Grammar

Present Simple / Continuous.

BOARD WORK RECAP
Present Simple
Uses
  1. To talk about habits / repeated actions
  2. To talk about facts
Examples (Active Boardwork)

Do you play any sport?

+ Yes, I do

⍰ What sport do you play?

+ I play football and tennis

Do you like golf?

– No, I don’t like golf

Other starter questions

What food do you like? / What food don’t you like?

Do you cook?

What do you do at weekends / in your free time?

Do you have any unusual interests / hobbies?

+ Examples

I play sport

You play sport

We play sport

They play sport


He plays sport

She plays sport

It plays sport

– Examples

I don’t play sport

You don’t play sport

We don’t play sport

They don’t play sport


He doesn’t play sport

She doesn’t play sport

It doesn’t play sport

? Examples

Do you play sport?

What sport do you play?

Do they play sport?

What sport do they play?


Does he play sport?

What sport does he play?

Does she play sport?

What sport does she play?

Adverbs of Frequency / Time Expressions

Note: We often use adverbs of frequency and time expressions to answer the question “How often….?”

Adverbs of Frequency

We use adverbs of frequency before the main verb.

I always read at night

She usually watches films at the cinema

They often eat out

We sometimes play board games

I hardly ever go to bed late

He never cooks fish

Exceptions

But… The verb to be is different! We use the adverb after this verb:

She is never late

He is always hungry

I am often tired

Time Expressions

We use time expressions at the end of a sentence.

I go to work every day

I see my friends once a week

I watch the news twice a day

I finish work early on Fridays

Present Continuous
Form

BE + ING

I am driving my car at the moment

Uses
  1. To talk about actions happening now / at the moment
  2. For future arrangements. Future actions we have already planned, for the things written in your diary in pen.
Examples
+ Examples

I am eating dinner

My wife is playing cards

The children are sleeping

– Examples

I‘m not flying to Barbados

My wife isn’t talking on the phone

The children aren’t arguing

? Examples

What are you doing?

What is he cooking?

Why are they laughing?

Non – Action Verbs

Remember that non-action verbs have no continuous form so we do not use the Present Continuous tense with these verbs. Instead, use the Present Simple.

Common non-action verbs include: want, need, know, like, love

For example:

❎ I am wanting an ice cream now

✓ ☑ ✅ I want an ice cream now

ACTIVE BOARDWORK / BUILDING BOARDWORK (PRESENT SIMPLE)
IMPORTANT FOR TEACHING TEACHING COURSE! SHOW ONE EXAMPLE FROM GENERIC EXAMPLES ABOVE THEN EMPHASISE THE NEED TO ENGAGE STUDENTS, PERSONALISE THE LANGUAGE IMMEDIATELY BY FORMING THE EXAMPLES, WHICH ALSO HIGHLIGHT THE FORM, FROM STUDENTS’ REAL ANSWERS. TEACHER WRITES ON BOARD WHILE ASKING. DYNAMIC. PROMPT STUDENTS, ELICIT USING EXAMPLES TO LEAD THEM TO CORRECT SENTENCE CONSTRUCTION. NO NEEED TO GIVE THEM THE ANSWERS WHEN YOU HAVE THE CORRECT BOARDWORK WHICH WILL ALLOW THE TEACHER TO JUST POINT TO RELEVANT CONSTRUCTION, EITHER IN PRECEEDING QUESTION OR PREVIOUS GENERIC EXAMPLES. THEN ENGAGE OTHER STUDENTS IF IN A CLASS. “WHAT ABOUT YOU, YUSEF? DO YOU PLAY TENNIS / DO YUO HAVE A SISTER?” TEACHER CAN START USING WHAT THEY KNOW ABOUT STUDENTS TO HELP GUIDE QUESTIONS IN A RELEVANT, FUN AND ENGAGING WAY FOR STUDENTS.

Do you play any sport?

+ Yes, I do

⍰ What sport do you play?

+ I play football and tennis

⍰ How often do you play tennis?

+ I play twice a week

Does your sister play tennis?

– No, she doesn’t

Does she play any sports?

– No, she doesn’t play sports and she doesn’t have many hobbies

⍰ What does she do in her free time?

+ She goes out with her friends every Friday

OTHER STARTER QUESTIONS

What food do you like? / What food don’t you like?

Do you cook?

What do you do at weekends / in your free time?

Do you have any unusual interests / hobbies?

Present Simple / Present Continuous Quiz