Chapter 3 :

Present Continuous Tense

In English , the present continuous tense (sometimes referred to as present
progressive tense) is very important when expressing actions happening NOW .

Construction:
Pronoun or noun
I
Mr. Jones
Maria and I
My mother and father
The eagle

Verb to be : simple present

am
is
are
are
is

Main verb + ING

working
sleeping
studying
laughing
flying

Key Questions : What are you doing ? Whats happening ? What is going on?
Describe whats happening in the following pictures.

We use present continuous when we speak about action verbs happening at the
moment of speaking.

Practice using the present continuous tense, with your classmates or

teacher.
Dont forget your ING !!!
come - coming
cook - cooking
dance - dancing
sit - sitting

drive - driving
watch - watching
sing - singing
read - reading

run - running
listen - listening
talk - talking
eat - eating

Grammar tip
We use the simple present tense when we talk about things in general or
when we are stating a fact but we use the present continuous when we
talk about an action that is going on now. A good example of this
difference is when we discuss sports or talk about languages. Dont
forget that with the simple present tense we must put a s at the end of the verb for:

He, She and It.

Ex.
I play basketball. ( = I play on a regular basis, in general)
I am playing basketball. (= I am playing at this moment, right now)
Monica speaks Spanish. ( =She usually speaks Spanish. It is her native language.)
Monica is speaking English. (= She is speaking English now. We dont know if its
her native language or not)
When we talk about doing sports in the present tense, we often use the word
play/plays . The rule is if it is a team sport we need to use the verb PLAY but if it is an
individual sport we use the verb itself. Let me show you what I mean.
Team Sport

Individual Sport

Bruce plays basketball.(not He basketballs)

I play tennis.
My sister and I play soccer.

but

Mira skies. (not She plays ski.).

You swim.
They run.

Exception : Since golf can be played individually or in a group, you can use either
form.
My father golfs. or My father plays golf.

Sports Vocabulary :
baseball

hockey

basketball

skiing
swimming
cycling
roller blading
wrestling
snowboarding
walking

skating
gymnastics
hiking
dancing
boxing
surfing
football

soccer
rugby
running
badminton
weightlifting
diving
tennis

Note : if you talk about martial arts, eg.

kung fu, kendo, karate
you must using the verb to practice
Ex. I practice karate. Now, I am
practicing kung fu.

Negative formation

Question formation

Noun + simple present be + not+ verbING

I am not sleeping
Julie is not working now.
Marco is not having lunch at the moment.
They are not playing tennis right now.
We are not doing anything for the moment.
The dog is not barking at the neighbor.
She is not watching television.

Simple present be + noun + verbING

Am I sleeping ?
Is Julie working now ?
Is Marco having lunch at the moment ?
Are they playing tennis right now.?
What are you doing for the moment ?
Is the dog barking at the neighbor ?
Is she watching television ?

Present continuous questions can also be made up using the WH- question words:
Where is Carlos going ?
What are Susan and Edward eating ?
Why are they watching on television ?
What kind of music are they listening
to ?
Who is she thinking about ?
When are we having a party ?
Where are you calling from ?
What are you doing ?
Who are you talking to ?

Substitute present continuous in the following sentences :

Listen ! Elvis is playing the guitar.
They ______ ____________ in an expensive restaurant.
Look ! The children _______ ______________ in the lake.
You ______ ______________ on my foot.
Hurry up ! The subway ______ _____________ .
Where are you, Mom ? In the kitchen. I ______ ____________ dinner.
Hello. Can I speak you Jamie, please ? Im sorry he ______ ______________ a
shower right now.
8. What ______ you ____________ on television ?
9. Who ______ your sister _____________ to at this time of night ?
10. Why _____ he _____________ the music so loud ?
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Class Activity : Look around the classroom or outside the window and describe what you see
. Exchange ideas with the other classmates and then write them down. You can also use
magazines or interesting photographs to describe things that are happening in the present
continuous tense.

Write it !
1. ______________________________________________________ .
2. ______________________________________________________ .
3. _______________________________________________________
4. _______________________________________________________ .
5. _______________________________________________________ .
6. _______________________________________________________ .

Conversation Practice :
Helen : What are you doing ?
George: Im thinking ?
Helen: What are you thinking about ?
George: Im thinking about food ?
Helen: Are you going out to eat ?
George: Are you joking ? I dont have enough
money to go out ? Why? Are you going out for
lunch ?
Helen : Well, I am thinking about it. You can borrow some money from me.
George : Well, okay. Lets go. I am starving.*
Helen : Yeah, Im starving*, too!

I am starving = I am very hungry.

What is happening ??????

Discuss these pictures with your class.

this/ that / these / those (demonstrative adjectives)

This is my passport This passport is very important when I am traveling .
We use this when we are talking about a single object that is close to
us.(relatively)
Key Question :
What is this?
Is this passport important?
That is a bowling ball. That bowling ball is heavy.
We use that when we are talking about a single object that is
far from us. (relatively)
Key Question :

What is that ?

Is that bowling ball

heavy ?

These are flowers. These flowers are dandelions.

We use these when we are talking about two or more objects
that are close to us.
Key Question :

What are these ?

Are these
flowers daisies?

Those are hot air balloons. Those balloons are beautiful.

We use those when we are talking about two or more things
that are far from us.
Key Question : What are those ? Are those balloons
beautiful?

Fill in the blanks using this or these.

1.
2.
3.
4.

_____________
_____________
_____________
_____________

table
forks
computer
pencils

5. _____________ windows
6. _____________ door
7. _____________ car
8. _____________ girls

This That or These Those

this indicates that something is close to us. that indicates that something is at a distance.
This pencil is in my hand.
That pencil is over there on the book.
the plural of this is these. the plural of that is those.
These pencils are in my hand.
Those pencils are over there on the book.
Change the following sentences from singular to plural or from plural to singular.
1.- That door is very big.

Fill in the blanks using that or those.

2.- That paper is blue.

1. ___________ clock
__________ tree
2. ___________ socks
__________ eggs
3. ___________ movie theatre
__________ videos
4. ___________ airplane
__________ people

3.- These markers are green.

4.- This exercise is long.
5.- Those clouds are white.
6.- That apple is terrible.

5.
6.
7.
8.

7.- Those students are wonderful.

Class activity : Make some sentences

8.- These plants are fabulous.

using objects in your classroom. Each

student should share four sentences, one for
each of these adjectives, with the other
students in the class.

9.- This man is tall.

10.- That woman is thin.
11.- This knife is old.
12.children
young.

Those
are

13.babies
chubby.

These
are

14.- That rose is pretty.

15.- This building is low.

Conversation Practice :
Danny : Is this a good book ?
Randy : Yes, this is an excellent book.
Danny : What about that one ?
Randy : No, I dont like it. Danny are
these your glasses ?
Danny : No, those ones are mine, not
these ones.
Randy : Oh, yeah these are too strong for
you.

one / ones
* We use one or ones when we know which
object or objects we are talking about because
you can see it or because of the previous
sentence.
Review the conversation:
Yes, this is an excellent book.
What about that one (that book) ? It is
understood by both Danny and Randy
that they mean book because of the
context.(the previous sentence clearly
states they are referring to a book).
More examples :
These cookies are delicious. Would you
like one (a cookie) ?
Can I borrow a pencil ? Sure, you can use
this one (this pencil) .
Which flowers do you want ? I want
these red ones. (these red flowers).
This box is too small. I need that one
(that box).
That cup is dirty. Can I use this one (this
cup) ?

Practice using one / ones in a

conversation and try using this / that
/ these / those, too.
Simple Future Tense
In the story we use the future tense to talk
about events in the future. The future tense is
one of the easiest tenses to learn in English
because you only have to remember the word
WILL . Take any present participle of any
verb and put the word will before it and you
have the simple future.
Ex. :

Contractions
I will see a good movie tonight. (to see)
Ill see a good movie tonight.

You will be on television next week.(to be)

Youll be on television next
week..
He will have a big exam next Monday.(to
have)
Hell have a big exam next
Monday.
She will give a speech for
her
campaign.(to give) Shell give a speech for
her campaign
It will change by Friday.(to change)
Itll change by Friday.
We will invite friends over for dinner.(to
invite)
Well invite friends over for
dinner.
You will come to my house tomorrow.(to
come)
Youll come to my house
tomorrow.
They will play at the nightclub at 10p.m..(to
play)
Theyll play at the nightclub at
10.

Negative formation
Question formation
Noun + will not + present participle of verb
Michelle will not pass her exam.
Harry and Catherine will not go to Mexico.
It will not be the last time I see you.
We will not visit the Eiffel Tower.
Answer the following questions using the
simple future tense :
Ex. Will the bus arrive soon ?
Yes, it
will. Itll arrive in 10 minutes.
1. Will the soup be ready soon ?
Yes,
_____. _________ in a few minutes.
2. Will Dr. Jones be here soon ?
Yes,
_____ . _________ in about half an hour.
3. Will the supper be ready soon ? Yes,
_____ . _________ in the next few minutes.
4. Will you get the new job ?
_____ . _________ next week.

Yes,

5. Will they go to the party ?

Yes,
_____ . _________ tomorrow night.

Will + noun
Will Michell
Will Harry a
Will it be the
Will we visit

Winter
6. Will we go to Europe in June ?
_____ . ________ in June.

Yes,

7. Will Janet leave the hospital ?

_____ . ________ next Friday.

Yes,

Reading Comprehension
I CANT WAIT FOR
SPRING !
Winters in Canada are very
long. They are usually four to
five months. What a pain in the neck* ! Im
tired of winter. Im sick of the snow and ice. I
m sick of the icy weather and the winter
coats, winter boots and winter hats ! In a few
more weeks it wont be winter any more. Itll
be spring. Yeah ! No more cold weather. The
sun will be warm. I wont have to shovel
snow or worry about slipping on the ice. I
wont have to wear heavy winter clothes any
more. I will be able to take nice, long walks
outside. Ill be able to ride my bicycle to
work.
In a few weeks, the neighborhood wont look
slushy and gray. The flowers will begin to
grow and things will start to look green again.
Now that spring is coming, my family will
spend more time outside. We will work hard
in the garden. We will have picnics on Sunday
afternoons in the park. Everything will start to
bloom and the cycle of life will continue. The
birds will return home. I really love the spring.

a pain in the neck = something that is

uncomfortable, irritating, annoying

Season Vocabulary :

Spring
Fall / Autumn
Summer

Questions
about the
seasons
discuss together in the class
Whats your favorite season ? Why ?
What season is it now ? What is the weather
like now ?
Describe the weather right now using the
present continuous.
Ex. It is raining. It is sunny. etc...
What will the next season be ? (use future
tense)
How many seasons do you have in your
country ?
How would you describe winter, spring,
summer and fall ?
Do you like the change of seasons ?

Wrap up:
Gail and Sheila are getting ready to go out
to a party and are trying to decide what to
wear.. Underline the present continuous,
demonstrative adjectives and the future
tense in their conversation. Then practice
the conservation with a classmate and
change the conversation using yourselves
instead of Gail and Sheila.

Gail:
Do you think this party will be
fun ?
Sheila :Sure, what are you going to wear ?
Gail:
Im not sure maybe this red
dress.
Sheila :That one, are you kidding ? Thats a
little too sexy for this party.
Gail :
Why? I think a lot of people
will get dressed up ?
Sheila :Dressed up maybe but I still think you
will get into trouble if you wear that dress ?
Gail :
Okay, okay. Maybe youre
right. What about this green
one ? Is it conservative enough
for you ?
Sheila :Yeah, that one is perfect. It looks great
on you!
Gail :
What are you going to wear ?
Sheila :I am thinking about this black strapless
dress ?
Gail :
Oh brother! Then I am
definitely wearing the red one!

Discuss the following questions in

class.
Do you think itll rain tomorrow ?
Do you think you will get married ?
Do you think that the summer will be very hot
this year ? Do you think the winter will be
long this year ?
Do you think there will be another world
war ?
Do you think there will be world peace
someday ?
Do you think that we will travel to other
planets in the future ?

Now come up with some of your own

questions using the simple future or
the present continuous tenses. Write
them down in the spaces below.
1. __________________________________
__________________________________
_______

2. __________________________________
__________________________________
_______
3. __________________________________
__________________________________
_______
4. __________________________________
__________________________________
_______