Study tenses another way.
When we study verbs, teachers generally introduce a tense and say, for example: “The simple present is used for…”
Why not look at tenses the other way round? It’s easier and makes more sense. Therefore, see examples of how we can organise some present verb tenses based on what we want to say.
I want to mention a fact
Gold is more expensive than silver.
Would you like to say that something is always true? Use the present simple, as in “Water freezes at zero degrees Celsius” or “Betty is the cleverest girl in class” (even if someone contests this statement, for you it’s a universal truth).
Here you have other examples: “Yellow is my favourite colour” or “Coffee tastes better than tea”.
I want to talk about things that happen habitually
He drives to work every day.
When we wish to describe actions we do repeatedly we also use the simple present. “I have a shower every morning”, “I turn my computer on when I arrive at work” or “I always take the 7.05 train”.
I want to tell a story
She answers the phone, sits on her chair and starts to write notes.
Sometimes we use the present to tell a story and make it more dramatic, as in “The man comes into the room and steals the hat”. We do the same when describing sequences: “First we open the gate and walk in; we then have five seconds to disconnect the alarm”.
I want to write a heading, headline or explain a schedule
Man Lands on Moon
“President Gets Elected Again” or “Arsenal Win the League” are two possible headlines; “Learn Verbs Upside Down” is a heading. They generally go in simple present, just as when we talk about schedules: “Tea is served after the game” or “The meetings starts 6.00 PM.”
I want to talk about what is happening right now
They are downloading the app.
Need to describe something that you’re doing at this moment? The present continuous is for that. “I am studying your proposal now” or “Timmy is working so please don’t interrupt him.”
The present continuous–sometimes named present progressive–is built with the verb to be plus the -ing form. “She is sleeping at this time”, “They are still playing the game” or “The accountant is now calculating the cost” are all present continuous examples.
I want to give orders or directions
Take the first right and the second left.
Give orders or directions? We use the imperative case, as we saw in one of the examples above: “Please don’t interrupt him”. “Start with step one” or “Buy from the cheapest provider” are also imperative sentences.
By the way, the imperative is very easy in English because all we need are infinitives. “Be happy, don’t worry” and “Just do it” are two well-known examples.
Well, we’ve covered some of the present tenses. In a few weeks we’ll go over the past and the future. Or if you prefer, you can browse Andrew’s books on how to improve your business English here: www.andymiles.com
