These questions ask you to choose between a simple present form and a form of be plus -ing. Decide what kind of time meaning the whole sentence creates before you look at the verb forms.
Read the time frame and the speaker's purpose
First ask whether the sentence presents a stable pattern or a limited situation. A habit, repeated schedule, permanent situation or general fact takes the present simple. An action unfolding now, or a temporary situation around the present, takes the present continuous. Time expressions are evidence, not decoration: usually and every week point towards repetition, while right now, at the moment, this week and for a limited period point towards activity or temporary duration.
| Meaning signal | Form to choose |
|---|---|
| A settled habit, repeated event or general fact | Use the present simple. The action may happen often, but it is not presented as unfolding now. |
| An action in progress now or a temporary situation around now | Use be in the present plus the -ing form. Look for a stated temporary boundary as well as words such as now. |
| An official timetable or published programme referring to the future | Use the present simple because the schedule fixes the event. |
| Always, constantly or forever with explicit irritation | Use the present continuous when the verb form itself must convey the speaker's annoyance. Use the simple form for a neutral habit. |
Use a two-step check. Label the meaning as stable, current, temporary, scheduled or irritating; then build the matching form. Do not choose the continuous merely because an event is future, and do not choose the simple merely because an action happens more than once.
Forms that tempt you away from the meaning
| Tempting form | How to reject it |
|---|---|
| A simple form beside an explicit temporary boundary | A phrase limiting the situation to the present period makes it a temporary exception, not the person's settled routine. |
| A continuous form beside every day, every evening or a normal routine | Regular frequency and a neutral recurring pattern call for the present simple. |
| A simple form beside right now or at this moment | Those signals locate an action in progress, so use the present continuous unless the verb describes a state. |
| A neutral simple habit when the wording demands exasperation | The simple form reports repetition but does not make irritation part of the verb form. Continuous be plus always and -ing supplies that viewpoint. |
| A continuous form for an event fixed by a published timetable | An official schedule takes the present simple. Reserve the continuous future use for a personal arrangement, not a timetable reading. |
Try it
Which sentence uses the present simple or present continuous correctly?
- Jon is usually taking the early bus as his daily routine.
- Marta is staying with her aunt this month while her flat is renovated.
- The public library is closing at six every weekday according to its official hours.
- I write the final paragraph right now, so please do not interrupt me.
Select all sentences in which the tense is used correctly.
- The community pool closes at eight every weekday.
- Our chef is preparing chestnut soup every winter as a regular tradition.
- I am using the spare desk this week while mine is being repaired.
- The Earth is orbiting the Sun once every year.
Complete the sentence with the correct form of the verb in brackets: As part of her normal routine, our neighbour ___ the street trees every evening. (water)