Know Your English (Jan 2002)-6

Know your English

What is the difference between "It rains" and "It is raining"?

There was a time when people in Chennai were just dying to hear someone say, "It is raining". I am not so sure anymore. Of late there has been just too much rain. When you say that it is raining, what you are implying is that it is raining right now. You are not talking about yesterday or something that will happen tomorrow, you are talking about the present. When you look out of the window, you can actually see the rain falling. When you say that it rains in Chennai what you are implying is that rain is quite common. But the sentence doesn't necessarily mean that it is raining right now. It rains every now and then, but it may not be raining right now. Here are a few more examples.

* Hamsa is playing tennis. (She is playing tennis right now)

* Hamsa plays tennis in the evening. (She plays only in the evening. Not now)

* I am talking to the Manager. (I am talking to the Manager right now)

* I talk to the Manager. (I talk whenever I run into him)

* * * * *

"A psychiatrist is a fellow who asks you a lot of expensive questions your wife asks for nothing". — Joey Adams

Source:

The Hindu daily, Tuesday, Jan 01, 2002