awaits vs is awaiting

[Alexey86]

1) In Ivory Coast in 2011, the incumbent, Laurent Gbagbo, refused to accept election defeat but was eventually removed by force and now awaits trial at the international criminal court.
(The Guardian)

2) The man who was caught and identified as the shooter, Jaime Gonzalez, was charged with attempted murder. He is awaiting trial.
(The New York Times)

I didn't expect to see awaits in (1). Why the present simple?

 

[emsr2d2]

In news reports, both the simple present and the present continuous are used to express the same thing.

 

[Alexey86]

In news reports, both the simple present and the present continuous are used to express the same thing.

Not only in news reports:

(42.12 - 42.24)

Character: (talking to the General) Just a slight problem for you. Mind if we come round? Thank you. Right away.
(to another character) The General awaits us.

 

[Charlie Bernstein]

1) In Ivory Coast in 2011, the incumbent, Laurent Gbagbo, refused to accept election defeat but was eventually removed by force and now awaits trial at the international criminal court.
(The Guardian)

2) The man who was caught and identified as the shooter, Jaime Gonzalez, was charged with attempted murder. He is awaiting trial.
(The New York Times)

I didn't expect to see awaits in (1). Why the present simple?

I can't think of a reason not to use either is awaiting or awaits. In the past he refused. In the present he awaits. He was refusing. He is awaiting.

What surprised you?

 

[Alexey86]

I can't think of a reason not to use either is awaiting or awaits. In the past he refused. In the present he awaits. He was refusing. He is awaiting.

What surprised you?

He is in ongoing process of waiting, isn't he? Suppose you were driving a car and somebody called you, would you also see no problem in using either "Sorry, I can't talk right now. I'm driving" or "I drive"?

 

[emsr2d2]

"Drive" doesn't work the same way as "await". The verb "await" effectively means "to be waiting for". So "He awaits us" means exactly the same as "He is waiting for us". That's not the case for "drive". It means what it means. In your car scenario, only "I am driving" works.

 

[Alexey86]

The verb "await" effectively means "to be waiting for". So "He awaits us" means exactly the same as "He is waiting for us".

Then, what's the difference between await and be awaiting? If he awaits us = he is waiting for us, what would he is awaiting us mean?

"I like coming back here. Something new always awaits me." I don't think I can change awaits to is awaiting.

 

[emsr2d2]

Then, what's the difference between await and be awaiting? If he awaits us = he is waiting for us, what would he is awaiting us mean?

"I like coming back here. Something new always awaits me." I don't think I can change awaits to is awaiting.

There is no difference. They're just two ways of saying the same thing.

You're right that you can't use the continuous in your other example. That's because, in this context, you're using the present simple to express a habitual action (that's made clear by the use of "always"). However, the same thing could be expressed as "Something new is always waiting for me".

 

[Alexey86]

However, the same thing could be expressed as "Something new is always waiting for me".

Would "Something new always waits for me" be equal to "Something new is always waiting for me" in that case?

 

[jutfrank]

The only difference effected by using the present simple form is that it sounds a little bit more 'factual', as opposed to the progressive form, which is a bit more 'descriptive', if you like. It's very common that await is used in the present simple. I think this is partly licensed by the fact that there is a progressive aspectuality already present in the meaning of the verb.

We like to use the present simple when we want to state simply and factually that something is the case.

 

[Phaedrus]

The only difference effected by using the present simple form is that it sounds a little bit more 'factual', as opposed to the progressive form, which is a bit more 'descriptive', if you like. It's very common that await is used in the present simple. I think this is partly licensed by the fact that there is a progressive aspectuality already present in the meaning of the verb.

We like to use the present simple when we want to state simply and factually that something is the case.

I have the same sense. It seems to me that awaits in "He awaits trial" is similar in aspect to orbits in "The moon orbits the earth" or to runs in "A river runs through it." While it is possible to say "The moon is orbiting the earth," "A river is running through it," and "He is awaiting trial," the progressive formulation confines the focus to the time-of-speech now rather than to the ongoing now. Naturally, the ongoing now overlaps more with the realm of recorded fact.

 

[TheParser]

The only difference effected by using the present simple form is that it sounds a little bit more 'factual', as opposed to the progressive form, which is a bit more 'descriptive', if you like.

NOT A TEACHER


Whenever I want to know how professional writers use words, I check out Google's "Books" section. I found this quotation from the American magazine Collier's of the year 1919 (Vol. 63, page 9):

"China awaits the coming of men with brains and ability to transmute thoughts and ideas into materialized action. ... China is awaiting the coming of miners, of business men -- of every variety of men." (The emphases are mine.)