Present Simple

Exercise 1
Answer the following questions:
What is your daily routine?
What time do you wake up and go to work?
What do you do when you get home?

Exercise 2
Read the dialogue trying to remember the key facts and answer the questions below.

A typical day- an interview with a busy accountant

Interviewer: Thank you for taking some time off from your busy schedule to answer a few
questions about your life!
Mark: It's my pleasure.
Interviewer: Now, first question: What do you do?
Mark: I'm an accountant. I work for Milo company.
Interviewer: And what does your wife do?
Mark: She is a housewife.
Interviewer: What's your average day like?
Mark: Well, I usually get up around 5:00 a.m. And work on the computer until 6:00 a.m.
Interviewer: Why do you get up so early?
Mark: I have to leave home at 6:40 a.m. So I can catch a bus at 7:00 o'clock. It takes me about
twenty minutes to walk to the bus stop from my house.
Interviewer: And what time do you get to work?
Mark: Uh, my bus takes about an hour to get there, but it stops right in front of my office.
Interviewer: That's nice. And what time do you get off work?
Mark: Uh, around 5:00 o'clock. Then, we eat dinner around 6:30, and my wife and I read and play
with the kids until 8:00 or so.
Interviewer: What type of books do you read?
Mark: I often read horror stories.
Interviewer: I know that your wife likes to keep fit. How often does she exercise?
Mark: She sometimes exercises four times a week. But, she usually exercises only twice a week.
After going to the gym she is often too tired to take care of the kids so I have to do that.
Interviewer: And what do you do in the evening?
Mark: Well, my wife and I often watch TV or talk until 10:00 o'clock. She then often reads while I
work on a computer, and I sometimes stay up until the early hours of the morning, but I try to finish
everything by one or two. I enjoy what I do but you have to set aside time for family and yourself.
It's important to live a balanced life.
Interviewer: You seem to be a very busy person.
Mark: Yes, that's true but I think my wife has the toughest job. She spends her whole day taking
care of our family . . . taking the kids to school, working in the garden, buying groceries, taking the
kids to piano lessons . . . That's a full-time job, but she enjoys what she does.
Interviewer: Thank you for answering my questions.
Mark: You're welcome.

Test your memory. Answer the questions without looking at the text.
1. Why does the interviewer thank Mark?
a) for visiting him
b) for taking time off
c) for telephoning
2. What time does Mark get up?
 a) at 5 a.m. b) at 6 a.m. c) at 7 a.m.
3. What time does he get to work?
a) at 7 a.m. b) 8 a.m. c) 9 a.m.
4. What does he do with his family around 6.30 p.m.?
a) They read books together.
b) They play games.
c) They eat dinner.
5. What do the man and his wife do after the kids go to bed?
a) They watch TV.
b) They clean the house.
c) They listen to music.
6. What is one thing the man does NOT say about his wife?
a) She has to take their children to school.
b) She helps the kids with their homework.
c) She goes shopping for food.

Exercise 3
Match the phrases on the left with their equivalents on the right.

1) average a) children
2) catch b) look after
3) it takes c) food etc.
4) get off work d) usual
5) dinner e) to get on
6) kids f) sometimes supper
7) stay up g) it lasts
8) toughest h) finish work
9) take care of i) not go to bed
10) groceries j) hardest

Exercise 4
Complete the sentences choosing one of the words given.
1) How late do you stay ___________ at the weekend?
a) with b) up c) back
2) We need to buy ___________ for tonight's party.
a) stuffs b) groceries c) appliances
3) After I get ___________ work, I'll drop by your house.
a) on b) off c) over
4) You should set ___________ time and money for your next vacation.
a) aside b) out c) forth
5) I ___________ the bus every morning at 7.15 a.m.
a) hit b) catch c) throw

Exercise 5
Describe your own typical schedule for a weekday and a weekend. What activities do you usually
do with family and friends?
 Grammar focus
Present Simple

Form
+ I/you/we/they work he/she/it works
- I/you/we/they don't work he/she/it doesn't work
? Do I/you/we/they work? Does he/she/it work?
We use the Present Simple to:
 talk about things in general and give factual information about permanent activities.
The earth goes round the sun.
Nurses look after patients in hospitals.
Valentino makes luxury chocolates.
 describe a state that doesn't change, feelings, opinions and states of mind.
She looks like her mother
I love walking around late at night during the summer.
She hates flying!
He doesn't agree with you.
I think he is a wonderful student.
 talk about routine activities, repeated actions or habits.
I usually get up at 7 o'clock.
She doesn't often go to the cinema.
When do they usually have lunch?
 talk about timetables and schedules.
The plane leaves at 4 p.m.
When do courses begin this semester?
The train doesn't arrive until 10.35.

Common present time expressions include:

usually, always, often, sometimes, rarely, on occasion, never, seldom, every day, on
Saturdays, at weekends , once a month, twice a week, three times a day, four times a year

Exercise 6
Put the verb into the correct form.
1. The shop ...................... (open) at 9.00 a.m.and ...................... (close) at 6 p.m. every day.
2. What time ...................... (the banks/close) in Poland?
3. I have a car but I ...................... (not/use) it very often.
4. What ...................... (your husband/do)? He is a plumber.
5. If you need money, why ...................... (you/not/get) a job?
6. I ...................... (not/understand) the word `detest`.What ...................... (`detest`/mean)?
7. She ...................... (play) the guitar, but she ...................... (not/play) very well.
8. They often ......................(travel) abroad on business.
9. The premises ...................... (not/belong) to them.
10. ......................(you/remember) her telephone number?
 Answer Key
Exercise 2
1b, 2a, 3b, 4c, 5a, 6b
Exercise 3
1d, 2e, 3g, 4h, 5f, 6a, 7i, 8j, 9b, 10c
Exercise 4
1b, 2b, 3b, 4a, 5b
Exercise 6
1. opens, closes
2. do the banks close
3. don't use
4. does your husband do
5. don't you get a job
6. don't understand, does `detest` mean
7. plays, doesn't play
8. travel
9. don't belong
10. do you remember