Present Simple & Present Continuous

1/1 ' S0�£1/.(lf./G IS 8URf./lf/G! CAf./ YOU S�ELL IT?

Affirmative
I/you pay
he/she/it pays
we/you/they pay
Negative
I/you do not (don't) pay
he/she/it does not (doesn't) pay
we/you/they do not (don't) pay
Question
Do I/you pay?
Does he/she/it pay?
Do we/you/they pay?

Short answers

Yes, I/you do. No, I/you don't.

Yes, he/she/it does. No, he/she/it doesn't.
Yes, we/you/they do. No, we/you/they don't.

Complete the sentences with the Present Simple.

Eg We .........�!�Y......... at home on Sunday evenings. (stay)

1 He .................. the guitar. (play)
2 Her brother ................ as a taxi driver. (work)
3 The sun ...... ....... into the living room in the morning. (shine)
4 Big fish ........ ........... little fish. (eat)
5 We .................... near the airport . (live)
6 He ................... . on the golf course all day long. (practise)
7 Their mother ............ ...... from Brazil. (come)
8 Th.1s Journey
· ..................... Ianger on weekdays. (not take )
9 They ...................... to the supermarket every Saturda . (go)
1O We .......···........ ..... ···· a newspaper every day. not
 Present Simple & Present Continuous 1

Complete the questions with the Present Simple.

Eg ..P9..m�r�t'!g�{?t�.'!("!g�r�fW!g... this theory? (the students I understand)

1 ................ .............................. a lot of money on clothes? (you/ spend)
2 ................................................... chickens on their farm? (they/ keep)
3 ................·. ················ ··············· for work before you? (she/ leave)
4 ................... .................................. cold in a desert at night? (it/ get)
5 ................................................. your teacher's name? (you/ not know)
6 .............................................. French or Spanish? (she/ teach)
7 ............ ··············· ..... ··············· a mobile phone? (he/ not have)
8 ................ ....... ........ ....... ........ ....... ....... at zero degrees Celsius? (salt water/ freeze)
9 ..................·······............. ················· anything from the greengrocer's? (we/ need)
10 .......................... .............. .................... much exercise at the weekend? (you/ do)

never rarely sometimes often usually always

0% 100%

Adverbs of frequency come before the main verb but after the verb to be.
They rarely drink coffee in the evening.
He is never at home on Saturday afternoon.

Rewrite the sentences with the adverbs of frequency in the correct place.

Eg He rings me at lunchtime. (always)

f:f�.�!��Y.�. r!!?9�. !!!�.!'!.t. !!-!!?r:?t!!!m�=..............................
They tell me what to do. (never) 5 She is pleased to see you. (always)
.,..................................................... .......................... . . ........................................................................
2 We eat out on Saturday evenings. (sometimes) 6 They speak to their neighbours. (rarely)
..... ... ... ...... ... ... ...... ... ... ...... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... .............................................................................
3 The children are in bed by ten o'clock. (usually) 7 The boss is angry with us. (never)
. .......................................................................
........................................................................................
4 He wins his chess matches against me. (usually) 8 Do they make their own bread? (usually)
... ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...................................................................

every day in the morning

every week in the afternoon
every month in the evening
every year on Tuesdays
every summer on Friday mornings
every other day three times a day
every two months once a week
at the weekend twice a month
in January
 4 Write sentences which are true about yourself using the time expressions given.

Eg (once a week) .... !.t?f!��.?..!??�!=:t!i:! .W.W'..'!!Y.f?.C?.��.P/7.9.�.?..W.f!.f!H:..........................................................................................

1 (every day) .............................................. , ......................................................................................................................
2 (in the morning) ...................................................................................................................................................................
3 (every summer) ....................................................................................................................................................................
4 (three times a day) ...............................................................................................................................................................
5 (once a month) ....................................................................................................................................................................
6 (in November) ......................................................................................................................................................................
7 (twice a day) .......................................................................................................................................................... • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
8 (on Sundays) .......................................................................................................................................................................

Affirmative
I am (I'm) paying
you are (you're) paying
he/she/it is (he's/she's/it's) paying
we/you/they are (we're/you're/they're) paying
Negative
I am not (I'm not) paying
you are not (aren't) paying
he/she/it is not (isn't) paying
we/you/they are not (aren't) paying
Question
Am I paying?
Are you paying?
Is he/she/it paying?
Are we/you/they paying?
Short answers
Yes, I am. No, I'm not.
Yes, you are. No, you aren't.
Yes, he/she/it is. No, he/she/it isn't.
Yes, we/you/they are. No, we/you/they aren't.

5 Complete the sentences with the words from the box. Use the Present Continuous.

have learn read speak not take wait watch work

Eg / ......?.'!J.PF!:�t[��fJ ....... my English pronunciation.

We ........................................ the football match. It is very exciting.

2 He ................. .......................... a history book at the moment.
3 I ..............·.... ··························· for the train. It is late!
4 They ...........····················............... how to swim this month.
5 You don't need to call the technician; the television .................................................fine now
I ....................................................... photos here because it is not allowed.
6
7 It's our fourth day here in London and we ..................................L ............. a great time.
8 She ...................................................... to her friend riqht now.
 Present Simple & Present Continuous 1

Complete the questions with the Present Continuous.

Eg . . . . . . . . . . ... f:..(f!.J/:.f!.Y..f:1.?Y!r!
1 .............. lunch now? (they I have)

......................................................................... to me? (you I listen)

2 .........................................................L ............... hard at the moment? (the players/ train)
3 ................................................................................... to us? (they/ talk)
4 ............................................................................ enough time at home? (he/ spend)
5 ....................................................................... ready for the meeting now? (they/ get)
6 Why ................................................................................ at everyone? (the boss/ shout)
7 ........................................................................... their house at the moment? (they/ not decorate)
8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ............................................................... for someone? (you/ wait)
9 .......................................................................... the photocopier at the moment? (anyone/ use)
1O What ....................................................................._....... with my mobile phone? (you/ do)

for the time being this week

now this month
right now this year
this morning today

Complete the sentences with the Present Simple or the Present Continuous.

Eg They never ............. .... ......... out on Thursday evenings. (go)

........... ............ ................. the bus to work every day? (you/ take)
2 It .............................. very cold ·here in winter so we always ................. the football season in summer. (get, start)
3 I ..... ... ............ at my cousin's flat at the moment because he ......... ............. abroad this month. (stay, work)
4 What time ..... ... ............... usually ....................... for lunch? (he/ go)
5 They .......... ................. the air conditioning again and that's not unusual because it ............. ......... ...... working at
least once a week! (repair, stop)
6 She ............ ............ ..... a lot of time in the garden in autumn. (spend)
7 Bears ............. ......... .......... fish that they .............................. in rivers. (eat, catch)
8 We ........... ............ .......... ......... after our friend's birds this week. (look)

We don't usually use stative verbs in the Present We can use some stative verbs in the Present
Continuous. Stative verbs are: Continuous, but there is a change in meaning.

► verbs of senses. The verb think usually means have the opinion or believe.
feel, hear, see, smell, sound, taste I think it is better to cycle to work.
The curry tastes wonderful. When we use the verb think in the Present Continuous, it
► verbs of emotion. means use the mind.
dislike, hate, like, love, need, prefer, want He is thinking about the problem, so don't make a noise.
She wants to go home now.
When we use the verb taste in the Present Continuous, it
► verbs of understanding and opinion. means test.
appear, believe, forget, hope, imagine, know, The chef is tasting the curry to see if it's too salty.
mean, remember, seem, think, understand
I remember his name now.
► verbs of possession. We often use the verbs of senses with the verb can.
belong to, own I can't see clearly without my contact lenses.
They own some land in the capital. Can you hear the door bell when you are in the garden?
 Choose the correct answer.

Eg

We are needing/need some eggs for the cake.

2 She is understanding/understands the problem.
3 You're very quiet. What are you thinking / do you think about?
4 He is tasting / tastes the fish now to see if it is tasting / tastes good.
5 She is thinking / thinks her hair is too long.
6 Are you believing/Do you believe me?
7 It is seeming/ seems that they are both very happy.
8 Is he wanting / does he want to come with us now?

Complete the e-mail with the Present Simple or Present Continuous.

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Dear Gareth,
How are you? I (Eg) ......... f!!T!.t��r!9f(!g......... (send) you this e-mail to tell you about my stay in Morocco. It's my fifth
day here and I (1) ................................ (having) a great time. At the moment I (2) ................................ (stay) in
my hotel room because, as you (3) .............. ...... ............ (know), it (4) ................................... (get) very hot here in
the afternoon in summer. I go out in the evening when the temperature (5) ............. ...... .......... (drop) and it is cooler.
I (6) .......... ....... ............. (think) about a trip to the local market tomorrow. (7) ...... ....... ....... ...... ...... (you/ want)
me to buy anything for you? I (8) .......... ....................... (believe) you can get some real bargains there so you
(9)............ ....... ............. (not need) to worry abounhe cost. It can be a present from me to you!
Anyway, I must stop now because I (10) ............ ...... ................ (want) to start reading my new book before I have
a rest. I hope to hear from you soon.
Best wishes,
Sean �
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Read the le�er and correct the underlined words.

Dear Brian,
(Eg) / write .......... Fr:rJ..W.�WfJ9........... to tell you about my new job here in London.
I (1) am starting .................................. work at 9 o'clock every morning and I (2) am finishing ............ at ........................
5 o'clock in the afternoon. There are three other people in my office. Two of them are secretaries like me. One secretary
(3)is coming ..................................... from Holland but she (4) speak .................... ... . .. . . . .. English very well. The
other one is Scottish. She (5) is having ................... .............. a strong accent and it (6) sometimes is .........................
difficult to understand her. Her name is Margaret. At the moment, she (7) show ........................... -............. me how to
do my job. The fourth person in the office is a young clerk. He (8) isn't speaking .................................. very often,
but he (9) seem .................................. to be nice.
I (10) am thinking ..................................... I'm going to be happy here. Write to me soon.
Best wishes,
Anna
 Present Simple & Present Continuous 1

Choose the correct answer.

Eg We ........... for the ring right now.

a look b are looking c looking

........... you studying languages this year?

a is b are c do Pairwork
2 It ........... nearly every day in '-::'inter.
1 Work with a partner. Ask and answer I
a rains b is rainig c raining questions about your habits and what
i
3 They ........... to be worried at the moment. i you are doing at ttie moment, this �
week or this month. For example: I
a appear b are appearing c appears I
4 He ........... sing very well. ► What do you do at the weekend? I
I
a isn't b don't c doesn't ► Are you doing anything unusual I
this month? I
5 Listen! Someone ........... your name. I
► How often do you go to the
a shouts b is shouting c shout I
supermarket? I
6 She ........... with her aunt for the time being. I
► What are you learning in English at

--- ----- ---- -·

a stays b stays c is staying the moment?
�
7 This meal ........... very good.
a tastes b is tasting c taste
8 ........... he drink a lot of coffee?
a Is b Do c Does

Writing
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Send an e-mail to a friend, telling him/her what you are doing this week. Talk about your work, your free
I time and studies, and what the other members of your family are doing.
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Best wishes,
 Past Simple, Past Continuous & Used To 2

Complete the sentences with the Past Simple.

Eg The film ........................��?.rJ.�c;I_························ at seven o'clock. (start)

............... ... .......... they .................. ........... to town by bus yesterday morning? (go)
2 I .................. ..... .. ................. your pen on the desk when I ................. ..·············· . (put, arrive)
3 The wind ..................................... down several trees last night. (blow)
4 I .................................... to her about the problem last week. (speak)
5 They ................... .................. me a present when they ...................................... me. (give, see)
6 We .................... ................. an important meeting on Monday. (have)
7 He .................. ...... .. ............ to post your letter yesterday. (forget)
8 We .......... .... ...... .. ........... work at lunchtime. (not stop)

Match.

Eg What did she say? a She had a key.

1 Why did she stay at home? b Eve's.
2 When did she leave? C Quite a lot.
3 d She had a headache.
4 Where did she stay? e Almost everyone.
5 Who did she invite? f At about ten o'clock.
6 How did she get into the flat? g At a small comfortable hotel.
7 How many boxes did she need? h Probably.
8 Whose mobile phone did she borrow? Nothing.

Time Expressions with the ·Past Simple

a week ago last summer

a month ago last year
a year ago on Saturday Time expressions usually come at the
. in January on 29th August beginning or the end of a sentence.
in 1995 the day before yesterday
in my youth the other day
last night when I was five years old
last week yesterday

Write sentences using the Past Simple.

Eg the day before yesterday I pay I the bill I we

. W�.P.f!{c;I_. thft. PI!!. thft. P�Y..!?ftt.c?!.�. Y.!=!�tftfP.<!-Y.·•......................••.•.....................•...................................••••..................•.•••.............

two years/ he / ago/ leave school

. ..........................................................................................................................................
2 you/ a holiday/ have/ last winter/ ?
..............................................................................................................................
3 them/ meet / at the cinema/ we / the other day
. ......! ........................................................................................................
4 not start/ I / this job / in 1998
·'........................................................................................................................................
· .
5 he/ the world record/ ago/ four years / break
........................................................................................................-..........
6 in March / they/ their house/ decorate
............................................................................... =·············································
7 I / my first poem/ when/ seventeen / I / be/ write
..................................................................... :........................................
8 those shoes'/ she/ on Wednesday/ buy
.........................................................................................................................
Affirmative
I was listening
you were listening
he/she/it was listening
we/you/they were listening
Negative
I was not (wasn't) listening
you were not (weren't) listening
he/she/it was not (wasn't) listening
we/you/they were not (weren't) listening
Question
Was I listening?
Were you listening?
Was he/she/it listening?
Were we/you/they listening?
Short answers
Yes, I was. No, I wasn't.
Yes, you were. No, you weren't.
Yes, he/she/it was. No, he/she/it wasn't.
Yes, we/you/they were. No, we/you/they weren't.

all day yesterday last Sunday

all evening last year
at ten o'clock last night this morning

Complete the sentences with the Past Continuous.

Eg I ....................W.?.$..(�<1Y!!! . . . . . . . . . . my room this morning. (tidy)

The sun ............................................... and birds . . . . . . . . . .............................. in the trees. (shine, sing)
2 She ........................... : ....... photographs when a guard stopped her. (take)
3 I ................................................ the dishes and my friend ............... .................. them. (wash, dry)
4 They ......... ........................ ........... television all evening. (watch)
We ............................................. in the garden when the fire started. (sit)
6 He ............................................ in Paris last year. (study)
7 Everyone ................................................ an umbrella to work. (carry)
8 At eleven o'clock last night, they . . . . . . . . . . . . ..................................... about their holiday. (talk)
9 /1 .............................................. about you when you arrived. (think)
1 O �e ............................................... a marathon when he fell over. (run)

Complete the questions with the Past Continuous.

Eg What .................W.�(�.Y.9.t,J..9.�!t:?9................. this morning? (you I do)

Who . . . . . . . . . ................................................ to in the library? (you / speak)
2 .......................................................... when you left for work? (it / rain)
3 ............................................................ the g�rden this morning? (the gardener / dig)
4 Why ....................................................... outside the office? (she / stand)
5 What ........................................................ ? (that man / sell)
..................................................... towards the beach when you saw them? (they / walk)
.......................................................... the photocopier when it broke down? (you / use)
Whose car ......................................................... last night? (you / drive)
 Past Simple, Past Continuous & Used To 2

Imagine you didn't see your friend yesterday. When he tells you he won a competition to train with the
national basketball team, you have a lot of questions to ask him. Complete the questions using the Past
Simple or the Past Continuous.

Eg Where ........................................................................... yesterday? (you/ be)

What time ......................................................... to pick you up? (the coach/ come)
2 When .................................................................. at the stadium? (you/ arrive)
3 What . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . ............................................................... after that? (you/ do)
4 Where .................................................................................. then? (you/ go)
5 I phoned you at eleven-thirty. What ........................................ .................... at that time? (you/ do)
6 ...................................... ............................ lunch there? (you/ have)
7 I phoned you again at three o'clock. Why ......................................... .................. the call? (you/ not answer)
8 What time ................................................................. the stadium? (the coach/ leave)

Use the competition organiser's timetable and write your friend's answers to the questions in exercise 6.

Training with the national team

8.30 The coach comes to pick up the competition winners.
9.30 They arrive at the stadium.
9.45 The winners meet the national team.
10.00 Everyone goes to the gym to do warm-up exercises.
11.00-12.00 The winners practise their basketball skills.
12.00-1.00 Everyone has lunch.
1.00-2.00 The winners watch a basketball training film and warm up.
2.30-4.00 Play basketball match (mixed winners-players sides).
4.30 The winners leave on the coach.

Eg .. !. W.?.�..t?.�fJ/rJg .w!th..tM..rJf!.tfR!Jf:!!. Rf:!�k�(9?.�� /'?.?/!J.-.................................................................................................................

. ..............................................................................................................................................................................................
2 .....................................................................................................................................................................................................
3 .........................................................................................................................................
.........................................................................................................................................................................................................
4
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................
s
6 .......................................................................................................................................................................................................
7 ..............................................................................................................................................................................................
·8 ..........................................................................................................................................................................................

Affirmative Negative Question

I/you used to teach I /you did not (didn't) use to teach Did I/you use to teach?
he/she/it used to teach he/she/it did not (didn't) use to teach Did he/she/it use to teach?
we/you/they used to teach we/you/they did not (didn't) use to teach Did we/you/they use to teach?

Short answers
Yes, I/you did. No, I/you didn't.
Yes, he/she/it did. No, he/she/it didn't.
Yes, we/you/they did. No, we/you/they didn't.

We use used to for actions that we did regularly in the past but that we don't do now. We also use it for
states that existed in the past but that don't exist now.
I used to take my son to the park, but he's a teenager now.
They used to prefer rich food, but now they think plain food is better.
 Complete the sentences with the correct form of used to and the verb in brackets.

Eg We ...........l!.�f?.c/J<?.X!�(L ........ our cousin David every week. (visit)

Tom ................................................... a waiter, but now he's a taxi driver. (be)
2 I .................................................... to classical music very often. (not listen)
3 ..................................... ........ stamps when you were young? (you/ collect)
4 We .............................. ............... a lot of letters, but now we send e-mails. (write)
5 They ................................................. bread from the bakery, but now they bake their own. (buy)
6 My boss .................................. .............. a lot, but now he's much calmer. (shout)
7 .................................................... to the same school as you? (she/ go)
8 I .................................................... very much time in the garden. (not spend)
9 We ............................................. the bus to work, but now we go by train. (take)
10 He ...................................................... tea because he preferred coffee. (not drink)

Rewl'ite the sentences using the words given. Use between two and five words.

Eg They were teachers before they left the city. used

They ............l!.��<!.J<;?.F?f?............ teachers before they left the city.
He sold fruit at the market before he opened a shop. used
He .................................... fruit at the market before he opened a shop.
2 I never went to the seaside when I was a teenager. use
I ...............................····· to the seaside when I was a teenager.
3 He was in the shower when the phone rang. having �
While ................................ ...... a shower, the phone rang./
4 Were you a student at the local university? use
. u use to be · ·ty?.
D1 d ....... yo
................................. a student at the I oca I univers1

Y
5 They had the TV o n when I arrived. watching �
I arrived while .... ......................................... TV.

In six of the lines there is an extra word. Write the extra word at the end of the line. If there is no extra word,
put a tick (v').

Eg One day the last week, my cousin and I went to town. the
................................
I needed a new pair of shoes and my cousin wanted to get v'

1 some trainers. It wasn't be easy for us to find the right

2 shop because we didn't know where to go. We had used
3 to go to town every one weekend when we were young
4 because we didn't use to have a cinema in our
5 neighbourhood. Most of the shops seemed to be new and
6 everything was strange. We were asked someone where to go
7 and he told us about the best shoe shop in town. The man
8 looked like someone I was being at university with and I
9 asked his name. He was my old friend! We did went to a
1O cafe to talk. We were so happy and talked so much that we
forgot all about our shoes!