Present Continuous/present progressive is usually used for right now. We also use it to talk about the future when we feel that the future is definite.
Some verbs should NOT be used in a progressive or continuous tense. These are called "stative" verbs or non-action verbs. The most common are be, want, need, like, and have (when have means own.) Use these in simple present tense even if the time is right now.
I'm hungry, (I'm being hungry) and I want my lunch now. (I'm wanting)
Use should+_______(base verb) to say what's ideal good. Use shouldn't+_______(base verb) to say what's bad.
We should practice a lot every day. You should tell me when you don't understand. We should talk a lot. We shouldn't laugh when people don't understand. We shouldn't criticize religious customs.
Countable nouns are things you can count. There's a man. There are some children. There are three books.
Non count verbs are usually difficult to count -- liquids (water, milk, tea, beer), small grains (sand, sugar, salt) gloppy things (pudding, ice cream, yogurt) or groups containing different things (furniture, money, fruit.)
Non count verbs use the singular verb, but never have "a" as an article. (A=1)
There's some coffee. There is some sugar. There isn't any fruit.
Illogical Count Rules: --Rice is non-count, but beans are count -- even if the beans are really small. --Fruit is non-count, but vegetables are count. There is some fruit in the bowl. There are some vegetables in the bowl. Individual pieces of fruit are count -- 3 apples, 2 bananas, two bunches of grapes. --Stars are count, but money is non-count. --Alive chickens and fish are count, but they are non-count as meat. (Which is why fish counted as non-count to University of Victoria, but count in the I can't count song.) There are three fish in the aquarium. There is some fish in the oven -- A whole cake, pizza, or watermelon is count. I made a cake. We ordered five pizzas. He brought a watermelon to the party. Once you cut them, use "pieces of" with singular and plural or treat them as non-count. I ate three pieces of cake. There's some cake left on the plate. There's some pizza in the kitchen. sort the count nouns game
