11 Examples:

   ‘Can’t you read that notice?’

   ‘No, I can’t. I’m not wearing my spectacles.’

   He is wearing a pair of jeans and a pullover.

   They aren’t coming today because their car has broken down.

   She generally stays at home on Monday nights, but today

   she is going out because it is Peter’s birthday.

   We do not usually wear or carry the same things.

   Circumstances oblige us to do things we do not

   normally do. In cases of this type, the present

   continuous is necessary.

a  ‘Why you (carry) a stick?’

   ‘I broke my leg in a car accident a month ago.’

b  I generally (not wear) vests, but I (wear) one today because

   I’ve got a terrible cold.

c  He (not join) the queue today because he doesn’t need

   to buy anything.

d  She (not come) to play cards this afternoon because she is

   broke.

e  They (use) a bow this time because it is noiseless.

12 Examples:

   What time does the show start?

   Your plane takes off at 9.00.

   We arrive in Berlin on 5th May, spend two nights there, and...

   Brutus kills Julius Caesar. Then...

   The book tells the story of a young princess who is in love

   with a peasant.

   When we refer to things that we do not control (because

   they are controlled by somebody else), such as timetables,

   we use the simple present. In itineraries, the usage of

   simple present is quite common. It is also common in the

   historic present in order to give more realism to the

   facts being described, and when we tell somebody what

   something is about.

a  My coach (leave) at four o’clock.

b  We (stay) in Madrid for a few days. Then we (go) to Bilbao,

   and (spend) the night there. The next morning, we (leave)

   Bilbao, and (head) for Santiago de Compostela. We (arrive)

   there at noon, and (have) lunch. In the evening, we

   (continue) our journey.

c  Christopher Columbus (think) that the earth is not flat, but

   round; and with the help of Isabella the Catholic —Queen of

   Castile—, he (sail) for the Indies. Instead of finding the

   Indies, he (discover) America.

d  When the volleyball match (finish)?

e  I’m writing a novel about two young girls who (run) away from

   home.

13 Examples:

   When I entered that old house (a completed action), some rats

   were nibbling a loaf of stale bread (an uncompleted action).

   They were just going to light a cigarette when their teacher

   came into the classroom.

   My wife was cooking a special meal, since some friends were

   coming for dinner.

   Needless to say, the simple past is the past of the simple

   present, and the past continuous is the past of the present

   continuous. Apart from a few exceptions (such as the

   historic present), the uses given for the simple present

   and the present continuous are therefore applied to their

   respective past tenses. For instance, if we use the simple

   present for habits in the present, the simple past should

   be employed for habits in the past.

a  He just (go) to ring her up when he (trip) over the mop,

   and (tumble) down the stairs.

b  When we (see) the warship in the distance, a pirate flag (fly)

   from the masthead.

c  She (take) me to the cinema that evening, so I (put) on my

   best clothes.

d  My stepson forever (snatch) all you had in your hands when he

   (be) little.

e  They gradually (forget)2 all their bad experiences in prison;

   but, unfortunately, the police (catch) them stealing some

   jewels, and they (be) taken to jail again.