simple present and present continuous

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Anonymous

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i want some questions and answer about simple present and present continuous to teach my kid.

please send me details about how simple present and present continuous forming.


thanks


ra
 

Jeremy Taylor

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More on present simple, present continuous

I think one important point is that with the present simple, the speaker sees the event as a permanent event. For example, when I was 12, I told a girl, I love you, not, I am loving you, because AT THAT MOMENT I thought it would last forever - even though it only lasted three days.
On the other hand, At the age of 18, I started looking for a wife. I'm 41 now and I'm still looking. I see this as a TEMPORARY event, as when I find HER, I'll stop looking - so I use the present contonuous - despite the fact that the event has been going on for 26 years!
Interesting, isn't it?
 

MikeNewYork

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Re: More on present simple, present continuous

Jeremy Taylor said:
I think one important point is that with the present simple, the speaker sees the event as a permanent event. For example, when I was 12, I told a girl, I love you, not, I am loving you, because AT THAT MOMENT I thought it would last forever - even though it only lasted three days.
On the other hand, At the age of 18, I started looking for a wife. I'm 41 now and I'm still looking. I see this as a TEMPORARY event, as when I find HER, I'll stop looking - so I use the present contonuous - despite the fact that the event has been going on for 26 years!
Interesting, isn't it?

I really don't agree with your statement that present simple = permanent event. We use present simple in different situations.

I drive to work. (describes a habit)
I like pizza. (my feeling at the moment)
I leave for Europe tomorrow. (a future scheduled event)
I sentence you to ten years in jail. (a pronouncement)
 

MikeNewYork

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Jeremy Taylor said:
Point taken, Mike. I was just concentrating on one aspect of the ps/pc conundrum.
Jeremy

No problem. :wink:
 

Ibeke

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Aug 11, 2004
Re: More on present simple, present continuous

MikeNewYork said:
Jeremy Taylor said:
I think one important point is that with the present simple, the speaker sees the event as a permanent event. For example, when I was 12, I told a girl, I love you, not, I am loving you, because AT THAT MOMENT I thought it would last forever - even though it only lasted three days.
On the other hand, At the age of 18, I started looking for a wife. I'm 41 now and I'm still looking. I see this as a TEMPORARY event, as when I find HER, I'll stop looking - so I use the present contonuous - despite the fact that the event has been going on for 26 years!
Interesting, isn't it?

I really don't agree with your statement that present simple = permanent event. We use present simple in different situations.

I drive to work. (describes a habit)
I like pizza. (my feeling at the moment)
I leave for Europe tomorrow. (a future scheduled event)
I sentence you to ten years in jail. (a pronouncement)

mistakie...
 

AndrewJC

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Joined
Jul 31, 2005
Re: More on present simple, present continuous

MikeNewYork said:
I really don't agree with your statement that present simple = permanent event. We use present simple in different situations.

I drive to work. (describes a habit)
I like pizza. (my feeling at the moment)
I leave for Europe tomorrow. (a future scheduled event)
I sentence you to ten years in jail. (a pronouncement)


I don't quite agree with your last two sentences. I could just as well say "I'm leaving for Europe tomorrow" as what you have, without altering the meaning. Likewise, a judge could just as well say "I'm sentencing you to ten years in jail." (I would allow that the use of simple present in that context has a loftier tone, but the meaning is the same.)
 
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