2 -1 Simple Present

(a) W ater c o n s is ts of hydrogen and T he simple present says that

oxygen. something was true in the past, is true
(b) T he average person bre athe s in the present, and will be true in the
2 1 ,6 0 0 times a day. future. It expresses general statem ents
o f fact and general truths.
(c) T he world is round.

(d) I g e t up at seven every morning. T h e simple present is used to express

(e) I always eat a salad for lunch. habitual o r everyday activities.

2 -2 Present Progressive
( f ) T he students are s ittin g at their T he present progressive expresses an
rv.
A desks right now. activity that is in progress at the
tJ £ V)
o (g) I need an umbrella because it m om ent o f speaking. It is a tem porary
is ra in in g . activity that began in the past, is
/ continuing at present, and will probably
•a \ /
/ (h) I am ta k in g five courses this
s end at som e point in the future.
semester.
%

□ Exercise 3. Let’s talk. (Charts 2-1 and 2-2)

Work in small groups.

P a r t I. Discuss the given topics. Each member of the group should contribute one sentence
for each topic. Share some of your sentences with the class.

Topics:
Tell your group one daily habit you have.
Look around the room. Describe one activity that is happening right now.
Describe something that is happening in the world right now.

P a r t II. Use the simple present to make generalizations about some of the given topics. Use
your own verbs or those in the list.

beat consist eat make save

breathe contain have produce sleep
cause drink live revolve use

Topics:
the earth snowflakes
air the average person
trees hybrid cars*
the human heart mammals
snowflakes

*hybrid cars = cars that use both gasoline and electricity for power.

14 CHAPTER 2
□ Exercise 4. Looking at grammar. (Charts 2-1 and 2-2)
Complete the sentences with the simple present or the present progressive form o f the verbs
in parentheses.

1. Kristin can’t come to the phone because she (wash) is washing her hair.

2. Kristin (wash) ___________________ her hair every other day or so.

3. Tony (sit, usually) in the front row during class, but today

he (sit) _________ in the last row.

4. Please be quiet. I (try) .____________________ to concentrate.

5. (you, lock, always) _________________________ _____the door to your apartment when

you leave?

6. I wrote to my friend last week. She hasn’t answered my letter yet. I (wait, still)

________________________________ for a reply.

7. After six days of rain, I ’m glad that the sun (shine) ___________________________ today.

8. Every morning, the sun (shine) _____________ in my bedroom window and

(wake) ________________________ me up.

□ Exercise 5. Listening. (Charts 2-1 and 2-2)

Listen to the sentences. Circle the correct completion(s). More than one completion
<® may be possible.
CD 1
Track 7
1. right now. every day. in the summer.

2. today. in the winter. every April.

3. every year. right now. this week.

4. right now. today. every winter.

5. every summer. right now. in the spring.

6. this week. every January. every winter.

Exercise 6. Let’s talk: class activity. (Charts 2-1 and 2-2)

On a piece o f paper, write an action that a classmate can demonstrate (e.g., stand up, smile,
open the door, sneeze, write on the board). Give your paper to the teacher, who will
redistribute the papers at random to the class. Everyone will take turns performing these
actions for the entire class. Describe the actions using the present progressive.

Present and Past; Simple and Progressive 15

u Exercise 7. Warm-up. (Chart 2-3)
Choose the correct completions.

1. The chef is in his kitchen right now. He

a. cooks b. is cooking
2. He _______some soup.
a. tastes b. is tasting
3. It ---------- too salty.
a. tastes b. is tasting
4. He it.
a. doesn’t like b. isn’t liking

2-3 Non-Progressive Verbs

(a) I know your cousin. Som e verbs, like know , are non-progressive;* i.e., they are
rarely used in progressive tenses. They describe states, not
(b) in c o r r e c t : I am -know ing your cousin.
actions. (“States” are conditions or situations that exist.)

Com m on Verbs That Are Usually Non-Progressive (like know )

know like dislike belong consist of hear agree
believe appreciate fear possess contain sound disagree
doubt care about hate own mean
recognize please mind exist seem promise
rem em ber prefer desire matter look like am aze
suppose need resemble surprise
understand want
wish

(c) I f/7/n/rthat your cousin is very nice.

Som e verbs, like th in k, have both non-progressive meanings
and progressive meanings.
(d) I ’m thinking about my trip to Rome.
In (c): th in k means “believe.”
In (d): am th in k in g means “thoughts are going around in my
mind right now.”

Comm on Verbs with Both Non-Progressive and Progressive Meanings (like think )
NON-PROGRESSIVE PROGRESSIVE

look It looks cold outside. O lga is looking out the window.

appear Jack appears to be tired today. S h e ’s appearing on a T V show today.
think 1 think that Mr. Liu is a good teacher. 1’m thinking about my family right now.
feel 1 feel that Mr. Liu is a good teacher. 1’m feeling a little tired today.
have 1 have a bicycle. 1’m having a good time.
see D o you s e e that bird? T h e doctor is seeing a patient right now.
taste T he soup tastes salty. T he chef is tasting the soup.
smell Something smells bad. W hat is it? Ann is smelling the perfume to see if she wants to buy it.
love Ken loves his baby daughter. Ken is enjoying parenthood. In fact, h e ’s loving it!
be M ary is old and wise. Al is ill but w on’t see a doctor. He is being foolish.**

*Non-progressive verbs are also called “stative verbs” or non-action verbs.

* * A m /is/a re b e in g + ail adjective describes temporary behavior. In the example, A1 is usually not foolish, but right now he is acting
that way.

16 CHAPTER 2
Exercise 8. Let’s talk. (Chart 2-3)
Discuss the differences in meaning of the italicized verbs in each group of sentences. Work in
pairs, in small groups, or as a class.

1. a. These flowers smell good,

b. James is smelling the flowers.

2. a. I think Roberto is a kind man.

b. I am thinking about this exercise.

3. a. I see a butterfly. D o you see it too?

b. Alex is seeing a doctor about his headaches.
c. Jack and Ann are seeing each other. They go out together every weekend.

4. a. Astrid looks cold. I ’ll lend her my coat,

b. Tina is looking out the window. She sees a butterfly.

5. a. Sue is feeling the cat’s fur.

b. The cat’s fur feels soft.
c. I ’m not feeling well today.
d. I feel that it is important to respect other people’s opinions.

6. a. I remember my first teacher. Do you remember yours?

b. Aunt Sara is looking through an old picture album.
She is remembering the wonderful days of her childhood.

7. a.The children want a snack. T h ey ’re hungry,

b. Like many kids, our children are often quite noisy when they
play. They’re playing right now in the next room. Hmmm.
Th ey ’re being awfully quiet. What do you suppose they’re doing?

8. a.Our son is appearing in a school play this week,

b. The grocer is weighing the bananas. He appears to be busy.

Present and Past; Simple and Progressive 1

□ Exercise 9. Looking at grammar. (Chart 2-3)
Choose the correct completions.

1. This isn’t my notebook. It _______to Mai.

a.) belongs b. is belonging

2. Ask Ahmed for your notebook. He _______it.

a. has b. is having

3. Your notebook is over there. Ahmed _______it.

a. holds b. is holding

4. Look at Olga. She’s smiling and dancing. She _______a good time.
a. has b. is having

5. Relax. You don’t have to tell me any more about it. I _______you.
a. believe b. am believing

6. Dinosaurs became extinct a long time ago. They _______anymore.

a. don’t exist b. aren’t existing

□ Exercise 10. Looking at grammar. (Charts 2-1 -> 2-3)

Complete the sentences. Use the simple present or the present progressive of the verbs
in parentheses.

1. Look. It (begin) is beginning___________ to rain. Unfortunately, I (have, not*)

________________________ my umbrella with me. I (own, not) __________ ____________
an umbrella. Spiro is lucky. He (wear) ________________________ a raincoat. I (wear)
___________________ a waterproof hat on rainy days.

2. Right now Martha is in the science building.

The chemistry experiment she (do)
___________________ is dangerous, so she (be)
___________________ very careful. She
(want, not) ___________________ to spill
any of the acid. She (be, always)
.________________________ careful when
she does a chemistry experiment.

*A form of do is usually used in the negative when the main verb is h a ve, especially in American English (AmE) but also commonly
in British English (BrE): I don’t have a car. Using h a v e without a form of do is also possible but less common: I haven’t a car.

18 CHAPTER 2
 3. Right now I {look) _____________________________ at Nicole. She (look) ________________
angry. I wonder what’s the matter. She (have) ___________________ a frown on her face.
She certainly (have, not) ________________________ any fun right now.

4. A: How (you, like) _____________________________ the soup? (it, need) _________________

___________________ more garlic?
B: No, it (taste) ___________________ delicious. It (remind) ____________________ me of
my grandmother’s soup.

5. A: What (you, look) __________________________________ at?

B: You! You (look) ________________________ like your father.
A: (you, think) _____________________________ so? Many people tell me I (resemble)
________________________ my mother.
B: I (see) ________________________ _ your father’s face when I look at you.

6. Right now I (look) ________________________ around the classroom. Yoko (write)

________________________ in her book. Carlos (bite) _________________________ his pencil.
Wan-Ning (scratch) ________________________ his head. Ali (stare) _______________________
out the window. He (seem) ___________________ to be daydreaming, but perhaps he
(think) ________________________ hard about verb tenses. What (you, think) ______________
____________________ Ali (do) _________________________ ?

Exercise 11. Let’s write. (Charts 2-1 -> 2-3)

Go to a place where there are many people (such as a zoo, a hotel lobby, a street corner) or
imagine yourself to be there. Describe what you see. Let your reader “see” what you see by
drawing a picture in words. Use present tenses. Write one paragraph. Begin with a
description o f what you are doing: I am sitting on a bench a t th e zoo.

Present and Past; Simple and Progressive 19