Rachel Adams
Key Member
- Joined
- Nov 4, 2018
- Member Type
- Student or Learner
- Native Language
- Russian
- Home Country
- Georgia
- Current Location
- Georgia
The sentence is an illustration of the usage described immediately above it: Temporary situations/actions.In most textbooks in a sentence such as "I study at university" they use present simple but in "Longman English Grammar Practice" by L.G. Alexander the book uses the progressive.
Two questions, if you plese. Even if a ''temporary'' action is quite long, three or four years or 11 years at school would a native speaker still use the progressive? You said it's more common if I am currently a student. But if someone says ''I study at university'' doesn't it usually mean they are currently a student?The continuous (progressive) is more common if you are currently a student at a university.
Yes. The progressive tells the listener that the studying is in progress and will eventually end. For example:Even if a ''temporary'' action is quite long, three or four years or 11 years at school would a native speaker still use the progressive?
Yes. The progressive tells the listener that the studying is in progress and will eventually end. For example:
"What's your sister up to these days?"
"The same thing she's been doing for the last ten years: she's working on her PhD. She'll probably still be working on it ten years from now!"
Y.Two questions, if you please. Even if a ''temporary'' action is quite long, three or four years or 11 years at school would a native speaker still use the progressive? Yes, if currently in progress. You said it's more common if I am currently a student. But if someone says ''I study at university'' doesn't it usually mean they are currently a student? Yes, and context might suggest simple present, e.g. (A) Where do you study? (B) I study at [the] university".
Then what we have been taught at school is not right that only "She studies at school" is correct while "she is studying" isn't.
Only continuous tenses work in my example dialog.Then what we have been taught at school is not right that only "She studies at school" is correct while "she is studying" isn't.
It doesn't matter if they're on holiday. They're still a student at university. It's like their job! When you're on holiday, you don't stop saying "I'm a teacher".
In a more natural dialog, the answer might be "I study at the library" or "Tonight I'm studying at the coffee shop."Is there a context where it's not in progress and present simple is correct? The present simple seems to be correct only as an answer to the question "Where do you study?" "I study at Cambridge."
It doesn't matter if they're on holiday. They're still a student at university. It's like their job! When you're on holiday, you don't stop saying "I'm a teacher".