First:
In the following exercise I'm asked to put the verb into the correct form, present continuous or simple present:
- The River Nile _ (flow) very fast today – much faster than usual.
Ans: is flowing
- We usually _ (grow) vegetables in our garden, but this year we _ (not/grow) any.
Ans: aren't growing
Are these two questions about the same idea that both of them are talking about sth doesn't happen in general or repeatedly? Is this the reason for the answers? Present Continuous can be referring to exception from routine or habit?
Second:
Finish sentences with always -ing:
- A: The car has broken down again. B: The car is useless. It_.
Ans: It's always breaking down
- A: Oh I forgot my glasses again. B: That's typical! _.
Ans: You're always forgetting your glasses.
Why aren't the answers "It always breaks down" and "You always forget your glasses"? I don't know the difference between "be always ving" and "always ving"
Last:
Use the words underlined to make sentences:
[The picture is about people in the theater asking whether seats are taken]
A: Excuse me. (anybody/sit/there?) _. B: No, go ahead.
Ans: Is anybody sitting there?
What rules should I follow to consider this situation? I mean, whether there's anybody sitting in a certain seat can be told by seeing it, so why not use present simple in this case?
Best Answer
I find this above chart quite helpful in understanding tenses and the period of time they refer to in order to accurately choose tenses to use in a particular sentence.
First Q1: Present continuous tense is used in this sentence since the river is flowing continuously for the whole of ‘today’. Simple present should only be used in this case if the time frame (today) wasn’t given because only then would the sentence be a generalizations. e.g. The river flows. (Generalizations can't be specific so you can't specify a specific time period)
Q2 This is an example of a generalization. In that sentence, you’re generalizing that you usually or always grow vegetables in your garden. However, this year is an exception since you aren’t growing any vegetables. ‘Aren’t growing’ is in present continuous to express how throughout this year, you are continuously not growing any vegetables in your garden.
Present continuous tense isn’t necessarily used to name exceptions to a generalization. Sometimes past continuous can be used as well. (Daniel usually runs around in school but yesterday he was limping since he injured his thigh)
Second: Your method of using present tense instead of present continuous also works if you want to phrase it as a generalization. The present continuous form is probably the right answer because of the question requirements.
The main difference between the two is that present continuous is used to refer to a specified period of time between the past and the future while simple present is used to generalize throughout an unspecified period of time (has been happening since forever and will continue to happen forever)
Third: Similarly, you can use both present continuous and simple present here (Is anybody sitting there? vs does anybody sit there?). However, I would think that simple continuous is more appropriate in this case. If you look carefully at the chart, present continuous extends a bit to a specific point in the future as well while simple present is just 1 point in the timeline. Therefore ‘Is anybody sitting there?’ would mean ‘Is anybody sitting there now and will anybody be sitting there before the movie ends?’ (The period of time referred to here is from the present to a point in the future (ending of movie)).
In this case, simple present (generalization) means ‘Has anyone sat there before and will anyone sit there in forever’ obviously, since this is a movie theatre seat, someone would have sat there before your movie and will be sitting there after your movie. Thus, the answer to that question if it’s in simple present would always be ‘yes’ regardless of whether anyone is sitting in that seat during your movie.
Therefore, I would highly recommend using simple continuous in this case.