Present Progressive
Temporary habit or at the moment of speaking
Present vs. Present Progressive
| PERMANENT HABIT | TEMPORARY HABIT | MOMENT OF COMMUNICATION |
|---|---|---|
Present nonprogressive is used for activities that are long-lasting habits. (aspects: current, permanent, frequent) |
Present progressive is used for activities that are temporary or a change from the usual activities. (aspects: current, specified time, temporary) |
Present progressive is used for activities that are occur at the moment of speaking. (aspects: current, specified or indefinite time, temporary) |
Helen exercises everyday. |
Helen is taking a class at Skyline College this year. |
Helen is jogging around the park right now. |
Helen cooks her own meals often. |
Helen is studying Multimedia Arts this semester. |
Helen is listening to her iPod now. |
Present Tense Adverbs
| PRESENT – (MORE) PERMANENT | PRESENT PROGRESSIVE – TEMPORARY | ||
|---|---|---|---|
Adverbs for the present tense indicate a more permanent state and tell howoften an activity occurs or is repeated. Adverbs are rarely used with present tense statements: "general truths" or "states of being" . |
Adverbs for the present progressive emphasize the moment of speaking as the time of the activity. The adverb may also indicate a temporary change. With a larger range of time, this month, the focus is still on the present time period not any amount of time that has passed. |
||
GENERAL TRUTH general truth (Adverbs are rarely used.) |
FREQUENCY always / routinely / customarily |
NOW at the moment |
THIS ... today |
|
most of the time / usually / normally |
for now |
tonight |
EVERY ... |
in general / often / as a rule |
just now |
this morning |
every day (night, week, month, year, etc.) |
half of the time / frequently |
for a little while |
this week |
each day (night, week, month, year, etc.) |
occasionally / sometimes |
currently |
this month |
every other day (night, week, year, etc.) |
rarely / seldom / hardly ever |
presently |
this semester |
most weekends (nights, weeks, months, etc.) |
never |
as we speak |
this year |
Related Page: Adverbs of Time
Practice 1
Changes in Habits
- Enter your answer in the box.
- Remember to use subject-verb agreement.
- Then, compare your responsesto the answers by clicking the "check" button.
Practice 2
- Enter your answer in the box.
- Remember to use subject-verb agreement.
- Then, compare your responsesto the answers by clicking the "check" button.
Alternate Text View of Answers
Text View for Practice 1
Usually, Greg eats anything he wants and doesn't worry about what it does to his body. However, now, he is competing in swimming and has to change his eating habits.
Usually, he gets up and has orange juice or just skips breakfast because he is late for class. Then at lunch, he frequently meets his friends at Mac Donald's and has a Big Mac, fries and a cola.
At dinner time, he always sits down with his family, and enjoys a big meal. His mom usually serves meat, vegetables and potatoes. After that, he eats a green salad or some fruit. Most of the time, by eleven o'clock, he is hungry again, so he has ice cream and cookies.
Now, he is swimming competitively and his diet is completely different. In the morning, he is eating a lot more protein, eggs and bacon, and "carbs", a couple pieces of whole wheat toast, so that he has more energy for his morning work-out. He is spending noontime with his swimming teammates, not his "junk food" friends. He is following a low-fat, high-protein diet.
Now, at dinner, he is taking an extra helping of meat and potatoes. In fact, his mom is having trouble keeping enough food in the refrigerator. She thinks that he is an eating-machine. Next, week Greg is going/goes to Washington State for the National Swimming Championships. He is excited about them, but he knows that it may take a while until he wins a big competition.
Text View for Practice 2
This month, Marcial is having difficulty because the management laid off several employees, including Marcial! Usually, he works at Micro Systems where he is a circuit designer. However, the company has to make budget cuts and they can't afford to keep all of the employees.
Losing his job is upsetting for Marcial. Usually, he gets up at 6:00, has breakfast and leaves for work. However, this morning, Marcial is searching the job sites on the Internet. He is also feeling rather depressed. He knows it will take time to find another position because he is a highly-trained specialist. His company isn't unsympathetic; they are assisting him in his job search. Meanwhile, Marcial is cutting back on his spending habits until he finds a job.