Present Simple vs Present Continuous

Exercise 1. Open the brackets, using the Present Continuous or the Present Simple.
A. 1. You …… (leave) for Kiev today or tomorrow? 2. The train …… (arrive) in half an
hour. 3. Mr. Jenkins …… (love) detective stories. 4. Your brother …… (know) that you ……
(stay) at my place tonight? 5. We …… (not go) to Liverpool this week-end. 6. My wife ……
(not live) in London, she …… (live) in Manchester. 7. – Why he …… (buy) roses? – His sister
…… (have) a birthday today. She …… (have) a birthday party. 8. – Your friends often ……
(come) to see you? – No, but they …… (come) to see me tonight. 9. – Where …… (be) Dr.
Smith? – He …… (be) at home. – What he …… (do)? – He …… (try) to solve a cross-word
puzzle. 10. You sometimes …… (feel) that you are the King of England? 11. When you ……
(see him off)? 12. Why you …… (smell) this bottle? It …… (smell) bad? 13. The light is off,
that’s why we …… (feel) our way. The wall, by the way, …… (feel) rather rough. 14. – You
…… (listen) to the radio? – Yes, but I …… (not hear) anything, as it …… (be) too noisy in
here.
B. 1. My aunt often …… (talk) to herself. Look, Grandpa …… (talk) to himself. 2. I
never …… (drink) anything with my meals. – What you …… (drink)? – Tonic water. 3. The
days …… (get) longer from January to June. The days …… (get) longer now. 4. We …… (go)
out a lot in the summer. We …… (go) out on Saturday. 5. – What's that terrible noise? – My
neighbour …… (drill) the wall. He …… (do) it every weekend. 6. I wonder if Kate is on a diet.
She …… (get) thinner and thinner. 7. My house plants …… (grow) very slowly. 8. She can't
come to the phone right now. She …… (wash) her hair. She …… (wash) it twice a week. 9.
Many people …… (go) to church on Sundays. Hey, people! Where you …… (go)? 10.
Unemployment …… (rise) at an alarming rate. Prices …… (rise) after economic crises. 11.
Don't disturb him, he …… (work). 12. Your husband ever …… (work) at the weekends? 13.
Come in, I not …… (sleep). 14. He always …… (come) at the wrong moments. 15. She
constantly …… (talk)! 16. Why you always …… (chew) something?

Exercise 2. Give the appropriate form of the verb in brackets.

1. – You …… (see) that man over there?
– Which man? The man in the brown jacket?
– No. I …… (talk) about the man who …… (wear) the blue shirt.
– Oh, that man.
– You …… (know) him?
– No, I …… (not think) so.

2. Right now the children …… (have) a good time at the beach. They …… (have) a big ball
and they …… (play) catch with it. They …… (like) to play catch. Their parents ……
(sunbathe). They also …… (listen) to some music. They also …… (hear) the sound of the sea.

3. Right now I …… (think) about the roses which I …… (grow) in my country house. I ……
(think) that roses are wonderful flowers.

4. – You …… (believe) in flying saucers?

– What you …… (talk) about?
– You know spaceships from outer space with alien creatures aboard.
– I …… (think) that flying saucers …… (exist) only in people’s imagination.

5. – This tea …… (taste) good. I …… (like) it. What kind is it?

 – We …… (have) fruit tea now though usually I …… (prefer) green tea.
6. – A penny for your thoughts.
– Huh?
– What you …… (think) about right now?
– I …… (think) about English grammar.
– I …… (not believe) you!
– But it’s true. I …… (think) that English grammar is much easier than German grammar.

Exercise 3. Complete the sentences using either the Present Simple or the Present Continuous
of the verbs given in brackets.
1. (to measure) This line _____ 100 yards. The tailor _____ him for a new suit.
2. (to weigh) The man _____ himself. The piece of meat _____ 2 kilos.
3. (to have) The Smiths _____ a new car. They _____ lunch .
4. (to smell) The man _____ the wine. The wine _____ awful.
5. (to hold) This petrol can _____ 2 gallons. The little girl _____ a bunch of flowers in her
hand.
6. (to take) Mother _____ her little son to school. This parking meter _____ only 20p coins.

Exercise 4. Answer YES or NO and explain the usage of tenses.

Example: a We had a lot of pets when we were young.
Does “have” mean “possess” here? – Yes.
b We were having dinner when George and his family arrived.
Does “have” mean “possess” here? – No.
1. a How much does your petrol tank hold?
Does 'hold' mean 'handle' here?
b How many cards do you think am I holding in my hand?
Does 'hold' mean 'handle' here?
2. a Joe is very silly.
Is Joe silly by nature?
b John is being very silly.
Is John silly by nature?
3. a I expect you are tired after your journey.
Does 'expect' mean 'wait for' here?
b I'm expecting a parcel.
Does 'expect' mean 'wait for' here?
4. a What do you think of this picture?
Does 'think' mean 'have an opinion' here?
b What are you thinking about?
Does 'think' mean 'have an opinion' here?

Exercise 5. Choose the most appropriate form from the underlined ones:
1. I haven't decided yet about whether to buy a new car or a second-hand one. But I think
about it / I'm thinking about it. 2. All right, you try to fix the television! But I hope / I'm hoping
you know what you're doing! 3. Every year I visit / I'm visiting Britain to improve my English.
4. It's time we turned on the central heating. It gets / It is getting colder every day. 5. Of course,
you're Mary, aren't you! I recognize / I am recognizing you now. 6. What's the matter? Why do
you look / are you looking at me like that? 7. The film «War and Peace» is very long. It lasts /
It is lasting over four hours. 8. I can see from what you say that your mornings are very busy!
But what do you do / are you doing in the afternoons? 9. I'm going to buy a new swimming
costume. My old one doesn't fit / isn't fitting any more. 10. That must be the end of the first part
of the performance. What happens now / is happening now?

Exercise 6. Explain the usage of the tenses in the following sentences. Tell what sentence is right
and correct those which are wrong.
1. Do you hear me well? / Are you hearing me well? 2. She is preferring apples to pears. /
She prefers apples to pears. 3. I know what you mean. / I know what you are meaning. 4. The boy
weighs 25 kilos. / The bag is weighing too much. 5. We understand Spanish well. / We are
understanding Spanish well. 6. The last bus starts in ten minutes. / The plane is arriving at 5.15
p.m. 7. We are reading the first English book in the original. / He is always reading books in the
translation. 8. Do you like London? / She is liking this music. 9. She is constantly worrying about
her children. / I am hating the heat. 10. She loves her baby. / She is loving her baby more than
anything else.

Exercise 7. Match the meanings on the left with the sentences on the right.
What you mean What you say
1. You want to know someone's opinion. a) What are you thinking?
2. You want to know why someone is quiet. b) What do you think?

3. You possess a shower. a) I have (got) a shower.

4. You are in the shower. b) I'm having a shower.

5. He is a funny person. a) He's being funny.

6. His actions at the moment are funny
because he wants to make people laugh. b) He's funny.

7. It has four people in its hands. a) It's holding four people.

8. It is big enough for four people. b) It holds four people.

Exercise 8. Comment on the use of tenses. Correct the mistakes if there are any.
1. We think that English grammar is easy. We are thinking about grammar right now. 2.
She has a lecture once a week. She is having a lecture right now. 3. I always feel happy when
I’m with you. She is feeling happy after the exam. 4. I see and hear you well. I can’t believe
what I’m seeing and hearing. 5. Brian is a nice boy. The boy is being difficult today. 6. She is
always kind to people. Today she is being especially kind to me. 7. We generally understand
each other. We are friends. Are you understanding me or shall I say it again? 8. He is
fundamentally stupid. I am being stupid, aren’t I? 9. I see her very often. I am seeing her
tonight. 10. I forget his name. I am forgetting my German because I never speak it.

Exercise 9. Decide whether the verbs in these sentences are right or wrong. Correct those
which are wrong.
1. I don’t know your telephone number. 2. Please, don’t make so much noise. I study. 3.
Look! Somebody is climbing up that tree over there! 4. Can you hear those people? What do
they talk about? 5. Are you believing in God? 6. Look! That man tries to open the door of your
car! 7. The Moon goes round the Earth. 8. I’m thinking it would be a good idea to leave early.
9. The government is worried because the number of people without jobs is increasing. 10. I’m
usually going to work by car.
Exercise 10. Use each verb twice, once in the Present Simple and once in the Present
Continuous, to complete the sentences.

a. have
1. He _____ four cars, all of them Rolls-Royces. 2. I _____ lunch with my mother tomorrow.
b. think
1. What _____ you _____ of Stephen Spilberg’s latest film? 2. You’re day-dreaming. What
_____ you _____ about?
c. expect
1. I _____ an important phone call from America. Could you tell me when it comes? 2. I _____
you’re hungry after so much hard work. Shall I get you something?
d. appear
1. He _____ to understand what you say to him, but when you ask him a question, he isn’t so
sure. 2. Roy Pond ______ at Her Majesty’s Theatre in the role of King Lear.
e. smell
1. Something _____ good in the kitchen. What’s cooking? 2. Why _____ you _____ the meat?
Do you think it’s gone off?
f. weigh
1. I need to know how much the meat _____ to know how long to cook it for. 2. Why _____
you _____ yourself? Do you think you’ve put on weight?
g. see
1. I _____ what you mean, but I don’t agree. 2. She _____ a solicitor about her aunt’s will.
h. have
1. I usually pick up languages quickly, but I _____ difficulties learning Chinese. 2. He _____
more clothes than a department store.
i. look
1. It _____ as if it’s going to rain. 2. What are you doing on your hands and knees? _____ you
_____ for something?
j. guess
1. That isn’t the answer! You _____! Think before you speak. 2. I _____ you’re wondering
what I’m doing here.
k. think
1. What _____ you _____ of doing when you leave here? 2. How much _____ you _____ it
would cost to fly to Australia?