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978-1-108-61761-1 — Grammar in Use Intermediate Student's Book w/ Answers & Interactive eBook
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Raymond Murphy , With William R. Smalzer , Joseph Chapple
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Unit

1

Present Continuous (I am doing)A

Study this example situation:
Sarah is in her car. She is on her way to work.
She’s driving to work. (= She is driving …)
This means: she is driving now, at the time of speaking.
The action is not ﬁnished.
am/is/are + ‒ing is the present continuous:
I amhe/she/it is
we/you/they are

B(= I’m)(= he’s, etc.)(= we’re, etc.)

drivingworking
doing, etc.

I am doing something = I started doing it, and I haven’t ﬁnished. I’m in the middle of doing it.
Please don’t make so much noise. I’m trying to work. (not I try)
“Where’s Mark?” “He’s taking a shower.” (not He takes a shower)
Let’s go out now. It isn’t raining anymore. (not It doesn’t rain)
How’s your new job? Are you enjoying it?
What’s all that noise? What’s going on? or What’s happening?
Sometimes the action is not happening at the time of speaking. For example:
Steve is talking to a friend on the phone. He says:
I’m reading a really good book right now.
It’s about a man who …

Steve says “I’m reading …” but he is not reading the book at the timeof speaking.
He means that he has started reading the book but has not ﬁnishedit yet. He is in the middle of reading it.
Some more examples:
Kate wants to work in Italy, so she’s learning Italian.
(but perhaps she isn’t learning Italian at the time of speaking)Some friends of mine are building their own house. They hope to ﬁnish it next summer.

C

You can use the present continuous with today, this week, this year, etc. (periods around now):
a: You’re working hard today. (not You work hard today)
b: Yes, I have a lot to do.
The company I work for isn’t doing so well this year.
We use the present continuous when we talk about a change that has started to happen. We often use
these verbs in this way:getting
becomingchanging
improvingincreasing
growingrisingfalling

starting
beginning

Is your English getting better? (not Does your English get better)
The population of the world is increasing very fast. (not increases)
At ﬁrst I didn’t like my job, but I’m starting to enjoy it now. (not I start)

2

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Unit

Exercises
1.1

1What’s happening in the pictures? Choose from these verbs:
cross
1

hide

scratch2

1 She’s taking a picture.
2 He
3
1.2

take

tie

3

his shoelaces.
the road.

wave
4

5

4
5
6

6

his head.
behind a tree.
to somebody.

The sentences on the right follow those on the left. Which sentence goes with which?
1 Please don’t make so much noise.
2 We need to leave soon.
3 I don’t have anywhere to live right now.
4 I need to eat something soon.
5 They don’t need their car anymore.
6 Things are not so good at work.
7 What they say isn’t true.
8 We’re going to get wet.

a I’m getting hungry.
b They’re lying.
c It’s starting to rain.
d They’re trying to sell it.
e It’s getting late.
f I’m trying to work.
g I’m staying with friends.
h The company is losing money.

1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8

f

1.3

Write questions. Use the present continuous.
1 What’s all that noise? What’s happening? (what / happen?)(why / you / cry?)2 What’s the matter?
(she / work / today?)3 Where’s your mother?
(what / you / do / these days?)
4 I haven’t seen you in ages.
(what / she / study?)
5 Amy is a student.
(what / they / do?)6 Who are those people?
(you / enjoy / it?)
7 I heard you started a new job.
(why / you / walk / so fast?)
8 We’re not in a hurry.

1.4

Put the verb into the correct form, aﬃrmative (I’m doing, etc.) or negative (I’m not doing, etc.).
1 Please don’t make so much noise. I’m trying (I / try) to work.
2 Let’s go out now. It isn’t raining (it / rain) anymore.
(I / listen) to it.
3 You can turn oﬀ the music.
(She / have)
4 Kate called last night. She’s on a trip with friends.
a great time and doesn’t want to come back.
(He / learn) Japanese.
5 Andrew started evening classes recently.
(they / speak)
6 Jason and Sarah have had an argument and now
to each other.
(it / get) worse.
7 The situation is already very bad, and now(work) today. He’s taken the day oﬀ.
8 Tim(I / look) for Allison. Do you know where she is?
9(It / work) now.
10 The washing machine has been repaired.
(They / build) a new hospital. It will be ﬁnished next year.
11(He / enjoy) his courses.
12 Ben is a student, but he’s not very happy.
(The weather / change). I think it’s going to rain.
13(He / start) to get
14 Dan has been in the same job for a long time.
bored with it.

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Unit

2

Simple Present (I do)
AStudy this example situation:
Alex is a bus driver, but now he is asleep in bed.
He is not driving a bus. (He is asleep.)but He drives a bus. (He is a bus driver.)drive(s), work(s), do(es), etc., is the simple present:
I/we/you/they drive/work/do, etc.
he/she/it drives/works/does, etc.

B

We use the simple present to talk about things in general. We use it to say that something
happens all the time or repeatedly, or that something is true in general:
Nurses take care of patients in hospitals.
I usually leave for work at 8 a.m.
The earth goes around the sun.
The coﬀee shop opens at 7:30 in the morning.
We say:I workthey teachbut he works
but my sister teaches

you goI havebut
but

it goeshe hasFor spelling (–s or –es), see Appendix 6.

C

We use do/does to make questions and negative sentences:do I/we/you/they
does he/she/itwork?
drive?
do?

I/we/you/they don’t
he/she/it doesn’t

work
drive
do

I come from Japan. Where do you come from?
I don’t travel a lot.
What does this word mean? (not What means this word?)
Rice doesn’t grow in cold climates.
In the following examples, do is also the main verb (do you do / doesn’t do, etc.):“What do you do?” “I work in a store.”He’s always so lazy. He doesn’t do anything to help us.

D

We use the simple present to say how often we do things:
I get up at 8:00 every morning.
How often do you go to the dentist?
Julia doesn’t drink coﬀee very often.
Michael usually plays tennis two or three times a week.

E

I promise / I apologize, etc.
Sometimes we do things by saying something. For example, when you promise to do something,
you can say “I promise …”; when you suggest something, you can say “I suggest …”:
I promise I won’t be late.
“What do you suggest I do?” “I suggest that you …”
In the same way we say: I agree … / I advise … / I insist … / I refuse … / I suppose … , etc.

4

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Unit

Exercises
2.1

Complete the sentences using the following verbs:
cause(s)

2.2

2.3

2
close(s)connect(s)go(es)

live(s)take(s)speak(s)1 Tanya speaks German very well.
in a very small
5 My parents
2 Ben and Jackto the sameapartment.
school.
place
6 The Olympics
many accidents.
3 Bad driving
every four years.
at 4:00 on
4 The museum
the7 The Panama Canal
Sundays.
Atlantic and Paciﬁc Oceans.
Put the verb into the correct form.
1 Julia doesn’t drink (not / drink) coﬀee very often.
2 What time(the banks / close) here?
(not / use) it very much.
3 I have a car, but I(Maria / come) from? Is she Colombian?
4 Where(you / do)?” “I’m an electrician.”
5 “What(this word / mean)?
6 Look at this sentence. What(not / get) any exercise.
7 David isn’t in very good shape. He(take) me an hour to get to work in the morning. How long
8 It
(it / take) you?
Complete the sentences using these verbs. Sometimes you need the negative.
believe

eat

ﬂow

go

grow

make

rise

tell

translate

7 An interpreter
1 The earth goes around the sun.
doesn’t
growfrom one language into another.
in cold climates.
2 Rice3 The sunin the east. 8 Liars are people who
the truth.
honey.
4 Beesmeat. 9 The Amazon River
5 Vegetarians
into the Atlantic Ocean.
in God.
6 An atheist
2.4

You ask Emily questions about herself and her family. Write the questions.
1 You know that Emily plays tennis. You want to know how often. Ask her.
How often do you play tennis ?
2 Perhaps Emily’s sister plays tennis too. You want to know. Ask Emily.
your sister
3 You know that Emily goes to the movies a lot. You want to know how often. Ask her.

?
?

4 You know that Emily’s brother works. You want to know what he does. Ask Emily.
?
5 You’re not sure if Emily speaks Spanish. You want to know. Ask her.
?
6 You don’t know where Emily’s grandparents live. You want to know. Ask Emily.
?
2.5

Complete using the following:
I agree
I apologize
I insist

I promise

I recommend

I suggest

1 Mr. Evans is not in the oﬃce today. I suggest you try calling him tomorrow.
2 I won’t tell anybody what you said.
.
.
3 (in a restaurant) You must let me pay for the meal.
for what I said. I shouldn’t have said it.
4it.
5 The new restaurant on Lake Street is very good.
with you.
6 I think you’re absolutely right.

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Present Continuous and Simple Present 1(I am doing and I do)

Unit

3

A

Compare:Present continuous (I am doing)

Simple present (I do)

We use the continuous for things happening ator around the time of speaking.
The action is not complete.

We use the simple for things in general or
things that happen repeatedly.

I am doing
past

B

now

future

past

I do
now

futureThe water is boiling. Be careful.
Listen to those people. What language
are they speaking?
Let’s go out. It isn’t raining now.
“I’m busy.” “What are you doing?”
I’m getting hungry. Let’s go and eat.
Kate wants to work in Italy, so she’s
learning Italian.
The population of the world isincreasing very fast.

Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit.
Excuse me, do you speak English?

We use the continuous for temporary situations(things that continue for a short time):
I’m living with some friends until I ﬁnd aplace of my own.
a: You’re working hard today.
b: Yes, I have a lot to do.

We use the simple for permanent situations(things that continue for a long time):
My parents live in Vancouver. They
have lived there their whole lives.
Joe isn’t lazy. He works hard most of
the time.

See Unit 1 for more information.

See Unit 2 for more information.

It doesn’t rain very much in the summer.
What do you usually do on weekends?
I always get hungry in the afternoon.
Most people learn to swim when they
are children.
Every day the population of the world
increases by about 200,000 people.

I always do and I’m always doing
I always do something = I do it every time:
I always go to work by car. (not I’m always going)
I’m always doing something = I do it too often or more often than normal. For example:
I lost my keys again. I’m always losing them.

I’m always losing them = I lose them too often,
or more often than normal.
Eric is never satisﬁed. He’s always complaining. (= he complains too much)
You’re always looking at your phone. Don’t you have anything else to do?

6

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Unit

Exercises3

3.1

Are the underlined verbs OK? Correct them where necessary.
OK
1 Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit.
How often do you go
2 How often are you going to the cinema?
3 Ben tries to ﬁnd a job, but he hasn’t had any luck yet.
4 Melissa is calling her mother every day.
5 The moon goes around the earth in about 27 days.
6 Can you hear those people? What do they talk about?
7 What do you do in your spare time?
8 Sarah is a vegetarian. She doesn’t eat meat.
9 I must go now. It gets late.
10 “Come on! It’s time to leave.” “OK, I come.”
11 Mike is never late. He’s always starting work on time.
12 They don’t get along well. They’re always arguing.

3.2

Put the verb into the correct form, present continuous or simple present.
1 a I usually get (I / usually / get) hungry in the afternoon.
b I’m getting (I / get) hungry. Let’s go and eat something.
2 a “(you / listen) to the radio?” “No, you can turn it oﬀ.”
(you / listen) to the radio a lot?” “No, not very often.”b “(ﬂow) into the Mediterranean.
3 a The Nile River(ﬂow) very fast today—much faster than usual.
b The river(I / not / do) the housework very often.
4 a My apartment is a mess.
(you / usually / do) on weekends?
b What(She / stay) at the Park Hotel.
5 a Rachel is in New York right now.
(She / always / stay) there when she’s in New York.
b

3.3

Put the verb into the correct form, present continuous or simple present.
1 Why are all these people here? What’s happening (What / happen)?
2 Julia is good at languages.
(She / speak) four languages very well.
(Everybody / wait) for you.
3 Are you ready yet?
(you / pronounce) it?
4 I’ve never heard this word. How(not / work) this week. She’s on vacation.
5 Kate(improve) slowly. It’s better than it was.
6 I think my English(live) in Dallas. She has never lived anywhere else.
7 Nicole(I / start) to get tired.
8 Can we stop walking soon?
(They / visit) a friend of theirs.
9 Sam and Natalie are in Madrid right now.
(your father / do)?” “He’s an architect.”
10 “What
11 It took me an hour to get to work this morning. Most days(it / not / take) so long.
(I / learn) to drive. My driving test is next month. My father
12 I(teach) me.

3.4

Finish B’s sentences. Use always ‒ing.
1 a: I lost my keys again.
b: Not again! You’re always losing your keys
2 a: The car broke down again.
b: That car is useless. It
3 a: Look! You made the same mistake again.
b: Oh no, not again! I
4 a: Oh, I left my phone at home again.
b: Typical!

.
.
.
.

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Unit

Present Continuous and Simple Present 2(I am doing and I do)

4

A

We use continuous forms (I’m waiting, it’s raining, etc.) for actions and events that have started but
haven’t ﬁnished. Some verbs (for example, know and like) are not normally used in this way. We don’t
say “I am knowing” or “they are liking.” We say “I know” and “they like.”
The following verbs are not normally used in the present continuous:
like

want

need

preferknow

understandrecognize

believesupposerememberbelongﬁtcontainmean

consistseem

I’m hungry. I want something to eat. (not I’m wanting)Do you understand what I mean?
Anna doesn’t seem very happy right now.

B

think
When think means “believe” or “have an opinion,” we do not use the continuous:
I think Mary is Canadian, but I’m not sure. (not I’m thinking)What do you think of my idea? (= what is your opinion?)
When think means “consider,” the continuous is possible:
I’m thinking about what happened. I often think about it.
Nicky is thinking of giving up her job. (= she is considering it)

C

see

hear

smell

taste

look

feel

C

We normally use the simple present (not the present continuous) with see/hear/smell/taste :Do you see that man over there? (not are you seeing)
The room smells bad. Let’s open a window.
This soup doesn’t taste very good.
You can use the simple present or the present continuous to say how somebody looks or feels now:
You look well today. or You’re looking well today.
How do you feel now? or How are you feeling now?
but
I usually feel tired in the morning. (not I’m usually feeling)D

am/is/are being
You can say he’s being …, you’re being …, etc., to say how somebody is behaving now:
I can’t understand why he’s being so selﬁsh. He isn’t usually like that.
(being selﬁsh = behaving selﬁshly now)
“The path is icy. Don’t slip.” “Don’t worry. I’m being very careful.”Compare:He never thinks about other people. He’s very selﬁsh.
(= he is selﬁsh generally, not only now)
I don’t like to take risks. I’m a very careful person.
We use am/is/are being to say how a person is behaving (= doing something they can control) now.
It is not usually possible in other situations:
Sam is sick. (not is being sick)
Are you tired? (not are you being tired)

8

Present Continuous and Simple Present 1 ➜ Unit 3
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Unit

Exercises

4

4.1

Put the verb into the correct form, present continuous or simple present.
1 Are you hungry? Do you want (you / want) something to eat?
2 Alan says he’s 90 years old, but nobody(believe) him.
(I / not / remember) it now.
3 She told me her name, but(I / use) it.
4 Don’t put the dictionary away.
(I / need) it.
5 Don’t put the dictionary away.
(consist) mainly of nitrogen and oxygen.
6 Air(he / want)?
7 Who is that man? What(he / look) at us?
8 Who is that man? Why(you / recognize) him?
9 Who is that man?
(I / think) of selling my car. Would you be interested in buying it?
10(you / think) I should do?
11 I can’t make up my mind. What(he / seem) OK now.
12 Alex wasn’t well earlier, but

4.2

Use the words in parentheses to make sentences.
1

2

Are you OK?
You look worried.
(you / not / seem / very happy today)(I / think / about something)

You don’t seem very
happy today.
34(this / smell / good)(who / this umbrella / belong to?)I have no idea.
5

6(these gloves / not / ﬁt / me)
Excuse me. (anybody / sit / there?)No, it’s free.

They’re too small.

4.3

Are the underlined verbs OK? Correct them where necessary.
OK
1 Michelle is thinking of giving up her job.
I don’t believe it
2 It’s not true. I’m not believing it.
3 I’m feeling hungry. Is there anything to eat?
4 I’ve never eaten that fruit. What is it tasting like?
5 I’m not sure what she does. I think she works in a store.
6 Look over there. What are you seeing?
7 You’re very quiet. What are you thinking about?

4.4

Complete the sentences. Use is/are being (continuous) or is/are (simple).
1 I can’t understand why he’s being so selﬁsh. He isn’t usually like that.
2 You’ll like Andrea when you meet her. Shevery nice.
very nice to me right now. I wonder why.
3 Sarahvery happy. They just got married.
4 Theyso unreasonable about waiting
5 You’re normally very patient, so why
ten more minutes?
hungry?
6 Would you like something to eat?

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Unit

5

Simple Past (I did)A

Study this example:
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was an Austrianmusician and composer. He lived from 1756 to1791. He started composing at the age of ﬁve
and wrote more than 600 pieces of music.
He was only 35 years old when he died.
lived/started/wrote/was/died are all simple past.

B

Very often the simple past ends in ‒ed (regular verbs):
I work in a travel agency now. I worked in a department store before.
They invited us to their party, but we decided not to go.
The police stopped me on my way home last night.
Lauren passed her exam because she studied very hard.
For spelling (stopped, studied, etc.), see Appendix 6.
But many verbs are irregular. The simple past does not end in ‒ed. For example:
Mozart wrote more than 600 pieces of music.
write → wrote
We saw Alice in town a few days ago.
see → saw
I went to the movies three times last week.
go → went
It was cold, so I shut the window.
shut → shut
For a list of irregular verbs, see Appendix 1.

C

In questions and negative sentences we use did/didn’t + inﬁnitive (enjoy/see/go, etc.):
I enjoyed
she saw
they went

did

you
she
they

enjoy?
see?
go?

I
she didn’t
they

enjoy
see
go

I enjoyed the party a lot. Did you enjoy it?
How many people did they invite to the wedding?
I didn’t buy anything because I didn’t have any money.
“Did you go out?” “No, I didn’t.”
Sometimes do is the main verb in the sentence (did … do / didn’t do). For example:
What did you do on the weekend? (not What did you on the weekend?)
I didn’t do anything. (not I didn’t anything)D

The past of be (am/is/are) is was/were:I/he/she/it was/wasn’t
we/you/they

were/weren’t

was I/he/she/it?
were we/you/they?

I was annoyed because they were late.
Was the weather good when you were on vacation?
They weren’t able to come because they were so busy.
I wasn’t hungry, so I didn’t eat anything.
Did you go out last night, or were you too tired?

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Unit

Exercises
5.1

5

Read what Lauren says about a typical working day:I usually get up at 7:00 and have a big breakfast. I walk to work, whichtakes me about half an hour. I start work at 8:45. I never have lunch. I ﬁnish
work at 5:00. I’m always tired when I get home. I usually cook dinnera little later. I don’t usually go out. I go to bed at about 11:00, and I
always sleep well.

LaurenYesterday was a typical working day for Lauren. Write what she did or didn’t do yesterday.
1 She got up
at 7:00.
7
at 5:00.
a big breakfast.
2 She
tired when
home.
8
.
3 She
dinner a little later.
9
to get to work.
4 It
out last night.
10
at 8:45.
5
at 11:00.
11
lunch.
6
well last night.
12
5.2

Complete the sentences using the following verbs in the correct form:
buy

catch

cost

fall

hurt

sell

spend

1 Mozart wrote more than 600 pieces of music.
2 “How did you learn to drive?” “My father
3 We couldn’t aﬀord to keep our car, so wedown the stairs this morning and
4 Davethe ball to Sue, who
5 Joe
a lot of money yesterday. She
6 Kate
$200.
5.3

5.4

teach

throw

write

me.”
it.
his leg.
it.

You ask James about his trip in the U.S. Write your questions.
1 you: Where did you go ?
james: To the U.S. We went on a trip from San Francisco to Denver.
? By car?
2 you: How
james: Yes, we rented a car in San Francisco.
3 you: It’s a long way to drive. How longjames: Two weeks, but we stopped at a lot of places on the way.
? In hotels?
4 you: Where
james: Yes, small hotels or motels.
?
5 you:
james: It was very hot – sometimes too hot.
the Grand Canyon?
6 you:
james: Of course. It was wonderful.

a dress which?

Complete the sentences. Put the verb into the correct form, aﬃrmative or negative.
1 It was warm, so I took oﬀ my coat. (take)
2 The movie wasn’t very good. I didn’t enjoy it much. (enjoy)
her. (disturb)
3 I knew Sarah was busy, so I
the party early. (leave)
4 We were very tired, so wereally heavy. (be)5 It was hard carrying the bags. They
well. (sleep)
6 The bed was very uncomfortable. I
much. (cost)
7 This watch wasn’t expensive. It
into the room. (ﬂy)8 The window was open, and a bird
time to call you. (have)
9 I was in a hurry, so Ivery clean. (be)10 I didn’t like the hotel. The room11
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