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Hi, Adam. I'm in the park with some friends. Do you want to join us?
What are you doing?
At the moment, we're listening to Sue. She's playing the guitar.
Is she good?
She's OK. She's getting better. She has guitar lessons every week. So are you coming?
I don’t know. We’re moving house next weekend, so I need to help my parents. We’re packing boxes today.
That's a shame. We're playing volleyball later.
I love volleyball! Maybe for just an hour …
Sure. A game of volleyball doesn't take long. See you later!☺️
1. Describe the photo. What are the people doing? Use the verbs below.
laugh play sit smile wear
The girl on the left is playing the guitar.
2. Read the messages above. Why does Adam change his mind about going to the park?
| LEARN THIS! Present tense contrast We use: a. the 1 present simple for something that happens regularly, always or never. b. the 2 _____ for something that happens at this moment. c. the 3 _____ for something that happens around this time. d. the 4 _____ for stating a fact. e. the 5 _____ with certain verbs that we do not usually use in continuous tenses: believe, know, like, love, need, understand, want, etc. f. the 6 _____ for future arrangements. |
3. Find examples of the present simple and present continuous in the messages in exercise 2. Then read the Learn this! Learn this! box and complete the rules.
4. Match each example you found in the messages with the correct rule (a–f) in the Learn this! box.
5. Work in pairs. Explain the difference between sentences a and b in each pair.
1. a. I'm doing my homework after school.
b. I do my homework after school.
2. a. Joe is learning to drive.
b. Many teenagers learn to drive when they are seventeen.
3. a. Mark plays the guitar.
b. Mark is playing the guitar.
| ⇒ Grammar Builder IB Contrast: present simple and continuous: page 106. |
6. ☊1.03 Complete the phone dialogue. Use the correct present simple or present continuous form of the verbs in brackets. Then listen and check.
Toby: Hi!
Leia: Hi, Toby. What 1 are you doing (you/do)?
Toby: I'm at the sports centre. I 2 _____ (wait) for Tom.
Leia: 3 _____ (you/go) swimming?
Toby: No, we 4 _____ (play) table tennis. We 5 _____ (play) every Saturday morning. But he's really late!
Leia: What 6 _____ (he / do)?
Toby: I 7 _____ (not know). He 8 _____ (not answer) his phone. Anyway, where are you?
Leia: I'm at the shopping centre, but I 9 _____ (not buy) anything today. I 10 just _____ (look).
Toby: 11 _____ (you/like) table tennis? 12 _____ (you/want) to play?
Leia: Sure! But I 13 _____ (not wear) sports clothes.
Toby: 14 _____ (you/wear) trainers?
Leia: Yes, I am – with jeans and a T-shirt.
Toby: That's fine. You 15 _____ (not need) sports clothes. See you soon!
7. SPEAKING Work in pairs. Ask and answer questions 1–4.
1. What do you usually do at the weekend?
2. What are you doing this weekend?
3. What do you usually do during the school holidays?
4. What are you doing next school holiday?
