1. Present Time
Dragana Filipovic

2. What is correct?
I am staying / stay at the Imperial Hotel till they get my flat ready.
The River Amazon flows / is flowing into the Atlantic Ocean.

3. Buying a house nowadays becomes / is becoming more and more expensive all the time.
We haven’t decided yet, but we think / are thinking of moving house.
Whether we play on Saturday is depending / depends on the weather.

4. Correct answers
I am staying / stay at the Imperial Hotel till they get my flat ready.
The River Amazon flows / is flowing into the Atlantic Ocean.
Buying a house nowadays becomes / is becoming more and more expensive all the time.
We haven’t decided yet, but we think / are thinking of moving house.
Whether we play on Saturday is depending / depends on the weather.

5. The Present Simple Tense - Forms
I work …
He works …
Do I work … ?
Does he work … ?
I don’t work …
He doesn’t work …
I watch …
He watches …
Do I watch … ?
Does he watch … ?
I don’t watch …
He doesn’t watch …

6. 3rd person singular - spelling
-s / -es
Infinitive + s: gets, works, lives
ss, sh, ch, x, o + es: passes, watches, goes
Vowel + y + s: stays, plays, pays
Consonant + y  i + es: cry – cries, fly – flies, terrify - terrifies

7. What’s the 3rd person singular?
weigh
push
sneeze
glorify
annoy
kiss
deny
marry
weighs
pushes
sneezes
glorifies
annoys
kisses
denies
marries

8. The Present Simple Tense is used to describe:
Facts which are always true – general truths, e.g. facts in science and geographical descriptions
The light from the Sun takes 8 mins 20 secs to reach the Earth.
The River Po flows into the Adriatic Sea.
Matter consists of small particles.

9. The Present Simple Tense is used to describe:
Habitual actions. A frequency adverb is often used.
I usually take bus to work.
I use my mobile phone every day.
Permanent situations.
I live in a flat.
She works for an insurance company.

10. The Present Simple Tense is used for:
Plot summaries (films, books), sports commentaries and historical tables.
Our hero goes off to search for the treasure, which he eventually finds after many adventures.
Zigic passes to Kezman… and Kezman scores!
1789. The French Revolution begins.

11. The Present Simple Tense is used for:
Timetables / programmes (future meaning)
The match finishes at 8.45.
The plane leaves at 9.15.

12. Write 8 sentences in Present Simple using the following verbs:
weigh
push
sneeze
try
buy
kiss
deny
marry

13. Mini-contexts a) Complete the dialogue.
John: _________ usually ___ at Christmas?
Dave: I normally go to my parents’ house.
Is Dave talking about
one specific Christmas?
Christmas holiday in general?

14.      b) Complete the dialogue.
a) Which machine are they talking about?
    
b) Complete the dialogue.
Alan: _______________________
Jill: Well, you press the eject button and then you put the tape in. Then you press the start and record button at the same time.
How do I/you use/record with this …?
The cassette recorder or the camcorder.
How do I/you use/record with this …?

15. What is the missing word?
A: Excuse me, I wonder if you can help me. I want to go to Brighton on Saturday and I want to arrive about midday.
B: About midday? There’s a slow train that _____ at It gets in at
leaves / departs
Leaves / departs

16. Put the words in the correct order.
travels about , The
at an Earth km hour
The Earth travels at about 107,000 km an hour.
Permanent.

17. Does this suggest a temporary or a permanent address?
THE AUTHOR: Josceline lives in London with her husband, journalist and broadcaster David Dimbleby, and their three children.

18. b) Who is he/she speaking to? c) Why is he/she speaking?
… Manchester City once more. Baker plays it up the line for Tolmey. Tolmey fires a shot but it’s deflected. Keagan tries to pass it out to Beardsley but doesn’t succeed…
a) Who is speaking?
b) Who is he/she speaking to?
c) Why is he/she speaking?
Sports commentator
The radio/television audience
He/She is describing the action on the football field for the viewers/listeners.

19. b) What are the underlined tenses?
The Guardian
Australia mourns
Australia is holding a weekend of national mourning for the 70 victims of the bush fires. An appeal has been launched for 8,000 others left homeless. Page 6.
a) What is The Guardian?
b) What are the underlined tenses?
c) They refer to the same event; why are two tenses used?
a) A newspaper

20. Two boys die on mountain
By a Staff Reporter
Two boys believed to be from London died and seven others were injured in the Snowdonia mountain range yesterday. The boys were roped together when one fell …
d) What are the underlined tenses?
e) They refer to the same event; why are two tenses used?
It is a convention in newspaper headlines to use the present simple for current events / recent past events.This is space-saving and dramatic.

21. Dave: Peter tells me you start your holidays on Saturday.
John: That’s right. We’re going to Venice
for a week.
Does the verb tells refer to
the time Dave is speaking?
the recent past?
the distant past?
b) Is the trip already booked?
The recent past
Yes, the trip is already booked.

22. Rose: Don’t forget to send me a postcard when you get there.
Andy: No, of course not. I’ll send you a
card of the Eiffel Tower as soon
as I arrive.
Do the underlined
parts refer to the
present or
the future?
a) The future.

23. c) What tenses can we use here?  
b) Complete the missing letters of other conjunctions which we can use here.
c) What tenses can we use here?
 
I’ll send you a postcard
as soon as
wh_ _
af _ _ _
onc _
the mom _ _ _
_ _ _ minute
the sec _ _ _
I arrive.
b) when, after, once, the moment, the minute, the second
c) Future simple, future continuous, going to
present simple, present perfect simple

24. Amy: John, have you heard the one about the swimming pool? John: No.
Amy: Well, there’s this man in a swimming pool and he goes to the top of the diving board and he’s just about to dive off when an attendant comes rushing along and says, ‘There’s no water in the pool.’ ‘That’s alright,’ says the man. ‘I can’t swim anyway!’
What does ‘the one’ refer to?
Are there any past tenses in the story? If so, what are they? If not, why not?
The joke.
No (there are no past tenses because the joke was fictional and never happened).

25. The Present Continuous Tenseam ‘m
standing
You We
They
are
‘re He
She It is ‘s

26. The Present Continuous Tense
am not
‘m not
standing
You We
They
are not
aren’t He
She It
is not
isn’t Am I
standing ?
Are
you we
they Is he
she it

27. VERB + ing listen + ing = listening die (-iey) + ing = dying
write + ing = writing
hop + p + ing = hopping
travel + l + ing = travelling

28. Make –ing forms of each verb given.
begin
rub
listen
lie
swim
study
happen
get
use
admit
try
decide
come
put

29. –ing forms
beginning
rubbing
listening
lying
swimming
studying
happening
getting
using
admitting
trying
deciding
coming
putting

30. The Present Continuous Tense is used for
Actions which are happening at or around the moment of speaking.
I’m doing the washing up.
Just now I’m waiting to do my military service.
She is working very hard nowadays.

31. The Present Continuous Tense is used for
Temporary situations.
At the moment we’re sending all the mail by courier, because the Post Office is on strike.
I’m staying with a friend at the moment.

32. The Present Continuous Tense is used for
Annoying habits. A frequency adverb is necessary (always).
You are always borrowing money from me!
He is always complaining that waiters are rude.

33. The Present Continuous Tense is used for
A repeated temporary event. A time expression is necessary.
Whenever I see Tom he’s smoking.
You’re making the same mistake again!

34. The Present Continuous Tense is used for
Changing or developing situations.
His English is getting better.
It’s getting colder.
Fixed arrangements in the near future.
They are getting married next week.

35. Choose the most suitable tense
What sort of work do you do / are you doing?
I can’t talk now. I cook / I’m cooking the dinner.
What shall we have? Do you like / Are you liking fish?
Can I borrow this tape recorder? Or do you use / are you using it?

36. Answers What sort of work do you do ?
I can’t talk now. I’m cooking the dinner.
What shall we have? Do you like fish?
Can I borrow this tape recorder? Or are you using it?

37. What do the people here do / are the people here doing in the evenings?
Follow that bus. Then you turn / you are turning left.
A lot of people think that the Sun goes / is going around the Earth.
Excuse me, do you read / are you reading your newspaper? Can I borrow it?

38. Answers
What do the people here do in the evenings?
Follow that bus. Then you turn left.
A lot of people think that the Sun goes around the Earth.
Excuse me, are you reading your newspaper? Can I borrow it?

39. Do you wait / Are you waiting for the bus to Newcastle?
Andy builds / is building his own house in the country.
I’m sleeping / sleep on Nigel’s sofa until I find a place of my own.
I’m only working / only work there for a couple of months because I’m going abroad in the summer.
You make / are making goulash using meat, vegetables and paprika.

40. Are you waiting for the bus to Newcastle?
Answers
Are you waiting for the bus to Newcastle?
Andy is building his own house in the country.
I’m sleeping on Nigel’s sofa until I find a place of my own.
I’m only working there for a couple of months because I’m going abroad in the summer.
You make goulash using meat, vegetables and paprika.

41. Stative or ‘State’ Verbs
Verbs describing a permanent state do not normally have continuous forms.
Verbs of the senses: see, hear, smell, feel, taste …
Verbs of opinion: agree, believe, consider…

42. Verbs of emotion: feel, forgive, hate, like, love…
Other verbs: appear (=seem), be, belong, consist (of), contain, fit (=be the right shape and size for sth), have (=possess), know, look (=appear), need,prefer, require, want, weigh, wish…

43. We can use some stative verbs in the Present Continuous when they have different meanings.

44. They think it’s too expensive. (=opinion)
She has a pet dog. (=she owns)
They think it’s too expensive. (=opinion)
I feel what we did was wrong. (=opinion)
She is having a good time. (=actively involved in)
They are thinking of buying a cheaper car. (=considering)
I am feeling / feel sick. (= physical reaction)

45. This juice tastes good. (=senses)
She appears to be very upset. (=appearance)
He’s tasting the milk to see if it’s OK. (=checking the quality)
Julia is appearing at the Odeon on Friday. (=performing)

46. I Iove holidays. (in general)
I see what you mean. (=understand)
I’m loving this holiday. (=I’m enjoying)
You’re seeing things – there’s nobody outside. (=imagining)

47. He comes from Spain. (=was born in)
Your hair looks great. (=it appears)
He’s coming from Spain. (=He’s travelling from)
She’s looking at his photos. (=examining)

48. Complete the sentences using the Present Simple or the Present Continuous of the verbs in brackets.

49. My sister ___ (wait) patiently for her exam results.
We __ (not travel) by train very often.

50. My sister is waiting patiently for her exam results.
We don’t travel by train very often.

51. I __ (consider) accepting that job in Crete.
The film __ (end) with a dramatic car chase.

52. I’m considering accepting that job in Crete.
The film ends with a dramatic car chase.

53. I’m sorry, I __ (feel) too tired to go out this evening.
I can’t answer the phone. I __ (have) a bath.

54. I’m sorry, I’m feeling / feel too tired to go out this evening.
I can’t answer the phone. I’m having a bath.

55. __ you __ (see) much of your brother these days?
We __ (rely) on you to bring the keys with you.

56. Do you see much of your brother these days?
We are relying / rely on you to bring the keys with you.

57. I __ (wish) people didn’t smoke in restaurants.
Who __ you __ (think) you are, speaking to me like that!

58. I wish people didn’t smoke in restaurants.
Who do you think you are, speaking to me like that!

59. Naughts and crosses Tic-tac-toe
PLAN
SMELL
HATE
HOPE
THINK
GROW BE
LOOK
SEE