GENERAL facts, HABITS, STATES, where people LIVE.REGULAR activities, how things HAPPEN.
WE USE THE PRESENT SIMPLE TENSE TO TALK ABOUT:
- The river Amazon flows into the Atlantic.
- Ice melts in a warm climate.
- Teachers teach.
- The earth rotates 360º every day.
HABITS
- My brother smokes 25 cigarettes a day.
- She gets up at 7 every morning.
- My sister smokes.
- She never drinks coffee in the evenings.
- Bob watches TV regularly.
GRAMMAR IN ACTION
1. WE USE THE PRESENT SIMPLE TO TALK ABOUT WHERE PEOPLE LIVE, STUDY AND WORK
My husband Jack and I live in Leeds, but we work in Bradford.
2. WE USH THE PRESENT SIMPLE FOR THINGS WE DO EVERY DAY, OR MOST DAYS:
Do you watch the news on TV?No, I don't usually get home in time, but I often listen to the news on the radio before I go to bed.
WE OFTEN USE FREQUENCY ADVERBS: OFTEN, USUALLY, ALWAYS, SOMETIMES, NEVER, ETC.
3. WE USE THE PRESENT SIMPLE TO EXPLAIN HOW WE DO THINGS OR HOW THINGS HAPPEN IN BUSINESS, POLITICS, SCIENCE, ETC:
How do I make an omelette? Well, I break two eggs into a bowl and I add a little salt...Water freezes at 0°C and boils at 100°C.
4. HERE COMES...
Here comes your husband. (not: Here is coming...)There goes our bus. We'll have to wait for the next one.
5. PROMISE, AGREE, DENY, etc:
I promise never to smoke again.I swear that I'll tell the truth.
6. FORMAL CORRESPONDENCE:
We write to inform you... (less formal: We are writing...)We enclose our check...(less formal: We're enclosing our...)
I look forward to hearing from you... (less formal: I'm looking forward...)
7. INSTRUCTIONS:
How do I get to the station? - You go straight on to the traffic lights, then...8. STORIES:
In act I, Hamlet meets the ghost of his father.9. TEMPORARY SITUATIONS: NON-PROGRESSIVE VERBS
I like this wine very much.I believe you.
10. TALKING ABOUT THE FUTURE: for schedule (timetables)
The train arrives at 7.30.The film starts at 9 this evening.
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| photo by Nina Paley |
