MODULE 1 Present Continuous

Present Simple Form: verb “to be” (am/is/are) + main verb + -ing

Spelling of the present participle

Form: the main verb (V/Vs)
 Most verbs take -ing after the base form of the main
verb.
Spelling (3rd person singular affirmative)
build – building, smell – smelling
 Most verbs take -s in the third person singular.
 Verbs ending in -e drop the -e and take -ing.
I talk – he talks
bake – baking, sunbathe - sunbathing
 Verbs ending in -ss, -sh, -ch, -x or -o take -es.
 Verbs ending in vowel + consonant which are
I miss – he misses, I fish – he fishes, I match – he
stressed on the last syllable double the consonant
matches, I mix – he mixes, I go – he goes
and take -ing.
 Verbs ending in consonant + y drop the -y and take
sit – sitting, stop – stopping
-ies.
BUT
I fry – he fries
discover – discovering
BUT
Verbs ending in vowel + y take -s.
Use
I pay – he pays
We use the present continuous for:
 actions happening now, at the moment of speaking.
Use
We are watching TV now.
We use the present simple for:
 actions happening around the time of speaking.
 daily routines.
We are painting the kitchen today.
We take a lunch break at 1:30 in the afternoon.
 fixed arrangements in the near future, especially
 repeated actions
when we know the time and the place.
She goes to the gym every Wednesday.
I’m going shopping with Tania this afternoon.
 habits.
 temporary situations.
He always takes the train to work.
She is living with her grandparents at the moment.
 reviews/sports commentaries/dramatic narrative.
 changing or developing situations.
Meryl Streep acts beautifully in this film.
She is getting thinner and thinner.
 timetables/programmes (future meaning).
 frequently repeated actions with always,
The play starts at 8:00.
constantly, continually expressing annoyance or
 in exclamatory sentences.
criticism.
Here comes Elaine!
She’s always complaining.
 permanent states.
He teaches Law at the university. NOTE: The following verbs do not usually have a
continuous form: have (= possess), like, love, hate,
Time expressions used with the present simple: every want, know, remember, forget, understand, think,
hour/day/week/month/summer/year, etc, every believe, cost, etc.
morning/evening, etc. I remember our holiday in Italy.

Adverbs of Frequency Time expressions used with the present continuous:

now, at the moment, at present, nowadays, these days,
Adverbs of frequency tell us how often something today, tomorrow, next month, etc.
happens.
always (100%), usually (75%), often (50%), sometimes Present Simple vs Present Continuous
(25%), never (0%)
 We use the present simple for permanent states.
Use
Richard speaks Polish.
Adverbs of frequency go before the main verb but after
BUT
the verb to be and after auxiliary verbs.
 We use the present continuous for temporary
She’s always late for everything.
situations.
They never go out on Mondays.
She’s washing her hair now.
He has never travelled abroad.
 We use the present simple for repeated actions.
 She wakes up at 6:00 every morning. NOTE: The verb enjoy can be used in continuous tenses
BUT to express a specific preference.
 We use the present continuous for actions Jack really enjoys reading crime novels. (general
happening around the time of speaking. preference)
He’s working really hard these days. BUT
He’s enjoying the party very much. (specific preference)
Stative Verbs
The verbs look (when we refer to somebody’s
appearance), feel (experience a particular emotion),
Stative verbs are verbs which describe a state rather
hurt and ache can be used in simple or continuous
than an action, and do not usually have a continuous
tenses with no difference in meaning.
form. These verbs are:
She looks very beautiful. = She is looking very beautiful.
 verbs of the senses (appear, feel, hear, look, see,
smell, sound, taste, etc).
It sounds fantastic. Present Perfect
 verbs of perception (believe, forget, know, realise,
remember, understand, etc). Form: present tense of “have” + past participle of the
I realise how difficult it is. main verb
 verbs which express feelings and emotions (desire,
detest, enjoy, hate, like, love, prefer, want, etc). We form the past participle of regular verbs by adding
Sarah enjoys cooking. -ed to the verb. complain – complained
 and some other verbs (be, belong, contain, cost, fit,
have include, keep, matter, need, owe, own, weigh, Use
wish, etc). We use the present perfect:
The dress costs £500.  for actions which started in the past and continue
up to the present.
Some of these verbs can be used in continuous tenses, He has worked as a salesman for two years. (= He
but with a difference in meaning. started working as a salesman two years ago and
he still works as a salesman.)
PRESENT SIMPLE PRESENT CONTINUOUS  to talk about a past action which has a visible result
I think she’s a lovely girl. I am thinking about in the present.
(= believe) moving to Canada. (= am Look at Tom. He’s sad because he has failed his
considering) exam.
He has a hamster. She is having a difficult  for actions which happened at an unstated time in
(= owns, possesses) time at work. the past. The action is more important than the
(= experiencing) time.
He is having lunch now. He has talked to Maria. (When? We don’t know; it’s
(= eating)
not important.)
He is having a bath..
 with “today”, “this morning/afternoon/week”, “so
(= taking)
far”, etc when these periods of time are not finished
You can see the volcano I’m seeing Lisa in the
from the hilltop. (= it is afternoon. at the time of speaking.
visible) (= am meeting) He has drunk two cups of coffee today. (It is still the
The chicken tastes salty. Paul is tasting the soup same day.)
(it is/has the flavor of) to see if it is warm  for recently completed actions.
enough, (= is testing) She has done the shopping. (The action is complete.
The perfume smells She is smelling the roses. The shopping is now done.)
flowery. (= has the aroma (= is sniffing)  for personal experiences/changes which have
of) happened.
She appears to be having Paul is appearing in a She has cut her hair short recently.
a great time. (= seems to) new theatre production.  to put emphasis on a number.
(= performing)
She has been to the gym seven times this week.
The trousers fit perfectly. Tim is fitting a new door
(= they are the right size) in the garage. (= is
Time expressions used with the present perfect: just,
attaching/installing)
already, yet, for, since, ever, never, etc.
Present Perfect Continuous
Form: present tense of “have” + been + main verb + -ing
Use
We use the present perfect continuous:
 to put emphasis on the duration of an action which
started in the past and continues up to the present.
He has been rearranging the living room since
Friday.
 for an action which started in the past and lasted for
some time. It may still be continuing, or have
finished, but it has left a visible result in the present.
She’s happy because she’s been listening to her
favourite CD for all day.
 to express anger, irritation or annoyance/criticism.
She has been using my computer without asking
me.
 for repeated actions in the past continuing to the
present.
He has put on weight because he’s been eating junk
food every day since last month.
Time expressions used with the present perfect
continuous: since, for, how long (to put emphasis on
duration).
Present Perfect vs Past Simple
We use the past simple for:
 an action that happened at a stated time in the past.
Liz watched a film yesterday. (When? Yesterday.
The time is mentioned.)
 an action which started and finished in the past.
Paul had an earache for a week. (He doesn’t have
an earache any more.)
We use the present perfect simple for:
 an action which happened at an unstated time in
the past.
Liz has watched a film. (We don’t know when.)
 an action which started in the past and is still
continuing in the present.
Paul has lived here for two years. (He still lives
here.)
Have gone to/Have been to/Have been in
 She has gone to work. (She’s on her way to work or
she’s there now. She hasn’t come back yet.)
 He has been to Berlin. (He has visited Berlin but he
isn’t there now. He has come back.)
 They have been in Athens for eight months. (They
are in Athens now.)
MODULE 2
-ing form
The -ing form is used:
 as a noun in the function of the subject.
Exercising is good for your health.
 after the verbs: admit, appreciate, avoid, consider,
continue, deny, fancy, go (for activities), imagine,
mind, miss, practise, prevent, quit, save, suggest.
You should avoid eating junk food.
 after the verbs love, like, enjoy, prefer, dislike, hate
to express general preference.
Brian prefers living alone.
I would like to eat Chinese food tonight.
 after expressions such as: be busy, it’s no use, it’s
no good, it’s (not) worth, what’s the use of, can’t
help, there’s no point (in), can’t stand, have
difficulty (in), have trouble, etc.
I have difficulty (in) understanding what he says.
 after the verbs spend, waste, lose (time, money,
etc).
He spends an hour playing the guitar every day.
 after the preposition to with verbs and expression
such as: look forward to, be used to, in addiction
to, object to, prefer (doing sth to sth else).
She prefers walking to driving to work.
 after other prepositions.
I was thinking of calling John.
He apologized for being late.
 after the verbs hear, listen to, notice, see, watch
and feel to describe an incomplete action.
I saw Paul waiting for the bus. (I only saw part of
the action.)
BUT
We use the infinitive without to with hear, listen to,
notice, see, watch and feel to describe a completed
action.
I didn’t see Paul to get on the bus. (The action was
completed.)
Note: be/get used to + -ing form
I’m used to working very hard. BUT I used to work very
hard. (I don’t any more.)
Infinitive
The to-infinitive is used:
 to express purpose.
She went to the supermarket to buy some cheese.
 after certain verbs that refer to the future (agree,
appear, decide, expect, hope, plan, promise,
refuse, want, etc).
I expect him to be here.
 I want you to come. dare talk to me like that. Dare expressing a
 after would like, would prefer, would love, etc challenge is used with a to-infinitive.
to express a specific preference. I dare you to dive into the sea from the cliff.
I would love to come to your party.
 after adjectives which describe
feelings/emotions (happy, glad, sad, etc),
express willingness/unwillingness (eager,
reluctant, willing, etc) or refer to a person's
character, and the adjectives lucky and
fortunate (clever, kind, etc).
I was sad to hear you were not feeling well.
NOTE: With adjectives that refer to character,
we can also use an impersonal construction.
It was kind of you to lend me your laptop.
 after too/enough. She's old enough to watch
the film.
 with it + be + adjective/noun.
It was moving to see him again after so many
years.
 after be + first/second/next/last etc.
She was the first person to call me on my
birthday.
 after verbs and expressions such as ask,
decide, explain, find out, learn, want, want to
know, etc when they are followed by a
question word.
She asked me when to get the tickets.
 in the expressions to tell you the truth, to be
honest, to sum up, to begin with, etc.
To sum up, the government needs to take
measures to deal with unemployment more
effectively.
Note: If two to-infinitives are linked by and/or,
the to of the second infinitive is omitted.
I would love to go to Paris and see the
museums.
 after certain nouns.
It's my honour to take part in this festival.
 with so + adjective + as.
Would you be so kind as to help me with the
door?
 with “only” expressing an unsatisfactory result.
She drove all the way to the mall only to find it
was closed.
 in the expressions for + noun/pronoun + to -
inf.
It was very unusual for John to speak so rudely.

Note: Dare expressing having the courage to

do something is used with an infinitive with or
without to. I don't dare (to) tell him the truth.
Dare expressing a threat, a warning or anger,
is used with an infinitive without to. Don't you