Luyện ngữ pháp - English Grammar for Academic Purposes (Chapter 1: Time and Action - Using Verbs))

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IV. CONTINUOUS TENSE: EXPANSION AND EXERCISES 2. Compare: Simple and Continuous Verb Tenses 2.1 Time Simple Tense Continuous Tense Time Freedom: Unlimited Time The action is free to 'walk around' in a big area of time, such as the past, present or future. It could be a smaller area, like 'in the morning', but the action is always smaller than the time space. It could be anywhere in that time space—it is free to walk around. Time Jail: Limited Time The action is in a 'time jail'. It must happen there, at that time. It could be just a point in time to mark when it happens. • In this case the action happens close to the time mentioned and it is limited. Action has no clear time or clear start and stopping points Like a pendulum, there is no clear starting or ending time. Time just keeps going. The exact time is not clear. The action could go on forever. It is 'fuzzy time'. The time is not exact. Action has clear time and time limits Like a sand clock—action starts, continues and then stops, but this is not repeated. Action is limited to a certain exact time—like a 'time jail'. The time has clear borders. Examples I work at Cherry Computers as a computer engineer. It is a great job. I have a degree in computer science. It is my career, and I don't know if I will ever quit. Maria and Josie are very good friends. We don't know when they became friends or if the friendship will continue. Examples I am working at Joe's burgers (now). I don't like flipping hamburgers. This is a temporary job. I plan to quit as soon as I find a better job. Maria and Jose are dating (it is not going well, so they could break up). General Time Action happens sometime within a very large period of time, such as past, present or future, OR a smaller period of time, like a year or 'this morning'—but we don't know exactly when it happens within that period of time. Time is not given or mentioned except when given as a fact (like a history fact). Facts have no time limits—they are always true. Specific Time Action happens at an exact time or it 'fills up' a period of time. Time of the Action is always given (in the simple present, the time is always now). Examples: 7:00, yesterday, last week, in 1979, etc. Time is often not even mentioned. The time could be as small as 'last year' or 'this morning', but the action is only generally somewhere within that time. Note: If time is mentioned, it is actually a historic fact—facts had no time and are forever. The emphasis is on the fact and not the action. Time is mentioned: Three time possibilities 1. The action is happening at an exact point in time (i.e. 7:00 p.m.). It may start before the time and may or may not continue after—but the time it happens is limited, and is usually a somewhat short period of time. 2. In the Continuous Present Tense, time may not be mentioned, but we infer that it is happening now. 3. The action fills up all of the exact time. 2.2 Action Simple Tense Continuous Tense The action may not be continuous. Action could start and stop. It can repeat. It can happen randomly (at any unexpected time), or the action could repeat again and again at a certain time. But the time when this repetition started or when it will end is not clear. The action is (mostly) continuous. Action doesn't start and stop. It can happen at a point in time (i.e. 7:00, now). In this case, the action starts shortly before the point in time and may continue shortly after it (this may be relative—close to 7:00 is very short, but close to 1979 could be longer). It can fill up a longer period of time—like coffee 'fills up' a cup. Examples The moon goes around the earth. (when did it start doing this? When will it stop doing this? We don't know exactly!) I drink coffee every morning. (we don't know when this habit started or when it will end) 2.5 million people live in Vancouver. (we don't know exactly when it reached 2.5 million people, and they all moved individually, so we don't know exactly when they moved here) Examples At 6:00 a.m., I was getting ready to go to work. This afternoon, I was cleaning my apartment. In 2018, I was working at Cherry Computers. I am working! (in the present continuous tense, the time is implied—we all know that I mean now. At this moment, I am working.)

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