Language summary 4

The simple present and present progressive

We use simple present for permanent states or habitual actions, for repeated actions and daily routines.

Time expressions: every day, every morning, every year

in the afternoon, in the evening, at night

always, usually, often, never, rarely, sometimes

We use the present continuous for temporary actions happening at or around the moment of speaking.

Time expressions: now, at the moment, at present

Complete the following conversation.

1. (The phone rings.)

A: Hi, honey. How _____________ you _______________ (do)?

B: Mom! What a coincidence! I was about to write you a letter.

A: Really? You ____________________ (write + hardly ever) me

letters. Is something wrong?

6. A: What's the matter?

B: It ________________________ (rain) and I _______________

(have + not) an umbrella.

7. A: Why _______________________ Brian _________________

(wear) a suit today?

B: It's Tuesday. He _____________________ (go + always) to

Lunch with his boss on Tuesdays.

8. A: I have to find a different roommate.

B: Why?

A: Because my current roommate and I have completely different

life-styles. For example, she _______________ (get up) early,

but I __________________ (sleep) late. We ______________

(like + not) the same food; she _________________ (eat + not)

meat or fish or eggs. It's really hard sharing an apartment.

B: Why don't you two get together right now and talk the problem

over? What _______ she ___________ (do) at the moment?

A: She _________________ (sleep). She ___________________

(go + always) to bed at 8.00.

Complete the following with simple present or present progressive, using the verbs in parentheses.

Today, more and more people (1) _______________ (discover) the joys of riding a bicycle. In fact, mountain biking (2) ____________ (become) one of the most popular recreational activities. The bicycle business (3) _______________ (grow) fast, and every year it (4) ________________ (produce) hundreds of new-model bicycles. In general, bike shops (5) ______________ (sell) not only bicycles but also a full range of accessories and equipment.

Paul Brownstein (6) ______________ (manage) a popular bike shop in Toronto. Many of his customers (7) _________ (be) avid cyclists. These people usually (8) ________________ (ride) several times a week for pleasure, although according to Paul, more and more people these days (9) ___________ (ride) their bicycles to work too, because they (10) ________

(believe) that bicycles (11) _______________ (provide) and alternative to the automobile. Paul (12) ___________ (sell) all kinds of bikes, but these days he (13) _______________ (sell) a lot of bicycle clothing as well. In fact, one of his customers regularly (14) ___________ (come) into the shop and (15) ___________ (buy) clothes, even though she (16) ____________ (not + own) a bicycle. She (17) ___________ (like) the clothes, but (18) _____________ (hate) the sport!

Complete similar sentences with information about people in your family or friends. Look at the example:

1. Every morning my wife makes breakfast for the whole family.

2. ______ always ________________________________ at noon.

3. ______ seldom _____________________________ on Sundays.

4. ______ usually _____________________________ on Saturday nights.

5. ______ sometimes _________________________ in the evening.

6. ______ never ______________________________ on week days.

7. _________________________________________ every day at 6.00.

8. _____ frequently _______________________________ on weekends.

Read the following description.

This is my friend Brandy. Brandy is actually his nickname. He is 34 years old. He is medium height and average weight. He is good-looking. His hair is dark but he's got some gray hair too. He often wears a beard, which he trims every other day. There is some gray hair in his beard too. Brandy is very intelligent and outgoing. He enjoys talking to his friends, and we enjoy listening to him. He is sincere and trust-worthy. He is extremely confident. I love him very much. We always have fun when we hang around together.

Carlos is 37 years old. He is rather short and a little overweight. He's got green eyes and short hair. He is actually balding. He is always clean-shaven. Carlos is not very outgoing. He does not talk much. I don't think he is very intelligent. People say he is not someone to trust, that's probably the reason why he is always alone.

a) Do you know someone like Carlos?

b) How can you change these descriptions to make them fit some people you know?

Put the verbs into the present progressive or the present simple.

1. “Where´s Sally?” “She is speaking (speak) to Paul.”

2. What time ________ (you/go) to school?

3. “Steve is in the bathroom.” “__________ (he/have) a shower?”

4. That villa ________ (belong) to a rich businessman.

5. She ______ (like) listening to music. She _____(have) a lot of cassettes.

6. You can turn off the television. I ________ (not/watch) it.

7. I have a motorbike but I _________ (not/usually/ride) it to work.

8. _______ (you/want) to come to Julie´s party with me?

9. Please be quiet. I ______ (try) to do my homework.

10. Drive carefully. It _____ (rain).

11. He _____(need) to buy a new pair of shoes.

12. Sarah never _____ (forget) people´s names.

Put the verbs in brackets into the present simple or progressive.

Insertar foto del hotel Mar Azul con la playa Santa María al fondo.

Dear Donna,

I ´m writing (write) to you from the Mar Azul Hotel. I am here with Sandy and Pat. The hotel _____ (belong) to Gran Caribe.

The place is very nice and I _____ (think) all the people at the hotel _____ (have) a nice time. We _____ (swim) and _____ (go windsurfing) every morning. At noon we _____ (have) lunch and at the evening we _____ (go) for walks.

Today it _____ (rain) so we can´t go out. I _____ (hate) this weather! At the moment Sandy and Pat _____ (have lunch). They _____ (eat) fish today and it _____ (smell) very good.

_____ (you/have) a good time at home? Write soon and tell me all your news.

Love,

Jessy