Mastering Present Simple and Present Continuous

Mastering Present Simple and Present Continuous

Learning Objective

Understand and correctly use the present simple and present continuous tenses in familiar and new situations, and correctly identify the tenses.

What do you already know about present simple and present continuous?

Introduction to Tenses

Present simple is used for habits and routines, while present continuous is used for actions happening now.

Forming Present Simple

Subject + base form of the verb (+ 's' for 3rd person singular)

Forming Present Continuous

Subject + 'to be' (am/is/are) + verb + -ing

Using Present Simple

Discuss using present simple for general truths, habits, and permanent situations.

Using Present Continuous

Discuss using present continuous for actions happening now, temporary situations, and future arrangements.

Practice Activity 1

Complete the sentences with the present simple or present continuous form

of the verbs in brackets. Use contractions where possible.

1. She(run) because she's late for her lesson.

2. Our teacher always(give) us lots of homework.

3. We(not want) to go to the concert.

4. What time(you / meet) Pete tomorrow?

5. I(not work) today. I'm on holiday.

6. People(speak) English in Jamaica.

7. Archie(not use) his computer at the moment.

8. (Tony / live) near the park?

Present Simple vs Present Continuous

Discuss the specific time markers used with each tense to differentiate them.

1. I walk to school every day.
   
2. She teaches English at the university.
   
3. They are studying for their exams this week.
   
4. He plays basketball on Saturdays.
   
5. The students are listening to the teacher in class at the moment.
6. We usually eat lunch at noon.
   
7. The cat is sleeping on the couch right now.
   
8. The train leaves at 3 p.m. every day.
9. I am writing an essay at the moment.
   
10. The birds sing beautifully in the morning.
    
11. My mom cooks dinner for us every evening.
    
12. The children are playing in the park.
    
13. He always wears a blue shirt to work.
    
14. We often go for a walk after dinner.
    
15. The sun sets in the west.

Interactive Exercise

Write sentences using the appropriate tense for this scenario:

Describe your habits as a baker on the Moon.

Common Errors

Highlight common mistakes made when using present simple and present continuous.

1. Forgetting to use the forms of 'to be'.
2. Getting the time markers wrong.
3. Punctuation errors

Listening Activity

Listen to a conversation and identify the tenses used. Discuss the context of the conversation.

Text is on OneDrive

Writing Task

Write a short paragraph describing a typical day as the sole survivor of the apocalypse using present simple and present continuous.

Application in Real Life

Discuss real-life situations where the present simple and present continuous are used.

Peer Practice

Pair up and create dialogues using both present simple and present continuous tenses.

Recap and Review

Summarize the key points of the lesson and review examples of present simple and present continuous.

Homework Assignment

Complete a set of exercises to reinforce understanding and application of the tenses. Units from English Grammar in Use

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.