5460 present simple and present continuous tenses

We use THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS: - to express actions or events that are happening now Can you call me back later, I am working right now.. - to express planned actions in the near future

We use THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS:

- to express actions or events that

are happening now

Can you call me back later, I am working right now.

- to express planned actions in the near future

We are having a party tonight, would like to join us?

- to express gradual changes The weather is getting colder and colder.

- with certain time expressions now, at the moment, today, these days, this week etc.

We use THE PRESENT SIMPLE:

- to express habitual actions/

routines

I do the shopping on Fridays.

- to express general facts in the

present that are permanent

I work in a bank.

- to express general truths

The sun sets in the west

- with certain time

expressions/adverbs of

frequency

always, usually, often sometimes,

occasionally, rarely/seldom, never

Note that if you would like to

express your anger or

annoyance you use the Present

Continuous with the time adverb

’always’

E.g You are always losing your

keys! How careless you are!

- with the verbs of the senses

feel , hear, see, smell, taste

- with verbs expressing like or dislike

and other emotions

love, like, dislike, hate, want, need,

prefer, care etc.

- With verbs that express possession,

thought, belief, knowledge

own, owe, have, think, believe, know

Formation of the Present

Simple

Affirmative:

We use the infinitive form of the

verb and add an ’s’ for the

third person singular:

I always get up at 6 in the

morning

He never helps me with the

housework.

Note: Verbs ending in ss, sh, ch,

x and o have an ’es’ ending

instead of an ’s’

Whenever he goes out with his

friends, he is late for school the

next day.

She watches soap operas every

day, she is addicted to them.

Negative:

We use the auxiliary verb ’do’ +

not+ infinitive or ’does’ + not +

infinitive respectively.

I do not have any free time on

weekdays, I’m too busy.

He does not eat any meat.

Short forms:

do+not -> don’t

does+not -> doesn’t

Interrogative:

Do you work full time?

Does she visit you often?

Fromation of the Present

Continuous

Affirmative:

We use the present form of the auxiliary verb ’be’ + the

present participle that is the – ing form of the verb

Don’t disturb him, he is working right now!

Short forms: I’m working You’re working

He/She’s working We’re working You’re working They’re working

Negative:

We always negate the auxiliary verb ’be’ and the present participle remains the same She is not listening to the radio, she is watchig TV.

Here we can also use contractions:

She isn’t listening to the radio.

Interrogative:

The auxiliary verb ’be’ comes before the subject.

Is the postman delivering the letters today?

Try to imagine that you are well known reoprter of a famous magazine You are invited to the White House to make an interview with President Obama What are the ten most interesting questions you would ask him? Below you find some words/phrases to help you You do not need to use all of them, you may use your own imagination After writing down the questions, find a classmate who

can play the role of Mr Obama and write down the answers, too.

spend, vacation, relax, do sports, do-it-yourself, parties, time on your own,

dance, raise children, outdoor hobbies etc.

1

………

………

2

………

……….………

3………

………

4 ………

………

5 ………

………

6 ………

………

You can see five funny quotes from famous people Try to match the two halves

of each quote.

don’t understand

’I’m an excellent housekeeper.

2 ’I am so clever that sometimes

2.’ I am so clever that sometimes

3.’ A pessimist sees the difficulty in every

opportunity, an optimist

4 ’Just because nobody complains

5 ’I am not sleeping I am just taking

a, …sees the opportunity in every difficulty.’ (Winston Churchill)

b, …a good look at the insides of

my eyelids.’ (Jonathan Raban)

c, …doesn’t mean all parachutes are perfect.’ (Benny Hill)

d, …Every time I get a divorce, I keep the house.’ (Zsa Zsa Gabor)

e, …I don’t understand a single word of what I am saying.’ (OscarWilde)

Complete the following jokes with the suitable verbs from the list Use the appropriate tense.

n

int he back seat in the go

ox to her

2 ’I am so clever that sometimes

2.’ I am so clever that sometimes

The little polar bear ……….his

mother:’Mummy, am I a 100% polar bear?’

His mother ……….: ’Of course, darling

The bruin insists:’Are you sure, Mummy?’

His mother answers:’Well, sweetheart, your

father’s mother is a 100% polar bear, your

father’s father is a 100% polar bear Your

mother’s mother is a 100% polar bear, your

mother’s father is 100% polar bear Your dad

is 100% polar bear and I am a 100% polar

bear That means you are a 100% polar bear

as well ’But why ……….?’ ’Beacause

I ……… !!!!’

freeze, ask, reply, bother

A family with three boys ……….in a traffic jam As they ……….in the car, the boys going mad in the back seat, the wife sees a beautiful baby girl in a car next to them She says to her husband: ’As soon as I gain back my ideal weight, we should try and ……….a little girl!’Her husband ………a boksz and to her and says: ’Have some more cookies, darling!’

go for, sit, hand over, get stuck

A man ……….home from the

funeral of his mother-in-law Suddenly, a

brick ……….right next to him

and almost ……… him on the

head The man ……… in the sky and

says: Dear Mama, are you up there so

quickly??!’

hurtle down, walk, look up, hit

An errant ……… in the forest and he is very hungry Suddenly, he

………sight of a hut He ……… there, ………on the door An old woman opens it and the man

……… that the old woman

……… dinner He asks her:

’May I have something to eat? I am terribly hungry!’ ’Would you accept some soup from yesterday?’ ’Of course! It would be just great!’-says the errant ’Then

……….tomorrow!’-replys the woman

cook, roam, catch, knock, come back, see