The PRESENT TENSE uses the verb's

base form (write, work), or, for thirdperson singular subjects, the base
form plus an -s ending (he writes, she
works).
The PRESENT TENSE indicates that an
action is present, now, relative to the
speaker or writer. Generally, it is used
to describe actions that are factual or
habitual -- things that occur in the
present but that are not necessarily
happening right now: "It rains a lot in
Portland" is a kind of timeless
statement. Compare that to the
present progressive -- "It is raining in
Portland" -- which means that
something is, in fact, going on right
now. "I use my bike to get around
town." is in the present, but I'm not
actually on my bike right now. An
instantaneous sense of the present
can be conveyed with either the
simple present or the progressive:
"Watch him now: he holds [is holding]
down the control key at the same time
that he presses [is pressing] the letter
d."

communicating, the present tense can

also suggest a past action: "Dierdre
tells me that she took her brother to
the dentist." Most oddly, the present
tense can convey a sense of the
future, especially with verbs such as
arrive, come, and leave that suggest a
kind of plan or schedule: "The train
from Boston arrives this afternoon at
two o'clock."

Authority for this section: A University

Grammar of English by Randolph Quirk
and Sidney Greenbaum. Longman
Group: Essex, England. 1993. Used
with permission.

Present tense habitual activities are

frequently signaled by time
expressions such as the following:
all the time
always
every class
every day

The present tense is used to describe

events that are scheduled (by nature
or by people): "High tide is at 3:15
p.m. The Super Bowl starts at 6:15
p.m."

every holiday
every hour
every month
every semester

The present tense can be used to

suggest the past with what is
sometimes called the fictional (or
historic) present: "We were watching
the back door when, all of a sudden, in
walks Dierdre." With verbs of

every week
every year
most of the time
never

often
rarely
sometimes
usually

The PRESENT PROGRESSIVE TENSE

indicates continuing action, something
going on now. This tense is formed
with the helping "to be" verb, in the
present tense, plus the present
participle of the verb (with an -ing
ending): "I am buying all my family's
Christmas gifts early this year. She is

working through the holiday break.

Dierdre is being a really good girl in
these days before Christmas".
The present progressive can suggest
that an action is going to happen in
the future, especially with verbs that
convey the idea of a plan or of
movement from one place or condition
to another: "The team is arriving in
two hours. He's moving to Portland
this summer." Because the present
progressive can suggest either the
present or the future, it is usually
modified by adverbs of time.