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Train red Posted 9 years ago
Grammar

Simple present or Present Progressive

Quote: "Thursday's Question Time comes from Torquay." (BBC political talk show)

Why has the simple present "comes" been used? Shouldn't it rather read "is coming"? This clearly is no habit. Can the simple present be used, as Michael Lewis indicates, when the speaker only wants to give facts and has no interest in any temporal restriction whatsoever? Would "is coming" be correct as well but would put an emphasise on the limited duration of the event?

Thank you in advance for your help.

  

Top answer

train red Why has the simple present "comes" been used? It's not a literal usage of "come". It has little or nothing to do with motion.

  • train red Why has the simple present "comes" been used?
  • It's not a literal usage of "come".
  • It has little or nothing to do with motion.
  • The show originates in Torquay.
  • ) The meaning ("originate") is a non-progressive idea, so it would not occur in a continuous tense in this sort of context.
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1 Answers
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train redWhy has the simple present "comes" been used?

It's not a literal usage of "come". It has little or nothing to do with motion. The show originates in Torquay. (It's not actually coming, i.e., running, walking, or traveling from anywhere.) The meaning ("originate") is a non-progressive idea, so it would not occur in a continuous tense in t

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