Present tenses - examples and exercises -

The present simple is used

A - To express what happens habitually or regularly:

    • I go to Italy every summer.

B - To describe facts that are always or usually true:

    • That road leads to Oxford.

C - To describe natural and scientific laws.

D - With verbs that do not normally take the continuous form, such as: dislike, appear, belong, understand.

E - In the if clause of the first conditional,

F - With if and when for parallel facts and conditions:

   • When you turn the key, the engine starts.

G - for explanations and instructions.

H to describe the sequence of events in a film, play or book,

I - For headlines in a newspaper.

The present continuous is used to refer to

A - What is happening now. Key words: at the moment, at present, now, currently, today, this week.

B - To describe a repeated action, sometimes with annoyance:

    • She is always criticising other people!

C - To talk about a temporary habit:

    • He is smoking a lot these days.

D - To give a running commentary on an event:

    • Look, the door's opening...

The present perfect is used to refer to

A - Actions in a period of time, which is not yet finished.

Key words: already, yet, so far, up to now, for (a period of time), since (a fixed point in time), ever, before,

B - Actions in the recent past where the time is not known or not important. Key words: just, recently, lately,

C -actions in the recent past with an effect on the present,

D - Habitual actions, which started in the past and are still going on.

E - states which began in the past and are continuing.

It is also used

F - With verbs that do not normally take the continuous form (see above).

It does not make sense to use the present perfect with an adverb of finished time, such as yesterday, last week, in 1924.

The present perfect continuous is used to stress that

A - A present perfect action is continuing,

B - The action is very recent,

C - The action has a result in the present.

It is not used with clearly defined, completed or quantified activities:

   • I have written ten letters so far this morning.

Compare: I have been writing letters all morning.

Exercise: 

 Decide whether to use the present simple or the present continuous in these sentences:

1 You (look) very worried. What you (think) about?

2 Listen, he (climb) the stairs! What he (do) now? He (ring) the bell!

3 Thank goodness Barbara (take) more exercise these days! She (seem) much fitter, you (not think)?

4 When water (boil), it (give off) steam.

5 Alex never (break) a promise or (let down) a friend.

6 The house (stand) on its own, on a hill that (overlook) the park.

7 I (know) her husband (look for) a new job at the moment, but I (not suppose) he will find one quickly.

8 When you (heat) the pan, the fat (begin) to sizzle.

9 The Foreign Ministers of several EU countries currently (meet) in

Luxembourg, where they (attempt) to negotiate a solution.

10 He always (spill) coffee on his shirt! It (make) me furious!

11 At weekends she frequently (drive) up to her mother’s in Liverpool, and (spend) an evening with her sister on the way back.

12 I’m a bit worried about Greg. He (work) too hard in his present job. He really (need) a holiday.

By EFA