Present Tenses

What the resources cover

This unit is mostly about two tenses and how they differ. The present simple is for habits, routines, facts and regular situations. The present continuous is for actions happening now or close to the time of speaking. Around these sit smaller topics: adverbs of frequency, time expressions, likes and dislikes, the verb to be, and the third person singular.

Where to start

Begin with the mind map Present Simple and Present Continuous. It sets out when to use each tense in a few short branches. Then look at the maps on Present Simple, which cover the -s ending for he, she and it, plus do and does in negatives and questions. The adverbs of frequency map is a quick add-on for words like never, often, usually and sometimes.

Using quizzes and maps together

Read a map, then test yourself straight away. Try these in order:

1. Simple present: Home and Family, a gap-fill that practises the basics in a short family text.
2. Present Simple vs. Present Continuous, where you choose between forms in sentences such as ones about a cat at the moment or someone who never comes late.
3. Present Tenses Test, a tougher set of gap sentences for checking what stuck.

When an answer is wrong, go back to the matching map and read that branch again.

Flashcards, slides and going further

Flashcard decks such as Actions - Present Continuous and Verbs for Present Progressive help with the verbs you need for describing what people are doing. The quiz on using the present continuous for the future is useful once you are comfortable with the basics, as it deals with arrangements already made. Teachers can pick slide sets and flowcharts to use in class.

Where it fits

Present Tenses sits in the Grammar: Verbs and Tenses strand of English language. Choose one map or quiz today and work from there.