Diagnostic test 1

Present tenses

Write the correct form of the words in brackets to complete the sentences. Use only the Present Simple (e.g. arrives/doesn't arrive) or the Present Continuous (e.g. is/are arriving). Example: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 It's nearly half past ten ... Do they always eat (they/always/eat) this late in Spain?

Carina ________________(enjoy) hospital dramas so she _______________ (watch) ER every night. Japanese cooking ___________________________(not use) a lot of dairy food. ____________ the interest rate __________________________(usually/change) because of inflation? Graham won't give up cigarettes. He __________________(smoke) about fifty a day. Britney Spears _____________________(stay) in the Waldorf Astoria on this visit to New York. We ___________________(take) a two-week winter holiday in Gstaad every year. I ______________________(feed) the neighbour's cat this week while she's in hospital. The court ____________________________(not/usually/send) first-time offenders to prison, but it is possible in exceptional circumstances. Then you _______________(mix) all the ingredients together quickly and ______________(put) the mixture in a hot oven for twenty minutes. I can see the leaders. The three front runners ______________________(turn) the corner into the stadium complex now. Julie, listen to this. It's Thursday evening and I _______________(get) home really late from the club, and she _______________(say) to me ... Hewitt certainly ________________________(not/play) his best tennis at the moment. Hurry up and buy your sandwich! Here ________________(come) the bus. Sorry I haven't phoned. I lost my address book. Oh, you _____________________________ (always/lose) your address book! Why don't you keep everything on the computer? The part-time philosophy course ___________________(consist of) twenty evening lectures and five full day seminars. _________________________(you/think) we should allow more than an hour to get to the station? We can't leave a ten-year-old child on her own. What on earth ________________________(you/think) of? Don't ask him! He ______________________(be) really difficult at the moment. Would you like to try these champagnes? We _____________________(taste) them to write a review for the wine club newsletter. We _______________________(guarantee) that you won't be disappointed with the performance of our new washing machine.

PRESENT SIMPLE General truths and facts We often use the Present Simple to state truths and to describe things which we feel are facts or permanent situations. Things which are generally true: British people drink a lot of tea, while Americans drink more coffee. Facts: Broken bones in adults don't heal as fast as they do in children. Permanent situations: A colony of Antarctic penguins lives in Marwell Zoo. Repeated events/actions We use the Present Simple to describe things that happen on a regular basis. As temperatures fall with the approach of winter, the soil freezes and contracts ... The Blairs take their summer holiday in a quiet part of Tuscany. We often use the Present Simple with adverbs of frequency (always, usually, often, sometimes, never, etc.) and expressions of frequency (every ... once a ...). Share prices usually change on a daily basis but often by very little. Our two chefs provide an excellent choice of hot meals every day. Series of events/actions We use the Present Simple to describe a series of events or actions (e.g. to give directions or instructions) often with impersonal you. From here you cross the road, go through an iron gate and follow the path west ... This is similar to the imperative, but the imperative can sound more abrupt. Cross the road, go through an iron gate and follow the path west ... We use the Present Simple when we want to express the immediacy of an event, e.g. in sports commentaries, particularly when the action being described is a quick one and is therefore over before the description finishes. France kicks off, Zidane passes to Henry, Henry cuts inside ... Other uses If we wish to give the events of a past narrative or an anecdote more immediacy, we can use the Present Simple, especially in speech. There's an old woman with thick glasses and a name tag. I go up to her and ask ... Newspaper headlines often use the Present Simple to express a past event, which again gives more immediacy to the event. Addicted Chaplin star gets three years for new drugs lapse. We use the Present Simple in formal speech or writing for certain actions. I note that you referred to the National Curriculum in your speech ... I look forward to receiving a prompt reply to my enquiry. We can use the Present Simple to talk about fixed events in the future or to express the future after conjunctions of time, e.g. when, after, as soon as. PRESENT CONTINUOUS

Things which are true now The Present Continuous describes an action in progress at the moment of speaking or around the time of speaking. The action is likely to continue after the time of speaking, but is likely to stop at some point. i.e. it is temporary. I'll be with you in a minute. I'm just finishing something in the kitchen. We are staying with John to try and find out if his place is really haunted. Common adverbs with this form are now, just, still and at the moment. We're studying the writings of Gunter Grass on the German course now. We use live, work, study and stay in the continuous if the action is temporary. She's staying in the Waldorf Astoria on this visit to New York, isn't she? Compare: She always stays in the Waldorf Astoria on visits to New York. Here comes and There goes, which are always in the Present Simple: Here comes the postman. There goes the last bus. Note the inversion of the verb and subject in these phrases. We also use the Present Continuous to describe things which are changing. British summers are getting hotter and winters are getting wetter. The Present Simple describes a regular event which we see as unchanging. We get a lot of rain during the winter in this part of the world. Repeated events It is possible to use the Present Continuous to talk about repeated events or actions, usually if they happen within a temporary period. I'm feeding the neighbour's cat this week while she's in hospital. Compare this with the use of the Present Simple for repeated actions. Graham's a confirmed smoker. He smokes about fifty cigarettes a day. [repeated action over a long period of time, possibly most of Graham's life] Graham's having a tough time at the office at the moment and he's smoking about fifty cigarettes a day! [repeated action in a temporary period] We can use the Present Continuous with an adverb such as always, forever or continually to talk about repeated actions that happen very often, perhaps too often as far as the speaker is concerned. The baby's always making cute little gurgling noises. The neighbours are forever slamming doors and shouting during the night. I'm always forgetting people's birthdays. It's so annoying. Series of events You may hear the Present Continuous used in sports commentaries when the action is in progress throughout the time of speaking. They're now entering the back straight and El Garrouj is starting to pull away ... ( ... and he crosses the line two seconds ahead of his closest rival ...) Other uses An exception to the use of the Present Continuous to describe actions in progress is:

We can use the Present Continuous with the Present Simple to give more immediacy to a past narrative. We use the continuous for actions which form a background. i.e. they started before the actions within the narrative. There's and old woman with thick glasses who's serving the hot drinks, so I go up to her and ask ... [she started serving before the action of the narrative.] Verbs rarely used in the continuous There are a number of verbs in English which we rarely use in a continuous tense They often describe states of being, possessing or feeling. (wrong) (correct) Most people aren't believing in the existence of UFOs. Most people don't believe in the existence of UFOs. be, consist of, contain, exist belong to, have (own), include, lack, own, possess adore, desire, despise, detest, dislike, envy, hate, like, love, need, pity, prefer, trust, want, wish believe, doubt, expect, feel (= think), forget, imagine, intend, know,realise, recognise, remember, see (= understand),suppose, think, understand appear, resemble, seem concern, depend, deserve, fit, matter, measure, mean, mind, weigh

The most common of these verbs are: verbs of existing or being verbs of possessing verbs of feeling or wanting verbs of thinking or believing

verbs of appearance other verbs

It is possible to use many of the verbs listed in the continuous, but the verb either has a different meaning or expresses a temporary action. Is Maria ready yet?No, she's having a shower. Now that there's electricity in the village, Santos is thinking of getting his house connected. (is considering) This table shows some of the common differences in use: verb be have think mean appear weigh use in Present Simple Your son is a very obedient child, isn't he? They're very rich. They have three homes and a yacht. I think that the world's problems are getting worse. This sign means 'slow down'. It appears the police have not started the investigation. She weighs 70 kilos. use in Present Continuous Your son is being very obedient at the moment. (= is behaving obediently) I'm having a really good time. (= am experiencing) I'm thinking of contributing to Oxfam. (= am considering) You're always meaning to call us, but you never do. (= are intending) The Philharmonic are appearing at the Palladium. (= are performing) I'm weighing the ingredients for the cake. (= action of weighing)