SPELLING RULES
Spelling rules for the third person Singular:
 Verbs ending in –y : the third person
changes the –y to -ies:
fly --> flies, cry --> cries
Exception: if there is a vowel before the -
y: play --> plays, pray --> prays
 Add –es ([-iz]) to verbs ending in:-ss, -x,
-sh, -ch, -z, - tch (sibilants): he passes,
she catches, he fixes, it pushes
Pronunciation
[iz] after sibilant [s], [z], [ʃ], [ʧ], [dʒ]
passes, judges, changes
[z] after voiced consonants and vowels
sees, lives, reads
[s] after voiceless consonants
works, wants,
The Present Simple
Customary, repeated action or habit.
(often, usually, always, never, frequently,
sometimes, rarely, a once a ______ (day, minute,
hour, year, week, etc.), every _______ (day, night,
minute, year, week, seldom, occasionally, every
year (week, month, day), once {twice, three
times) a year, daily, on Sundays (Mondays, etc.)
Action and state characterizing a given person.
Spelling rules
Rule 1: For words that end in a silent (not
pronounced) -e, drop the -e and add -ing.
Example: smile → smiling
Rule 2: For one-syllable words that end in
consonant-vowel-consonant (except x and w),
double the last letter and add -ing. Examples: sit
→ sitting run → running
Rule 3: For most other words (including words
that end in -y), add -ing with no changes.
Examples: rain → raining send → sending play
→ playing
The Present Continuous (Progressive)
Action going on now, action in progress. The
precise time limits of the action are not known,
its beginning and its end are not specified. The
indication of time is not necessary in this case
though occasionally such adverbial modifiers as
now and at present are found. The process, not
the fact is important. (now, today, this year etc.
if we mean process) – You are working hard
today.
 A state or a quality of the person at the
given moment. Compare!!!
I can't understand why he's being so
selfish. He isn't usually like that. (being
selfish = behaving selfishly at the
moment)
He never thinks about other people. He is
very selfish. (= He is selfish generally,

Universal truth, fact.
Action going on at the present moment with
verbs that are not used in Continuous (see the
section “Verbs not used in Continuous” )
For future action
 In clause of time and condition, after
when, till, until, before, after, as soon as,
as long as, if, unless, on condition that,
provided that
Compare! If Frodo takes the ring to Mordor
(clause of condition), I will go with him. When
Frodo goes to Mordor (clause of time), I will go
with him. But! I don’t know if Frodo will take
the ring to Mordor (object clause).
 fixed action in the future, something
that happens according to a timetable,
programme, schedule, command or
arrangement worked out for a per- son or
not only at the moment)
We use am/is/are being to say how somebody
is behaving. It is not usually possible in other
sentences: it's hot today. (not it is being hot)
Sarah is very tired. (not is being tired)
When no emotional colouring is implied, the Present
Indefinite is used to give an objective characteristic.
A continual process, going without intervals,
with adverbs always, constantly, ever. Often
expresses irritation, often contains an element of
exaggeration. Eg. She is constantly smiling. (and
it annoys me)
Changes happening around now (to get, to
change, to rise, to fall, to increase, to grow, to
begin, to start). The population of the world is
increasing very fast.
We use it to speak about current tendencies
Some durative verbs, for example, verbs of
bodily sensation (to ache, to feel, to hurt, to
itch, etc.) and such verbs as to wear, to look (=
to seem), to shine and some other can be used
either in the Present Indefinite or in the
Present Continuous with little difference in
meaning.
Eg. You're looking well, cousin Joan. You look quite
happy today. “I know what you are feeling, Roy," she
said. "We all feel exactly the same."
When there are two actions – one in progress,
the other is habitual. I never talk while I am
working.
For future action
To express actions which will take place in the near
future due to one's previous decision. (I cannot
stay with you, Bilbo. I am leaving for Mordor
tomorrow).
 persons officially. The sentence usually
contains an indication of time.
 Clauses of concession are introduced by the
conjunctions even if, even though, no matter
how, whenever, whatever, however, etc. e.g.
Even if he hates me (concession) I shall never
do him any harm. I'll have dinner whenever
it's ready (concession).
 In object clauses after to see (to), to take care
and to make (be) sure. e.g. I'll see that the
lady is properly looked after. Her husband will
look after her, and make sure no harm comes
to her. He will take care that no one
interferes with them.
 With reference to the immediate future is
structurally dependent in some special
questions. e.g. What do we do next? ('Что
будем сейчас делать?') Where do we go
now? ('Куда сейчас пойдем?') What
happens next? ('Что сейчас будет?')

Stylistically restricted use of the Present Simple
* For an ongoing action.
a) to express a succession of point actions
taking place at the time of speaking. Used in
stage directions or by radio and TV
commentators in describing sports events,
public functions.
b) For an instantaneous action which takes
place at the moment of speaking but it is not
viewed in its progress. The speaker just names
the occurrence itself, the action as such. You
leave me no choice. I swear it to you! I refuse to
listen to you. You talk such nonsense. This use of
the Present Indefinite is also often found in
exclamatory and interrogative sentences. e.g. She
said: "How swiftly the years fly!"
7. In literary style to describe a succession of
actions in the past, usually to make a vivid
narrative of past events. This application of the
Present Indefinite is often called in grammars the
historic or dramatic present.
Stylistically restricted use of the Present
Continuous
 The Present Continuous is used to
describe pictures. Eg. Our head of our
department is the one who is standing
slightly behind in the college photo.
 We can use the Present Continues with
the Present Simple to give more
immediacy. In an anecdote we use the
continuous for actions which form a
background and the simple for the
actions that make up the narrative. Eg.
There is an old woman with thick glasses
who is serving the hot drinks, so I go up
to her and ask ( = she started serving
before the action of the narrative).
 This is often the way that we described
the beginning of books films or plays.
Eg. At the start of the play Hamlet is
walking along the castle walls when he
hears a strange voice.

e.g. She arrives full of life and spirit. And about a

quarter of an hour later she sits down in a chair,
says she doesn't feel well, gasps a bit and dies.
a) In stage directions:
REV. S. Good night. (They shake hands. As he passes
Vivie he shakes hands with her also and bids her good-
night. Then, in booming command, to Frank) Come
along, Sir, at onc

b) In comments (here on a TV film about Chi-Chi, the

giant panda, who returns home after her stay in the
Moscow Zoo): "Chi-Chi is in the pen. She walks over
to the travelling box. Chi-Chi climbs on the rock. The
crowd moves closer to Chi-Chi."
c) In demonstrations: Now I peel the apples, slice
them and put into the dish. Then I whip the cream
until thick and pour it over the apples.

In newspaper headlines we often use the

Present Simple to express a past event which
again gives more immediacy to the event. Eg.
UK jobless total climbs to 2.4 million

Verbs not used in Continuous

Non-continuous verbs are verbs that we do not normally use with continuous
tenses. These "stative" verbs are about state, not action, and they cannot express
the continuous or progressive aspect. Here are some of the most common non-
continuous verbs:

 feeling: hate, like, love, prefer, want, wish

 senses: appear, feel, hear, see, seem, smell, sound, taste
 communication: agree, deny, disagree, mean, promise, satisfy, surprise
  thinking: believe, imagine, know, mean, realize, recognize, remember,
understand
 other states: be, belong, concern, depend, involve, matter, need, owe, own,
possess

Remember!!!!!

Think

When think means 'believe' or 'have an opinion', we do not use the continuous:
I think Mary is Canadian, but I'm not sure. (not I'm thinking)
What do you think of my plan? (=What is your opinion?)
When think means 'consider', the continuous is possible:
I'm thinking about what happened. I often think about it.
Nicky is thinking of giving up her job. (=she is considering it)

Look and feel

You can use the present simple or continuous to say how somebody looks or feels
now:
You look well today. or You're looking well today.
How do you feel now? or How are you feeling now?
but
I usually feel tired in the morning. (not I'm usually feeling)