Present Simple and Present Continuous – Practice

1. Read this mobile phone conversation. Fill in the gaps with a verb from the
box in the correct form of the present continuous.

Come come do get get leave

read shout sit
Talk wait

Mandy: Dwayn? This is Mandy.

Dwayn: Hi Mandy. Why aren’t you here? What are you doing (you)? Are you coming__ (you) to this party?

Mandy: I am siting__ on the bus.✔️

Dwayn: What?

Mandy: The bus has broken down. We are waiting_______ for another bus to come and take us to town.✔️

Dwayn: Oh, no.

Mandy: Yes.Some of the passengers are shouting____ angrily, but what can the driver do?✔️

Dwayn: Is he talking (he) to them?✔️

Mandy: No, he is reading_ a newspaper. Ah, here’s the other bus. I am geting on to it now. The bus is
leaving . I am coming to the party!✔️

2. Here is part of a student’s letter to a penfriend. Fill the gaps with the
correct form of the present simple or continuous.
Dear Pari,

I’m (I/be) a university student. As it’s holiday time now, I am working✔️(I/work) in a hotel. At the end of
every term __I come am coming___ (I/come) back to my home town and __I get am
getting____________ (I/get) a job in this hotel to earn money.

This summer ___I am sharing__________________ (I/share) a room in the hotel with another girl.✔️

It is not (It/not be) as comfortable as my parent’s house, but _I prefer______________ (I/prefer) it,
because __I don´t want__________________ (I/not want) to travel home late at night. So this year _I am
saving______________ (I/save) more money and __I am getting__________________ (I/get) more
sleep.✔️✔️

3. Underline the correct form of the verb.

a. I know/ am knowing this part of the town quite well.✔️

b. Amy has/is having very small feet.✔️

 c. We go/are going on holiday with my grandparents every summer.✔️

d. My grandmother stays/is staying ✔️in my room this week so I sleep/am sleeping in the sitting-room.

e. Do you understand/Are you understanding my situation?✔️

f. These CDs belong/are belonging to my sister.✔️

g. Have you seen John’s email? He has/is having a great time in Tokyo.

4. Complete the email using the present simple or present continuous form of
these verbs.

Behave come cost eat enjoy feel

go have like love pay
Realise say seem serve show smile
stay take visit

Dear Stephanie,

How are you? We’re fine. Our trip round the State is going well and we __are enjoying_✔️ _____________
ourselves a lot. One good surprise is that things __cost________✔️ ______ less here than back home. For
example, this weekend we _are coming_____staying______ in a motel beside a lake and we __are
paying______✔️___ only $65 per night for a room with a beautiful view.

The only thing we _don´t like_____✔️

________ (not) much is the food. Restaurants serves____ dinner rather
early. We _never eat_✔️___ (never) at six o’clock at home so we __don´t feel_______ (not) hungry then and
American portions __is seems_________________ very big to us. Apart from that, we __are
having____________✔️ __ a wonderful time. We __are visiting_______✔️ __________ lots of interesting little
towns and we absolutely _are loving________love_______ the scenery.

People here __behave__✔️ ____ in a very friendly manner towards strangers. All the shop assistants
_smile_____✔️ at us, and every one ____says____ “Have a nice day!”. At home, the TV ___always
shows______is always showing_______ (always) us bad news stories about the States, but in fact, when you
___stays__come________ here, you _ realise____✔️
_ it’s a really great place.

We __are taking______ lots of photos to show you.✔️

Much love,

Mick and Mary

5. Choose the correct verb forms.

a. I want/am wanting to help out at the camp this summer.✔️
 b. Most Spanish companies belong/are belonging to multinationals nowadays.✔️

c. I think/am thinking about interviewing my grandfather’s friend, who collects vintage cars.✔️

d. My father went to that university, so he knows/is knowing all about it.✔️

e. Ned has/is having a lot of problems with his teacher at the moment.

Every town needs/is needing a library, even though everyone has the internet ✔️