Mastering Verb Tenses: Present Simple vs. Present Continuous

Mastering Verb Tenses: Present Simple vs. Present Continuous

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson you will be able to differentiate and use the present simple and present continuous tenses correctly.

What do you already know about verb tenses?

Introduction to Verb Tenses

Verbs change according to time. Today we'll focus on the present simple and present continuous tenses.

Present Simple

Describes habits, routines, and facts. Example: She reads books every day.

Present Continuous

Describes actions happening now or around now. Example: He is reading a book at the moment.

Spot the Difference

Identify whether the following sentence is in present simple or present continuous: They play football every weekend.

Spot the Difference

Identify whether the following sentence is in present simple or present continuous: She is playing football now.

Practice: Present Simple

Complete the following sentence with the correct form of the verb: He usually __ (watch) TV in the evening.

Practice: Present Simple

Answer: He usually watches TV in the evening.

Practice: Present Continuous

Complete the following sentence with the correct form of the verb: They __ (play) football at the moment.

Practice: Present Continuous

Answer: They are playing football at the moment.

Application Exercise

Write 3 sentences using present simple and 3 sentences using present continuous to describe your daily routine.

Review and Recap

Summarize the key differences between present simple and present continuous.

Quiz Time!

Prepare a short quiz to test students' understanding of present simple and present continuous.

Further Practice

Assign additional exercises or homework to reinforce the learning from today's lesson.

Conclusion

Encourage students to continue practicing verb tenses in their daily communication.

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.