PRESENT SIMPLE & PRESENT CONTINUOUS

1. Don’t bother me now. I ____________________________ (try) to work.

2. A: Sheila ________________(want) to play chess now. She ___________________ (always / call) to play with you.

B: Oh, no! Why ___________ she ___________________ (always/call) me to play when I’m busy? I hate it!

3. A: Where is Jim?

B: He _____________________ (stay) with some friends for the weekend. He ________________________ (sometimes/ visit)

them every year in December.

4. A: What ________ you ____________ (do) tomorrow?

B: Nothing in the morning but in the afternoon I ___________________ (go shopping)

5. I ____________________ (often/ travel) to work by bus but this week I ________________ (use) my car.

6. I haven’t told my family yet but next July I _______________________ (buy) a new flat on the coast.

7. Take an umbrella with you. It ________________________ (rain).

8. It never ___________________ (rain) in Ethiopia.

9. A: Is Alice here?

B: Yes, but she ___________________ (not/can/ talk) to you now because she _________________ (have a shower) at the

moment. She ______________ (like) to have a shower every day at this time.

10. I ______________________ (like) going to Italy in the summer but next summer I ___________________ (go) to France.

11. I ____________(work) in Carrefour regularly but in the next few weeks I ___________________(work) in ECI.

12. Careful! A car ______________________ (come).

13. I______________________ a very interesting book about the life of Charles Dickens.

14. Joanne ___________________________ (work) eight hours a day. However, she __________________(work) only three hours

a day this month.

15. Tonight we ______________________________ (see) a play at the theatre.

16. Who ___________________________________ to on the phone right now?

17. I _____________________________________ (know) him very well.

18. What will you do if she _____________________________ (come) late again?

19. My wife _______________________________ (prefer) coffee for breakfast.

20. What ____________ you _______________ (usually / have) for breakfast?

21. what _____________ you ……________________ (have) for dinner tomorrow night?

22. Your train _______________________________ (leave) at 17.25 from platform 3.

23. What ____________________________ (do) ? She's a doctor.

24. Look! What _______________ he _____________-________ (do) with the car? He can’t drive!

25. Help! A burglar ______________________ (enter) my house

Present Continuous and Present Simple Tenses 

1. Permanent (usual) and Temporary (now, around now) actions.

o We use the Present Continuous tense to speak about things which are happening now or things which are temporary.

I am not working now. I am on holiday.Sally is listening to a new CD.Who are you phoning?

o The Present Simple tense describes usual, repeated and permanent things - for example, always, usually, often, sometimes, never.

I work as an accountant.John doesn't know German.How often do you play tennis?

o Compare how these two tenses are used.

Why are you walking to work? Don't you usually go by bus?I live in Kharkiv, but now I am living in Moscow.Usually we have dinner at 7, but today we are having it at 9.

2. Some verbs are not normally used in the Continuous Tense. They are called "state" verbs. If you need to practice such verbs, visitEnglish   Action   and   State   Verbs  page.

3. Present Continuous and Present Simple to talk about the future.

o We use the Present Continuous Tense for plans and arrangements.

What are you doing tonight?I'm seeing a very important customer in my office at 4 o'clock.We are going to the see for our holiday.Where are you staying in Vienna?I'm not going anywhere. It is final.

o We use the Present Simple in the conditional clauses afterif, when, as soon as, until etc, and when we talk about timetable, schedules, itineraries etc.

What will you do if you fail your exam?We will wait, until she comes.

My plane takes off at 9.00.The President arrives in Norway on 17 September.What time does your train leave?

 Present Continuous and Simple - Practice 

Put the verb in brackets in the correct form, either the Present Simple Tense or the Present Continuous Tense.

1. I   a very interesting book.

2. Joanne   eight hours a day.

3. Tonight we   a play at the thereatre.

4. Who   to?

5. I   him very well.

6. What will you do if she   late?

7. My wife   coffee for breakfast.

8. What   for breakfast?

9. Your train   at 17.25 from platform 3.

10. What  ? She's a student.