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Homework 2

Take a look at the table below. It summarizes the present tenses topic that
we’ve been discussing in our previous lessons.
You may notice that we can use the forms of simple present and present
progressive to express the following ideas:

Simple present

Use Examples

a) I study for two hours

 Simple present is used to express every day.
habitual or everyday activities b) I get up at seven
every day.
c) He always eats a
sandwich for lunch.

 It’s also used in general a) Water consists of

statements of fact and timeless hydrogen and oxygen.
truths. b) The average person
breathes 21,600 times a
day.

Present progressive (always with verb to be + ing)

a) John is sleeping right

 Expresses an activity that is in
progress at the moment of
speaking. It is a temporary
activity that began in the past, is
continuing at the present, and
will probably end at some point
in the future.
now.
b) I need and umbrella
because it is raining.
c) The students are
sitting at their desks
right now.
d) I am taking five
courses this semester.
e) John is trying to
improve his work
habits.

English class
Teacher Camila Amorim
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Exercises:

1) Write a small text describing your daily routine during quarantine. You
may use simple present.

Don’t forget to use the connectives to organize your text:

Then After As soon as Before

Later Next Finally

2) Simple present vs. present progressive.

Choose the best option according to the context:

a) Diane can’t come to the phone because she __________________ her hair.

I) is washing II) washes

b) Diane __________________ her hair every other day or so.

I) is washing II) washes

c) Kathy ________________in the front row during the class, but today she
__________________ in the last row.

I) is usually sitting II) usually sits

I) is sitting II) sits

d) Please, be quiet. I __________________ to concentrate.

I) am trying II) try

e) __________________ the door to your apartment when you leave?

I) Do you always lock II) Are you always locking

f) I wrote to my friend last week. She hasn’t answered my letter yet. I _____________
for a reply.

I) am still waiting II) still wait

g) After six days of rain, I’m glad that the sun __________________ again today.

I) is shining II) shines

h) Every morning, the sun __________________ in my bedroom window and

__________________me up.

I) is shining II) shines

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Teacher Camila Amorim
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I) is waking II) wakes

i) – Look! It __________________!

- It’s beautiful! This is the first time I’ve ever seen snow. It __________________ in
my country.

I) is snowing II) snows

I) is not snowing II) doesn’t snow

It’s raining now

3) Conjugate the verbs in parentheses, using the simple present or the present
progressive:

a) I can’t afford that ring. It (cost) __________________ too much.

b) Look. It (begin)__________________to rain. Unfortunately, I (have, not)

__________________my umbrella with me. My friend is lucky. He (wear)
__________________ a raincoat now.

c) Shh… Grandpa (take) __________________ a nap in the living room. We (want,

not) __________________to wake him up. He (need) __________________ to sleep.

d) Right now I (look) __________________ at my friend. She (look)

__________________ angry. I wonder what’s the problem.

e) My friend (have) __________________ many things to do now.

f) I (have, not) __________________ any fun right now. I (be, not)

__________________in a bad mood.

g) 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.

4) Read the complete text we started analyzing in our previous class and, then,
answer the questions:

Activities for Quarantine

By now, those of us who can are (hopefully) staying at home and

practicing social distancing. Limiting the number of people we come in contact with
helps stop coronavirus from spreading at a drastic rate. This means, we’re doing our part
to flatten the curve, preventing hospitals from overcrowding. Sounds easy enough,
right?
So why does staying in our homes seem so daunting?

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Teacher Camila Amorim
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It’s because we’re social beings, says Kim Lavoie, PhD, Professor and Chair of
Behavioral Medicine at the University of Quebec at Montreal (UQAM) and Co-Director
of the Montreal Behavioral Medicine Center (MBMC).
We’re focusing on what we’re missing out on instead of recognizing the
opportunity we’ve been given (err, forced into).
The solution? Change your attitude towards self-isolation and take advantage of
this “pause” right now.
This is the essential time to tackle your to-do list so you can stress less—and it’s
also a great time to adopt healthy habits. You need 21 days to make a habit stick, says
Dr. Lavoie, so starting one during a time when you have ample free time can boost the
chances of it being a success.

a) Why, according to Kim Lavoie, is it daunting for people to stay at home?

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

b) According to the professor, what is stopping people from enjoying the isolation
time better?

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

c) What advice does the professor give us to solve this problem?

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

d) How many days do we need to make a habit stick?

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

e) Are you practicing social distancing? (Personal question)

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

f) Are you helping to stop coronavirus from spreading at a drastic rate? (Personal
question)

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

g) Are you doing your part to flatten the curve? (Personal question)

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Teacher Camila Amorim
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______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
______________________________

h) Do you usually have ample free time to start new healthy habits? (Personal
question)

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

i) Do you have a to-do-list? What do you use it for? (Personal question)

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

j) Do you think you need to start new activities in order to relax more?

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

k) What kind of activities are good for our wellbeing?

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________

l) What are some bad habits that you have to change?

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

Structure – Present tenses review

5) Write a question, an answer or a comment:

a) It’s late and I still have many things to do.

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

b) What are you learning at school this week?

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

c) Do you always buy your paper at the same newsstand?

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Teacher Camila Amorim
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______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

d) My husband is finishing his homework.

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

e) What is he doing?

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

f) Where does he want to stay and why?

______________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________

6) Translate to English:

a) Está chovendo em sua cidade? Como está o tempo hoje? Está ensolarado?

______________________________________________________________________

b) Não está chovendo, mas está nevando. Você sabe alguma coisa sobre o acidente?

______________________________________________________________________

c) Não faço nada até às 9 horas. Preciso visitar meu primo antes das 11 horas.

______________________________________________________________________

d) Que horas você geralmente se deita? Eu gosto de me deitar à meia-noite.

______________________________________________________________________

e) O almoço está pronto. Às vezes almoçamos antes do meio-dia.

______________________________________________________________________

f) Ela geralmente me vende algumas roupas.

______________________________________________________________________

g) Como ela está? / Ela ainda está doente, pois comeu muito na festa.

______________________________________________________________________

h) Ela é brasileira ou americana? O que ela está fazendo?

______________________________________________________________________

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Teacher Camila Amorim
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i) Estou feliz com o desempenho dos meus alunos. Eles entendem tudo o que a
professora diz.

______________________________________________________________________

j) Você está pronta? A que horas você quer ir ao cinema comigo?

______________________________________________________________________

English class
Teacher Camila Amorim