Table 3

Present Continuous

Unit 3 The difference between the Present Simple and the

1 The Present Simple is preferred to the Present Continuous when the action itself attracts the attention of the speaker and the idea of progress is unimportant at the moment.

You’ve always treated me badly and now you insult me.

You leave me no choice.

I repeat she has been rude again.

2 The Present Simple is preferred to the Present Continuous when the speaker doesn’t concentrate on the progress of the action but rather on the circumstances attending that action.

You speak so slowly. – The manner of the action

Why do you look at me like that? – The cause of the action

3 The Present Simple is used instead of the Present Continuous to denote actions and states happening at the moment of speaking with stative verbs. Stative (or state) verbs refer to states. So they have no beginning and no end. They can’t be used in the continuous aspect.

There are several groups of stative verbs:

1 verbs denoting physical perception: to hear, to notice, to see, to sound, to smell, to taste

2 verbs denoting emotions: to adore, to care for, to detest, to dislike, to hate, to like, to love, to respect

3 verbs denoting wish: to desire, to want, to wish

4 verbs denoting mental processes: to admire (= to be of high opinion), to appreciate, to assume, to believe (= to consider), to consider (= to regard), to doubt, to expect (= to suppose), to feel (= to consider), to forget, to imagine, to know, to mind (= to object), to perceive, to presume, to realize, to recall, to recognize, to recollect, to regard, to remember, to suppose, to think (= to consider), to trust, to understand

5 relational verbs: to apply, to be, to belong, to concern, to consist, to contain, to depend, to deserve, to differ, to equal, to exist, to fit, to have, to hold (= to contain), to include, to involve, to lack, to matter, to measure, to need, to owe, to own, to possess, to remain, to require, to resemble, to result, to signify, to suffice, to weigh

6 some other verbs: to agree, to allow, to appear (= to seem), to astonish, to claim, to consent, to displease, to envy, to fail to do, to feel, to find, to forbid, to forgive, to intend, to interest, to keep doing, to look, to look like, to manage to do, to mean, to object, to please, to prefer, to prevent, to promise, to puzzle, to refuse, to remind, to satisfy, to seem, to succeed, to suit, to surprise, to tend, to value.

Compare progressive and non-progressive uses of some of the verbs listed above

	state	action
Indefinite	Continuous
1 be	He is noisy. (general characteristic)	He is being noisy. (behaves or pretends on purpose)
2 have	We have a car. (possession)	We are having dinner. (no meaning of possession)
3 feel	I feel you’re wrong. (consider, think) The cloth feels soft. (link verb)	The doctor is feeling my pulse. (touch) I was feeling for the keyhole in the dark. (try to find smth by touching)
BUT!I feel better. Or I am feeling better. (both are possible)
4 depend	It depends on the weather. (to be dependent on smth)	I am depending on you. (rely)
5 see	I see what you mean. (understand) I see a bird in that tree. (sense perception)	I am seeing him tomorrow. (meet by appointment) We are seeing about a work permit. (try to arrange) I am seeing them to the bus. (escort) She is seeing him off.
6 hear	I’m listening but I don’t hear anything. (sense perception)	The court is hearing evidence today. I am hearing all about it these days. (receive news) I am hearing from him less and less. (receive letters, phone calls)
7 smell	The meat smells awful.	Why are you smelling the meat?
8 sound	The music sounds loud.	The driver is sounding the horn.
9taste	The tea tastes bitter.	Why are you tasting the cake?
10 weigh	The bag weighs five kilos.	We are weighing the bag.
11 measure	The street measures 12 km.	We are measuring the street.
12 look	This place looks strange.	I am looking for my key. Why are you looking at me? Who is looking after him? Etc.
BUT!You look nice. Or You are looking nice.
13 think	I think he is right. (opinion)	I am thinking about the holidays. (the process of thinking)
14 consider	We consider him our friend. (believe)	We are considering your application. (study)
15 fit	The coat fits. (to be the right size)	I am fitting the lock to the window.
16 come	I come from Sweden. (live or was born)	I am coming from Sweden. (travel)
17 appear	She appears very nervous. (seem)	She is appearing in the film next month. (come before the public)
18 hold	How many people does this room hold?(contain)	I am holding my arm straight.
19 exist	These birds don’t exist anymore. (be)	People are existing here only on what they can find. (keep themselves alive)
20 compare	My roses don’t compare with yours. (be as good as)	The author is comparing the information.
21 mind	Does anyone mind opening the door? (object)	Everyone is minding their own business. (look after)
22 expect	I expect that he will come. (think)	I am expecting my friend. (wait)

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