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ESL forum >
Grammar and Linguistics > DOUBT
DOUBT
helenarechena
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DOUBT
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Hi everyone:
"Presently she ___ (attend) school".
The correct answer to fill in the blank is IS ATTENDING, but... is it acceptable when a students fills it with ATTENDS??
Thanks in advance... |
15 Sep 2010
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anitarobi
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with presently, I wouldn �t be happy with attends...it �s an ongoing process, so it �s continuous... |
15 Sep 2010
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pilarmham
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I �d say "presently" talks about the future, so I would choose "she is attending", but I �m not so sure about American English. |
15 Sep 2010
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GIOVANNI
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� �She is attending � � because it is an ongoing process. It �s like saying presently she is reading Lord of the Rings. She may not be reading it at the moment but she is in the process of reading it. Presently is a key word often used in the Present Continuous. |
15 Sep 2010
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yanogator
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All of the answers above are grammatically correct, but in the US we also definitely use the simple present (Presently she attends school). We can defend this because it is a continuous or repeated action (She goes to school every day).
I hope this doesn �t confuse the issue, and I defnitely don �t want to contradict any of the other answers, but just to add some information.
Bruce |
15 Sep 2010
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Bahrain
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I think both is correct it is continuous action but at the same time it looks like habit . I hope it help!! |
15 Sep 2010
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LuciaRaposo
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both answers are correct.... one expressing something happening at the moment, at the present time, the other describing a routine, an habit, just like yanogator has pointed out.
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15 Sep 2010
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almaz
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"Presently" at the start of a sentence doesn �t chime well (in BE at least) and I agree with Maria (pilarmham) that it refers to the immediate future, although it comes across as a bit stodgy ("Yes, yes, I �ll be there presently!"). I �d prefer �at present � or depending on the expected duration, �at the moment �. I wouldn �t penalise your student for using the simple present considering the confusion this adverb is obviously causing. �She attends school � is a straightforward statement of fact which is true at the moment of speaking.
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15 Sep 2010
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