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Unit 2 Present continuous and present simple Present continuous and present simple (2) a) We often use the present simple and present continuous in stories and jokes in informal spoken English to create the impression that events are happening now. This can make them more direct and exciting and hold people's attention: - She goes up to this man and looks straight into his eyes. He's not wearing his glasses, and he doesn't recognise her.. Events in sequence: The main events are usually described in sequence using the present simple Events longer: The longer background events are described using the present continuous. In narratives and anecdotes the present simple can be used to highlight an event. Often it is used after past tenses and with a phrase such as suddenly or all of a sudden : I was sitting in the park, reading a newspaper, when all of a sudden this dog jump at me b) We also use the present simple and present continuous in live commentaries (for example, on sports events) when the report takes place at the same time as the action King serves to the left-hand court and Adams makes a wonderful return. She's playing magnificent tennis in this match... c) We can use the present simple in phrases such as: - It says here - I hear - I gather - I see - I understand - They say , (Someone) says, (Someone) tells me to introduce news that we have heard, read, seen (e.g. on television), or been told . We can also use past tenses (e.g. It said here, I heard); I gather you're worried about Ken. d) The present simple is often used in newspaper headlines to talk about events that have recently happened. We can use the present simple to refer to the contents of books, films, newspapers, etc: Thompson gives a list of rhe largest European companies in Chapter Six. e) We can use the present continuous with adverbs to emphasise that something is done so often that it is characteristic of a person, group or thing, such as: - always - constantly - continually - forever Tony a really kind person. He's always offering to help me with my work. We often use this pattern to indicate disapproval. The past continuous is used in a similar way with these adverbs (e.g. Was Kath always asking you for money, too?). We can use the present continuous to describe something we regularly do at a certain time: At 8 o'clock I'm usually driving to work, so phone me on my mobile. f) We can use the present (or past) continuous rather than the present (or past) simple with the verb wonder if we want to be especially friendly or polite, particularly if we are unsure about the other person's feelings towards something or how they will react to what we say: You said that there were only 50 books in the boxes. I'm just wondering/ 1 was just wondering whether you counted them all? (more polite than 1 just wonder.?")