Grammar- Present Tenses

GRAMMAR: Present tenses Read the following rules for when the Present sentences below to each rule.

Continuous is used. Then match one of the

The Present Continuous (or Progressive) is used: 1. actions happening now or over a period of time around now 2. changing/developing situations 3. temporary situations 4. future arrangements 5. annoying habits a) b) c) d) e)

Why are you always telling me what to do? The level of unemployment is getting worse. I’m sorry, but he is doing his homework right now. We are having dinner with Julie on Friday night. She is staying with friends in York for a few days.

Do the following exercises with a partner to practise the Present Continuous: 1. Think of a member of your family or close friends and say what you think they are probably doing at the moment. Ex.: I think my father is probably having a meeting in his office. 2. Think of the same people again and tell your partner about any annoying habits they may have. Ex.: My younger brother is always leaving his shoes and socks around the house. 3. Tell your partner what things you have arranged to do this weekend. Ex.: I’m meeting Maria on Saturday morning and we’re going shopping together. 4. Tell your partner if you think the people you know and the place where you live are changing. Think about such things as: fashion/unemployment/costs of entertainment/pop music/inflation/pollution/the weather Ex.: The pollution where I live is getting worse all the time! Read the following rules for when the Present below to each rule.

Simple is used. Then match one of the sentences

The Present Simple is used for: 1. routine or regular, repeated actions 2. time clauses after when, as soon as, if, until, etc. 3. permanent situations 4. the future as expressed in timetables 5. scientific or natural facts 6. with “state” verbs (which we do not usually use in the continuous form) e.g. be, believe, feel, hate, hear, know, like, look, prefer, realise, remember, see, seem, smell, suppose, taste, want a) Water freezes at 0°C. b) I work five evenings a week. c) I’ll ask him when I see him.

d) I live in Athens. e) It’s the people I like most about the job. f) The train arrives in Edinburgh at 5.00 p.m.

Do the following exercises to practise the Present Simple. 1. Complete the following sentences with the Present Simple or Future Simple (will) form of the verbs in the brackets. a) I .................. (paint) the kitchen when I .................. (have) some free time. b) We .................. (start) the meeting until everybody .................. (arrive). c) If she .................. (find) a better job, I think she .................. (leave). d) They .................. (move) house as soon as they .................. (find) a buyer. e) When he .................. (come) back, I .................. (tell) him what we have decided. 2. Write five sentences about yourself in the Present Simple. Each time you should use one of the words/expressions from the box below.

quite frequently / about two or three times a year / very often / from time to time / hardly ever / as often as I can / never / once or twice a week / more often than I’d like 3. Describe your typical routine at the weekend. Complete the following dialogue with Present Continuous or Present Simple form of the verbs in brackets. RUPERT: Hi, Nigel! How are you? NIGEL: Fine, fine. It’s been a long time. RUPERT: Yes, nearly four years now. NIGEL: So, tell me about yourself! RUPERT: Well, I .................. (work) in this language school in Cairo. NIGEL: Oh, really? So what .................. (do) here in London? RUPERT: I .................. (have) a holiday. NIGEL: Oh, I see. And .................. (think) of Cairo? RUPERT: Oh, I .................. (like) it very much. It’s a very exciting place. NIGEL: And what about your job? RUPERT: Well, I generally .................. (get up) about 8.30 and .................. (plan) some lessons. Fortunately, with time, it .................. (get) easier and easier to plan lessons – in the beginning it took me ages! I usually .................. (teach) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and later again from 6.30 to 9.30. We all .................. (finish) at 9.30 p.m. and we often .................. (go) into town in one big group, to a disco or something. NIGEL: When .................. (go back) to Cairo? RUPERT: Next week, on Friday. The plane .................. (leave) early, about 7.00 a.m. NIGEL: And how’s your brother? RUPERT: Chris... oh, he’s OK. I .................. (see) him as often as I can. He is married with two children and he never .................. (stop) telling me that I should get a regular job and settle down! He .................. (play) a lot of football at the moment. I .................. (think) he .................. (try) to get fit! NIGEL: That’s new! RUPERT: And what about you? What .................. (do)?