Page 13 - Advanced English Grammar in Use

b i n i p i u [i u u ; d i i u p i e s t M i L U U I I L I I I U U U S
( I a m d o i n g ) ( 2 )

We often prefer to use the present simple rather than the present continuous with verbs describing
states:
• I really enjoy travelling.
• The group currently consists of five people, but we hope to get more members soon.
Г Other common state verbs include agree, assume, believe, belong to, contain, cost, disagree, feel,
hate, have, hope, know, like, look, love, own, prefer, realise, regret, resemble, smell, taste.
However, we can use the present continuous with some state verbs when we want to emphasise
that a situation is temporary, for a period of time around the present. Compare:
• I consider him to be extremely fortunate. (This is my view) and
• I'm considering taking early retirement. (This is something I'm thinking about now)
• The children love having Jean stay with us. (They love it when Jean stays) and
• The children are loving having Jean stay with us. (Jean is staying with us now)
With some verbs used to describe a temporary state (e.g. ache, feel, hurt, look (= seem)), there is
little difference in meaning when we use the present simple and present continuous:
• What's the matter with Bill? He looks / is looking awful.

When have has a non-state meaning - for example when it means 'eat', 'undergo', 'take' or
'hold' - we can use the present continuous:
• 'What's that terrible noise?' 'The neighbours are having a party.'
eWe use the present continuous when we talk about changes, developments, and trends:
• • The growing number of visitors is damaging the footpaths.
• I'm beginning to realise how difficult it is to be a teacher.
When we tell a story or joke we often describe the main events using the present (or past) simple
and longer, background events using the present (or past) continuous:
• She goes (or went) up to this man and looks (or looked) straight into his eyes. She's carrying
(or was carrying) a bag full of shopping...
We can also use the present simple and present continuous like this in
commentaries (for example, on sports events) and in giving instructions:
• King serves to the left hand court and Adams makes a wonderful
return. She's playing magnificent tennis in this match...
• You hold the can in one hand. Right, you're holding it in one hand;
now you take off the lid with the other.

When we want to emphasise that something is done repeatedly, we can use the present continuous
with words like always, constantly, continually, or forever. Often we do this when we want to
show that we are unhappy about it, including our own behaviour:
• They're constantly having parties until the early hours of the morning.
We use the past continuous (see Unit 6) in the same way:
• He was forever including me in his crazy schemes.

The present simple is used to report what we have heard or what we have read:
• This newspaper article explains why unemployment has been rising so quickly.
We also use the present simple in spoken English in phrases such as I gather, I hear, I see, and I
understand to introduce news that we have heard, read or seen (e.g. on television):
• I gather you're worried about the new job?
• The Prince is coming to visit, and I hear he's very rich.
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Present simple and present continuous (1) =Ф Д | Present continuous for the future =
Present simple for the future => BlffiXFl Present simple in reporting => IH'IHtH