1. PRESENT SIMPLE.

Express a habit, that is, an action that happens again and again. It is often found

with these time expressions: ALWAYS EVERYDAY USUALLY SOMETIMES

NEVER.

She goes to the gym everyday.

Express a fact which is always true, or true for a long time.

He works in a bank.

2. PRESENT CONTINUOUS.

Express an activity that is in progress now.

I’m writing a letter to my friend.

Express an activity around now but not necessarily happening at this moment.

I’m reading a good book at the moment.

3. STATE VERBS.

State verbs are not usually used in the Present Continuous: LIKE BELIEVE KNOW

THINK (opinion) WANT REMEMBER NEED UNDERSTAND HOPE OWN HAVE

(possession).

4. FREQUENCY ADVERBS.

Time expressions that express the regularity an action happens.

NEVER RARELY SOMETIMES OFTEN USUALLY ALWAYS.

EXERCISES.

1. COMPLETE THE SENTENCES WITH THE CORRECT FORMS OF THE VERBS.

a) She ..... (speak) five languages.

b) Look at that man! He ..... (wear) such a funny hat.

c) Don’t take that book back to the library. I ..... (read) it.

d) They ..... (have) two daughters and two sons.

e) ..... you ..... (understand) Spanish?

f) We ..... (think) opera is boring.

g) English ..... (be) spoken all over the world.

h) I ..... (go) to the cinema tomorrow evening.

i) She ..... (work) here until Christmas.

j) He ..... (seem) very tired.

k) Where is Graham? He ..... (clean) the car.

l) Vegetarians ..... (not eat) meat.

m) I ..... (want) to go out for dinner.

2. COMPLETE THE TEXT USING THE VERBS IN BRACKETS.

Peter Willasey ..... (work) in the Public Relations department. Everyday he .....

(spend) a lot of time with foreign journalists. They often ..... (phone) him and

..... (ask) for an appointment. He ..... (speak) to three reporters from India at

the moment. He ..... (give) them information about Harrods for their magazines.

He ..... (enjoy) his job very much because he ..... (meet) a lot of interesting

people and everyday is different. Today, for example, Peter ..... (organize) a

visit for a group of French people. They ..... (make) a film for the Louvre in

Paris. They ..... (film) Harrods’ most famous department, the Egyptian Hall, at

the moment. The newspaper and TV people often ..... (want) new stories on

Harrods and it is Peter’s job to help them.

3. WRITE THE CORRECT VERB FORM.

a) Richard ..... (travel) to work by car everyday.

b) He ..... (take) forty minutes to get to work.

c) At the moment he ..... (talk) to suppliers.

d) The sales staff usually ..... (work) from 10 am until 6 pm.

e) Jeans ..... (sell) very well this season.

f) A lot of foreign people ..... (shop) at Harrods every year.

 g) Manfred ..... (travel) on business this month.

h) Manfred’s department ..... (prepare) for next year’s collection.

4. COMPLETE THE TEXT WITH THE CORRECT FORM OF THE VERBS IN

BRACKETS.

Richard Slade ..... (live) in Croydon, and ..... (run) a fashion retail business.

Usually, he ..... (leave) work at about 7.30 am, and ..... (take) the train to Central

London. This week, he ..... (visit) an important clothing manufacturer in Rome.

They ..... (talk) about a new life of menswear for the summer season. Richard’s

business ..... (grow) fast at the moment, and it ..... (become) very successful.

Richard ..... (work) very long hours this month, but he always ..... (enjoy) his job,

especially the trips abroad.

5. FILL IN THE BLANKS USING THE VERBS IN BRACKETS.

a) She ..... (study) every evening.

b) He ..... (dance) with Mary now.

c) They ..... (get) married next week.

d) She usually ..... (take) the bus to school.

e) Her husband never ..... (remember) her birthday.

f) We ..... (watch) a film on TV at the moment.

6. COMPLETE THE DIALOGUE WITH THE MOST SUITABLE FORM OF THE

VERBS.

CALLER: Good Morning, ..... (be) Mr Green there?

MAN: No, he ..... (not/be) here. He ..... (work) at the moment. He usually .....

(work) until 4 pm.

CALLER: What about Mrs Green? Where ..... (be) she?

MAN: She ..... (do) the shopping. She always ..... (do) the shopping on Thursday

afternoon.

CALLER: Where ..... (be) the children?

MAN: They ..... (play) football. They always ..... (play) football after school.

CALLER: How ..... (you / know) all this? Who ..... (be) you?

MAN: I ..... (be) the burglar!!!!!

7. COMPLETE THE TEXT USING THE VERBS IN BRACKETS.

It ..... (be) winter and the snow ..... (fall). It usually ..... (snow) in January here.

Betty and James ..... (play) in the garden. They ..... (build) a snowman and they
 ..... (throw) snowballs. They ..... (like) the snow very much! Their mother and

father ...... (not / like) it. They always ..... (stay) in the house when it is cold.

Mother usually ..... (watch) TV and father ..... (listen) to the radio or ..... (read) a

book. At the moment they ..... (sit) in the living-room. Mother ..... (write) a

letter and father..... (read) a book.

8. SOME SENTENCES ARE RIGHT AND SOME ARE WRONG. PUT A (√) NEXT

TO THE RIGHT ONES AND A CROSS (Х) NEXT TO THE WRONG ONES.

CORRECT THE WRONG ONES.

a) I am thinking you are very impolite.

b) Where are you thinking of going on holiday?

c) Why do you leave so early? Don’t you enjoy the party?

d) Nobody is ever laughing at my husband’s jokes. It’s so embarrassing.

e) I don’t believe a word he says. He always tells lies.

f) We’re seeing our son’s teacher at four o’clock.

g) I’m not seein what problem is.

h) Does the newsagent sell stamps?

i) He’s never knowing the answer.

9. COMPLETE THE CONVERSATIONS WITH THE VERBS IN BRACKETS.

A: What ..... (you / do)?

B: I ..... (pack) my suitcase. I ..... (leave) you and this house.

A: But I ..... (not / understand). Where ..... (you / go)?

B: I ..... (not / know). The only thing I ..... (know) is that Peter ..... (meet)

me at the airport at six o’clock.

C: What ..... (that man / do) over there?

D: He ..... (wait) for the bank to open.

C: But the banks ..... (not / open) on Saturday afternoons.

D: ..... (you / think) he’s a bank robber? Watch out! He ..... (take) something

out of his pocket. He ..... (walk) towards us!

E: Excuse . Could you tell me the time, please?

10. WRITE THE CORRECT VERB FORMS.

a) What’s that terrible noise? Katy ..... (play) the violin.

b) Do you know anyone who ..... (speak) Russian?

 c) I wonder if Wayne is ill, he ..... (get) thinner and thinner.

d) Oak trees ..... (grow) much more slowly than pine trees.

e) She can’t come to the phone right now, she ..... (have) a bath.

f) She ..... (usually / go) to Church with her brother on Sundays.

g) Unemployment ..... (rise) at an alarming rate.

h) ..... you ..... (go) to the meeting next Tuesday?

i) ..... your brother ever ..... (work) at the weekends?

11. CHOOSE THE CORRECT FORM OF THE VERB.

a) He hardly ever is doing / does anything to help at home.

b) Be quiet! You are making / make too much noise.

c) I never forget / am forgetting to do my homework.

d) We are working / work very hard at school this year.

e) They are playing / play football twice a week.

f) He is looking / looks for a job because he is hating / hates living at

home.

g) What time are you getting / do you get home in the evenings?

h) She is saving / saves all her pocket money because she is wanting /

wants to buy a bike.

12. WRITE THE CORRECT VERB FORMS.

Dear Jane,

I ..... (be) in bed today because I ..... (have) the flu and I .....

(feel) terrible. At the moment I am on my own at home because my father .....

(do) the shopping in town and my brothers ..... (play) football. They always .....

(get) some kind of exercise on Saturday mornings. My mother ..... (work) in her

office. She ..... (say) she ..... (not like) working on Saturdays but she always .....

(do).

I am so bored! I ..... (hate) staying in bed. And you Jane, I .....

(hope) you are well. ...... (work) hard for your exams at the moment? ..... (plan) to

come and stay with us in the holidays? We’d all really like to see you again soon.

Bye for now,

Pam.