Page 206 - Basic English Usage

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Present progressive and simple present
We do not use the present progressive to talk about ‘general time’. For
this, we use the simple present. (See 261.) Compare:
My sister’s living at home for the moment. (around now)
You live in North London, don't you? (general time)
Why is that girl standing on the table?
Chetford Castle stands on a hill outside the town.
The leaves are going brown.
| go to the mountains about twice a year.

We often use the present progressive to talk about the future. (For
details, see 135.)
What are you doing tomorrow evening?

Some verbs are not used in progressive forms. (See 225.)
| like this wine. (NOT tating .. .)
Verbs that refer to physical feelings (for example fee/, hurt, ache) can be
used in the simple present or present progressive without much
difference of meaning.
How do you feel? OR How are you feeling?
My head aches. OR My head is aching.

For the use of always with progressive forms (for example She’s always
losing her keys), see 263. :

263 progressive tenses with always

We can use always with a progressive tense to mean ‘very often’.
I’m always losing my keys.
Granny’s nice. She’s always giving people things and doing things
for people.
I’m always running into ( = ‘accidentally meeting’) Pau! these days.
We use this structure to talk about things which happen very often
(perhaps more often than expected), but which are not planned.
Compare:
When Alice comes to see me, | always meet her at the station. (a
regular, planned arrangement)
I’m always meeting Mrs Bailiff in the supermarket. (accidental,
unplanned meetings)
When | was a child, we always had picnics on Saturdays in the
summer. (regular, planned)
Her mother was always arranging little surprise picnics and outings.
(unexpected, not regular)