Unit
1.1
1
Notes
Talking about the present
Grammar
Channel
e-Dictionary
Simple present tense (I do)
We can use the simple present tense to talk about something that is always true
or is true at the moment, and to talk about something that we do regularly.
Amy does exercise in the park
every day.
Light travels faster than sound.
My father works for a software
company.
We frequently use this tense with always, often, sometimes, usually, rarely, never, every day,
from time to time, once a week, etc. to show how often we do something.
The beach is always crowded on Sundays and public holidays.
1.2
Present continuous tense (I am doing)
We can use the present continuous tense to talk about what is happening at the time
of speaking.
The doorbell is
ringing. Can you
see who it is please?
We can also use this tense to talk about what is happening around the time of speaking,
or to refer to a temporary event, i.e. something that happens for a limited period of time.
I’m writing an article about white dolphins. Do you have any books on the subject?
You can borrow my camera. I’m not using it today.
Compare:
I have a camera, but I don’t use it often.
My father is working the night shift this week.
Compare:
My father works the day shift. He starts work at nine and finishes at six.
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All answers
We often use the present continuous tense with now, presently, at the moment, still, etc.
Peter:
Have you found your key?
Josh:
No, I’m still looking for it.
Some verbs are not usually used in the continuous tenses. (See Appendix 1)

I want a pet cat.

I am wanting a pet cat.
NOTE
Be careful with the verb have. When have is used to show
possession or means ‘to suffer from an illness’, it has no
continuous form.
J ohnny has a smartphone.
I have a headache. Do you have any medicine that I can take?
( I’m having a headache.)
Writing focus
We use the present tenses
to introduce:
• a person
• a thing
•the storyline of a film
in a film review
When have is an action verb (meaning eat, drink, take, etc.),
it can be used in the continuous tenses.
I can’t talk to you now. I’m having dinner.
Grammar Practice
A
Choose the correct words or phrases to complete the sentences.
1
I ( know / am knowing ) Peter. He lives next door.
2
Don’t talk to your father. He ( drives / is driving ).
3My mother is a housewife. She ( does / is doing ) the housework and ( takes / is taking ) good
care of us all.
4
‘Where’s Pauline?’ ‘I ( have / am having ) no idea.’
5
‘Where’s your brother?’ ‘He ( plays / is playing ) a game of chess with his friend in his room.’
6I ( do not understand / am not understanding ) what you ( say / are saying ). Can you speak a
bit slower, please?
7
2
Sally ( does not like / is not liking ) coffee. She ( prefers / is preferring ) tea.
Talking about the present
All answers
8
My sister isn’t at home. She ( does / is doing ) some shopping with her friends.
9
It ( starts / is starting ) to rain. We’d better run for shelter.
Unit
1
10Right now, he ( stands / is standing ) on the roof of a building which ( stands / is standing )
at the end of the street.
B
Complete
the exchanges using the given words. Use the negative form of the verbs if necessary.
1
Are you making cakes
Peter:
Terry: No,
(you/make/cakes)?
(I/make/cakes). I am making
biscuits.
(you/watch/TV)?
2
Iris:
John:
No, you can turn it off.
3
Jamie:
I like playing tennis.
Tom:Same here.
(you/like/playing badminton)
too?
4
5
Sam:
Can we use the oven?
Tammy:Sorry, you can’t.
(it/work) at the moment.
(what/Josh/do)?
David:
Joanna:
(he/do/his homework)!
He is playing an online game.
6
Susan:
(you/know/the meaning
of this word)?
Patrick:
I don’t. Let me look it up online.
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Tina:
Don’t take that book.
Kevin:
Why not?
8
(you/own/a tablet computer)?
William:
Jess:
(you/use/it/now).
Yes, I do, but I don’t use it much.
Extra Practice
3
All answers
Language Practice
C
Descriptions
The pictures below show what James does on weekdays. Complete the descriptions using the
correct forms of the given verbs.
tries
Every morning, James (1)
(try) to get up
early but he is unable to leave his warm bed. He (2)
(not/wake up) until the alarm clock (3)
(go off) at 6.45 am. He then (4)
(brush) his teeth and
(make) his bed, (5)
(join) his family for breakfast.
(6)
After breakfast James and his sister (7)
(leave) home together. His sister usually (8)
(walk) to school, but James usually (9)
(take) the Light Rail. He (10)
(not/like) to
walk long distances.
He always (11)
getting home. After that, he (12)
his computer and (13)
Unlike most of his friends, he (14)
play) online games.
He usually (15)
(go) to bed at 11 pm, but
sometimes he (16)
(not/go) to bed until
around midnight.
4
(do) his homework after
(turn) on
(watch) online videos.
(not/
Talking about the present
All answers
D
Unit
1
Conversation
Complete the following phone conversation using the correct forms of the given verbs.
Adrian
Hello, Betty!
Betty
Hi Adrian!
Adrian
What (1)
are you doing
BettyI (2)
(you/do) at the moment?
(lie) on a white sandy beach. The sun (3)
(shine) brightly, so I (4)
shade. Sam and Erica (5)
(6)
AdrianI (7)
Betty
(read) in the
(swim). The rest of the gang
(play) volleyball. How about you?
(watch) a film for my homework assignment.
I see. How about Mum and Dad?
AdrianMum (8)
(attend) her dance class and Dad (9)
(repair) the bathroom light.
BettyI see. Wait – something’s happening! It looks as if the lifeguards (10)
(rescue) a man from the sea.
Adrian
I hope he’s not seriously hurt.
BettySame here. Great – the lifeguards (11)
(bring) him back
onto the beach!
Adrian
That’s a relief.
Betty I’ll talk to you later. A girl (12)
(walk) towards me. She’s
waving. I think it’s my classmate. Bye for now.
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All answers
Personal descriptions
E
This is part of Andrew’s home page. Complete the personal descriptions by using the correct forms
of the given words.
I’m Andrew. Welcome to my blog!
I (1)
(like) outdoor games. I (2)
(play) basketball
with my classmates after school almost every day. I also
(3)
(like) skateboarding, but I (4)
(not/be) good
(try) to improve my skills at the moment, so
at it. I (5)
(2)
(3)
(4)
I hope I’ll be able to skateboard much better soon.
(5)
I (6)
(6)
(have) a seven-year-old brother. His name is Ken.
He (7)
(not/play) basketball. Right now, he (8)
(7)
(want) to be a world-
(learn) to swim. He says he (9)
class swimmer someday.
Gloria is my sister. We (10)
Gloria (11)
She (13)
(go) to the same school.
(not/be) very keen on sports.
(like) painting. She (14)
lessons every Saturday, but she (15)
(10)
(11)
(12)
(take) painting
(13)
(not/have)
(14)
lessons this month because her teacher (16)
in Europe.
(8)
(9)
(sometimes/go) to the beach in the
summer, but she (12)
6
(1)
(travel)
(15)
(16)
like
Talking about the present
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F
Unit
1
Conversation
Complete the following conversation using the correct forms of the given verbs.
Leo
How is Daniel? I haven’t seen him for a long time.
Kate
He’s fine. He (1)
Leo
Really? (2)
KateYes, he (3)
but he (4)
is studying
(study) in Germany this year.
(he/speak) German?
(know) a little German from studying it previously,
(also/take) German classes over there at the
moment. He (5)
(6)
(7)
(8)
Leo
(love) the country and he
(travel) to different places every weekend. He
(have) a lot of fun exploring these new places. I think he
(currently/visit) Berlin.
What about Rose?
KateI have not seen her for a few weeks. I think she (9)
(work)
hard preparing for her exams. The only other thing I (10)
(know) is that she (11)
(live) with her grandma at the
moment while renovation work (12)
(go on) at her flat.
What are you up to?
LeoI (13)
(14)
Kate
(learn) tennis with Tom, which means we
(practise) every week.
No wonder you look so tanned. By the way, are you going to Jack’s party next week?
LeoI (15)
(still/think) about it. You see, I (16)
(not/like) going to parties much, but I (17)
(want) to see
Jack. I haven’t seen him for a long time and I miss him. I’ll let you know when I’ve
made up my mind.
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Using the Language W riting
Telling a story
Language
Pointer
We can use the simple present tense and the present continuous tense when telling a story or
describing the plot of a book, film, etc.
Examples
Roney is writing a book review. Read an excerpt from the review and note how he presents the
information using the simple present tense.
For me, the story is exciting from start to finish. The main characters are
relatable and interesting. The dialogue successfully brings out each person’s
unique nature. Some parts feel a bit slow, but the climax really makes the long
build-up worth it. After that, the plot develops into several possible endings
according to the reader’s own choice. So the story ends differently each time
someone reads it!
We can use adjectives (underlined) before or after nouns to describe
someone or something (see Book 1 Unit 19 for more).
Someone is reporting traffic conditions on social media. Read the status update and note how they
present the information using the simple present tense and the present continuous tense.
I’m reporting from a bus in Mong Kok. The clean-up after a car accident several
blocks away is causing a massive traffic jam. One car hit another and now both
are sitting at odd angles in the middle of the intersection. A number of other
cars are piled up against them, and the traffic is backed up for at least a few
hundred metres.
We can use the passive voice (underlined) to describe things when the
‘doer’ of the action is unimportant or unknown (see Unit 4 for more).
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Notes
Talking about the present
All answers
Unit
1
Your turn
Help Anita complete some sentences in her film review using the simple present tense.
•The story (1)
murdered.
(begin) with the main character’s mother being
(be) the prime suspect, but the
•One of the main character’s friends (2)
detective (3)
(fail) to find any proof to tie him to the murder.
(receive) an anonymous tip-off. It (5)
•Later, the detective (4)
(help) him work out who the villain actually (6)
(be).
(take) a strange turn towards the end of the film, and the
•The story (7)
scenes (8)
(be) quite difficult to follow. I (9)
(not/
understand) the point of the ending at all.
Help your friend Marcus complete his status update on social media using the correct forms of the
words given in brackets. Use the simple present tense and the present continuous tense.
It (10)
(be) now 6.12 am in the morning, and we (11)
a break near the top of the mountain. I (12)
(not/slow) down. We (14)
we (13)
(take)
(run) out of water, but
(want) to make it
to see the first sunrise of the new year. The sun rises in about 50 minutes. The sky
(15)
(get) brighter and there (16)
with us. Everyone (17)
(be) lots of people up here
(try) to get to the top as quickly as possible.
Write a short paragraph about one of the following topics using the simple present tense and the
present continuous tense: (1) your current hobbies; (2) things happening around the world; (3) a
book or film you recently enjoyed; or (4) news about a close relative.
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