Mastering the English Tenses: Present Simple, Present Continuous, Past Simple and Past Continuous

English Tenses

Present Simple, Present Continuous, Past Simple and Past Continuous

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson, you will be able to identify and use the four English tenses: Present Simple, Present Continuous, Past Simple, and Past Continuous.

This slide will set the learning objective for the lesson and give students a clear idea of what they will be able to do by the end of the lesson.

What do you already know about English tenses?

Present Simple

The Present Simple tense is used to describe habits, routines, and facts. For example, 'I eat breakfast every day.'

This slide will introduce the Present Simple tense and give an example of how it is used in a sentence.

Present Continuous

The Present Continuous tense is used to describe actions that are happening right now or around the present moment. For example, 'I am eating breakfast right now.'

This slide will introduce the Present Continuous tense and give an example of how it is used in a sentence.

Past Simple

The Past Simple tense is used to describe completed actions in the past. For example, 'I ate breakfast this morning.'

This slide will introduce the Past Simple tense and give an example of how it is used in a sentence.

Past Continuous

The Past Continuous tense is used to describe actions that were happening in the past and were interrupted by another action. For example, 'I was eating breakfast when the phone rang.'

This slide will introduce the Past Continuous tense and give an example of how it is used in a sentence.

Using the Tenses

It's important to use the correct tense in different situations. The Present Simple is often used to talk about routines and habits, while the Present Continuous is used to talk about actions happening right now. The Past Simple is used to talk about completed actions in the past, while the Past Continuous is used to talk about interrupted actions in the past.

This slide will explain when to use each tense and give examples of different situations where they might be used.

Present Simple Practice

Complete the sentence: 'She _______ to work every day.'

This slide will provide an interactive element where students can practice using the Present Simple tense. The teacher can ask students to fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb.

Present Continuous Practice

Complete the sentence: 'I _______ my homework right now.'

This slide will provide an interactive element where students can practice using the Present Continuous tense. The teacher can ask students to fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb.

Past Simple Practice

Complete the sentence: 'She _______ breakfast at 7am.'

This slide will provide an interactive element where students can practice using the Past Simple tense. The teacher can ask students to fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb.

Past Continuous Practice

Complete the sentence: 'I _______ breakfast when the phone rang.'

This slide will provide an interactive element where students can practice using the Past Continuous tense. The teacher can ask students to fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb.

Using Multiple Tenses

Sometimes, it's necessary to use multiple tenses in the same sentence to accurately convey an action. For example, 'I was eating breakfast when the phone rang, so I answered it.'

This slide will explain how to use multiple tenses in the same sentence and give examples of how to do so.

Common Mistakes

Common mistakes when using tenses include using the wrong form of the verb, forgetting to use 'is/are/am', and using the wrong tense for a situation.

This slide will highlight common mistakes that students make when using tenses and explain how to avoid them.

Tips for Practising Tenses

To improve your use of tenses, it's important to practise regularly and pay attention to the tenses used in books, movies, and other materials. You can also use online resources and apps to help you practise.

This slide will provide tips for students on how to improve their use of tenses and give suggestions for resources they can use for practice.

Review

In this lesson, we learned about the four English tenses: Present Simple, Present Continuous, Past Simple, and Past Continuous. We also learned how to use them in different situations and how to avoid common mistakes. Keep practising to improve your use of tenses!

This slide will summarize the key points covered in the lesson and encourage students to continue practising their use of tenses.

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.