Writers Abroad Magazine Issue 2 March 2015

WRITERS ABROAD MAGAZINE English Grammar In bite size pieces Some tips from Sally Robinson for non-native speakers of English (and valuable revision for the rest of us) Simple present and present continuous Actually, it’s a piece of cake (easy-peasy!) … Let’s first take Bite … Ow, ow, ow your dog’s biting my bottom! Call him off immediately! No, why should I? He never bites. He’s just being friendly. Spot the difference? “Your dog’s biting my bottom” is (regrettably) happening now / is in progress. “He never bites” expresses habit / general truth (in this case, a downright lie!) “He’s just being friendly” again refers to a temporary state. Present continuous, the “ing” form, is used to express what is actually happening right now. What is “in progress” or a temporary state Simple present is used to express habit, what happens / doesn’t happen regularly — usually, every day, as a general rule, as a general truth / fact. Now let’s take “A piece of cake” … in this case literally Would you like a piece of cake? No thank you. I don’t eat cake. I’m slimming. Spot the difference? “I don’t eat cake” expresses habit (hopefully, in this case!) “I’m slimming” expresses what you are engaged in over, in this case, a continuous temporary moment / span in time. What are you eating? (guiltily) A piece of cake. But you’re slimming, aren’t you? Yes (hesitantly), but … not today. No-one slims at Christmas. Tip Listen to BBC news. Note use of these two forms of the present. When you read — do the same. Useful Website: BBC Learning English Good Luck! WA 35 | M a r c h 2 0 1 5

Writers Abroad Magazine Issue 2 March 2015 | Page 35