All English 4U

English Grammar in Use · Murphy

Intermediate Grammar

Master English grammar one unit at a time. Clear notes, then 40+ interactive exercises with instant feedback — based on the topics in English Grammar in Use (Intermediate).

Continuous or simple?

Present perfect cont.

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UNIT 10

Perfect: cont. or simple?

UNIT 3 · Intermediate · B1–B2

Continuous or Simple?“present tenses 1” — 44 interactive questions

Correct answers

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📖 Grammar Reference — Continuous or Simple?

Study the notes, then work through the six exercises.

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What you’ll learnWhen to use continuous vs simple

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~15 minNotes + 6 exercises

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44 questionsInstant feedback

A Two tenses, two jobs

English has two present tenses. The key question is: is it happening now, or is it a routine / fact?

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Present continuous

am/is/are + -ing — happening now, temporary, or changing.

“I’m cooking dinner right now.”

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Present simple

verb (+ -s) — habits, routines, permanent things, facts.

“I cook dinner every evening.”

B Compare them

⚡ Look! She is running. (now)

🔁 She runs every day. (habit)

⚡ He‘s living with friends this month. (temporary)

🔁 He lives in Rome. (permanent)

C State verbs always stay simple

Verbs like know, like, love, want, need, believe, understand, mean, prefer describe states — use the present simple even when you mean “now”.

✓ I want a coffee.

✗ ~~I’m wanting a coffee.~~

✓ She knows the answer.

✗ ~~She’s knowing the answer.~~

D Signal words

⚡ continuous	now · at the moment · right now · Look! · Listen! · today · this week
🔁 simple	always · usually · often · every day · on Mondays · never · twice a week

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Quick test — happening right now or just temporary? → continuous. A routine or always true? → simple. A state verb? → always simple.

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Original practice material inspired by the English Grammar in Use syllabus (Cambridge University Press). Example sentences and exercises are written by All English 4U.