Grammar

Present Tense: Simple and Progressive

Exercise 1

Complete the sentences with the correct form of the Present Tense.

1. Jeremy usually ______________ to school by bus but today his dad

_________________ him. (GO, DRIVE)
2. How often ____________________ to the park for a picnic? (YOU GO)
3. Northern California _________________ a lot of rain during the wintertime but
this winter it _________________ at all. (GET, NOT RAIN)
4. My sister often _________________ in bed but today she is so tired that she
___________________ anything at all. (READ, NOT READ)
5. Look to your right! Mary _________________ her little sister to school. How
sweet! (BRING)
6. Mom can't help you right now because she _________________ dinner.
(PREPARE)
7. The neighbours' boys always _________________ to school late. (COME)
8. My parents never _________________ cigarettes in front of us. (SMOKE)
9. I can't understand him because I _________________ any French. (NOT
KNOW)
[Link] _________________ eating sweets. Every morning she
_________________ coffee with lots of sweets. (LIKE, HAVE)
[Link] _______________________? – I think they _________________ to be fed by
the tourists. (THE DUCKS DO, WAIT)
[Link] _________________ very hard at the moment. (RAIN)
[Link] normally _________________ TV on Sundays but today they
_________________ a nap. (WATCH, TAKE)
[Link] _____________________ TV when he _________________ home from the
office. (NOT USUALLY WATCH, COME)
[Link] Monday my dad ________________ to work by train because my mom
____________ the car. (GO, NEED)
[Link] teacher often _________________ at us when she's in a bad mood.
(SHOUT)
17.I _________________ for a new car which I want to buy as soon as possible.
(SAVE)
[Link] _____________________ right now? – He _________________ in the river.
(TOM DO, SWIM)
Exercise 2

Fill in the correct form of the present tense.

1. They normally ________________ a coffee break at ten, but today there's a

lot of work to do
so they ___________________ one. (HAVE, NOT HAVE)
2. Why _____________________ my coat? – I'm sorry. – It ________________ just
like mine. (YOU WEAR, LOOK)
3. ___________________ the men in black suits over there? – They
________________ at us in a strange way. (YOU SEE, LOOK)
4. The food ________________ chemicals that make it last longer. (CONTAIN)
5. It ________________ the moon about 28 days to travel around the earth.
(TAKE)
6. Everything in this box ________________ to my grandfather. He
__________________ it to me instead of my brother. (BELONG, GIVE)
7. Mary ________________ through a very difficult period at university this year.
(GO)
8. Dad ________________ everything about airplanes. He always
________________ books about aviation. (KNOW, READ)
9. I used to play football in school but now I ________________ rugby. (PREFER)
[Link] Dan! – What ___________________ to do this evening? – Well, I
________________ to a concert with a few friends and after that we
________________ a good meal at a fine restaurant. (YOU PLAN, GO, HAVE)
[Link] ____________________ for a living? – Well, he's a lawyer but he quit his
old job and at the moment he ________________ for a new one. (YOUR DAD
DO, LOOK)
[Link] ________________ shopping every Saturday. – Why __________________
that? (GO, YOU DO)
13.I ________________ absolutely no idea what this movie is about. (HAVE)
[Link] two department managers ________________ lunch at the moment. We
shouldn't disturb them. (HAVE)
[Link] ________________ us homework every day, but this weekend they
________________ us any because of the mid-term break. (GIVE, NOT GIVE)

Exercise 3

Complete the sentences using the correct form of the present tense.

1. It often _____________________ in Ireland. That’s why they call it the “Green

Island”. But it _____________________ there at the moment. (RAIN, NOT RAIN)
2. Such behaviour normally _____________________ me furious (MAKE).
3. I _____________________ a word he says. (NOT BELIEVE)
4. I _____________________ a hat today because it’s such a special event.
(WEAR)
5. Susan __________________ an email to her parents nearly every Saturday
evening. (WRITE)
6. Stop right now! You ___________________ the flowers every time the ball
_________________ in the flower bed. (BREAK, LAND)
7. Where is Jimmy? – I don’t know. I _____________________ he
_____________________ tennis with his younger brother, Mark. (THINK, PLAY)
8. My mum _____________________ a party for her best friends once a year.
(ORGANISE)
9. She _____________________ in London, but she _________________________ with
friends up in
Scotland. (LIVE, CURRENTLY STAY)
[Link] headmaster rarely _____________________ a class. He
_____________________ a lot of administrative work to do. (TEACH, HAVE)
[Link] the private secretary of the boss I _____________________ up to a
hundred emails every day. (READ)
12. Look at her! – She _____________________ in a non-smoking area. (SMOKE)
13. _____________________ to a tennis club? (YOU BELONG)
[Link] _____________________ reading a good novel (LOVE).
[Link] that are not very popular _____________________ very well. (NOT
SELL)

Exercise 4

Complete the sentences using the correct form of the present tense.

1. We ______________________ our break now, Mr. Miller. (TAKE)

2. She ______________________ for Liverpool later in the day (LEAVE).
3. The actor usually ______________________ a lot of fan mail, because he’s so
famous. (GET)
4. The car ______________________ oil. Can you repair it? (LOSE)
5. Dorothy ______________________ reading good books during her holidays.
(LOVE)
6. My brother ______________________ Italy at the moment (TOUR).
7. They ______________________ a game of cards right now. (HAVE)
8. I ______________________ a hat today because there’s a very special event in
town. (WEAR)
9. Such bad behaviour always ______________________ me mad. (MAKE)
[Link] songs ______________________ very well. (NOT SELL)
[Link] usually ______________________ out with her friends on Saturday
evenings. (GO)
[Link] ______________________ , Mum? – It smells so good! (YOU BAKE)
13.______________________ to the bridge club? (YOU BELONG)
[Link] children ______________________ playing in the hut whenever we’re at
our weekend
house. (ENJOY)
[Link] headmaster rarely ______________________ a class. He normally
______________________ administrative work. (TEACH, DO)