27 Present simple

1 Form
POSITIVE 11I live in London. My sister lives
in Madrid.
i7."""=",,,::;. My parents live in GlasgOw.
NEGATIVE I do not (don't) live in an
apartment.
He does not (doesn 't) live in
a house.
We do not (don't) live in a
~~5;;:;~ , block of flats.
QUESTIONS Do you work in an office?
(No, I don't)
Does she work from home?
(Yes. she does.)
_ _ _~... . Where do they work?

A Remember that the verb is different after

he, she and it: oil rig . He works there fOf two wet>ks
Slle li ves near here. It eat s (/ lot of meat. every month He regularly climbs to the
~ -\.4lIiere CHJ he lI'el'k? ./ Where doe~'',e work? top and checks that everything is safe.
~ He dellt like cilies. ./ He doesn 't like dties.
A We don't add -5 to the main verb in questions and negatives: X \'I/let'e cJees lie works?
Spelling rules after he/she!it ). page 350
CD Pronunciation'" 1.10

2 Facts, permanent situations and opinions

We use the present simple
• for facts (things that arc always true): Waler boils at 100°C alld freezes at O°e.
The S/l/l (ioesn't go rolllld the eartll. Cows do,,' t eat meat. A red ligllt m e(ms 'Stop'.
• for permanent si tuations: J (Im/' t live ill O,e city. He works Oil all oil rig.
• to describe opinions and ideas: / a/illk New York is excitillS. YOII dOll ' t understand.
• to describe likes and disli kes: My grandfatller likes the Coulltryside. / pre fer tile city.

3 Regular actions, habits and routines

We use the present si m ple for things that are often repeated, or that happen regularly:
He works tllere ol1ce a mOllth. Do tile chiltlrell go Ollt ill the evenings? No, they watch TV.
To say how often the action happens, we use
• adverbs of frequency (e.g. a/ways, often) after be or before a main verb:
AI/gelo is o(tell late (or work. He always climbs to the top.
'Do yOIl tlrive to work?' 'Not really, we usually /lse public transport. We rarely drive. '
• ot her time expressions. They usually go at the end of the sentence:
Do yOIl come to tile studio every day? I go 011 holiday o/lce a year.
We go to ollr graIJdparents' (or IlIlIell 011 SUI/days.
These ca n also go at the beginning, for more emphaSiS:
Eyery moming, I start work at 8.30.
More on adverbs and word order ~ Unit 24

4 Describing films, plays and books

We usually use the present simple when we describe what happens in a fi lm, play or book:
Tile story takes place ill the U" ited States. TIle mail/ ellameter works 011 a (arm ...
When a sports game is described live on TV, the present sim ple is often used for quick actions:
Gigss passes 10 Ro<mey. Roolley shoots - he scores!

78
 Practice
1 Complete t he book review with the prese nt simple of t he verbs in
brackets. CIfID Now liste n a nd check.
5epllfcllfe is Kate Mosse's follow-up novel to her bestse.ller LlIbyrilltll. It (0) ......~~...... (take)
the same idea of two stories fro m d ifferent t imes which ( I) ................... (connect) wit h
each other. The firs t story ta kes place in the late nineteenth century. LOOnic Vernier
(2) ... H .............. (live) in Paris wit h her mot her and older broth er, Analole. Then an aunt in
the south-west of the cou n try in vites Leonie to stay wit h he r. Leonie (3) .................. .
(not know) her aunt but she (4) .... .. (agrcc) to go, wit h her brot her. W hen t hey
(5) ......... ....... ... (arrive), things (6) ... .... ....... (not be) as they seem ' "
In the second story, Mcrcdith Martin is a young American university professo r. Her research
takes her to Paris, where she (7) ... ....... .. ... ... . (uncover) the sad story of Lcon ie and Analoie.
(8) ... ..... ... ........ the novel ........ ..... ...... (bring) nineteenth-centu ry France to life? Yes,
[ thi nk it (9) ........ ... .. .... .. (do). (10) . ... ...... it .............. .... (provide) a good successor to
Labyrinth? No, I (1 1) .............. ..... (not think) so. The two stories ( 12) .... .... (not li nk)
as well as the stories in Ltlbyrilltl/; the second onc didn't add anythi ng, rea lly.

2 Make questions from t he word s below. Then write t rue short answers .
. . Now list en and check.
o horses I eat I meat?
I water I boi I / IO(tC?
2 the sun I always I risc I the west?
3 Switzerland I have I a coastline?
4 shops nea r you I usua lly I open I Sundays?

3 Read t he informat ion on the website. Then write about Derrick Coyle.

Unusual jobs:
Ravenmaster. Tower of London
(0) Name: Der rick eoyle
( I) Age: 6[
(2) Jo b: Rave nmaster a t the Tower of Lo ndon
(3) Lives: in on aportment at the Towe r of Lo ndon
(4) Hours: dawn to dusk (summer 05.30-21 .30)
(5) Duties: look after rovens I prepore thei r food I
9ive them water J lock them up at nig ht

Derrick Coy le, with one of his ravens ..

o This .kP..~if..I!=: .~:tI~, ........... .

He ...................................... years old.
2 He is the ........................................ .
3
4 ......................................... .
5

79
28 Present
continuous

Trudi's a student. She's studying

animal behaviour. More people
are taking their pets to the vet
with behaviour problems these
days, so Trudi should find a job
when she graduates.

1 Form
POSITM I'm having lunch. He's watching 7V They're running away.
NEGAl1V£ ili'm not watching Tv. She isn't having lunch. We aren't staying there.
QUESTIONS A, e you watching TV:> (No, I'm not.) Is she runn ing away? (Yes, she is.)
Wha! are they having for lunch?

Some verbs change thei r spelling in the -illg form, e.g. run ..... mlmi/lg.
Spelling rules f or · jng form s ,.. page 350

2 Actions happening now or around now

We use the present continuous for
• achons happening while we are speaking: Hllrry lip. The taxi's ",{liti"g.
'Are YO lIlWltcllillg TV?, 'No. I' m cloing my homework.'
• actions happening around the time of speaking: Trudi's s tudy ing animal belwviOllr.
• tem porary situations:
We're stayillg at my mother's while tile bllilders a re repairing tile roof of Ollr hOllse.
With these uses of the present continuous, we often use time ex pression s like flOW, at the
moment, today, this week, ele: J (al/'t talk for lOllS bewllse I'm cooking (I t tile m om ent .
foe isn 't workillg at IlOme this week - lIe's at a c011ference ill Germany.
We sometimes use the present cont inuous with always to criticise another person 's actions.
In speech we stress ll/ways strongly in this type of sentence:
Yolal/da's (l lw(lYs cam" g me late at /1igM. I'm getting reully fed lip with it.
'I've lost my keys. 01/1 YOII come hom e a/1d let m e in?' 'YoII're a lw ays 10s;IIS yOllr keys!'

3 Changes an d trends
We use the present continuous to talk about things that are changing as we speak:
Ha rry's bee/l really ill but ',e's gettins better now. Prices (Ire gains up agaill.
More people are [" kinS tITeir pets to the vet with behaviour problems tllese days.

4 Describing pictures
We use the present continuous to describe what is happen ing in pictures and photos:
/11 tile photo 011 page 81, the scientists a re ta sting food. The woma/1 ill tile middle is I/O/ding a
ClIp ...
Present continuous to t alk about the future >- Unit 41.2

80
 Practice
1 Complete the phone conversation with
present continuous form s of t he verbs in brackets.
&ID List en and check.
WIU Hi. Amy. It's Will. Are you busy?
AMY .
Wi ll , hi. No, (0) .r.~ ~~~~.~~ .................. (I 1 watch) TV -

nothing important. It's good to hear from you.

What (1) ................ .. ........ " ........... (you I do) these days?
WILL That's why (2) ....................................... (1 1 phone).
I've just changed my job - I'm now a ' recipe tester',
AM Y What funl (3) .. ....... .... ... .. .. ... ............. ... (you I cook) all the time?
WILL No, I've only just started, so (4) ............ . ................. (1/ work) w ith another tester.
(5) ...................................... (1 1 not I cook) t he food yet!
AMY It'll be really interesting, though. (6) ....................... (1 1 find) work really
boring now.
WILL Amy, (7) .... ....................... . (you 1 always I complain) about your job, but it's
really great!
AMY Oh, yeah, standing in the street in the cold and wet, trying to persuade people to
talk to me. Actua ll y, (8) ... ... .... (11 not I spend) much time outside
at the moment as (9) ......... .................... (1 1 plan) a new project. But I reall y want
10 get inlo acting.
WILL Yes, (10) ...................................... (you I always I say) that, but you never do anyth ing
about it .. .

2 look at the table of cha nges in household spending in the UK. Use the words be low
+ because to write sentences. am
listen a nd check.
HOUSIlIOUI ....._
.. otANGE
food and dnnl:;
Cloth~

Dom~tic fuel (electricity, gas, etc.)

+ 9.2
- 6.6
+ 65.0
.
t

t
Transpon
Communication (equipment, phones, etc.)
Eating out
+9.4
- 28.5
.13
.
t
o domestic fue l I increase I most I oil prices I go up
.P.~.~#!:.fo,~ .W. ..i.l;Va:~,s:~~ ..~~. ~,rj..1l~~Mf.("..~.i:l: .pr.i:w...~r.(.. .9~in9 ,,~, ....................... ..
communication I decrease I most I equipment I get cheaper

2 the cost of clothes I decrease I the UK I buy I clothes from China

3 transport costs I go up I fu el prices I get higher

4 food and drink I go up I cost of transporting them I increase

3 look at the photo on page 80 and describe what is happening .

III the photo, the vet is 1/O/dillS a kiUel/. He's ...

81
29 Present simple or continuous?
1 Basic differences in use
PRESENT SIMPlE PRESENT CONTINUOUS
Permanent situations; things we do not expe<t Temporary situations, for a limited period of time:
to change:

Janice fives in London with her husband and
children.
R!?9u1ar actions, habits and routines:
But lanice is staying in a hotel this weekend
Time expressions: today, this week, at the
moment
Actions that are happening at/around the time
we are speaking:

Janice is a pilol. She flies all over the world. Janice is flying to Sydney coday.

Time expressions: usually, often, every day, once a Time expressions: (righV now, at the moment,
month, at the ...veekend, most days today
Permanent situations; things we do not expect Something that is changing:
to change:

2000 • t!l
""'" (' Q Q 0 (I
20" (\ • • Q . ~ Q <4l

Pilots usually train for about two years to get More and more women are training to become
their flying licence. pilots these days.
To describe events in a book, play or film: To describe what is happening in a photo
or picture:

The story starts in Madrid. The main character That's my niece in the photo. She's riding her
lives there. One day, he goes out and brother's bike.

2 Actio n verbs
Action verbs describe an action and can usually be used in both simple and
continuous forms:
lallice flies arowu/ ti'l' world. SIIC's fl yi" g to Sydney today.
We IIslmlly drive to work, bllt at tile moment we lI ren 't dri ving bectl/lse tile car has broke" dow,l.

82
3 State verbs
State verbs descri be stales rather than actions, e.g. ways of thinking or feeling.
These verbs arc not usuall y used in the continuous form:
.I 1 prefer classical mllSic to popular music.
•
)( ! 'm pre{-effltlg classical /Ill/sic le fJ9fJlI!flr IfIHSic .
.I Do )'Oil IIl1(lerstand tile "wths homework 1Iow?
}t An! )'611 IItl(lerst6lrtlillg the lIIat"'s 118mell'8Fk 11811'?

Does she like her present?

wanting want I need a little more time.
(BUT weof".n use enjoy in the (Are you enjoying Ihdt book?)
continuous)
verbs of thinkingl believe doubt forget know mean I don't believe in luck.
believing realise recognise remember think Do you know the answer?
understand We think she's really nice.
verbs of being! appear be seem This door appears to be locked
appearing Mafia seems very helpful.
verbs of possessingl belong contain hDve (got) own These drinks contain Vitamin C
relating possess Duncan has two Ferraris,
sense verbs hear see smell taste Listen! Do you hear music?
This coffee tastes really good.
The verbs asree, cost , promise and thank arc also rarely used in the cont in uous tense:
I agree willl YOII. Tile IlOtel costs (100 a /ligllt.
We promise /101 to be late. He a/ways till/li b liS with a card or {lowers.

4 State verbs and the continuous fo rm

ACIIOII_~

I'm having breakfast right now. (= eating)

What are you thinking about?
(= conSideringat the moment)
The Gypsy Kings are appearing at the local
theatre next week. (= performing)
I'm tasting the soup to check if it needs any
more salt. (= I'm checking/testing it.)
Are you seeing your friends a lot at the
moment? (= meeting regularly)
• We can also sometimes use state verbs in the continuous when we want to emphasise
that the state is unu sual o r unexpected, and probabl y temporary:
My /Jew car IIses a lot of petrol so Ws costing me a (orllll1e.
(I don't usually spend this much on petrol.)
1'", {l1It/ing it difficult to organise my time at the moment.
(This is unusua l for me; I usually organise my time well .)
• Some verbs which express physical states (feel, /lIIrt, ae/le) can be used in the simple o r
continuo us forms wit h no (or very little) difference in meani ng:
'How d o YOIl feel/lire YOIl feeling today?' '/ {eel/ I'm feelillS a lot better, thllnks. '
My back Clclles/is (1Cllillg this momillg.
FORMAUTV CHECK It is becoming more common to use like, love and Imle in the conti nuous
fo rm in in forma l English: 'How's the cOllrse going?' 'It's great! /'", retllly IOYing itJ'
Some people consider this to be incorrect.

83
29 PRESENT SIMPLE OR CONTINUOUS?
Practice
1 Match the sentences 1- 5 w ith the correct mea ning. A or B.
o Craig works in an architect's office. ~ A This is a temporary position .
B Th is is his permanent job.
Rhona is staying with her aunt t h is A She usually lives somewh ere else.
weekend . B Th is is her perman en t h ome.
2 Max sings with a band o n Friday A Thi s is a changing situation.
evenin gs . B This is something h e does regularly.
3 Steve can 't talk now. He's interviewing A This is an action in progress.
someone. B This is someth ing he does regularly.
4 More men are looking after their children A This is a permanent situation .
these days. B Th is is a changing situation .
5 Berlin is o ne of German y's sixteen states. A Thi s is a faLi - something permanent.
B This is a changing situatio n.

2 GRAMMAR IN USE Read the information a bo ut Housesitte rsPro. Then complete John and
Angela's stateme nt with the ve rbs from the box.

are en joying are living are looking after are spending

don't leave get go #w spend visits work

HousesittersPro - the holiday solution

~@liil~'iiIlillI1il~~ ~
Our employees come and live in your home while you're away.
They look after your property, including your garden and your pets,
so that your home is safe. They are mostly retired people, and we have
checked their background.

Meet John and Angela, two of our typical housesitters:

~We have both retired from responsible jobs.

We (0) . )iy~ ............................. in a small cottage in the
country and we (1) .............................. our retirement.
We(2) ... . ............ time in the garden most
days and we often (3) . ................................. to the
cinema and theatre with our friends. Our daughter
(4) ............................. us with our grandchildren
now and again. But we sometimes (5) .
bored, so for three months every year we
(6) ........ for HousesittersPro.
Then our life is very different. At the moment, we're in the home
of a young couple who are travelling for three weeks. We (7) .
in their apartment in the city, and we (8) .... .... ... ... ..... ...... . .. their pets.
We (9) ................ a lot of time in front of the TV, because as
HousesittersPro employees, we (10) .H ..... the house for more
than a couple of hours at a time. You know that your house is safe when you have
HousesittersPro in it!"

84
3 Choose the correct words in italics. In one sentence, both answers are possi ble .
CIIIID listen and check.
o Fatima's a really good friend. She never~~rgets)' is (orsettillg my birthday.
I Selina dOf'slI ' / work / iSII ' / working in her 0 ce at the moment because the bui lders are there.
2 Mmm. ThoS(' roses smell / are smelling lovely. Are they fTo m YOUT garden?
3 I can't believe how difficult my new course is. 1 find / 1'", finding it really hard to keep up
with all the reading at t he mo ment.
4 These are difficult ti mes because food and fuel prices go lip / are going lip quickly.
5 Do you beli('llC / Are you believing anyth ing that child says?
6 Harry isn't at work because lie {i.'els / lIe's feelillg unwell.
7 In the film 'Austra lia' two young people meet / are ",eetillS and become friends during
World War 11.
8 Some of the stude nts dOIl't I/ mierstaml /arell't ullderstmulillg basic mathem atical ideas.

4 Check the verbs in the list; write A for action, S for state or A/ S for
action/state. Then complete the conversation with the verbs in the present simple or
present continuous. Use each verb once only. ~ listen and check.
appear .N.~...... .. . ... .. .. be enjoy .f<ej-

go go well have know

like sce visit

JUUET I (0) k-.l.. ........... exhausted after all that shopping!

K" R EI'~ So do I. I usually ( I ) .. ... ....... .... .. . a coffee after shopping. This cafe looks nice.
jUI.lt.T Mmm . I (Z) (n o t o fte n) ................... shoppi ng, but 1 really (3) ................... it when
I d o!
KAItF.N Let's sit here. Show me your new dress again . That 's really n ice. (4) .. ................ it for a
special occasion?
J UU f;T No, I just need to cheer myself up!
KAJl F..'1 O h, w hy? Everyt h ing (5) ......... .. .. ...... with your job, isn't it?
JUUIrr Well , not really.
KAR£N Why's that ? You usuall y (6) ....... .. .......... to be so happy in your work.
lUI.IE'!· Well, 1 was at first but as you know, I (7) ... .... .. ... .. .... my fami ly in Scotland whenever
[ ca n, and these days, now t hat Dad 's quite ill, I (8) ..... ... .. ..... .... them every weekend,
so I' m leaving work early every Friday to get to Scotland. My boss
(9) (not ) ............... " .. that, although 1 work lo nger on other da ys, so we' re always
arguing at the moment.
!CARES That's a shame. What are you going to do?
JUI.IIT Honestly, Karen, 1 (10) (not) ... ... ..... ... . I really like the job, but I n eed 10 be with my
family at t he moment, too.

5 Use the verbs in brackets to write about yourself. Choose the present simple or continuous.
o (HVl') U~~.~~..':':li'.P.~~..~.~. r~ .P.~~ .~~.. ~~..i.~. !!fo.~ .w..~.fo.~f. .~.~ ~~ ........
1 (live)
2 (wo rk/study) .. .. ... ................. ....... .. .... .. ..... _.. _._
3 (en joy) ...................... ...... ... ... ...... .........
4 (bel ieve)

85
 Review MODULE 5
1 ,..,.
UNITS 26 ANO 27 Find six more mistakes and correct them . Tick (.I) the correct sentences.
o Does Melanie fta.s a lot of frien ds in her new school?
00 Lu kasz always bri ngs me a prcsent when he comes back to London. .I
1 Sarah needs help with her h omework. She don 't u nderstand the ma ths.
2 Don 't go in there! Th at sign means 'danger'!
3 Yves is very good-looking. He got blue eyes an d black hair.
4 Do you have got any tickets left for tomorrow even ing?
5 I feel terrible; I t hink I'm having a cold.
6 Children h ave often di fficu lty in sharing t heir toys.
7 This raptop has a nu mber of interesting feat ures.
8 Sorry, but wc don 't any lamb stea ks today.

2 UNITS 27, 28 AND 29 Jea nette usually teaches English in Londo n in the summe r. This year
she is g iving English lessons to t wo children in Greece_Complete each sentence with a
suitable fo rm of the verbs in brackets.
o Jeanette usuaIly . ~.~~~ ..... hU !.~~P.P.~~
. ..... all day in the summer b ut today.!....... ' ... ..
at 12.30. (work, stop)
1 She usua lly ............................... wit h friends, but now ............................... a house just
fo r herself. (live, have)
2 She usually ............................... t rousers to work, but today ........... .... ..... .
a summe.r dress. (wear, wear)
3 She usua lly ............................... TV at t he weekend, but th is sum mer ............... .. ..
the sights in Athens. (wate.h, visit)
4 Most sum mers she .. .. ..... ..... ......... .. . very much, but t h is sum mer .... .. .................... .. ..
mo re money. (not earn, get)
5 Most summers she ................... _, ......... tired and overworked, but th is summer
............................... really happy. (feel, feel)

3 ALL UNITS Match se nte nces 1 and 2 with their meanings, A o r B, in each pai r,
oI Nick's having a shower. ~ A There's a shower, not a bath, in his fla t.
2 Ncil has a shower. ~ B He's wet.
I I Sa lly works fro m home. A Her office is in her home.
2 Samantha is working from home. B She i.~ at home today to wait for a builder.
2 1 David's cold. A He feels ill.
2 Oerek has a cold. B The heati ng is turned off.
3 1 Steve always plays his gu itar in the eveni ng. A His guitar playing rea lly annoys me.
2 Simon is always playing his guitar in 8 I don't mind his guitar playing.
the even ing.
4 I Marianne's living in Ed inburgh. A She usua lly lives in London.
2 Marie lives in Edinburgh. B She doesn't live in London.
5 I Tcresa loses weight every year. A She's on a good d iet.
2 Thea is losing weight. B She always eats less in the summer.
6 1 Heidi is a good doctor. A She visits her when she feels ill.
2 Hclen's got a good doctor. B She has lots of experience.
7 I Paul travels a lot on busi ness. A He's on a plane.
2 Pa trick is travelling on business. B He's an International salesman.

86
4 ALL UNITS Read the article and choose the correct answer, A, B or C below.

0 A goes B am going © go
I A see B sees C am seeing
2 A is standing B has sta nding C stands
3 A climbs B climb C is climbing
4 A is last B is lasting C lasts
5 A got B has got C is got
6 A fee ls always B is feeling always C always fee ls
7 A is fly B is fl yi ng C is flies
8 A comes B is com ing C is come
9 A isn 't ea rning B don 't earn C doesn't earn
10 A is livi ng B lives C live
A spends is spending C does spend
"
12 A is loving
B
B is love C loves

5 ALL UNITS Complete Neil and Jack's conversation about their flatmate, using the words in
brackets. Decide whether to use the present simple or present continuous.
JACK You know, Laurence has been in the flat for three months now. What
(0) A9.. y'q~..~~i~ .......... (YOll I think) of him?
NE1L Well, actually, ( I) ....... . .. .. .... .. ... ( 1 / get) really fed up with him. I mean,
(2) ....... ...................... (he / always I take) my food fro m t he fridge.
JACK And mine. And (3) .............. .......... (he I never I do) the washing-up! It 's not fai r.
Perhaps we should ask him to leave.
NEIL Well , I'm not sure that he wants to stay. (4) ... ............. ...... ......... (he I not I seem) very
happy here.
JACK Mmm. (5) ............................... (he I have) any friends? He doesn't go out much.
NF.1L Mmm ... you know that (6) ..•....• . .•. . . ... (he I have) about three showers a day.
JACK That's because (7) .............................. (he I work) on a bui lding site al the moment.
NW. True, but the gas and water prices (8) ........ ....................... (go up) all the time. We
can't afford his three showers a day.
JACK [know, but (9) ............................... (he / have) some good points, loo. He's quiet and
(10) ............... ......... ... .. (he I usually / pay) the rent on time. Look, I' ll have a word
with him about the sh owers and so on, and we'll see how it goes.

87