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UNIVERSIDAD ESTATAL DEL SUR DE MANABI

Created by Official Registry


No. 261 of February 7, 2001
Academic Unit of Technical Sciences
Civil Engineering Career
III SEMESTER "A3"

Infinitive/ present: laugh / laughs Infinitive/ present: help / helps


Past Simple: laughed Past Simple: helped
Past Participle: laughed Past Participle: helped
Gerund: laughing Gerund: helping
Spanish: reírse Spanish: ayudar

Infinitive/ present: love / loves Infinitive/ present: make / makes


Past Simple: loved Past Simple: made
Past Participle: loved Past Participle: made
Gerund: loving Gerund: making
Spanish: amar Spanish: hacer, producir, fabricar

Infinitive/ present: talk / talks Infinitive/ present: work / works


Past Simple: talked Past Simple: worked
Past Participle: talked Past Participle: worked
Gerund: talking Gerund: working
Spanish: hablar Spanish: trabajar, funcionar
Pérez Collaguazo Selena Nikoll Jaime Cañarte Ávila, Mg. Eii
210077101-9
UNIVERSIDAD ESTATAL DEL SUR DE MANABI
Created by Official Registry
No. 261 of February 7, 2001
Academic Unit of Technical Sciences
Civil Engineering Career
III SEMESTER "A3"

Word Order in Questions


Introduction
In questions, we mostly keep the subject-predicate-object word order unchanged. However,
we usually have to add a helping verb before the subject (except in the case of be, which is
simply moved in front of the subject).

We differentiate between yes-no questions (which don’t use a question word), question-word
questions (which, as you can guess from their name, do use a question word), and indirect
questions.
Do you like ice-cream?
How often do you eat ice-cream?
Have you had an ice-cream today?
What is your favourite kind of ice-cream?

Construction
Questions with a helping verb
When constructing questions, we almost always need to use a helping verb. For compound
tenses, the passive, and modal verbs, we use the helping verb or modal verb that we already
have, and simply move it in front of the subject.

Example:
I have had an ice-cream today.
→ Have you had an ice-cream today? (present perfect)
The ice-cream is made with milk.
→ Is the ice-cream made with milk? (passive in the simple present)
Ice-cream men can eat ice-cream every day.
→ Can ice-cream men eat ice-cream every day? (modal verb in the simple present)
Most sentences in the simple present or the simple past, however, don’t already have a
helping verb. In this case we have to use do as our helping verb.
Example:
I like ice-cream.
→ Do you like ice-cream?
Pérez Collaguazo Selena Nikoll Jaime Cañarte Ávila, Mg. Eii
210077101-9
UNIVERSIDAD ESTATAL DEL SUR DE MANABI
Created by Official Registry
No. 261 of February 7, 2001
Academic Unit of Technical Sciences
Civil Engineering Career
III SEMESTER "A3"

To Note
If we’re using the helping verb do, only the helping verb is conjugated: in the simple
present we take does for the third person singular (do for all other persons), and in
the simple past we take did for all persons. The main verb then remains in its basic form.
Example:
He eats an ice-cream every day.
→ Does he eat an ice-cream every day? (simple present – 3rd person singular)
She ate an ice-cream yesterday.
→ Did she eat an ice-cream yesterday? (simple past)

Questions Without a Helping Verb


We don’t need an extra helping verb for questions in the simple present/past whose full verb
is be (note the irregular construction rules).
Example:
I am/was addicted to ice-cream.
→ Are/Were you addicted to ice-cream?
Sometimes a question word is also the subject of a question. This happens when we ask
who/what is performing the action. In subject questions we don’t need an additional helping
verb (do). Be careful, however, that the verb is in the third person singular.
Example:
What tastes delicious? The ice-cream tastes delicious.
(but: What does the ice-cream taste like? The ice-cream tastes like strawberries.)
Who eats ice-cream every day? Jane and Phil eat ice-cream every day.
(but: Who do Jane and Phil eat ice-cream with? Jane and Phil eat ice-cream
with Lorrie.)

Questions with “have”


In the case of questions that use the verb have, we have two possibilities. One option is to
use the helping verb do along with the main verb have. This is the official method, and more
commonly used in American English.
Example:
My mom has an ice-cream machine.
→ Does your mom have an ice-cream machine? (American English)

Pérez Collaguazo Selena Nikoll Jaime Cañarte Ávila, Mg. Eii


210077101-9
UNIVERSIDAD ESTATAL DEL SUR DE MANABI
Created by Official Registry
No. 261 of February 7, 2001
Academic Unit of Technical Sciences
Civil Engineering Career
III SEMESTER "A3"

For questions about possession/belonging, though, it’s more common in British English to
use the construction have got, in which have takes on the function of the helping verb, and is
placed before the subject.
Example:
My mum has got an ice-cream machine.
→ Has your mum got an ice-cream machine? (British English)

Types of Questions
Yes-No Questions
Yes-no questions are questions without a question word: we can only answer them with
“yes” or “no”. For questions of this sort, the helping verb comes at the beginning of the
sentence. If the question’s main verb is be, then be comes at the beginning of the sentence.
Example:
Do you like ice-cream?
Have you had an ice-cream today?
Is this your ice-cream?

Question-Word Questions
We construct question-word questions exactly like yes-no questions, except we have to add
the question word at the beginning of the sentence, before the helping verb.

Example:
How often do you eat ice-cream?
What is your favourite kind of ice-cream?
For questions with a preposition, the preposition usually comes at the end of the sentence.

Example:
Who is the ice-cream for?

Pérez Collaguazo Selena Nikoll Jaime Cañarte Ávila, Mg. Eii


210077101-9
UNIVERSIDAD ESTATAL DEL SUR DE MANABI
Created by Official Registry
No. 261 of February 7, 2001
Academic Unit of Technical Sciences
Civil Engineering Career
III SEMESTER "A3"

Common Question Words


question word usage example
Who gave you the book?
Who did you give the
who subject, object (person)
book to?
Who did you see?

What is it?
what subject or object, if it’s not a person What did you see?
What are you doing?

what What kind of clothes do


kind/sort/type you usually wear?
of …
no predetermined selection
what day/colour/
What day is it today?

Which car do you like


which predetermined selection better – the red one or the
blue one?
whose belonging/possession Whose car is it?
Where is the station?
where place (location, direction)
Where are you going?
where … from place (origin) Where are you from?
When did you have
when point in time
breakfast?
How are you?
how manner How did you get home last
night?

how How old are you?


for more detail
old/much/long How much is it?

why reason for an action Why are you so late?


what … for purpose of an action What do you need this for?

Pérez Collaguazo Selena Nikoll Jaime Cañarte Ávila, Mg. Eii


210077101-9
UNIVERSIDAD ESTATAL DEL SUR DE MANABI
Created by Official Registry
No. 261 of February 7, 2001
Academic Unit of Technical Sciences
Civil Engineering Career
III SEMESTER "A3"

Who/Whom
In colloquial language, who is commonly used both as subject and object. In formal
language, however, it is still considered more correct to say whom when referring to the
object of a sentence.

Example:
Who did you see?
→ Whom did you see?
If we use whom in a sentence with a preposition, the preposition often comes before the
word whom.

Example:
Who did you give the book to?
→ To whom did you give the book?
Preguntas de Personalidad / Apariencia "Be like"
En el momento de hacer preguntas acerca de personalidad y apariencia de las personas se
sigue una gramática diferente aunque en ambos casos se utiliza la palabra "like" (no como
verbo).

Preguntas de Personalidad en inglés

Para hacer preguntas acerca de personalidad se sigue la forma:

1) What + be + like

Ejemplos:

What is Mike like? (¿Cómo es Miguel?)


He's funny and extroverted. (Él es divertido y extrovertido)

Pérez Collaguazo Selena Nikoll Jaime Cañarte Ávila, Mg. Eii


210077101-9
UNIVERSIDAD ESTATAL DEL SUR DE MANABI
Created by Official Registry
No. 261 of February 7, 2001
Academic Unit of Technical Sciences
Civil Engineering Career
III SEMESTER "A3"

What's Dana like? (¿Cómo es Dana?)


She's selfish and unpleasant. (Ella es egoísta y desagradable)

What are your friends like? (¿Cómo son tus amigos?)


They're kind and generous. (Ellos son amables y generosos.

Nótese que para responder a estas preguntas se tiene que tener conocimiento básico de los
adjetivos de personalidad, he aquí algunos de los que se pueden recoger del curso básico.

Adjetivos de Personalidad:

Extroverted (Extrovertido)
Funny (Divertido)
Generous (Generoso)
Happy (Feliz)
Kind (Amable)
Nervous (Nervioso)
Selfish (Egoísta)
Shy (Tímido)
Sweet (Dulce)
Unpleasant (Desagradable)

https://www.ingenierogeek.com/2013/11/curso-ingles-medio-preguntas-personalidad-
apariencia-uso-de-like-look-like-ingles.html
https://english.lingolia.com/en/grammar/sentences/questions

Pérez Collaguazo Selena Nikoll Jaime Cañarte Ávila, Mg. Eii


210077101-9
UNIVERSIDAD ESTATAL DEL SUR DE MANABI
Created by Official Registry
No. 261 of February 7, 2001
Academic Unit of Technical Sciences
Civil Engineering Career
III SEMESTER "A3"

Present Simple
Cuando hablamos de los diferentes tiempos verbales, tenemos que hablar de cómo
formar el tenso, así como cuando lo usamos. Por lo tanto, en esta lección, como en
las demás lecciones sobre los tiempos verbales, miraremos su estructura y uso.

Grammatical Rules (Reglas gramaticales)

Form (Forma)

Para conjugar el presente simple usamos el infinitivo para los sujetos “I”, “you”,
“we” y “they” y para las terceras personas “he”, “she” y “it”, añadimos una “-s” al
final del verbo.

Sujeto Conjugación

I, you, we, they talk, eat, learn, do, go…

he, she, it talks, eats, learns, does, goes…

Nota: Hay excepciones de ortografía en la tercera persona, según la letra en que


termina el verbo. Las reglas son las mismas que se utilizan para formar el plural de
los sustantivos. Para más información, ver la lección sobre los nombres.

Structure (Estructura)

1. Affirmative Sentences (Frases afirmativas)


Sujeto + verbo.
Pérez Collaguazo Selena Nikoll Jaime Cañarte Ávila, Mg. Eii
210077101-9
UNIVERSIDAD ESTATAL DEL SUR DE MANABI
Created by Official Registry
No. 261 of February 7, 2001
Academic Unit of Technical Sciences
Civil Engineering Career
III SEMESTER "A3"

Ejemplos:

I talk.(Yo hablo.)

He eats.(Él come.)

They learn.(Ellos aprenden.)

2. Negative Sentences (Frases negativas)


Sujeto + verbo auxiliar (to do) + auxiliar negativo (“not”) + verbo.

Ejemplos:

I do not [don’t] talk.(Yo no hablo.)

He does not [doesn’t] eat.(Él no come.)

They do not [don’t] learn.(Ellos no aprenden.)

Nota: En frases negativas, el verbo auxiliar (“to do”) cambia y el verbo principal va
en el infinitivo.

3. Interrogative Sentences (Frases interrogativas)


Verbo auxiliar (to do) + sujeto + verbo principal?

Ejemplos:

Do you talk?(¿Hablas tú?)

Does he eat?(¿Come él?)

Do they learn?(¿Aprenden ellos?)

Nota: Como en frases negativas, en frases interrogativas el verbo auxiliar (“to do”)
cambia y el verbo principal va en el infinitivo.

Pérez Collaguazo Selena Nikoll Jaime Cañarte Ávila, Mg. Eii


210077101-9
UNIVERSIDAD ESTATAL DEL SUR DE MANABI
Created by Official Registry
No. 261 of February 7, 2001
Academic Unit of Technical Sciences
Civil Engineering Career
III SEMESTER "A3"

Para más información sobre la estructura de frases, ver la lección, construir frases.

Uses (Usos)

1. El presente simple se utiliza para hablar de cosas que suceden


habitualmente. A diferencia con el español, no se usa el presente simple para
hablar sobre algo que está pasando en el momento en el que hablamos.

Se suele utilizar el presente simple con adverbios de tiempo:


always (siempre), every day (cada día), usually (normalmente),
often (a menudo), sometimes (a veces), rarely (raramente),
hardly ever (casi nunca), never (nunca)…

Ejemplos:

I always talk to my mother on Sunday.(Siempre hablo con mi madre el domingo.)

He never eats vegetables.(Nunca come las verduras.)

They usually learn something new in class.(Normalmente aprenden algo nuevo en la clase.)

Excepción:
Los adverbios de tiempo van delante del verbo, excepto el verbo “to be” (ser/estar).
Cuando se usa “to be” el verbo va delante del adverbio.

Ejemplos:

I am always happy.(Siempre estoy contento.)

He is often sick.(A menudo él está enfermo.)

They are rarely late.(En raras ocasiones llegan tarde.)

2. Se utiliza para hablar de generalidades o hechos científicos.

Ejemplos:

Pérez Collaguazo Selena Nikoll Jaime Cañarte Ávila, Mg. Eii


210077101-9
UNIVERSIDAD ESTATAL DEL SUR DE MANABI
Created by Official Registry
No. 261 of February 7, 2001
Academic Unit of Technical Sciences
Civil Engineering Career
III SEMESTER "A3"

He does not [doesn’t] eat vegetables.(Él no come verduras.)

She works in a hospital.(Ella trabaja en una hospital.)

Elephants live in Africa.(Los elefantes viven en África.)

Bogota is in Colombia.(Bogotá está en Colombia.)

Do children like animals?(¿Les gustan a los niños los animales?)

Adults do not [don’t] know everything.(Los adultos no lo saben todo.)

3. Se usa para eventos programados en el futuro próximo.

Ejemplos:

The train leaves at 10:00.(El tren sale a las 10h.)

The party is tonight.(La fiesta es esta noche.)

Does the festival start tomorrow?(¿Empieza el festival mañana?)

The plane does not [doesn’t] arrive today.(El avión no llega hoy.)

4. Se usa para instrucciones (el imperativo).

Ejemplos:

Open the window.(Abre la ventana.)

Eat the vegetables.(Come las verduras.)

Don’t cry.(No llores.)

Do your homework.(Haz los deberes.)

Call your mother.(Llama a tu madre.)

Pérez Collaguazo Selena Nikoll Jaime Cañarte Ávila, Mg. Eii


210077101-9
UNIVERSIDAD ESTATAL DEL SUR DE MANABI
Created by Official Registry
No. 261 of February 7, 2001
Academic Unit of Technical Sciences
Civil Engineering Career
III SEMESTER "A3"

https://www.curso-ingles.com/aprender/cursos/nivel-basico/verb-tenses-present/present-
simple

1.-what is your family like? 11.-what is your teacher like?


My family is fun Is understanding

2.-what is your mother like? 12.-what is your grandmother


She is a love like?
Is trustworthy
3.-what is your sister like?
13.-what is your uncle like?
Very cute
Is polite
4.-what is your boyfriend like? 14.-what is your university like?
He is understandable is big

5.-how does your car looks like? 15.-what is your cat like?
is small Is carefree

6.-what is your friend like? 16.-what is your grandfather


Is friendly like?
Is conservative
7.-what is your father like?
Is modest 17.-what is your nephew like?
Is flirtatious
8.-what is your brother like?
Is cheerful 18.-what is your house like?
Is beautiful
9.-what is your dog like?
Is headed 19.-what is your neighborhood
like?
10.-what is your city like? Is peaceful
Is laid
20.-what is your hamster like?
Is sassy

Pérez Collaguazo Selena Nikoll Jaime Cañarte Ávila, Mg. Eii


210077101-9
UNIVERSIDAD ESTATAL DEL SUR DE MANABI
Created by Official Registry
No. 261 of February 7, 2001
Academic Unit of Technical Sciences
Civil Engineering Career
III SEMESTER "A3"

Adjetivos para describir la personalidad

English Spanish
Ambitious ambicioso
Annoying pesado
argumentative, quarrelsome discutidor
bad-tempered malhumorado
big-headed creído, engreído
Bitchy de mala leche, venenoso;
Brave valiente
Cantankerous cascarrabias
Carefree despreocupado
Careles descuidado, poco cuidadoso
Cautious prudente, cauteloso, cauto;
conceited, full of oneself presumido
Conservative conservador
Conventional convencional
Cowardly cobarde
crazy, nuts loco, chiflado
Cruel cruel

Pérez Collaguazo Selena Nikoll Jaime Cañarte Ávila, Mg. Eii


210077101-9
UNIVERSIDAD ESTATAL DEL SUR DE MANABI
Created by Official Registry
No. 261 of February 7, 2001
Academic Unit of Technical Sciences
Civil Engineering Career
III SEMESTER "A3"

Charming encantador
Cheerful alegre, jovial;
dull, boring soso, aburrido
Flirtatious coqueta
Friendly amigable, simpático, agradable
Generous generoso
hard-working trabajador
Honest honesto
Kind amable
laid-back tranquilo, relajado
Lazy perezoso, vago
Loyal fiel
Mean tacaño
Modest modesto
Moody de humor cambiante
Naive ingenuo, inocentón
naughty (children) malo, travieso (niños)
open-minded: de actitud abierta, sin prejuicios
narrow-minded: de mentalidad cerrada, intolerante;
Polite cortés, educado
Proud orgulloso
reliable: he’s a very reliable person fiable, confiable: es una persona en la que se puede
confiar
self-confident: to be self-confident seguro de sí mismo: tener confianza en sí mismo
Selfish egoísta
Sensible sensato, prudente;
Sensitive sensible
shy – introverted tímido, vergonzoso - introvertido
Strict estricto, severo, riguroso

Pérez Collaguazo Selena Nikoll Jaime Cañarte Ávila, Mg. Eii


210077101-9
UNIVERSIDAD ESTATAL DEL SUR DE MANABI
Created by Official Registry
No. 261 of February 7, 2001
Academic Unit of Technical Sciences
Civil Engineering Career
III SEMESTER "A3"

Stubborn terco, testarudo, tozudo


sympathetic (understanding) comprensivo

Talkative conversador, hablador

Trustworthy digno de confianza


two-faced falso
Weird raro, extraño
http://www.lingolex.com/people.htm

SIMPLE PRESENT

EL "SIMPLE PRESENT" SE UTILIZA:

 Para expresar hábitos y rutinas, hechos generales, acciones repetidas o situaciones,


emociones y deseos permanentes:
I smoke (hábito); I work in London (permanencia); London is a large city (hecho general)

 Para dar instrucciones o indicaciones:


You walk for two hundred meters, then you turn left.

 Para hablar de eventos programados, presentes o futuros:


Your exam starts at 09.00.

 Para referirse al futuro, detrás de algunas conjunciones: after, when, before, as soon as,
until:
He'll give it to you when you come next Saturday.

¡Cuidado! El "simple present" no se utiliza para hablar de lo que está ocurriendo en este
momento.

EJEMPLOS

 Hábitos y rutinas
He drinks tea at breakfast.
She only eats fish.
They watch television regularly.

 Eventos y acciones repetidos


We catch the bus every morning.

Pérez Collaguazo Selena Nikoll Jaime Cañarte Ávila, Mg. Eii


210077101-9
UNIVERSIDAD ESTATAL DEL SUR DE MANABI
Created by Official Registry
No. 261 of February 7, 2001
Academic Unit of Technical Sciences
Civil Engineering Career
III SEMESTER "A3"

It rains every afternoon in the hot season.


They drive to Monaco every summer.

 Hechos generales
Water freezes at zero degrees.
The Earth revolves around the Sun.
Her mother is Peruvian.

 Instrucciones o indicaciones
Open the packet and pour the contents into hot water.
You take the No.6 bus to Watney and then the No.10 to Bedford.

 Eventos programados
His mother arrives tomorrow.
Our holiday starts on the 26th March

 Construcciones de futuro
She'll see you before she leaves.
We'll give it to her when she arrives.

FORMACIÓN DEL "SIMPLE PRESENT": TO THINK

NOTAS SOBRE LA TERCERA PERSONA DEL SINGULAR DEL "SIMPLE PRESENT"

 En la tercera persona del singular, el verbo siempre termina en -s:


he wants, she needs, he gives, she thinks.

Pérez Collaguazo Selena Nikoll Jaime Cañarte Ávila, Mg. Eii


210077101-9
UNIVERSIDAD ESTATAL DEL SUR DE MANABI
Created by Official Registry
No. 261 of February 7, 2001
Academic Unit of Technical Sciences
Civil Engineering Career
III SEMESTER "A3"

 Para las formas negativa e interrogativa, se emplea DOES (= tercera persona del auxiliar
'DO') + el infinitivo del verbo.
He wants ice cream. Does he want strawberry? He does not want vanilla.

 Verbos que terminan en -y : en la tercera persona del singular, se cambia la -y por -ies:
fly --> flies, cry --> cries
Excepción: cuando una vocal precede a la -y:
play --> plays, pray --> prays

 Añadimos -es a los verbos que terminan en:-ss, -x, -sh, -ch:
he passes, she catches, he fixes, it pushes

EJEMPLOS

 He goes to school every morning.

 She understands English.

 It mixes the sand and the water.

 He tries very hard.

 She enjoys playing the piano.

https://www.ef.com.ec/recursos-aprender-ingles/gramatica-
inglesa/simple-present/

Present Continuous
The present continuous verb tense indicates that an action or condition is happening now,
frequently, and may continue into the future.

The Present Continuous Formula: to be [am, is, are] + verb [present participle]

Aunt Christine is warming up the car while Scott looks for his new leather coat. They are
eating at Scott’s favorite restaurant today, Polly’s Pancake Diner.

Key words: Verb, present participle, tense, dynamic verbs, stative verbs
Pérez Collaguazo Selena Nikoll Jaime Cañarte Ávila, Mg. Eii
210077101-9
UNIVERSIDAD ESTATAL DEL SUR DE MANABI
Created by Official Registry
No. 261 of February 7, 2001
Academic Unit of Technical Sciences
Civil Engineering Career
III SEMESTER "A3"

The present continuous (present progressive) tense is a way to convey any action or condition
that is happening right now, frequently, and may be ongoing. It adds energy and action to
writing, and its effect helps readers understand when the action is happening. Imagine Aunt
Christine has surprised her nephew Scott for his birthday and is going to take him out to his
favorite restaurant, Polly’s Pancake Diner. If I wanted to tell the story after it happened, I’d
use the past tense:

They waited at the red light, and Scott worried they might miss their reservation. (Past tense)

But what I really want to convey is how the event unfolded, showing the action as it is
happening:

They are sitting at Scott’s favorite booth, the one with the sparkling red plastic seats.(For
how long? We don’t know, but we do know they are sitting there now.)
The waiter is standing behind the counter right now with a notepad in his hand and pencil
behind his ear. (Will he ever make it over to the booth? Probably, but not now.)
“Are you waiting to open your presents after you eat your pancakes?” said Aunt Christine,
taking a sip from her root beer. (Here the present continuous is being used in question form.)

From this narrative point of view, the action is immediate and continuous; there’s momentum.
Sometimes writers use this tense to add suspense or humor in fictional pieces. What kind of
pancakes will Scott and his aunt order? The suspense is killing me!

The Present Continuous Formula

To form the present continuous, follow this formula:

To Be [Am, Is, Are] + Verb [Present Participle]

When to Use the Present Continuous Tense

Use the present continuous tense with the appropriate “to be” verb and a dynamic verb.
A dynamicverb shows action and/or process. For example,

Scott’s little sister is arriving at the diner two hours late because her roller-derby team,
Chicks Ahoy, won the national championships early today. As she is walking into Polly’s
Pancake Diner, she is yelling goodbye to her friends outside, and Scott hopes she doesn’t
cause a scene since she is always embarrassing him in public.

When Not to Use the Present Continuous Tense

Pérez Collaguazo Selena Nikoll Jaime Cañarte Ávila, Mg. Eii


210077101-9
UNIVERSIDAD ESTATAL DEL SUR DE MANABI
Created by Official Registry
No. 261 of February 7, 2001
Academic Unit of Technical Sciences
Civil Engineering Career
III SEMESTER "A3"

Do not use the present continuous tense with stative verbs. Stative verbs show a state of
being that does not show qualities of change. These verbs can stay in the simple present. For
example,

Aunt Christine is preferring the maple walnut pancakes over the banana peanut butter ones
that Scott loves.
Aunt Christine prefers the maple walnut pancakes over the banana peanut butter ones that
Scott loves.

Here, the stative verb to prefer shows opinion, and therefore should not be conjugated into
the present continuous. Stative verb categories include emotion (to love), possession (to
belong), and thoughts (to recognize), and none of these should use the present continuous
form.

The Exception to the Rule

Some verbs can be both dynamic and stative! Think about the verbs to be and to think. In its
dynamic form, the verb to be can show action:

Sarah, Scott’s little sister, is being bold by ordering the jalapeno-chipotle pancakes.

But in its stative form, the verb to be is awkward if conjugated in the present continuous.

Sarah is being a tall teenager, who loves her food spicy and her sports dangerous.
Sarah is a tall teenageer, who loves her food spicy and her sports dangerous.

Here are some more examples:

The waiter thinks Scott should save room for pumpkin pie. (Stative and in the simple present)
The waiter is thinking about getting a new job that requires less human interaction, like a
veterinarian. (Dynamic and in the present continuous)

Idiomatic Expressions and Style

English can be confusing; what is grammatically correct isn’t always what you might hear in
music, in advertisements, or during regular conversations. The present continuous is often
used incorrectly. Consider the the popular slogan for McDonald’s: “I’m Lovin’ It.” This is a
grammatically incorrect sentence because to love is a stative verb, so why would McDonald’s
use it in their advertisements?

This marks the difference between grammar and style. Using the present continuous as a
means to exaggerate is a stylistic trend, and as such, it would not be surprising to hear this
conversation:
Pérez Collaguazo Selena Nikoll Jaime Cañarte Ávila, Mg. Eii
210077101-9
UNIVERSIDAD ESTATAL DEL SUR DE MANABI
Created by Official Registry
No. 261 of February 7, 2001
Academic Unit of Technical Sciences
Civil Engineering Career
III SEMESTER "A3"

Scott, glazed with a chocolate mustache, looks over to his aunt and says, “I’m lovin’ me
some of these chocolate peanut butter banana pancakes!” “I’m hearing what you’re
saying!” she replies, sprinkling powdered sugar atop the stacks on her plate.

Here Scott and his Aunt display their excitement in a silly way, emphasizing their feelings.
On the other hand, you would never hear a native speaker say these sentences:

Scott is loving his Aunt Christine, a self-proclaimed pancake connoisseur. (People would
simply say “Scott loves his Aunt Christine . . .”)
Sarah is hearing the music from their table-top juke box and resists the urge to dance on the
table. (Sarah hears the music. . .)

The Final Say

If you are teaching English or learning it, I’d recommend simply sticking to grammatically
correct constructions and leaving the idiomatic expressions to the creators of advertisements
and song lyrics. In formal writing, the experts recommend that when you can use fewer
words to express a thought, you should, so use the present continuous sparingly—short and
sweet can’t be beat!

Common Construction in the Present Continuous Tense

Common Dynamic Verbs that USE the Present Continuous

Pérez Collaguazo Selena Nikoll Jaime Cañarte Ávila, Mg. Eii


210077101-9
UNIVERSIDAD ESTATAL DEL SUR DE MANABI
Created by Official Registry
No. 261 of February 7, 2001
Academic Unit of Technical Sciences
Civil Engineering Career
III SEMESTER "A3"

Common Stative Verbs that DO NOT USE the Present Continuous

https://www.grammarly.com/blog/present-continuous/

PRESENT CONTINUOUS CON SENTIDO DE FUTURO

Pérez Collaguazo Selena Nikoll Jaime Cañarte Ávila, Mg. Eii


210077101-9
UNIVERSIDAD ESTATAL DEL SUR DE MANABI
Created by Official Registry
No. 261 of February 7, 2001
Academic Unit of Technical Sciences
Civil Engineering Career
III SEMESTER "A3"

USO DEL "PRESENT CONTINUOUS" PARA REFERIRSE AL FUTURO


El "present continuous" se emplea para referirse a planes o acuerdos sobre eventos futuros.
Conlleva la sugerencia de que más de una persona está implicada en ellos y que ya se ha dado
cierto grado de preparación previa, por ejemplo:

 I'm meeting Jim at the airport = Jim y yo hemos quedado en eso.

 I am leaving tomorrow. = Ya he comprado el billete de tren.

 We're having a staff meeting next Monday = se ha comunicado a todos los miembros del
personal.

EJEMPLOS
 Is she seeing him tomorrow?

 He isn't working next week.

 They aren't leaving until the end of next year.

 We are staying with friends when we get to Boston.

Nota:en el primer ejemplo, se utiliza "seeing" en su forma progresiva con el significado de "meeting"
(encontrarse con, quedar).
¡CUIDADO! Si el evento futuro tiene un horario fijo o está programado, se utiliza el "simple present".

Observa la diferencia entre:

a. We're having a staff meeting next Monday = evento puntual


b. We have a staff meeting every Monday

https://www.ef.com.ec/recursos-aprender-ingles/gramatica-inglesa/present-continuous-
sentido-futuro/

Pérez Collaguazo Selena Nikoll Jaime Cañarte Ávila, Mg. Eii


210077101-9
UNIVERSIDAD ESTATAL DEL SUR DE MANABI
Created by Official Registry
No. 261 of February 7, 2001
Academic Unit of Technical Sciences
Civil Engineering Career
III SEMESTER "A3"

NAME: Perez Collaguazo Selena Nikoll


DATE: 23/05/2018
TEACHER: Jaime Cañarte Avila
CAREER: CIVIL ENGINEERING

Past continuous
Funciones del "past continuous"

El "past continuous" describe acciones o eventos situados en un tiempo anterior al presente,


cuyo comienzo se sitúa en el pasado y que todavía no ha concluido en el momento de
hablar. Dicho de otro modo, expresa una acción incompleta o inconclusa del pasado.

Se utiliza:

 Con frecuencia, para describir el contexto en una historia escrita en pasado, e.g. "The
sun was shining and the birds were singing as the elephant came out of the jungle.
The other animals were relaxing in the shade of the trees, but the elephant moved
very quickly. She was looking for her baby, and she didn't notice the hunter who was
watching her through his binoculars. When the shot rang out, she was running
towards the river..."

 para describir una acción incompleta que se vio interrumpida por otra acción o evento,
e.g. "I was having a beautiful dream when the alarm clock rang."

 para expresar un cambio de opinión: e.g. "I was going to spend the day at the beach
but I've decided to get my homework done instead."

 con 'wonder', para formular una petición muy educada: e.g. "I was wondering if you
could baby-sit for me tonight."

Ejemplos

 They were waiting for the bus when the accident happened.

 Caroline was skiing when she broke her leg.

 When we arrived he was having a bath.

 When the fire started I was watching television.

Nota: con los verbos que no suelen conjugarse en "past continuous" se emplea normalmente
el "simple past".
Pérez Collaguazo Selena Nikoll Jaime Cañarte Ávila, Mg. Eii
210077101-9
UNIVERSIDAD ESTATAL DEL SUR DE MANABI
Created by Official Registry
No. 261 of February 7, 2001
Academic Unit of Technical Sciences
Civil Engineering Career
III SEMESTER "A3"

Formación del "past continuous"

El "past continuous" de cualquier verbo está compuesto de dos partes: el pasado del verbo "to
be" (was/were) y la raíz del verbo principal +ing.

Pérez Collaguazo Selena Nikoll Jaime Cañarte Ávila, Mg. Eii


210077101-9

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