Verbs, verb tenses, imperatives

9.1 The simple present and present progressive tenses (1)

9.1 A Pronunciation and spelling of the 3rd person, simple present [> LEG 9.6-71

Study: 1 Pronunciation [compare plural nouns > 2.5AI:

I**I We pronounce -s as Is/ after these sounds: If/ laughs; /p/ drops; /k/ kicks; I t / lets.
We pronounce -s as /IZ/after /z/loses; /dg/ manages; Is/ passes; /J/ pushes; /tJ/ stitches, and
/ksl mixes.
We pronounce -s as /z/after all other sounds: /b/ robs; /dl adds; /g/ digs; /I/ fills; /m/ dreams;
/n/ runs; lql rings; after vowels: sees; after vowel + w or r : draws, stirs.
2 Spelling
Add -s to most verbs: worklworks, drive/drives, play/plays, run/runs.
Add -es to verbs ending in -0: do/does; -s: misses; -x: mixes; -ch/-sh: catches/pushes.

Write: a Give the third person forms of the verbs in these sentences.
b Show whether you would pronounce the third person form as Is/, /z/ or /IZ/
1 They laugh a lot. He ......... ......... / s / 8 1 rush around a lot. She .............................. / /
2 1 often drop things. She ............................/ / 9 1 always saw the wood. She ....................... / /
3 We drink a lot of tea. She .......................... / / 10 1 wear old clothes at home. He ................... / /
4 1 often forget things. She .......................... ./ / 11 I love sweets. She ...................................... / I
5 We often lose things. He .......................... / / 12 1 often see them. He ................................... / /
6 They manage all right. She ...................... / / 13 They pay •’30a week rent. He .................... / /
7 1 often pass your house. He ..................... / / 14 1 cry at sad films. She ................................. 1 1

9.1B Uses of the simple present tense: 'I worklhe works' [> LEG 9.8.9.121

Study: There are seven basic uses of the simple present tense [compare > 11.1 lA]. We use it for:
I**I
1 Permanent truths: Summer follows spring. Gases expand when heated.
2 'The present period' (= 'this is the situation at present'): My sister works in a bank.
3 Habitual actions: I get up at 7. 1 sometimes stay up till midnight.

It says here that .... I love you. I hate him.

Write: Give the correct form of the simple present of each verb.
1 Water .............&I& ............. at 100•‹C.(boil) She never ........................... up very early. (get)
2 Hot air .................................................. (rise) I occasionally .................................. meat. (eat)
3 My uncle ......................... in a factory. (work) The coach ................. at 6 this evening. (leave)
4 John and Sue ...................... glasses. (wear) The concert .................. at 7 next Friday. (start)
5 The children ................. a lot of sweets. (eat) I ............................ Barcelona won again. (see)
6 He only ........................ at weekends. (work) It's not right, you ........(know) - I ......... (agree)
7 1 always ....................out on Saturdays. (go) Can he manage? - I ........................ so. (hope)
8 She .............to London once a week. (drive) It ......................... in the paper it'll be hot. (say)
 9.1 The simple present and present progressive tenses (1)

9.1C Stative and dynamic verbs [> LEG 9.3, ~ p 381

p

Study: 1 We call a few verbs like love stative because they refer to 'states'. A state has no beginning
(**I and no end. We don't 'control' it, so we don't normally use stative verbs in progressive tenses:
She loves her baby more than anything. (Not 'is loving')
2 Most verbs in English are dynamic. We can use them in two ways:
- in the simple present tense to describe habits, etc. [> 9.161: 1 often make cakes.
- in the present progressive to describe deliberate actions in progress [> 9.281:
I'm making a cake.
3 We can describe three classes of verbs:
a Dynamic verbs which have simple or progressive forms (most verbs in English):
I often listen to records. (simple present tense)
I'm listening to a record. (present progressive tense)
b Verbs which are always stative:
This coat belongs to you. (simple present tense) (Not 'is belonging')
c Verbs that have stative or dynamic uses:
I'm weighlng myself. (a deliberate action: present progressive tense)
I weigh 65 kilos. (a state) (Not *I'm weighing 65 kilos. ')
4 There are five groups of stative verbs referring to: a feelings (like, love, etc.);
b thinkinglbelieving (think, understand, etc.) c wants (want, prefer, etc.)
d perception (hear, see, etc. [> 11.281) e beinglhavinglowning (appear, seem, belong, etc. [> 10.41

Write: Tick the sentences that are right. Cross out the verbs that are wrong and correct them.
la You're never ill. I envy you. d Ib You're never ill. I'm envying you. -
2a I understand English well. - 2b I'm understanding English well. -
3a You're knowing what I mean. - 3b You know what I mean. -
4a Is he seeming unfriendly? - 4b Does he seem unfriendly? -
5a I prefer fish to meat. - 5b I'm preferring fish to meat. -
6a Do you see that bird over there? - 6b Are you seeing John tomorrow? -
7a Why is he smelling his coffee? - 7b Something smells strange. -
8a She's weighing herself again. - 8b She weighs 75.5 kilos. -

9.1D Context
Write: Put in the simple present or the present progressive tenses.
CHOMP CHAMP!
'(you sit) ...h.%.@W.-.. comfortably? Good! I 2(hope) ................................... you =(study)
................................... this text carefully because I 4(have) ................................... news for you. The
Guinness Book of Records =(notinclude) ................................... records for eating any more. People
who =(try) ................................... to swallow 47 hard boiled eggs in half a minute will have to do it for
~ ~

pleasure and not to get into the record book. 'We '(regard) ................................... these records as
unhealthy,' said the book's editor, Mr Donald McFarlan. However, one record-holder will remain. He is
Michel Lotito of Grenoble ('Monsieur Mangetout'). Since 1966, he has chomped his way through 10
bicycles, 7 TV sets and a light aircraft. He's likely to remain world champ, unless you 8(want)
................................... to challenge him, of course!

Chomp! chomp1
9 Verbs, verb tenses, imperatives

9.2 The simple present and present progressive tenses (2)

9.2A Spelling: how to add '-ing' to a verb: 'waitlwaiting' [> LEG 9.101

Study: 1 We add -ing to most verbs, without changing the base form: waivwaiting:
El Wait for me. -, Iam waiting for you.
2 If a verb ends in -e, omit the -e and add -ing: use/using:
Use a broom. -, Iam using a broom.
3 A single vowel followed by a single consonant doubles the final consonant: sivsitting:
Sit down. -, Iam sitting down. [> compare 6.5AJ

4 We double the last consonant of two-syllable verbs when the second syllable is stressed:
bdginhdginning. Compare the unstressed final syllable: 'differ/'differing:
Begin work. -, Iam beginning work.

Write: Add -ing to the verbs in these sentences.

1 I'm W the beds. (make) 4 I'm always ........ things. (forget) 7 I'm ........ the 9.04.(catch)
2 I'm ........a sandwich. (eat) 5 I'm ........ on my coat. (put) 8 I'm ........ of thirst. (die)
3 I'm ........a letter. (write) 6 I'm ........ abroad. (travel) 9 I'm ........ your case. (carry)

9 - 2 8 Uses of the present progressive tense: 'I am workinglhe is working'

[> LEG 9.1 I]

Study: There are four basic uses of the present progressive tense. We use it for:
I**I Actions in progress at the moment of speaking: He's working at the moment.
Temporary situationslactions, not necessarily in progress at the moment of speaking:
My daughter is studying English at Durham University.
Planned actions (+ future adverbial reference): We're spending next winter in Australia. [> 9.9Al

Write: a Use the present progressive in the sentences below.

b Number the sentences 1 , 2, 3 or 4 to show uses of the present progressive.
1 Don't rush me. . . ~ . d t + r . . ~ . . b.......................................................
~b.. as fast as I can. (Ilwork)
2 What .........................................................................................................? It looks awful. (youldrink)
3 ......................................................................................................... to see the boss. (Shelstill wait)
4 ............................................................................................................. to catch his train. (Helhurry)
5 ............................................................................... , aren't you? Calm d o ~ n(You/constantly/panic)
!
6 ............................................ more and more politically aware these days. (Young peoplelbecome)
7 What .......................... nowadays? (Johnldo) - ..........................for the British cycle team. (Helride)
8 ...........................................................................................our holiday here very much. (Welenjoy)
9 ................................................................. people by asking personal questions. (Helalhayslupset)
10 What time ....................................................................................................... tomorrow? (helarrive)
1 1 ........................................................................................ to lock the front door. (Shelforeverlforget)
12 ........................................................................ treatment on my bad back for a few weeks. (Ilhave)
13 You can't believe a word he says. ............................................................................. (Helalwaysllie)
14 ............................................................................ the 1,500metres in the next Olympics. (Shelrun)
124
 9.2 The simple present and present progressive tenses (2)

9.2C The simple present and the present progressive tenses in typical
contexts [z LEG 9.1 21
Write: a Use the correct present tense form.
b Say what the context for each extract could be, written and/or spoken.
1 Let me explain what you have to do. First
you (take) ...........&?& ......... the photos
.......... them into
and (sort) ...........ACT$
categories. Then you (file) .. f& ...
them according to subject.
2 We (hope) ............................. you (enjoy)
............................. this marvellous weather
as much as we are. We (sunbathe) .........
.................... and (go) .............................
swimming every day. Next week we (go)
............................. snorkelling.
3 The play is set in London in 1890. The
action (take) ............................. place in
Sir Don Wyatt's mansion. When the
curtain (go) ............................. up, the
hero and heroine (sit) .............................
in the lounge. They (argue)
.............................
4 The house is in a mess because we've got
the workmen in. The plumber (put)
............................. in a new bath, the
electricians (rewire) ............................. the
system, and the carpenter (build) .................
............ us some new bookshelves!
5 Dear Jane,
Sorry to hear about your problem at work
I (think) ............................. you (do) ..................
........... the right thing, but I (doubt) ...................
.......... whether your boss really (know) ............
................. his job from what you (tell) ..............
............... me!
6 Pym (pass) ............................... to Smith, who
(run) ............................. straight at the central
defence and (shoot) .............................. and
Gomez (push) ............................. it over the
bar for a corner.

9.2D Context
Write: Put in the simple present or present progressive. Note where both forms are possible.
A HOLIDAY JOB W1TH.A DIFFERENCE!
I ( s t u d y ) l . @ % . . ~ English at Exeter University. I'm on holiday at
the moment and I (work) ............................. in a public library. I'm lucky to
have this job. I (not have to) ............................. get up early. The library
(open) ............................. at 10 and (close) ............................. at 7. It's
interesting work because people (always come in) ............................. and
(ask) 7............................. me to help them, so I (learn) ...........................a
lot about different subjects. I (enjoy) ............................. the job and (find)
lo ............................. it very amusing, too. People (use) " .............................
the strangest things as bookmarks. I have found a rasher of bacon
(uncooked!). Matchsticks (be) l 2 ............................. common and so (be)
13
............................. bus tickets. My colleagues (always find)
14
............................. things too - even a •’10 note, but I haven't been so
lucky! I often (think) l5 ............................. of the photo of a beautiful woman
which I found. On the back were the words: 'I (love) I6.............................
you. I (miss) l7 ............................. you and I'll never forget you.'

The strangest bookmarks!

 Key 8.7D-9.2B

8.7D Context 9 Verbs, verb tenses, imperatives

1 (-) 2 (-) 3 puts a business suit on 4 (-)
5 put his shirt and tie on 6 picked the receiver up 9.1 The simple present and present
7 (-) 8 (-) 9 check some figures over 10 (-) progressive tenses (1)
11 cutting expenses down 12 put the meeting off
13 writing some notes down 14 (-) 15 put down the 9.1A Pronunciation and spelling of the 3rd person,
receiver 16 (-) 17 (-) 18 (-) 19 (-) 20 had his simple present
red shorts on 1 He laughs 1st 8 She rushes /IZ/
2 She drops 1st 9 She saws /z/
8.8 Phrasal verbs: 3 She drinks 1st 10 He wears /z/
(Type 3, verb + particle (intransitive) 4 She forgets 1st 11 She loves /z/
(Type 4, verb + particle (transitive) 5 He loses /IZ/ 12 He sees /z/
6 She manages /IZ/ 13 Hepays /z/
8.8A Type 3: Verb + particle, intransitive, non- 7 He passes /IZ/ 14 She cries /z/
idiomatic: 'hurry up'
Possible answers 9.1 8 Uses of the simple present tense:
1 Come along. 2 Come away. 3 Come in. 'I worWhe works'
4 Come up. 5 Go away. 6 Go in. 7 Go up. 1 boils 2 rises 3 works 4 wear 5 eat 6 works
8 Hurry along. 9 Hurry up. 10 Hurry away. 7 go 8 drives 9 gets 10 eat 11 leaves
11 Sit down. 12 Sit up. 13 Stand up. 12 starts 13 see 14 know ... agree 15 hope
14 Come down. 15 Hurry in. 16 Go down. 16 says

8.88 Type 3: Verb + particle, intrasitive, idiomatic:
'break down'
l b 2 h 3 j 4 e 5 m 6 f 7 q 8 0 9c/d l o p
l l i 1 2 n 1 3 a 141 1 5 k 16c/d 1 7 9
8.8C Type 4: Verb + particle + preposition +
object, non-idiomatic: 'walk up to the top'
Possible answers
1 The lift takes a long time to come down from the
top floor.
2 We'd better try to drive on to Calcutta before
sunset.
3 1 hurried over to Tom's as soon as I heard the
news.
4 Run along to the shop for me and get a loaf of
bread.
5 It's best to stay away from the town centre on
Friday nights.
9.1 C Stative and dynamic verbs
The following need ticks: l a , 2a, 3b, 4b, 5a, 6a, 6b,
7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
1b l envy 2b l understand 3a You know 4a Does
he seem 5b l prefer
9.1 D Context
1 Are you sitting 2 hope 3 are studying 4 have
5 does not include 6 try 7 regard 8 want
9.2 The simple present and present
progressive tenses (2)
9.2A Spelling: how to add '-ing' to a verb:
'waitlwaiting'
1 making 2 eating 3 writing 4 forgetting
5 putting 6 travelling 7 catching 8 dying
9 carrying

8.8D Verb + particle + preposition + object,
idiomatic: 'put up with it'
l e 21 3 b 4 t 5 i 6 n 7 9 8 k 9 q 1 0 s
l l p 12j 130 14a 15r 16d 17f 18h
1 9 m 20c
8.8E Context
1 put up with 2 lie down 3 stay up 4 come about
5 lie in 6 catch up on 7 looks down on 8 face up
to 9 let me in on 10 coughed up 11 cheer up
12 look forward to
9.28 Uses of the present progressive tense:
'I am workinglhe is working'
1 l am working (1) 2 are you drinking? (1) 3 is still
waiting ( I ) 4 is hurrying ( I ) 5 are constantly
panicking (4) 6 are becoming (2) 7 is John doing ...
is riding (2) 8 are enjoying (1) 9 is always upsetting
(4) 10 is he arriving (3) 11 is forever forgetting (4)
12 am having (2) 13 is always lying (4)
14 is running (3)
Key 9.2C-9.4D
9.2C The simple present and the present
progressive tenses in typical contexts
1 you take ... and sort ... you file
(Spoken or written explanation or demonstration)
2 We hope you are enjoying ... We sunbathe and go
... Next week we're going
(Letter or postcard from someone who is on
holiday)
3 The action takes place ... goes up ... are sitting ...
They are arguing
(Review of a play in a newspaper or on the radio)
4 The plumber is putting ... are rewiring ... is building
(Letter to, or telephone conversation with a friend)
5 1 think ... you are doing ... I doubt ... knows ... you
tell me
(Letter to a friend or relation in reply to a phone
call or a letter)
6 Pym passes ... runs ... shoots ... pushes
(Spoken commentary on a football match on TV or
radio)
9.2D Context
1 am studying 2 am working 3 don't have to
4 opens 5 closes 6 are always coming in
7 asking 8 am learning 9 enjoylam enjoying
10 findlam finding 11 use 12 are 13 are 14 are
always finding 15 think 16 love
17 misslam missing
9.3 The simple past tense
9.3A The past form and pronunciation of regular
verbs
1 waited 11dl 2 cleaned /dl 3 played /dl
4 posted 11dl 5 smiled /dl 6 stopped It1
7 dreamt It/, or dreamed /dl 8 burnt It/, or burned /dl
9 cried /dl 10 watched It1 11 laughed It1
12obeyedldl 13 hurriedldl 14 liedldl
15 finished It1 16 included /rdl 17 locked It1
18 travelled /dl
9.38 Irregular past forms
1 saw 2 understood 3 knew 4 met 5 found
6left 7wrote 8sold 9was 10 had 11 kept
12 ate
9.3C Uses of the simple past tense: 'Iworkedlhe
worked'
1 I worked as a civil servant five years ago.
2 1 last playedfootball when I was 14.
3 The Carters left for their summer holiday last night.
4 John arrived at 4.
5 1 last saw 'Gone with the Wind' recently.
6 lNVe waitedat the airport till they arrived.
7 Sally told melus about her engagement when she
was here.
9.3D Context
1 claimed 2 attacked 3 was 4 had 5 chased
6 jumped 7 believed 8 called 9 set out
10 offered 11 captured 12 visited
9.4 The simple past and past progressive
tenses
9.4A Irregular verbs with the same form in the
present as in the past: 'putlput'
1 past 2 present 3 past 4 past 5 present
6 present or past 7 past 8 past 9 past 10 past
11 present or past 12 past 13 present 14 past
9.48 Uses of the past progressive tense:
'I was working'
1 was not listening 2 were enjoying 3 Were they
playing 4 was gardening 5 Were you watching
6 was raining 7 was wondering 8 Were you still
working 9 were living 10 was always doing
11 were constantly improving 12 Were you
reading 13 was getting
9.4C The simple past and the past progressive in
story-telling
1 It was just before
2 Tom was only 20
3 (he) was living with his mother (1)
4 He was working and travelling (1)
5 He received a mysterious letter
6 It was addressed
7 ... was signed ... asked
8 as he was dealing ... Tom was wondering (3)
9 he decided
10 It was full
11 He was just wondering ... when a stranger
introduced himself (2)
12 (The stranger) said ... when Tom was a baby
13 The stranger explained ... Bill was
14 Tom was recruited ...
15 was already working ... when the war began (2)
9.4D Context
1 was driving 2 was driving 3 saw 4 stopped
5 got out 6 was 7 looked 8 was crossinglcrossed
9 went 10 noticed 11 told 12 pulled 13 pulled
14 pulled 15 thought 16 looked/was looking
17 noticed 18 gave 19 seized 20 put
21 continued