| ESL BLUE(s) | A Winter Vacation: present simple versus progressive |
| Nadia and Suzanne are going on a trip to Guadaloupe, in the Caribbean. It is their first trip together and they are looking forward to a break from school and winter. They are very close friends but have very different personalities, as you will see.
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| Nadia calls Suzanne two days before the trip. |
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| Nadia: | Hey Suzanne. Two more days. ________ excited? (get) |
| Suzanne: | A little. I just hope we get good weather. |
| Nadia: | Don't worry. It never ________ in the Caribbean. (rain) |
| Suzanne: | Don't count on it. |
Hey Suzanne. Two more days. Are you getting excited?
- This is happening right now. It is not a repeated or habitual action.
Don't worry. It never rains in the Caribbean.
- The adverb never indicates that it refers to a general fact, not an act in progress.
| Suzanne calls Nadia the day before the trip. |
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| Suzanne: | Hi Nadia. Do you have everything you need for the trip? |
| Nadia: | You bet! I have my passport, traveler's checks, insurance, my suitcases are packed. I even have a Spanish phrase book and I ________ a few expressions so I can talk to people there. (learn) |
| Suzanne: | That's great, except for one thing. They ________ French, not Spanish, in Guadaloupe. (speak) |
| Nadia: | Oh! |
I even have a Spanish phrase book and I am learning a few expressions so I can talk to people there.
- This is an action in progress. It is not a repeated or habitual action.
They speak French, not Spanish, in Guadaloupe.
- This is a general fact, not an action in progress. This is what happens normally.
| Same phone conversation. |
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| Nadia: | My dad ________ me to the airport. Do you need a ride? (drive) |
| Suzanne: | No, I'm fine. You ________ on the other side of town. It's so easy for me to take the airport bus. (live) |
My dad is driving me to the airport. Do you need a ride?
- This is a planned future event. It is similar to, but more definite than My dad is going to drive me to the airport.
You live on the other side of town.
- This is a permanent situation. If it is a temporary situation, then it is possible to say You are living on the other side of town.
| At the airport. |
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| Suzanne: | Three suitcases! That's a lot. |
| Nadia: | Hey, this is how I always ________. I don't want to wear the same clothes every day. (travel) |
| Suzanne: | Yes, but we ________ away for a week, not six months. (go) |
Hey, this is how I always travel. I don't want to wear the same clothes every day.
- The adverb always indicates that it refers to a repeated or habitual action, not an action in progress.
Yes, but we are going away for a week, not six months.
- This is happening right now. It is not a repeated or habitual action.
| At the hotel. |
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| Nadia: | Wow! This is a great hotel. You say your friends recommended it. ________ here often? (come) |
| Suzanne: | Every year. And I think they ________ here again this winter. (come) |
You say your friends recommended it. Do they come here often?
- The adverb often indicates that it refers to a general fact, not an act in progress.
And I think they are coming here again this winter.
- This is a planned event in the future. It is not a habitual or repeated action in this case.
| The fourth day of their vacation. They are not having luck with the weather. |
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| Suzanne: | Oh no! It ________ again! No beach for us today.(rain) |
| Nadia: | What a horrible place! It ______ here every single day. Why didn't the travel agent tell us. (rain) |
Oh no! It is raining again! No beach for us today.
- This is happening right now. It is not a repeated or habitual action.
What a horrible place! It rains here every single day.
- The time expression every day indicates that it refers to a repeated action, not an act in progress.
| Same vacation. Same hotel room. Different day. |
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| Nadia: | I don't believe it! The sun ________ out. We can go to the beach at last. (come) |
| Suzanne: | I don't trust it. Look at those black clouds over there. I ________ here until the sky is completely blue. (stay) |
| Nadia: | Oh Suzanne! You're so unadventurous. Don't forget that we're supposed to be on vacation. |
I don't believe it! The sun is coming out.
- This is happening right now. It is not a repeated or habitual action.
Look at those black clouds over there. I am staying here until the sky is completely blue.
- This is happening right now. It is not a repeated or habitual action.
| Same vacation. Same day. But now at a restaurant. |
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| Nadia: | This food's too spicy. I ________ it. (eat neg.) |
| Suzanne: | But it's a curry. Curries are always spicy. |
| Nadia: | I know, but not this spicy. In Canada I ________ curry all the time but it's not hot like this. I can't eat it. (eat) |
This food's too spicy. I. am not eating it.
- This is happening right now. It is not a repeated or habitual action.
In Canada I eat curry all the time but it's not hot like this.
- The time expression all the time indicates that it refers to a repeated or habitual action, not an act in progress.
| Same vacation. Different day. Now at the beach. |
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| Nadia: | Hey Sue! Look at that guy. He's so cute. |
| Suzanne: | He's ok, I suppose, but he's so vain. Just look at him. He _________ there where everybody can see him. (stand) |
| Nadia: | But of course. That's his job. He's a lifeguard. |
| Suzanne: | He's not a lifeguard. There are no lifeguards on this beach. Anyway, lifeguards ________ on high chairs so they can see the swimmers. |
Just look at him. He is standing there where everybody can see him.
- This is happening right now. It is not a repeated or habitual action.
Anyway, lifeguards sit on high chairs so they can see the swimmers.
- This refers to a general fact, not an act in progress. This is what lifeguards do normally.
| Same vacation. Same day. A little later. Still at the beach. |
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| Suzanne: | Nadia! Put on some sun-tan lotion. The sun's really strong today. |
| Nadia: | There's no need. I never ______ a sunburn. My skin is very resistant. And anyway, I'm always in the ocean. (get) |
| Suzanne: | That's worse. It's when you swim that you ________ a really bad sunburn. The water amplifies the rays of the sun. (get) |
| Nadia: | You're worse than my mother. |
I never get a sunburn. My skin is very resistant.
- The adverb never indicates that it refers to a general fact, not an act in progress.
It's when you swim that you get a really bad sunburn.
- As the expression when (= every time) I swim indicates, this refers to a general fact, not an act in progress.
| Same vacation. Same day. Same beach. |
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| Suzanne: | Nadia! I told you to put on some lotion. Now you're in trouble. Your skin ________ red. (turn) |
| Nadia: | Don't panic! Everything's fine. Normally, when I'm in the sun, my skin ________ red at first, but after a couple of hours I'm tanned all over. (turn) |
Now you're in trouble. Your skin is turning red.
- As the time expression now indicates, this is happening right now. It is not a repeated or habitual action.
Normally, when I'm in the sun, my skin turns red at first, but after a couple of hours I'm tanned all over.
- The adverb normally indicates that it refers to a general fact, not an act in progress.
| Same vacation. Same day, but later. Now back at the hotel. |
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| Nadia: | Oh! This is horrible. My skin ________. Can you put some more of that anti-sunburn stuff on my back. (burn) |
| Suzanne: | Of course. It's supposed to be very good for sunburns. It always ________ for me. (work) |
Oh! This is horrible. My skin is burning.
- This is happening right now. It is not a repeated or habitual action.
It always works for me.
- The adverb always indicates that it refers to a general fact, not an act in progress.
| Same vacation. Another day. At the hotel. |
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| Nadia: | Suzanne! You ________ another postcard! Let's go out and enjoy ourselves. (write neg.) |
| Suzanne: | I ________ myself. I love writing postcards. After all, what's a vacation without postcards. (enjoy) |
Suzanne! You are not writing another postcard!
- This is happening right now. It is not a repeated or habitual action.
I am enjoying myself. I love writing postcards.
- This is happening right now. It is not a repeated or habitual action.
| Same vacation. Another day. In the hotel lobby . |
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| Nadia: | Suzanne! Check out that guy! He's just my type. Mmmmm! And I think he ________ at us. (look) |
| Suzanne: | You're right. Why don't you go talk to him. |
| Nadia: | You must be joking. I can't just walk up to him and say 'hi.' Nobody ______ that. Anyway, guys like to make the first moves. (do) |
| Suzanne: | What planet are you living on? This is 1999, not 1969. |
Suzanne! Check out that guy! He's just my type. Mmmmm! And I think he is looking at us.
- This is happening right now. It is not a repeated or habitual action.
I can't just walk up to him and say 'hi.' Nobody does that.
- This refers to a general fact, not an action in progress.
Careful! The words nobody, somebody, everybody, etc. are singular, not plural.
| Same vacation. Another day. A windy day at the beach. |
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| Nadia: | What a beautiful day! And look at those waves! Let's go swim. |
| Suzanne: | No way! It's too dangerous. Anyway, you can't. The red flag ________. (fly) |
| Nadia: | A red flag means 'Be careful.' It does not mean that you can't go swim. |
| Suzanne: | I don't agree with you. Nobody else ________. Nobody's that crazy. (swim) |
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It's too dangerous. Anyway, you can't. The red flag is flying.
- This is happening right now. It is not a repeated or habitual action.
Nobody else is swimming. Nobody's that crazy.
- This is happening right now. It is not a repeated or habitual action.
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