SIMPLE PRESENT vs PRESENT CONTINUOUS – UNIT 1
OLD ARTHUR
Everyone knows him as Old Arthur. He lives in a little hut in the middle of a small wood, about a mile from the village. He visits the village store twice a week to buy food and paraffin, and occasionally he collects letters and his pension from the post office. A few weeks ago, a reporter from the local newspaper interviewed him. This is what he said?
I get up every morning with the birds. There is a stream near my hut and I fetch water from there. It´s good, clear, fresh water, better than you get in the city. Occasionally, in the winter, I have to break the ice. I cook simple food on my old paraffin stove; mostly stews and things like that. Sometimes I go to the pub and have a drink, but I don´t see many people. I don´t feel lonely. I know this wood very well, you see. I know all the little birds and animals that live here and they know me. I don´t have much money, but I don´t need much. I think I´m a lucky man.
A – Oral questions
- Where does Old Arthur live?
- Who interviewed him recently?
- How far is it from the village?
- How often does Arthur go into the village?
- What does he buy from the village store? (two things)
- What does he collect from the post office? (two things)
- Where does he get his water?
- What does he say about the water in the stream?
- What sort of things does Arthur cook?
- Where does he cook his food?
B – Note these questions and answers
Is he married?
No, he isn´t.
Is he quite poor?
Yes, he is.
Does he have a job?
No, he doesn´t.
Does he sometimes go to the pub?
Yes, he does.
Give short answers to the following questions:
- Is Arthur quite old?
- Is he a lonely man?
- Is the store in the village?
- Is the water in the stream clean?
- Does Old Arthur see many people?
- Does he get his water from the tap?
- Does he like the birds and the animals in the wood?
- Does the stream sometimes freeze in the winter?
- Does Arthur cook on an electric stove?
- Does he get his pension from the port office?
C – Imagine that you are interviewing Old Arthur. There are the answers he gives to your questions. What were the questions you asked him?
- In a little hut in the wood.
- At the village store.
- On my old paraffin stove.
- Yes, I go there occasionally for a drink.
- From the stream.
- No, I never feel lonely.
- Not much, my eyes aren’t too good.
- No, I haven’t got a radio.
- No, I was an only child, and my parents died when I was quite young.
- No, I don’t believe in doctors.
D – Note the pattern
He only sees a few people.
Not/many people
He doesn´t see many people
1. He only visits the village store twice a week.
not/every day
2. He only breaks the ice on the water occasionally.
not/often
3. He only collects his letters from the post office twice a month.
not/every week
4. He cook on a paraffin stove.
not gas stove
5. He lives in a hut in the wood.
not/an ordinary house
6. He gets his water from the stream.
not/a tap
7. There is no television in his hut.
not/television
8. There is no radio in his hut.
not/radio
9. He usually feels quite cheerful.
not/miserable
10. He only has one cooking pot.
not/complicated meals
E – Read the story about Peter and then answer the questions
Peter is a young officer is the bomb disposal squad. He is at present examining a suspicious parcel in a carrier bag in a big store.
He has a microphone round his neck, and he is reporting exactly what he is doing to his Commanding Officer:
“I am now approaching the carrier bag, and I can hear a ticking sound. I am now looking into the carrier bag. There are three parcels here. I am removing the first now. It is wrapped in white paper. It feels soft. I am unwrapping it now. It´s a piece of fish.
“Here´s something else. This is wrapped in brown paper. It´s also soft. I am unwrapping it now. It´s a green jumper.
“Now here´s a square box. It could be an ordinary alarm clock, it could be a bomb. It´s ticking. The box is wrapped in blue paper. I am unwrapping it now. Inside there´s a green box with “Smith´s Clocks´ printed on the lid. I can´t see any wires. I´m taking off the lid now … It´s an alarm clock. It´s a blue Smith´s alarm clock.”
- Who does Peter work for?
- What is he doing now?
- What has he got round his neck?
- What can Peter heat coming from the carrier bag?
- What are the two things that might be in there?
- What is the first parcel wrapped in?
- What is in this parcel?
- What is in the brown parcel?
- What is printed on the lid of the green parcel?
- What is in the parcel?
F – George and Helen are in different rooms.
HELEN What are you doing?
GEORGE I´m just writing a note to Frank
Make up some more questions
1. make/coffee
2. look through/slides
3. tidy/kitchen
4. mend/this plug
5. look for/stamp
6. put new batteries/radio
7. press/trousers
8. take film/out of the camera
9. get/sandwich
10. wind/clock
G – Imagine you bump into an old friend you haven´t seen for some time. You ask him various questions.
You want to know how he is getting on.
You say: How are you getting on?
Make up some more questions:
1. You want to know if he is enjoying life.
2. You want to know where he is living now.
3. You want to know if he is still sharing a flat with his friend Paul.
4. You want to know if he is still working at the same place.
5. You want to know if he is still working very hard.
6. You want to know if he is still going out with Sharon.
7. You want to know if he is still studying French.
8. You want to know if he is still driving that old Oldsmobile.
H -Ideas for discussion
Play the old television game, What´s My Line?
One student pretends he is a waiter, a nurse, a bank clerk, etc., and everyone else asks questions to try to find out what the job is.
Do you work outside? Do you earn a big salary? Do you work in an office?
If you ask twenty questions without guessing what the job is, the student has beaten the class.
Note how we form the SIMPLE PRESENT
| IYou | make | |||
| STATEMENTS | He/She/It | makes | a lot of noise | |
| WeYouThey | make | |||
| NEGATIVES* Contractions for do not and does not, normally used in spoken English | IYou | * don´t | ||
| He/She/It | * doesn´t | make | a lot of noise. | |
| WeYouThey | * don´t |
| QUESTIONS | Do | IYou | ||
| Does | He/She/It | make | a lot of noise? | |
| Do | WeYouThey |
Note how we form the PRESENT PROGRESSIVE
| STATEMENTSNote: We often use I`M WORKING, HE´S WORKING, etc. in spoken English. | IYou | amare | |
| He/She/It | is | working | |
| WeYouThey | are |
| NEGATIVESNote: We often use I`M NOT WORKING, HE´S NOT WORKING, etc. in spoken English. | IYou | amare | |
| He/She/It | is | not working | |
| WeYouThey | are |
| QUESTIONS | AmAre | IYou | |
| Is | He/She/It | working? | |
| Are | WeYouThey |
Special points to note
When you have mastered the simple present tense, you will be able to talk about things that:
- Happen regularly (or never)
- Are (or aren’t ) always true.
Examples:
Where does the Queen live?
She lives at Buckingham Palace.
I don’t believe politicians are always completely honest.
He have breakfast at eight o’clock.
You’ll find that you often use the simple present together with adverbs of time like this:
I often go for a swim in the morning.
Old Arthur sometimes goes to the Pub.
It never snows in summer.
Note the short form of reply, which is frequently used:
Do you like it here?
Yes, I do. or No, I don’t.
Does she like it here
Yes, she does. or No, she doesn’t.
Is this Bedford Square?
Yes, it is. or No, it isn’t.
Are you Mr Smith?
Yes, I am. or No, I’m not.
Special points to note
You will need the present continuous to describe an action that is or isn’t happening at the moment the speaker is speaking:
Examples:
Help! Help! I’m drowning.
This typewriter isn’t working properly.
He’s catching him. (comment on a race)
Problem:
The Present continuous is often confused with the simple present , but the distinction is really quite clear.
Compare these ideas:
I’m helping with the washing-up. (at the moment)
I always (usually, often) help with the washing-up.
I’m in the kitchen … I’m watching television
I often watch television in the kitchen.
The present continuous form is also used to talk about future events. We shall examine this use in the next unit.
Albion Street
Albion Street is a small street near London Airport. It is eleven o´clock on a hot, summer Sunday morning.
At the end of Albion Street Is the motorway, and as usual, there is a steady stream of traffic travelling to and from the airport. Big jets are passing overhead at the rate of one every three or four minutes. However, the people who live in Albion Street hardly notice. They are busy with their own lives.
Mr Curtis, the grocer, is cleaning his blue van, while on the other side of the road young Keith Smirth is polishing his new sports car.
Mrs Pasolini, whose husband owns the fish and chip shop, is talking to the Jamaican lady who lives next door, and Mr Kapuscinski, the Polish tailor, is examining his roses, for signs of greenfly.
A contented community, you may think, but the inhabitants of Albion Street are worried, because the GLC* have plans for ‘developing’ the area.
A – Questions
1. Where is Albion Street?
2. What is happening on the motorway?
3. What is happening in the sky above Albion Street?
4. Ask what Mr Curtis is doing.
5. Answer the question.
6. What is Keith Smith doing?
7. What does Mrs Pasolini´s husband own?
8. Who is she talking to?
9. What is Mr Kapuscinsky doing?
10. What does he do?
11. Ask why the inhabitants of Albion Street are worried.
12. Answer the question.
B – Look at this pattern:
Mr Curtis/clean van
Mr Curtis is cleaning his van.
Mr Curtis/clean van.
Mr Curtis isn’t cleaning the van.
Use the ideas below to make up some more sentences, describing what people are or aren’t doing:
1. Mr Curtis/his van
2. Keith/polish sports car
3. Mrs Pasolini/work in the fish and chip shop
4. Jamaican lady/talk to Mr Kapuscinsky
5. Mr Kaapuscinsky/look at roses
6. Jamaican lady/talk to Mrs Pasolini
7. Mr Kapuscinsky/look for greefy
8. Mr Cuurtis/work his garden
9. Mrs Pasolini/talk to Mr Curtis
10. Mrs Pasolini/feel worried
C – Look at these patterns:
Ask is I like sugar in my coffee.
Do you like sugar in your coffee?
Ask if David likes sugar in his coffee.
Does David like sugar in his coffee?
Make up some more questions:
1. Ask if I speak Spanish.
2. Ask if I read a newspaper every day.
3. Ask if David reads a newspaper every day.
4. Ask if Davis sometimes plays tennis.
5. Ask if I ever play tennis.
6. Ask if I often go to the theatre.
7. Ask if David sometimes go to the theatre.
8. Ask if I usually get up early.
9. Ask if David usually gets up early.
10. Ask if David sometimes goes to church.
D – Look at these ideas:
A pilot … A pilot flies an aeroplane.
An artist … An artist paints pictures.
Complete the following sentences in the same way, using ideas of your own.
A postman …
A tailor …
A grocer …
A musician …
A secretary …
A taxi-driver …
A baker …
A jockey …
E – Composition
Write to a friend and tell him/her where you are, what you are doing, and what you do during the week.
professorca 