Need help with sentence

AnonymousHi, can I say "In this room some of the guests meet for the first time"?

Yes you can.
But understand that you're either using "historical present" or describing "habitual behavior."

Perhaps this is a routine for a weekly quiz show, or panel show.

Or perhaps you're writing a report on what happened at a famous gathering in 1943.

Thank you so far! OK, so I guess it would be "In this room some of the guests are meeting for the first time"? And then something like "More and more guests are entering the room" would also be correct?

Yes. You have the idea!

Thanks so far! One last question In the same momentary description, one person receives an e-mail/phone call. Can I say "He is rece

It's the same deal as your original question. If you're telling someone what's happening right now, use the present continuous (he is receiving / she is giving).

If you use the simple present, then it's a narrative - something from a novel, or a description accompanying a slide show.

Actually it is a description of a comic strip - would that make the usage of the present continuous wrong? If you'd use the simple present for a description accompanying a slide show, isn't a comic strip the same thing?? So what would you use in that situation? Thanks for all your answers!!

The present continuous is more forgiving than the simple present. It will work in both situations.

And yes, the simple present would be appropriate for use in explaining the "action" in a comic strip to someone.

Of course you might not want to use the continuous to describe an abrupt event:

Look! She is accidentally knocking the vase on the floor and breaking it!