Present Simple vs Present Continuous

The present simple is used to talk about actions we see as long term or permanent. It is very common and very important.

In these examples, we are talking about regular actions or events.

• I drive to work every day.
• She doesn't come very often.
• The games usually start at 8.00 in the evening.
• What do you usually have for breakfast?

In these examples, we are talking about facts.

• Water freezes at 0° C or 32° F.
• I have three children.
• What does this word mean?
• I don't have any of my original teeth left.

In these examples, we are talking about future facts, usually found in a timetable or a chart.

• The plane leaves at 5.00 tomorrow morning.
• Christmas Day falls on a Sunday this year.
• Ramadan doesn't begin for another 2 weeks.
• Does the class begin this week or next?

In these examples, we are talking about our thoughts and feelings at the time of speaking. Notice that, although these feelings can be short-term, we use the present simple and not the present continuous.

• I think you are wrong.
• She doesn't want to do it.
• They don't agree with us.

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More info here

The present continuous is used to talk about present situations which we see as short-term or temporary. We use the present simple to talk about present situations which we see as long-term or permanent.

• It's raining.
• Who is Kate talking to on the phone?
• Look, somebody is trying to steal that man's wallet.
• I'm not looking. My eyes are closed tightly.

In these examples, the action is true at the present time but we don't think it will be true in the long term.

• I'm looking for a new apartment.
• He's thinking about leaving his job.
• They're considering making an appeal against the judgment.
• Are you getting enough sleep?

In these examples, the action is at a definite point in the future and it has already been arranged.

• I'm meeting her at 6.30.
• They aren't arriving until Tuesday.
• We are having a special dinner at a top restaurant for all the senior managers.
• Isn't he coming to the dinner?

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More info here

Present Simple or Continuous?

We use the Present Simple for:

regular actions or events

• I watch TV most evenings.
  

facts

• The sun rises in the east.

facts known about the future

• The plane leaves at 5.00 in the morning.

thoughts and feelings about the time of speaking

• I don't understand.

We use the Present Continuous for

the time of speaking ('now')

• I'm watching a movie on TV.

things which are true at the moment but not always

• I'm looking for a new job.

present plans for the future

• I'm taking my husband to New York for his birthday.

Look at these sentences :

• I usually don't drink coffee but I'm having one this morning because there is nothing else.
• I often drive to work but I'm taking the train this morning because my car is in for repair.
• I'm thinking about dying my hair blonde but I don't think my wife will be very happy about it.
• My parents live in New York but I'm just visiting.

Notice how in all these examples we use the present continuous to talk about events which are temporary/limited in time and the present simple to talk about event which are habits/permanent.
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Simple Past

We use the past simple to talk about actions and states which we see as completed in the past.

We can use it to talk about a specific point in time.

• She came back last Friday.
• I saw her in the street.
• They didn't agree to the deal.

It can also be used to talk about a period of time.

• She lived in Tokyo for seven years.
• They were in London from Monday to Thursday of last week.
• When I was living in New York, I went to all the art exhibitions I could.

You will often find the past simple used with time expressions such as these:

• Yesterday
• three weeks ago
• last year
• in 2002
• from March to June
• for a long time
• for 6 weeks
• in the 1980s
• in the last century
• in the past

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Past Continuous

We use the past simple to talk about actions and states which we see as completed in the past.

We can use it to talk about a specific point in time.
We use the past continuous to talk about past events which went on for a period of time.

We use it when we want to emphasize the continuing process of an activity or the period of that activity. (If we just want to talk about the past event as a simple fact, we use the past simple.)

• While I was driving home, Peter was trying desperately to contact me.
• Were you expecting any visitors?
• Sorry, were you sleeping?
• I was just making some coffee.
• I was thinking about him last night.
• In the 1990s few people were using mobile phones.

We often use it to describe a "background action" when something else happened.

• I was walking in the street when I suddenly fell over.
• She was talking to me on the phone and it suddenly went dead.
• They were still waiting for the plane when I spoke to them.
• The company was declining rapidly before he took charge.
• We were just talking about it before you arrived.
• I was making a presentation in front of 500 people when the microphone stopped working.

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learn more about this tense here

• Both the past simple and the past continuous refer to completed actions in the past.

Most of the time when we are talking about such actions, we use the past simple. This is by far the most common way of talking about the past.

• I lived there for 6 years.
• I only found out a few moments ago.
• I asked her but she didn't know anything.
• The company made 100 people redundant last year.

Only use the past continuous when you want to emphasize the continuity of the action.

• Everybody was talking about it all evening.
• They were really trying hard but couldn't do it.
• I was thinking about you the other day.
• Were you expecting that to happen?

When we use these two forms in the same sentence, we use the past continuous to talk about the "background action" and the past simple to talk about the shorter completed action.

• It was raining hard when we left the building.
• I was reading the report when you rang.
• He was going out to lunch when I saw him.
• The company was doing well when I last visited it.
  

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Questions tags

We use tags in spoken English but not in formal written English.

They are not really questions but are a way of asking the other person to make a comment and so keep the conversation open.

Making a tag is very mechanical. To make a tag, use the first auxiliary. If there is no auxiliary, use do, does or did. With a positive sentence, make a negative tag and with a negative sentence, make a positive tag.

• It's beautiful, isn't it?
• He has been, hasn't he?
• You can, can't you?
• It must be, mustn't it?
• You know him, don’t you?
• He finished it, didn't he?
• He will come, won't he?
• It isn't very good, is it?
• It hasn't rained, has it?
• It can't be, can it?
• Jenny doesn't know James, does she?
• They didn't leave, did they?
• He won’t do it, will he?

Notice these:

• There isn't an ATM here, is there?
• Let's have a cup of coffee, shall we?

To reply, use the same auxiliary:

• It's beautiful, isn't it? ~ Yes, it is. I think it's fabulous.
• It isn't very good, is it? ~ No, it isn't. In fact, it's terrible.

Although, the rules are very simple and mechanical, in order to use them easily in conversation, they have to be automatic. So you need to hear an
practice them very often.

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More here

Should have

We can use 'should have' to talk about past events that did not happen.

• I should have let her know what was happening but I forgot.
• He should have sent everybody a reminder by email.
• They should have remembered that their guests don't eat pork.

We can also use 'should have' to speculate about events that may or may not have happened.

• She should have got the letter this morning. I expect she'll give us a call about it later.
• He should have arrived at his office by now. Let's try ringing him.
• They should have all read that first email by this stage. It's time to send the next one.

We can use ' should not have' to speculate negatively about what may or may not have happened.

• She shouldn't have left work yet. I'll call her office.
• He shouldn't have boarded his plane yet. We can probably still get hold of him.
• They shouldn't have sent the report off for printing yet. There is still time to make changes.

We can also use 'should not have' to regret past actions.

• I shouldn't have shouted at you. I apologise.
• We shouldn't have left the office so late. We should have anticipated this bad traffic.
• They shouldn't have sacked him. He was the most creative person on their team.
  
  
  

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