Clasa a VI-a – Present Simple and Continuous (Review)

Monday 20th September 2021

Present Simple Tense
Uses
1. We use Present Simple Tense to talk about habitual actions.
 Pauline practices the piano every day.
 Ms. Jackson travels during the summer.
 I go to school in the morning.
 They play football twice a week.
2. It is also used to talk about General truths and facts.
 There is always a holiday on the last Monday in August in the UK.
 Time passes very quickly when you get older.
 I really love my job.
 Mrs Clare doesn’t teach me but she teaches my sister.
 Do you live in Glasgow? My cousin lives there too.
Verb Conjugation & Spelling
We form the present tense using the base form of the infinitive (without the TO).
In general, in the third person we add 'S' in the third person.
Subject Verb The Rest of the sentence
I / you / we / they speak / learn English at home
he / she / it speaks / learns English at home

The spelling for the verb in the third person differs depending on the ending of that verb:
1. For verbs that end in -O, -CH, -SH, -SS, -X, or -Z we add -ES in the third person.
 go – goes
 catch – catches
 wash – washes
 kiss – kisses
 fix – fixes
 buzz – buzzes
2. For verbs that end in a consonant + Y, we remove the Y and add -IES.
 marry – marries
 study – studies
 carry – carries
 worry – worries
NOTE: For verbs that end in a vowel + Y, we just add -S.
 play – plays
 enjoy – enjoys
 say – says

Negative Sentences in the Simple Present Tense

To make a negative sentence in English we normally use Don't or Doesn't with all verbs EXCEPT
To Be and Modal verbs (can, might, should etc.).
 Affirmative: You speak French.
 Negative: You don't speak French.
We use Don't when the subject is I, you, we or they.
Teacher. Liliana Gheorghe
  Affirmative: He speaks German.
 Negative: He doesn't speak German.
When the subject is he, she or it, we add doesn't between the subject and the verb to make a
negative sentence. Notice that the letter S at the end of the verb in the affirmative sentence (because
it is in third person) disappears in the negative sentence.

Negative Contractions
Don't = Do not
Doesn't = Does not
I don't like meat = I do not like meat.
There is no difference in meaning though we normally use contractions in spoken English.

Word Order of Negative Sentences

The following is the word order to construct a basic negative sentence in English in the Present
Tense using Don't or Doesn't.
Subject don't/doesn't Verb The Rest of the sentence
I / you / we / they don't have / buy cereal for breakfast
eat / like etc.
he / she / it doesn't

Examples of Negative Sentences with Don't and Doesn't:

 You don't speak Arabic.
 John doesn't speak Italian.
 We don't have time for a rest.
 It doesn't move.
 They don't want to go to the party.
 She doesn't like fish.

Questions in the Simple Present Tense

To make a question in English we normally use Do or Does. It has no translation in Spanish though
it is essential to show we are making a question. It is normally put at the beginning of the question.
 Affirmative: You speak English.
Question: Do you speak English?
We use Does when the subject is he, she, it.
 Affirmative: He speaks French.
Question: Does he speak French?

Word Order of Questions with Do and Does

The following is the word order to construct a basic question in English using Do or Does.
Do/Does Subject Verb (short inf) The Rest of the sentence
Do I / you / we / they have / need a new bike?
want etc.
Does he / she / it

Examples of Questions with Do and Does:

 Do you need a dictionary?
 Does Mary need a dictionary?
 Do we have a meeting now?
 Does it rain a lot in winter?
 Do they want to go to the party?
Teacher. Liliana Gheorghe
  Does he like pizza?

Short Answers with Do and Does

In questions that use do/does it is possible to give short answers to direct questions as follows:
Sample Questions Short Answer Short Answer
(Affirmative) (Negative)
Do you like chocolate? Yes, I do. No, I don't.
Do I need a pencil? Yes, you do. No, you don't.
Do you both like Yes, we do. No, we don't.
chocolate?
Do they like chocolate? Yes, they do. No, they don't.
Does he like chocolate? Yes, he does. No, he doesn't.
Does she like chocolate? Yes, she does. No, she doesn't.
Does it have four wheels? Yes, it does. No, it doesn't.

Present Continuous Tense

Uses
The Present Continuous stands for actions and processes that are still ongoing (that have not
stopped yet) in the present. These actions may take place at the time of speaking or around it –
which means over a longer period of time.
o It expresses actions that are taking place at the time of speaking. Words that indicate this
type of use (occasionally called signal words) are: ‘at the moment, now, Listen!, Look!’:
 “My sister is watching TV at the moment.”
 “Look! The cats are chasing a mouse.”
o It is also used for actions that are taking place over a fixed period of time (but not at the
time of speaking):
 “I’m working at a cinema this month.”
 ”We are studied ICT this semester.”
Conjugation of the Present Continuous
The formation of the present continuous is based on the conjugated form of the auxiliary ‘to be’ in
the present tense (which is ‘am, is’ or ‘are’) and the infinitive (base form) of the corresponding verb
with ‘-ing’ added to its end. In simple words, it is commonly called ing-form.

S + ‘to be’ + Verb (infinitive) + ‘-ing’

I am watching TV, now.

Subject To be form Short form Infinitive + ‘-ing’

I am I’m doing
he/she/it is he’s / she’s / it’s drinking

Teacher. Liliana Gheorghe

 we/you/they are we’re / you’re / they’re looking

Some verbs change their spelling when ‘-ing’ is added to their end. Letters may be omitted or
doubled. Examples:
 Omission of ‘e’:
o “Sam is driving his new car.” (drive)
o ”I am dancing quite well.” (dance)
 Duplication of the final consonant:
o “I’m quitting my job tomorrow.” (quit)
o The children are running fast, now. (run)
 Verbs ending in ‘-ie’, the ‘-ie’ is replaced by ‘-y’ in order to avoid three vowels in a row:

o tie → tying ”He is tying his shoelaces, now.”

o lie → lying ” She is lying on the bed now.”

Present Continuous: Negatives and Questions

Negatives in the Present Continuous are formed by adding not or n't after the verb BE:
Positive sentence Negative sentence Contracted negative
I am eating. I am not eating. I'm not eating.
You are working. You are not working. You aren't working.
He is driving. He is not driving. He isn't driving.
She is teaching. She is not teaching. She isn't teaching.
It is raining. It is not raining. It isn't raining.
We are reading. We are not reading. We aren't reading.
They are writing. They are not writing. They aren't writing.

Yes/no questions are created by moving the verb BE to the beginning of the sentence. WH-
questions are formed by moving the verb BE, and then adding the WH- word. Here are the rules:
Statement Yes/no question WH- question
I am eating. Am I eating? What am I eating?
You are crying. Are you crying? Why are you crying?
He is going. Is he going? Where is he going?
She is arriving. Is she arriving? When is she arriving?
It is sleeping. Is it sleeping? Why is it sleeping?
We are leaving. Are we leaving? When are we leaving?
They are fighting. Are they fighting? Why are they fighting?

Teacher. Liliana Gheorghe

 Practice
Present Tense
Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb in simple present tense.
Example: I (play) play the guitar. Example: Jessica (play) plays the guitar.
1. Tommy (live) _______ in Boston.
2. Jenny (cook) _______ dinner for her family, every Thursday.
3. They (eat) _______ lunch at 12:00, every day.
4. Nina (take) _______ medicine when she is sick.
5. I (like) _______ chocolate.
6. He (drive) _______ a nice car.
7. We (want) _______ to see a movie tonight.
8. Mr. Anderson (teach) _______ chemistry at Hill High School.
9. They (study) _______ English at school.
10. It (snow) _______ here in December.
Present simple: affirmative, negative, questions.
1. Ana _________ (not watch) TV in the evening.
2. Peter _________ (not study) French at school.
3. Javi _________ (watch) TV in the morning.
4. Antonio _________ (play) computer games at the weekend.
5. _________ María _________ (listen) to music?
6. _________ Beatriz _________ (tidy) her room?
7. When _________ your brother _________ (surf) the internet?
8. Who _________ you _________ (play) football with?
9. What _________ your sister _________ (do) on Saturday?
10. My Mum _________ (like) classical music.
Write sentences: Put the words in the correct order to make sentences.
1. My / at/ library / studies / the / sister
2. She / a / takes / twice / shower / a / day
3. They / Tuesday / play / football / on
4. beautiful / photographs / takes / Jay
5) A / cars / mechanic / fixes
6) Weekends / at / I / study / Maths
7) music / listen to / I / at night
8) misses / Kathy / her friends
Present continuous
Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb in simple present continuous.
1. I ___________ (watch) a reality show on TV.
2. Two people ___________ (cook) dinner on the beach.
3. We ___________ (not watch) a soap opera.
4. I ___________ (not do) my homework.
5. Mum ___________ (read) a magazine.
6. My brother ___________ (not listen) to the radio.
7. Dad ___________ (not cook) dinner.
8. My sister ___________ (talk) by phone.
9. Joe ___________ (play) on the computer.
10. Who ___________(watch) TV?

Teacher. Liliana Gheorghe

 11. Tina ___________ (do) grammar exercises.
12. I ___________ (eat) a pizza.
13. We ___________ (sit) in the classroom.
14. I ___________ (not write) an email.
15. Amy ___________ (not go) to school today.
16. My parents ___________ (drive) to work now.

Present Simple or Continuous?

1. Dad ___________________ us to school every morning. (DRIVE)
2. Max ___________________ at an Internet café this summer. (WORK)
3. We ________________________ abroad this year because of the pandemic. (NOT GO)
4. It never ___________________ in the Atacama Desert in Chile. (RAIN)
5. Marty __________________________ to the fitness centre on Mondays. (NOT GO)
6. What _________________________ under the table? – Is there anything wrong? (YOU
DO)
7. She never ___________________ to anyone about her problems. (TALK)
8. Mary ___________________ very sad. What's happened to her? (LOOK)
9. You can't go in. They ___________________ a meeting. (HAVE)
10. I ___________________ the dog for a walk because it's so sunny outside. (TAKE)
11. I ___________________ meat. I'm a vegetarian. (NOT EAT)
12. Tom always _____________________ the strangest questions in class. (ASK)

Teacher. Liliana Gheorghe