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BUSINESS ENGLISH · GRAMMAR PRACTICE · PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)

PRESENT
TENSES
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1 Warm up
Read the following sentences. Decide which one uses:

• The Present Simple tense

• The Present Continuous tense
• The Present Perfect tense
• The Present Perfect Continuous tense

1. I’m going to the conference room now. Are you coming with me?

2. I’ve been having some problems with my computer recently.

3. I go into the office on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. I work from home the other days.

4. I’ve been to the conference in Paris several times before.

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2 Usage of Present Simple and Continuous

Complete the following rules with either Present Simple or Present Continuous.

1. We use the with ’stative’ verbs (such as like, love, need) to talk about events that
are happening at the moment.

2. We use the to talk about events that are happening at the time of speaking using
’non-stative’ verbs.

3. We use the to talk about situations that the speaker believes to be a fact (even
if it is not) and is not likely to change.

4. We use the for temporary situations that may change soon.

5. We use the to talk about actions that are repeated regularly.

6. We use the when we are talking about a scheduled event.

7. We use the for some temporary situations, even when the action isn’t happening
at the moment.

Now match the following examples a – g to rules 1 – 7 above

a. I’m going to the café for lunch. Are you coming? →

b. I’m reading a really interesting book about management. →

c. Our company makes the best computers. →

d. Our team meets every Thursday at 9 am. →

e. I’m using this laptop while we’re away on business. →

f. Sheila needs to see you in her office. →

g. My train leaves at 8:30 am for Brussels. →

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3 Error correction

Read the following sentences. Decide if there is a mistake or not. If there is, correct it.

1. We are having a team meeting every Wednesday at 2pm.

2. I stay in a hotel while I look for an apartment to rent.

3. I like the new manager. She knows a lot about the business and she’s very friendly.

4. We leave now. Are you wanting to come with us?

5. Our company is selling computers to Asian and Latin American markets.

6. I am needing to leave early for a dentist appointment today.

7. The conference starts at 10 am on Monday morning.

8. I’m watching an interesting crime series on Netflix.

In pairs, discuss the difference in meaning between the following pairs of sentences.

1a. I live about ten minutes’ walk away from the office.
1b. I’m living about ten minutes’ walk away from the office.

2a. We meet on Monday.

2b. We are meeting on Monday.

3a. I’m working for a software company.

3b. I work for a software company.

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4 Usage of Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous

Complete the following sentences with either Present Perfect or Present Perfect Continuous.

1. We use the to talk about actions that started in the past and are not complete
yet. We do not use it with stative verbs (such as like, love, need).

2. We use the to talk about actions that started in the past and are not complete
yet with stative verbs.

3. We use the to talk about experience we have had when we do not give a specific
time when it happened.

4. We use the to talk about actions which started in the past, and recently stopped
with a focus on the action.

5. We use the to talk about actions or events that happened more than once at a
non-specific time in the past.

6. We use the with an action that happened in the past and has a result in the present.

7. We can use the to talk about something which is temporary.

8. We can use the to talk about how much or many of something there is, but we
can not use the Present Perfect Continuous for this.

9. We can use the with yet and already.

Now match the examples 1 – 9 to rules below.

1. I’ve forgotten to bring my laptop to the office, so I have to go home and get it. →

2. I have visited Hong Kong. →

3. I have been waiting for the meeting to start for 20 minutes. →

4. I have already finished that presentation. →

5. I have met Bill Gates twice. →

6. We’ve had 70 orders today. →

7. I’m really tired. I’ve been working late every night this week. →

8. I have worked here for nine years. →

9. She’s been staying in a hotel recently. →

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5 Spotting mistakes

Read the following pairs of sentences. If the sentence is incorrect, underline it. It could be both
sentences, one sentence, or neither.

1a. I’ve been drinking four cups of coffee this morning.

1b. I’ve drunk four cups of coffee this morning.

2a. I’ve heard you’ve got a new job.

2b. I’ve been hearing you’ve got a new job.

3a. I’ve worked in management for the last five years.

3b. I’ve been working in management for the last five years.

4a. I’ve visited Hanoi several times on business.

4b. I’ve been visiting Hanoi several times on business.

5a. I’ve been calling you all morning. Where have you been?
5b. I’ve called you all morning. Where have you been?

6a. I’ve eaten the same thing for lunch every day this week.
6b. I’ve been eating the same thing for lunch every day this week.

7a. I’ve lost my car keys. They’re not here.

7b. I’ve been losing my car keys. They’re not here.

8a. I’ve been reading your report on sales in the US. It’s really interesting.
8b. I’ve read your report on sales in the US. It’s really interesting.

6 Which tense?

Read the following letter and complete it with the verbs in brackets using the correct present tense.

Dear Mr. Hawthorne,

1 2
I’m (write) to apply for the position of Sales Manager with your company. I
3
(live) in Stockholm and I (work) for Roth Services for six years. During that time, I
4 5 6
(promote) twice. I (sell) products to Asia and I (travel)
to Vietnam, Thailand and Cambodia several times to visit customers. We have started selling to the
7
Middle East in the last few years too and I (attend) a conference in Dubai twice a year
8 9
where I (organize) events for our sales team. In the last year, we
10
(increase) our sales by 30% in the area and we (expect) to increase them even more
11 12
next year. I (attach) my CV and I (hope) to hear from you in the
near future.

Yours sincerely,

Jason Conners

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7 Writing task

Write your own cover letter to apply for a job.

Consider the following questions.

• What job do you do now?

• What tasks are you doing at the moment?
• What experience do you have that would help with the job?
• What have you been doing in the last few years that will help you to get the job?

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TEACHER MATERIALS · PRE-INTERMEDIATE (A2-B1)

PRESENT TENSES

Key

1. Warm up

5 mins.
This introduces the tenses that the worksheet is looking at and asks students to identify the different tenses.

1. Present Continuous 2. Present Perfect Continuous

3. Present Simple 4. Present Perfect

2. Usage of Present Simple and Continuous

10 mins.
This looks at the difference between the Present Simple and the Present Continuous which are commonly confused.
You may want the students to work in pairs for this so they can discuss the rules as they progress.
Note: For the purposes of this exercise, Present Continuous for the future has not been included to reduce
confusion, though you may want to mention that it is possible. This use is covered in the Future tenses worksheet.
Note: stative verbs describe a state rather than an action (such as love, like, have) and non-stative (or dynamic)
verbs describe an action.

1. Present Simple 2. Present Continuous

3. Present Simple 4. Present Continuous
5. Present Simple 6. Present Simple
7. Present Continuous
Matching

a. 2 b. 7 c. 3 d. 5 e. 4 f. 1 g. 6

3. Error correction

10 mins.
This helps students identify problems with usage and correct them. They can also compare the difference between
sentences which use different tenses but have a similar meaning.

1. Incorrect. We have a team meeting every Wednesday at 2pm.

2. Incorrect. I’m staying in a hotel while I look for an apartment to rent.
3. Correct.
4. Incorrect. We are leaving now. Do you want to come with us?
5. Incorrect. Our company sells computers to Asian and Latin American markets.
6. Incorrect. I need to leave for a dentist’s appointment today.
7. Correct.
8. Correct.
Answers to the pairs of sentences:
1a implies that the person is there permanently. 1b implies that the situation is temporary and they may move
soon.
2a implies it is a regular meeting every Monday. 2b implies that it is a one-time meeting on Monday

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PRESENT TENSES

3a implies that this is a temporary situation and they may change jobs soon. 3b implies that this is a permanent
situation.

4. Usage of Present Perfect and Present Perfect Continuous

10 mins.
This looks at the difference between the Present Perfect and the Present Perfect Continuous which can often be
used in a similar way and can be confused, as well as giving students an opportunity to identify mistakes in usage.

1. Present Perfect Continuous 2. Present Perfect 3. Present Perfect

4. Present Perfect Continuous 5. Present Perfect 6. Present Perfect
7. Present Perfect Continuous 8. Present Perfect 9. Present Perfect
Examples

1. 6 2. 3 3. 1 4. 9 5. 5 6. 8 7. 4 8. 2 9. 7

5. Spotting mistakes

5 mins.
Ask students to work in pairs and read all sentences. Allow time and elicit correct answers. Make sure to give an
explanation.
1a is incorrect. Rule 8. We can’t use Present Perfect Continuous with amounts of things.
2b is incorrect. Rule 6. I heard you have a new job and now I’m talking to you about it.
3a and 3b are both correct. 3a could mean that a change is about to happen. 3b implies it will continue for more
years.
4b is incorrect. Rule 5. We can’t use Present Perfect Continuous in this sense.
5b is incorrect. Rule 4. The focus is on the call.
6a and 6b are both correct. 6a implies a change may be about to take place, but 6b implies that this will continue.
7b is incorrect. Rule 6. The keys were lost in the past, but the result is they are not here now.
8A and 8b are both correct. 8a implies that the person has not yet finished reading the report. Bb implies that
they have finished it.

6. Which tense?

10 mins.
This brings the tenses covered in the lesson together and asks students to identify the correct tense. It also
provides a model for the next exercise. Allow the students time to complete the letter and then go through it and
discuss their choices.

1. writing 2. live 3. have been working

4. have been promoted 5. sell 6. have traveled
7. attend 8. organize 9. have increased
10. are expecting/expect 11. am attaching 12. hope

7. Writing task

10 mins.
This gives students a freer activity to apply what they have learned to their own situation. Even if they are not
looking for a new job, this provides useful practice to personalize the lesson and use the target grammar.

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