UNIVERSIDAD PEDAGÓGICA Y TECNOLÓGICA DE COLOMBIA

VICERRECTORÍA ACADÉMICA
INSTITUTO INTERNACIONAL DE IDIOMAS
guía para el desarrollo de clases virtuales

PROFESSOR:
COURSE GUIDE 2 TOPIC GRAMMAR TIME OF WORK
Planning future ● Present continuous Review
English III Weeks 4-5 activities. ● Present continuous/ Be 8 hours
going to for future July 12-23
arrangements.

1. OBJECTIVES:

● To review the use of the present continuous.

● To express plans and future intentions by making use of present continuous.
● To express plans and future intentions by using be going to.
● To describe plans and arrangements for the upcoming months.

2. PRESENTATION:

Dear student, throughout this guide you are reviewing the uses and structure of the Present
Continuous tense. You can also check other uses the Present Continuous has for future plans and
arrangements by understanding and analyzing examples and grammatical aspects. Additionally,
this guide introduces you to the use of the Be going to structure to talk about your plans for the
future. After completing this guide, you will be able to talk about future plans and stablished
activities in the future.

This guide covers two weeks of work. It is divided into four hours of independent work per
week. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact your teacher by the established
means.

3. INITIAL REFLECTION: Take a look at the following situations, then try to answer the questions:

She always reads a magazine on Fridays. Today, she is dancing at the club.

- What are the differences between the actions in the two images? Reads is Simple. Dancing
is Continuous.
- Do you recognize the verbal tenses of the two sentences? Present Simple and Present
continuous.
 - How do you recognize the present simple from the present continuous? Present Simple:
What usually does. Present Continuous: What he is Doing now
- What are the words that indicate the moment in which these situations happen? Reads
and dancing

Go to the following link on YouTube and watch the following video to see the differences
between present simple and present continuous: https://youtu.be/1ShOoOd3FAo

4. APPROPRIATION

First, we are reviewing some important aspects in regards to the Present Progressive or
Continuous. The following infographic contains information regarding examples and uses for the
present simple and present continuous for you to remember. Pay special attention to the words
and structures that form the sentences in the examples.

Now
righ

***SIMPLE PRESENT VERSUS PRESENT CONTINUOUS***

In the following table you can review and contrast the different uses of the present simple and the
present continuous:

Simple Present tense Present progressive/continuous

-Repeated actions. -Actions happening at the moment of

-Fixed arrangements, scheduled speaking or around the moment of
events (e.g. The movie starts at speaking
7:00 pm.) (e.g. Peter is training in the gym at the
-Sequence of actions in the moment.)
 present (first - then, after that)
-Instructions. --Temporary actions.
-Things in general.
-After special verbs. -Fixed plan in the future.

Now take a look at the structures for affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences

Time words: there are words that help to express and understand the context of a conversation,
these expressions are really important for each verbal tense, and sometimes they have a specific
place in the sentence that usually comes at the end. As you probably realize now, the Present
Continuous also functions as a way to express defined plans for the future, and it can be
differentiated by the use of the time expressions.
                                           

We are finishing the semester today. (Happening

now)

 I’m receiving a visit tomorrow. (A future plan)

Look at the following image and try to answer the questions:

a. What tense are the students on the image referring to?

Future
Present

b. What tense is highlighted in the dialogue? Present Continuous

c. How do you interpret the whole situation? The boy in the orange cap asks him a question in this
continuum, to which the guy in the glasses responds with a plan that he has already defined for
the future.

Check how the Present Continuous is used in the following comic strip. Then answer the
question.
Are the questions on the comic talking about this moment or a future plan?

1. Say if the Present Continuous expresses a) an activity happening now or b) a planned future
arrangement in the following sentences.

a. It’s eight o’clock, Meg. Are you getting ready for school? a)
b. What time are Paul and Paula coming for dinner tonight? b)
c. Why are you laughing? a)
d. Where’s Jim? -He’s taking the dog out for a walk. a)
e. What are you doing after school? b)
f. Are you enjoying the lesson? a)
g. She is working late next Friday b)

2. Choose the correct option to complete the situations (simple/continuous)

a. I have / am having a great time this week.

b. She's Italian- she comes / is coming from Pisa.
c. “Are you enjoying / do you enjoy your meal?” -Yes, it's delicious.
d. This semester, I study / am studying Latin.
e. Do you come / are you coming to see us next month?
f. Let me know when you receive / are receiving this letter.
g. Water boils / is boiling at a hundred degrees.
h. I make / am making a lot of progress at the moment.
i. It worries / is worrying me a lot now.
j. I get / am getting up at seven o'clock next week for my appointment.

Check the following link for extra information on how to use the Present Continuous to talk about
the future: https://youtu.be/2ujS85Kc74s

So far we have reviewed some of the aspects to take into account when using the Present
Continuous; as you know now this tense is also used to talk about planned actions in the future
(which is different in our language). There is another structure that we can use for the same
purpose, and that structure is Be going to. Let us see next how that structure works:

Be going to, we can use be going to + verb with the same intention we use the Present Continuous
to talk about defined future actions and plans.

I’m going to  take exams at the end of the year. = I’m  taking exams at the end of the year.
She is going to graduate next year. = She is graduating next year.
Be going to is commonly used with Intentions / future plans. We use “be going to” to talk about
future plans and intentions. Usually the decision about the future plans has already been made:
She’s going to  be a professional dancer when she grows up.
I’m going to  look for a new place to live next month.
Check the following link to see this structure in use: https://youtu.be/Sc5CV5VzMqk

Are there any differences between present continuous and be going to?

Both be going to and present continuous are used to talk about future actions and events that
have some present reality. So, for example, if we say that something is happening or going to
happen, it is usually already decided or planned.

We are going to get new windows. = We are getting new windows.

As you can see, both sentences express nearly the same idea.

Both present continuous and be going to can be used to express the same idea. In some cases,
there is a slight difference in meaning. The present continuous tense is common with verbs of
movement.

I am just leaving to the café.

Are you coming to the party?

The present continuous tense is mainly used to talk about personal arrangements and fixed
plans. Be going to can also be used to express the same idea; however, it puts an extra emphasis
on the idea of intention.

● I am going to get a new job. (= I intend to get a job.)

● I am getting a new job. (= It is already decided / arranged.  Here the focus is on the
arrangement.)
 ● I am seeing Peter tomorrow. (Here the emphasis is on the arrangement that already exists.)

● I am going to ask him to stop borrowing my car. (Here the emphasis is on the intentions of
the speaker.)

Events outside people’s control

We do not normally use the present continuous to talk about events that are outside people’s
control to express a future action.

● It is going to snow before long. (NOT It is snowing before long.)

● Look at the sky. It is going to rain.

● Prices are going to raise after the strike.

The sentences ‘It is raining’ and ‘Prices are raising’ have altogether different meanings. They are
used to talk about actions or situations that are in progress at the moment. Be going to is only
used to talk about future events

5. EXERCISES: After reviewing the aspects in regards to the previous information, do the
following exercises:
1. Vocabulary: verb phrases for special days. Choose the correct answers.

a. I am not writing /sending cards by regular mail - I am doing it via the internet.
b. Emma is not going to cook tomorrow night, so we are going to eat up / out.
c. You look realty tired. I think you should have a day off / of work.
d. I’m going to exchange / prepare a special meal for him tomorrow - it's his birthday.
e. He exchanged / invited Mr. Edwards to his house for lunch.
f. On the last day of school, the students are going to exchange / invite presents.
g. I’m making / doing a chocolate cake for Stephen -his favorite!
h. You don’t have to dress up / out, you can come as you are.
i. She is going to go to Brighton next month to visit her presents / relatives.
j. Dad is going to prepare / buy flowers for Mum on her birthday.

2. Use these words to write plans for the future. Use the present continuous.

a. I – not – go out – tonight. = I’m not going out tonight.

b. I – meet – my friends – this evening. =
c. Tom – not – come – to the party on Thursday. =
d. My sister – get married – next December. =
e. I – not – go to London – tomorrow. =
f. She – stay at home – tonight? =
g. I – go to the theatre – on Monday. =
h. George – go to the dentist – on Friday? =
i. Alice – go on holiday – to Mexico. =
 j. Bob – play football – on Saturday. =

3. Complete the following sentences using the future simple (be going to).

Affirmative sentences

a. Mr. Potts  (sell)  ……is going to sell….. his house.

b. Our neighbors (spend) …………………………………their next holidays in the Caribbean.
c. I (move) ………………………………….to another town.
d. My husband (build) ……………………………………..a tree house for the kids.
e. His friends (learn) ………………………………………… English.

Negative sentences

a. I  (tell/not)  …am not going to tell….. you the secret.

b. She (ring/not) …………………………………….. me.
c. We (invite/not) …………………………………….. him to our party.
d. Greg (work/not) …………………………………….. abroad.
e. Her parents (lend/not) …………………………………….. her any more money.

Question sentences

a. (you/help/me) = Are you going to help me?

b. (she/study/in Glasgow) =
c. (they/paint/the room) =
d. (he/apply/for that job) =
e. (what/you/do about this) =

4. Find and correct the mistake in each sentence (Present Continuous / Be going to + Verb)

a. I’m going watch TV tonight. = I’m going to watch TV tonight.

b. My brother coming tomorrow to the party. = My brother tomorrow coming to the party.
c. My brother are going to read a book. = My brother are going to reading a book
d. We are travel to Europe next year = We are going travel to Europe next year
e. I’m not go to play a game. = I’m not going to play a game
f. Nicolas aren’t going to school next week = Nicolas aren’t go to school next week
g. They isn’t going to come to school. = They are isn’t going to come to school.
h. What are you going do next? = What are you going to next?

5. Reading Comprehension. Read the text, then answer the questions in full form.

Anya Taylor is a famous actress. She is from the United States of America and she loves traveling.
Anya is planning to travel to Cusco in Peru, she's going to travel next Friday and she's staying in
Peru for three weeks. She's going to visit Sacsayhuaman and then Machu Picchu. She likes
Peruvian culture, and she's going to eat delicious Cusco traditional food. Anya has friends in Lima;
so after Cuzco, she's going to go there and she is visiting her friends, too. They live in San Luis and
they are going to prepare a big welcome party for Anya, they love her a lot and they are buying a
lot of presents for her. After one week, she's traveling to Arequipa, she is going to take a lot of
pictures and she's going to buy some souvenirs and take them back to the United States.

1. Where is Anya going to travel? Cusco Peru

2. When is Anya traveling to Peru? Next Friday
3. How long is she going to stay in Peru? Three weeks
4. What is Anya going to do in Lima? She going to visit friends

5. One of the following alternatives is not correct.

a. She’s going to travel next Friday.

b. Anya has friends in Arequipa.
c. She's going to visit Sacsayhuaman and then Machu Picchu.
d. She likes Peruvian culture; she's going to eat traditional food.

6. One of the following alternatives is correct.

a. Anya's friends live in “San Juan de Miraflores" and they are going to prepare a cake.
b. She's not going to visit Sacsayhuaman.
c. She's going to buy some souvenirs and take them back to the United States.
d. Anya Taylor is a famous actress from the United Kingdom.

7. NUMBER THE CORRECT SEQUENCE OF ANYA’S PLANS.

5.Anya's traveling to Arequipa.

6.Anya's going to take a lot of pictures.
7.She’s going to buy some souvenirs.
3.Anya’s going to eat a delicious Cusco traditional food.
4.Anya's visiting her friends.
2.Anya's going to visit Sacsayhuaman and then Machu Picchu.
1- Anya's going to travel next Friday.

*For extra practice and additional explanations you can check the following link:
https://www.examenglish.com/grammar/A2_going_to.htm

6. Imagine your cousin is coming to visit you next weekend, you are going to tell the plans and
intentions you have arranged to spend the weekend with him or her. Use Present Continuous for
the plans on Saturday. Use Be going to + Verb to describe your plans for Sunday:

SATURDAY SUNDAY
10.00 Meet cousin at the bus terminal No taking cousin to church
13.00 Drive around town Have lunch at Hard Rock Café
15.00 Introduce cousin to friends No playing video games at Derek’s house
16.00 No watching soccer Have dinner at the local pub
20.00 No having a party at home Go to the cinema at the Shopping Centre
 a. = e.g. On Saturday at 10:00 I’m meeting my cousin at the bus terminal.

6. TASKS:

1. Write your own dialogue in the comic strip using Present Continuous or Be going to +
Verb. Use questions, affirmative and negative sentences as you see fit.

I´m at the What is

What moment, I’m I’m reading the
are you reading a I am going to it that
building magazine, I ‘going to
object?
magazine
doing show dad the my robot; finishing it bytomorrow
father robot. are you
help me
Believe
finished?
he
always
ignore
what I
say

2. Now you are going to write your plans and intentions for the next year in terms of the
following aspects:
✔ Personal relationships? I am going to search girlfriend
✔ Education? I am going to get good grades
✔ Party and free time? Next year I going to enjoy every family party and make the
most of every moment
✔ Economics? I am going to invest in binaries, to achieve my financial freedom
✔ Employment and jobs? I am not going to search work
✔ Trips and holidays? the next year I am going to go San Andres, With my mom.
✔ Celebrations? Next year I going to celebrate my mother’s 50th birthday

Important!
● Write at least two predictions about each topic on the second task (affirmative and/or
Negative).
● Send the comic and your predictions to your teacher’s WhatsApp, Moodle or email (as you
see fit)
● DO NOT FORGET to include your personal information (Name, Code, Course and English
group)
● Due date: July 23, 2021.
● Tasks submitted after the due date are not going to be taken into account.

7. REFERENCES

https://youtu.be/1ShOoOd3FAo

https://www.englishgrammar.org/difference-present-continuous/
https://www.examenglish.com/grammar/A2_going_to.htm

https://youtu.be/Sc5CV5VzMqk