English Grammar Lesson: English Grammar: Use the present simple or present continuous tense?

អានជាភាសាខ្មែរ

For most beginners of English may not know when the present simple or continuous is used,especially in the test.
In order to differentiate between the two, you must know the use of the present simple and present continuous tenses. You must be aware of the time expressions which are commonly used in the present simple and continuous tenses as well in that they are key to help you decide what tense to use.

Compare:

The present continuous

The present simple

an ongoing action

1. My son is living with his sister in Madrid now.

2. Dave is watching TV at the moment

Current trends

1. Many students are going on the net for their study purposes these days.

A personal future plan

1. I am catching the train at 2.

2. Daneth’s mother is meeting her doctor tomorrow.

With action verbs

1. Jame and I are writing a report.

2. The teacher is explaining the lesson

a habitual action

1. My son often stays with his sister when he is free.

2. Dave watches TV every evening.

General truth

1. The internet provides a great deal of information for study purposes.

Future actions based on the timetable

1. The train leaves at 2.

2. My class starts at 5 p.m.

With state verbs

1. I hate it when you say that.

2. She likes it that you did well in your test.

The words in blue type give us an idea about what tense to use.

Sometimes the difference depends on what we want to emphasize :

I normally study English at 7 = I start studying English at that time.
I am normally studying English at 7 = I am already studying English at 7.

Let see what tense to use in these sentences.

1. Dave often visits/ is visiting his grandmother in the evening after work. But this week he is busy so he can't come. He travels/ is travelling to Siem Reap province on a mission.

Answer:
The adverb of frequency "often" is used in the first sentence. It tells us that this action is a routine, so the present simple is used.In the next sentence, the time expression "this week"tells us that the action is temporary, so the present continuous is used.

អានជាភាសាខ្មែរ

Thank for reading!