GRAMMAR

Present SimplePresent Continuous

Present Simple

• I work don’t work do you work?• You work• We work• They 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?

Grammarpresent simple/continuous

Are the sentences correct? Yes or No?

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?Permanent situations

To talk about certain/definite future plans

To give intructions

To criticise irritating/annoying actions

Actions happening now

Future programmes, schedules and timetables

Temporary present actions

Routines, habits

General truths and facts

Present simple / ContinuousPermanent situations

To talk about certain/definite future plans

To give intructions

To criticise irritating/annoying actions

Actions happening now

Future programmes, schedules and timetables

Temporary present actions

Routines, habits

General truths and facts

Present simple / Continuous Permanent situations:I live in Siena

To give intructions:First you turn left and then you go straignt on …

Routines, habits:

I always check my emails first and then I start studying

• Future programmes, schedules and timetables

The meeting starts at 9am and ends at 6pm tomorrow. The train arrives at 5 o’clock

General truths and facts:

Water boils at 100 degrees.

Actions happening now:

I am having an english lesson

To talk about certain/definite future plans.

She is arriving at 4pm and then will be getting the 5 O’clock train.

To criticise irritating/annoying actions.

She is always using her phone during the lessons

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

AlwaysOftenSometimes/ OccasionallyUsuallyHardly everRarely/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 verbsEg:Entrepreneurs often take risks in business

BUT

After the verb to beEg:This company is always successful

Which sentence is correct?

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 formsAre 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 4pmI’m hating the rain. When will it stop?

Simple and continuous formsAre 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 4pmI 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?

Completed past actionstemporary past actionsPast situations (states or

conditions) which were permanent

Used to describe consecutive past actions, one action after the other

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?

Completed past actionstemporary past actionsPast situations (states or

conditions) which were permanent

Used to describe consecutive past actions, one action after the other

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? NOWas it an intention? YES(but the intention never happened – the

company never invested)

All past tenses used together =narrative tenses

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.

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.

When you arrived I was calling the manager.One action interrupted the other.

When you arrived I had called the manager.One action happened before the other. (order

changes)