4. Review of Simple Present and Present Continuous
Exercises
Watch Simple Present vs. Present Progressive – Grammar & verb tenses (8 mins) on YouTube
Video source: Ellii (formerly ESL Library). (2023, May 17). Simple Present vs. Present Progressive – Grammar & verb tenses [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/4_tLjSQtthw
Exercise 1
Exercise 1 (Text version)
Use the following words to fill the blanks to complete the sentences:
are, are making, is, is driving, playing, are having, drives, takes, play, Do, isn’t studying, asks, is taking, doesn’t study, Are, have, rides
- I _________[Blank 1] a blue car and it _________[Blank 2] very slowly.
- Nora _________[Blank 1] in the library because students _________[Blank 2] a lot of noise right now.
- Every day the teacher _________[Blank 1] us to log onto our computers.
- Rupinder _________[Blank 1] a year off work right now.
- _________[Blank 1] you _________[Blank 2] basketball at this moment?
- Carolina _________[Blank 1] her bicycle to school in the spring, but in the winter she _________[Blank 2] the bus.
- We _________[Blank 1] a party in TLC at the moment.
- Every day Mohammed _________[Blank 1] late for class, but today he _________[Blank 2] to school, so he won’t be late.
- _________[Blank 1] you _________[Blank 2] basketball on Saturdays?
- Nora _________[Blank 1] in the library usually because students _________[Blank 2] too loud in there.
Check Your Answers: [1]
Source: Exercise 1 by Virginia McHardy is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
Exercise 2
Exercise 2 (Text version)
Fill in the blanks to complete the sentences
- Twice a year I _________[Blank 1 – go] to the dentist for a checkup.
- Today I _________[Blank 1 – go] to the dentist for my regular check up.
- We _________[Blank 1 – study] in the computer lab because the classroom _________[Blank 2 – be] under construction.
- We usually _________[Blank 1 – study] in the computer room in the C building.
- My mother _________[Blank 1 – bake] a cake for me today because it is my birthday!
- She _________[Blank 1 – bake/not] me a cake every day, only on special occasions.
- The students _________[Blank 1 – be/not] happy because the test _________[Blank 2 – be/not] easy.
- The EAP office _________[Blank 1 – open] at 8:30 every morning.
- The EAP office _________[Blank 1 – close] now because of the snowstorm.
- Lisa _________[Blank 1 – watch/not] TV very often, but today she _________[Blank 2 – watch] the news because she _________[Blank 3 – want] to hear the snowstorm report.
Check Your Answers:[2]
Source: Exercise 2 by Virginia McHardy is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
Exercise 3
Exercise 3 (Text version)
Choose the correct word(s) to complete the sentence.
- Stephen and Mike _________[Blank 1] lunch in the EAP office right now.
- is eating
- eat
- are eating
- eats
- Stephen and Mike _________[Blank 1] in the EAP office every day.
- eat
- are eating
- eats
- is eating
- That pretty girl _________[Blank 1] at me!
- smiles
- smile
- is smiling
- are smiling
- Mario _________[Blank 1] the tractor now because it is broken.
- isn’t driving
- doesn’t drive
- aren’t driving
- don’t drive
- _________[Blank 1] you _________[Blank 2] in the baseball game today?
- Do/participate
- Does/participate
- Is/participating
- Are/participating
- _________[Blank 1] the students _________[Blank 2] each other in class every day?
- Is/helping
- Does/help
- Do/help
- Are/helping
- I _________[Blank 1] an email to my grandmother every week.
- are writing
- write
- writes
- is writing
- Alma _________[Blank 1] Pronunciation this term.
- isn’t teaching
- doesn’t teach
- don’t teach
- aren’t teaching
- _________[Blank 1] Hannah and Amanda _________[Blank 2] in the Language Help Centre this week?
- Are/working
- Do/work
- Does/work
- Is/working
- My dog _________[Blank 1] at the bottom of my bed every night.
- is sleeping
- are sleeping
- sleeps
- sleep
Check your Answers: [3]
Source: Exercise 3 by Virginia McHardy is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
Exercise 4
Exercise 4 (Text version)
Complete the paragraph by filling in the correct form of the word indicated.
Today we _________[Blank 1 – celebrate] the students who _________[Blank 2 – graduate] from Level 8. The room _________[Blank 3 – look] wonderful. There _________[Blank 4 – be] balloons and streamers all around the place. There _________[Blank 5 – be] drinks and treats on the back desk. There _________[Blank 6 – be] also a big cake that some of the students _________[Blank 7 – eat] right now. It _________[Blank 8 – be] a happy environment. Alana and Quinn _________[Blank 9 – laugh] at a joke. Pete, Simon, Suzie and Petra _________[Blank 10 – dance] while Marcus _________[Blank 11 – choose] the music for them. Abdulla _________[Blank 12 – pour] a drink for Layla and Wengbo _________[Blank 13 – wait] for the food. It _________[Blank 14 – smell] delicious! They _________[Blank 14 – want/not] the party to end.
Check your Answers:[4]
Source: Exercise 4 by Virginia McHardy is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
Attribution & References
Except where otherwise noted, “Review of Simple Present and Past Continuous” by Virginia McHardy is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.
- 1. have, 2. isn't studying, are making; 3. asks; 4. is taking; 5. Are, playing; 6. rides, takes; 7. are having; 8. is, is driving; 9. Do, play; 10. doesn't study, are. ↵
- 1. go, 2. am going; 3. are studying; is; 4. study; 5. is baking; 6. doesn't bake; 7. aren't; isn't; 8. opens; 9. is closing; 10. doesn't watch, is watching, wants. ↵
- 1. c; 2. a; 3. c; 4. a; 5. d; 6. c; 7. b; 8. a; 9. a; 10. c. ↵
- 1) are celebrating, 2) are graduating, 3) looks, 4) are, 5) are, 6) is, 7) are eating, 8) is, 9) are laughing, 10) are dancing, 11) is choosing, 12) is pouring, 13) is waiting, 14) smells, 15) don't want. ↵