Basic contrast: present simple and present continuous
The present simple generally refers to:
- Facts that are always true: Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.
- Habits: British people drink a lot of tea.
- States: I don't like gangsters films.
The present continuos (progressive) generally refers to actions which are in progress at the moment.
- These can be temporary: I'm staying in a hotel until I find a flat.
- They can be actually in progress: The dog is sleeping on our bed!
- They can be generally in progress but not actually happening at the moment: I'm learning to drive.
State verbs and event (action or dynamic) verbs.
State verbs describe a continuing state, so they do not usually have a continuous form. Typical examples are: believe, belong, consist, contain, doubt, fit, have, know, like, love, matter, mean, need, own, prefer, seem, suppose, suspect, understand, want, wish.
Some verbs have a stative meaning and a different active meaning. Typical examples are: be, depend, feel, have, measure, see, taste, think, weigh
Compare these uses:
State Event
Jack is noisy Jill's being noisy
Deirdre has a Porsche We're having an interesting conversation!
I think I like you! David's thinking about getting a new job
This fish tastes awful! I'm just tasting the soup
I feel that you are wrong I'm feeling terrible
This bag weighs a ton! We're weighing the baby
It depends what you mean. Bill, I'm depending on you to win this contract for us
The differences here apply to all tense form, not just to present tense forms.
Other uses of the present continuous
- Temporary situations: Are you enjoying your stay here?
- Repeated actions: My car has broken down, so I am walking to work these days.
- Complaints about annoying habits: You are always making sarcastic remarks about my cooking!
Other possible adverbs are: constantly, continually, forever.
- With verbs describing change and development: The weather is getting worse!
More and more people are giving up smoking.
Other uses of the present simple
- Making declarations. Verbs describing opinions and feelings tend to be state verbs.
I hope you'll come to my party
I bet you don't know the answer!
- Headlines. These are written in a 'telegram' style, and references to the past are usually simplified to the present simple.
Ship sinks in midnight collision
- Instructions and itineraries. Instructions and recipes can be written in the present simple instead of in imperative forms. This style is more personal: First you roll out the pastry.
Itineraries are descriptions of travel arrangements: On day three we visit Stratford-upon-Avon.
- Summaries of events. Plots of stories, films, etc, and summaries of historical events use present (and present perfect) verb forms.
May 1945: The war in Europe comes to an end.
... At the end of the play both families realize that their hatred caused the deaths of the lovers...
- 'Historic present' in narrative and funny stories. In informal speech, it is possible to use what we call the 'historic present' to describe past events, especially to make the narration seem more immediate and dramatic.
... So then the second man asks the first one why he has a banana in his ear and the first one says...
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