Present continuous and present simple (2)

We can use the present simple in phrases such as It says here, I hear, I gather, I see, I understand and They say, (Someone) says, (Someone) tells me to introduce news that we have heard, read, seen (e.g on television ), or been told. We can also use past tenses (e.g. It said here, I heard):
-I gather you’re worried about Ken.
-Jane tell me you’re thinking of emigrating.
-Professor Otto is at the conference and I hear she’s an excellent speaker.

The present simple is often used in newspaper headlines to talk about events that have recently happened.
We can use the present simple to refer to the Contents of books films, newspapers, etc:
-Thompson gives a list of the largest European compantes in Chapter Six.
-At the beginning of the book, three men find $4 million in a crashed plane.
-In the film. Joan Smithson takes the role of a private detective.


We can use the present continuous with adverbs such as always, constantly, continually or forever to emphasise that something is done so often that it is characteristic of a person, group or thing:
-A: I think I’ll stay here alter all. B: You are constantly changing your mind.
-Tony is a really kind person. He's always offering to help me with my work.

We often use this pattern to indicate disapproval. The past continuous is used in a similar way with these adverbs (e.g. Was Kath always asking you for money, too?).

We can use the present continuous to describe something we regularly do at a certain time:
-At 8 o'clock I’m usually driving to work, so phone me on my mobile.
-7 o'clock is a hit early. We’re generally eating then.


We can use the present (or past) continuous rather than the present (or past) simple with the verb wonder if we want to be especially friendly or polite, particularly it we are unsure about the other persons feelings towards something or how they will react to what we say:
-You said that there were only 50 books in the boxes. I’m just wondering/ I was just wondering whether you counted them all? (more polite than 'I just wonder....?’)