Иностранный язык (Росдистант) 1 курс Практическое задание

Part A. Grammar focus

Present Simple and Present Continuous

Present Simple is used:

Present Continuous is used:

1.               for permanent situations.

She works in an office.

1.               for temporary situations.

He's staying with some friends at the moment.

2.               for repeated actions in the present, especially with adverbs of frequency.

He often buys her flowers.

2.               for actions happening at or around the time of speaking.

He's looking for a new job at the moment.

3.               for facts which are permanently true.

The sun sets in the west.

3.               with always to express annoyance or criticism.

He's always telling lies!

4.               for timetables or programmes.

The lesson starts at 10 o'clock.

4.               for fixed arrangements in the near future. I'm flying to London tomorrow. (It's all arranged. I've already bought the tickets. The time of the action is always stated or understood.)

Time expressions used with

Present Simple:

Time expressions used with

Present Continuous:

usually, always, never, often, sometimes, every day/week/month/year etc.

now, at the moment, at present, always, tonight etc.

Adverbs of frequency (often, always, usually, sometimes etc.) are placed before main verbs but after auxiliary / modal verbs (be, nave, can, will, must, shall etc.).

He often goes to the theatre.  

He is never late.

Some verbs appear rarely in continuous tenses. They express a permanent state: appear (=seem), be, believe, belong, cost, feel, forget, hate, have (=possess), know, like, love, mean, prefer, realize, remember, see, smell, seem, sound, suppose, taste, think, understand, want etc.

I understand (NOT am understanding)it now.

Exercise 1. Choose a verb from the list and complete the text and put the verbs into Present Continuous.

read, sleep, eat, sail, cry, drink, run, sing, play, fish, sit

Laura 1) is sitting under a sunshade. Two boys 2) _______ round a sandcastle while their father 3) _______ a newspaper. Tom 4) _______ Coke. Two girls 5) _______ ice-cream while their mother 6) _______ along with the radio. Some boys 7) _______ football near a man who 8) _______. Jim 9) _______ On his right a baby 10) _______ Some people 11) _______ past the beach.