HAPPEN AT ALL TIMES.
Therefore, time signals are unnecessary.
(See the examples above.)
2 THE PROGRESSIVE
FORM
STRUCTURE
I am working.
You
are working.
We are working.
They are working.
He is
working.
She is working.
It is working. |
I am not working.
You are not working.
We are not working.
They are not working.
He is not
working.
She is not working.
It is not working. |
Am I working?
Are
you working?
Are we working?
Are they working?
Is he
working?
Is she working?
Is it working? |
Yes, I am.
Yes,
you are.
Yes, we are.
Yes, they are.
Yes, he is.
Yes, she is.
Yes,
it is. |
No, I'm not.
No,
you're not.
No, we're not.
No, they're not.
No, he's not.
No, she's not.
No, it's not. |
2.1 EVENTS
THAT ARE HAPPENING AS WE SPEAK
Many things are taking place at this
very moment in time. When we talk about something that is
happening as we speak, we should use the progressive form of the
present tense.
In each example
below, the activity is in progress as we speak. We do not know
from the information that is given exactly when the activities
started or when they will end. But we do know that they are
happening NOW.
I AM THINKING about lunch.
They ARE SPEAKING a language that is
unrecognizable to me.
We
ARE EXPERIENCING some
technical difficulty.
We
ARE LOSING market
share!
The sun
IS SHINING.
Traffic
IS MOVING slowly.
On the time line below, the present
moment is magnified to show that an event is taking place.
Although the event began in the past and will
continue into the future, we are ONLY talking about the event in
terms of this present moment.
2.1.1 TIME SIGNALS for EVENTS THAT ARE HAPPENING AS WE
SPEAK
All time signals
for the progressive present tense identify just one thing:
THE PRESENT MOMENT.
There are many words
and phrases which do this.
now
currently
at present
at this
moment
at the moment
at this time
at this
point in time
at this point
as we speak
today
Always remember that the progressive form of
the present tense automatically tells us that the event is
happening NOW.
So these time signals are
helpful but not really necessary.
2.2.
FACTS THAT ARE TEMPORARILY TRUE
Remember that we said earlier that facts which
are always true should be expressed in the simple form of the
present tense.
But some facts are only
true for a shorter time.
They are
temporary situations.
If we look at the present moment on a bigger
scale where the present is larger than just this one moment
in time then we can say that something "is happening now"
even if it isn't happening at this precise moment.
Therefore, we can (and should) use the
progressive form of the present tense.
Some examples are listed
below.
|
I am reading an interesting spy novel.
My wife and I are taking dancing lessons.
I
am working on a different
team.
We are living in a hotel until we can move back
into our flood-damaged house.
|
(Not as I speak,
but now in my life.) (Not as I speak, but
now in our lives.)
(Not as I speak, but
now in my life.)
(Not as I speak, but
now in our lives.) |
On the time line below,
the present moment is expanded to show that several events are
taking place over a limited time (the expanded "now").
The
number of events is limited because the time period is limited.
(Eventually I will finish reading the
book, my wife and I will finally learn how to dance, the project
will end, and our house will be ready to move back into.)
We are talking about temporary situations.
2.2.1 TIME SIGNALS
for FACTS THAT ARE TEMPORARILY TRUE
In order to communicate even more
clearly the idea that the situation is temporary, you can add time
phrases like the ones below.
I
AM READING
an
interesting spy novel
at this time.
My wife and I
ARE
currently
TAKING dancing
lessons.
I
AM
temporarily
WORKING
on a different
team.
We
ARE LIVING
in a hotel for
now.
We
ARE LIVING in a hotel
for the
moment.
We
ARE
LIVING
in
a hotel for
the time being.
However, these phrases are optional
because they do not add meaning. The progressive form of the
present tense already communicates the meaning of temporary
situations.
2.3 EVENTS THAT HAPPEN REPEATEDLY AND
YOU DON' T LIKE IT!
Remember that if
something happens repeatedly, we use the simple form of the present
tense.
But here is a special case:
If something happens repeatedly AND YOU DO NOT
LIKE IT (it bothers you; it makes you angry or frustrated), you can
communicate this fact by using the progressive form of the present
tense with the word always.
She
IS always
FORGETTING
my
name!
You ARE always
SAYING that!
We
ARE
always
LOSING good people!
Here are some other words that can be
used in the same way.
They
ARE
constantly
MAKING too much noise!
It
IS
forever
RAINING on the weekends!
I
AM
continually
LOSING my keys!
You ARE
perpetually LEAVING
the cap off the tooth paste
tube!
2.4 VERBS
WITHOUT PROGRESSIVE FORMS
Some verbs can only be used in the
simple form.
There is no logical reason for this fact. It is
just the way English speakers speak.
For
example, NEVER SAY, "I am believing you" or "I am knowing the
answer" or "I am meaning what I say".
These
sound terrible. (Notice that I did NOT say : "These are
sounding terrible.")
To help you to
remember them, we have arranged them in the following categories:
|
verbs of
mental states: |
I BELIEVE
you.
I KNOW
the answer.
I MEAN what I say.
I THINK
you are right.
I UNDERSTAND everything.
I APPRECIATE
your help. |
|
verbs of
emotional states: |
I CARE
about the children.
I
FEAR
lightning.
I HATE
liver.
I LIKE
sunshine.
I LOVE
ice cream.
I WANT
a new computer.
I PREFER
to work at home.
I
NEED
help. |
|
verbs of
states of
being: |
It IS
beautiful.
It CONSISTS of 50 states.
It CONTAINS
water.
It COSTS
ten dollars.
It EXISTS in space.
It SEEMS
harmless.
It WEIGHS one ton.
|
|
verbs of
possession: |
I HAVE a car.
I POSSESS
a car.
I OWN a
car. |
|
verbs of
the
senses: |
They LOOK
good.
They
SOUND
good.
They
FEEL
good.
They
TASTE
good.
They
SMELL
good. |
Verbs of the senses and the
verb to be also have other meanings that allow them to be
used in the progressive form.
For example:
|
I'm THINKING about them. |
= |
I am
considering them. = I
am actively
using my brain. |
|
Little Joey is BEING bad. |
= |
Joey is
behaving badly. = Joey is
doing bad things. |
|
I am HAVING difficulty. |
= |
I am
experiencing
difficulty. |
|
I am HAVING
breakfast. |
= |
I am
eating breakfast. |
|
We are HAVING
a meeting. |
= |
We are
conducting a
meeting. |
|
I am LOOKING
at the sunset. |
= |
I am
watching the sunset. |
|
He is FEELING
the pressure. |
= |
He is
experiencing the
pressure. |
|
She is FEELING the avocados.
|
= |
She is
touching the avocados.
= She is putting her hands
on them. |
|
She is TASTING the soup. |
= |
She is
putting the soup in her
mouth. |
|
He is SMELLING the flowers.
|
= |
He is
breathing in the
fragrance of the flowers. |
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