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Present Continuous (Progressive) for Beginners Read the following interview using the present continuous (progressive) tense On the telephone
Tracy: Tracy: Hello, can I speak to Alex. Alex: Alex: This is Alex, who is speaking? Tracy: Tracy: Hi, this is Tracy. Alex: Alex: Hi Tracy. What are you doing? Tracy: Tracy: Oh, I' !ust watching T". What are you doing? Alex: Alex: Well, I' cooking dinner. Tracy: Tracy: What are you cooking? Alex: Alex: I' #aking soe potatoes, #oiling soe carrots and grilling a steak. Tracy: Tracy: It sounds delicious. Alex: Alex: What are you doing $or dinner tonight? Tracy: Tracy: Well, Well, I don't ha%e any plans... Alex: Alex: Would Would you like to coe o%er $or dinner? Tracy: Tracy: Oh, I'd lo%e to. Thanks. Alex: Alex: &reat. ary and (ack are also coing. They are arri%ing at se%en. Tracy: Tracy: O), I'll #e there at se%en, too. Alex: Alex: O), see you then. *ye. Tracy: Tracy: *ye. We have already discussed teaching Present Continuous earlier. Continuous earlier. Here's another angle. The present continuous tense is one that students will learn a$ter learning the $irst three siple tenses that is siple present, past and $uture. When teaching additional tenses it is iportant to highlight what tie period is re$erred to and also in what situations students would used each tense. How To Proceed
1. 1 Warm up
Ha%e students practice using the siple present tense as tense as they %olunteer to answer +uestions or play fruit play fruit basket to to encourage students to ake sentences o$ their own. When you ha%e $inished draw an iage on the #oard illustrating the siple present tense as a re$erence point and ensure that students understand when to use the present tense.
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2 Introduce Present Continuous
&i%e students soe exaple sentences using the present continuous tense. *y using pairs o$ sentences in your exaples, you can show when to use the present siple tense and when to use the present continuous tense. A good exaple ight #e I play baseball every day.- and I a playing baseball !ith "en #right no!$.- ee i$ students understand the di$$erence in eaning #etween the two and ask $or translations. It is iportant to illustrate on the #oard the di$$erence #etween this tense and other tenses your students ha%e learned. The #est way to do this is #y drawing a siple chart. On the #oard under your iage illustrating the present tense, draw a siilar iage to illustrate the present continuous tense. /ou can also discuss the $act that the present tense is used when talking a#out daily routines while the present continuous tense is used when talking a#out speci$ic non0routine actions and $uture plans.
3. 3 Practice Present Continuous
&i%e students soe #asic practice exercises so they can get used to changing present simple verbs into the present continuous tense . This can #e done in the $or o$ a fill in the blank worksheet #ut this would also #e an appropriate topic to use #attleship $or speaking practice. tudents can use the #attleship grid to change I, /ou, play soccer, speak 1nglish, etc. into the sentences I a playing soccer.- and %ou are speaking &nglish.- I$ students ha%e played this gae #e$ore, it ight take approxiately thirty inutes to explain and play twice.
4. 4 Practice More
2hone con%ersations would #e a real life situation where the present continuous tense is used +uite o$ten so in order to gi%e students practice with this tense as well as #asic phone con%ersation, ake a short odel dialogue $or students to practice in pairs. This could #e %ery siple where tudent A asks tudent * $or soeone and tudent * replies I sorry. Hes not here right no!. Hes playing baseball !ith "en.- It could also #e ore coplex. Ad!ust the con%ersation to suit your students3 a#ility le%el and encourage the to create part o$ the con%ersation, pre$era#ly the present continuous part o$ the con%ersation, on their own. Ha%e students %olunteer to present their dialogues to the class at the end o$ the acti%ity.
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3 Produce
Ask students to iagine a situation and then write three to $i%e present continuous tense sentences to descri#e it without saying the location. tudents can then work in pairs or groups to guess the locations o$ di$$erent scenarios. An exaple ay #e I a sitting. I a listening to y usic. I a looking out the !indo!. I a oving.- It is %ery siple #ut students ight then guess the location as in a car, on a #us, in a train, or on a plane.
6. 6 Review Present Continuous
Any acti%ity you ha%e done $or this topic can #e used as a re%iew acti%ity at the end o$ the lesson. /ou ay also want to get students o%ing i$ they ha%e #een sitting down $or the entire class period, especially a$ter a writing exercise, so you can ha%e students $or a circle. tudents should take turns aking present continuous sentences and then calling on students to ake the next sentence. /ou can continue this acti%ity until e%eryone has ade a sentence or until the #ell rings. I$ you want to ensure that e%eryone akes at least one sentence, you can ha%e students start sitting down a$ter their turns. This is not recoended $or large classes #ecause then lots o$ students will #e sitting down with nothing to do towards the end o$ the acti%ity. Present continuous is a more complex tense that students ma initiall have difficult understanding when to use but the more practice the have using it! the better off the will be" #ee all Present Continuous wor$sheets and lesson activities" %n&oed this article and learned something' Clic$ the buttons below to share it
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