A. Study the explanations and compare the examples:
Present continuous (I am doing)
Use the
continuous for something that is happening at or around the time of speaking.
The
action is not finished.
I am
doing (now)
* The
water is boiling. Can you turn it off?
* Listen
to those people. What language are they speaking?
* Let's
go out. It isn't raining now.
* 'Don't
disturb me. I'm busy.' 'Why? What are you doing?'
* I'm
going to bed now. Goodnight!
* Maria is
in Britain at the moment. She's learning English.
Use the
continuous for a temporary situation:
* I'm
living with some friends until I find a flat.
*
'You're working hard today.' 'Yes, I've got a lot to do.'
See Unit
I for more information.
Present simple (I do)
Use the
simple for things in general or things that happen repeatedly.
I do
* Water
boils at 100 degrees celsius.
* Excuse
me, do you speak English?
* It
doesn't rain very much in summer.
* What
do you usually do at weekends?
* What
do you do? (= What's your job?)
* I
always go to bed before midnight.
* Most
people learn to swim when they are children.
Use the
simple for a permanent situation:
* My
parents live in London. They have lived there all their lives.
* John
isn't lazy. He works very hard most of the time.
See Unit
2 for more information.
B. I always do and I'm always doing
Usually
we say 'I always do something' (= I do it every time):
* I
always go to work by car. (not 'I'm always going')
You can
also say 'I'm always doing something', but this has a different meaning. For
example:
I've
lost my key again. I'm always losing things.
'I'm
always losing things' does not mean that I lose things every time. It means
that I lose things too often, more often than normal.
'You're
always ~ing' means that you do something very often, more often than the
speaker thinks is normal or reasonable.
* You're
always watching television. You should do something more active.
* John
is never satisfied. He's always complaining.
