Present Continuous Tense (S.

1 & 2)

A. Fill in the blanks.

1. Mr. Chan (write) a report now.

2. What your brother (do) for a living?

3. The little dog (sleep) in the sun now.

4. Listen! Mary (sing) in the next room.

5. I (play) much more attention to mathematics now that last term.

6. My grandfather (not watch) TV. He

(listen) to the radio now.

7. Mary and Joe (learn) to speak French.

8. Don’t go out! It (rain) outside.

9. Tom (show) John his stamp collection.

10. Today our life (get) better and better.

B. Using the words in brackets, make sentences as in the example given. Use contractions
wherever possible.
Example: (John / wash / his face now)
John’s washing his face now.

1. (you / talk / too loudly now)

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2. (we / listen / to the radio at the moment)

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3. (the baby / play / with the puppy now)

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4. (Simon / get / ready to go to the library now)

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5. (they / talk / about their class picnic now)

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6. (I / help / my younger sister with her homework now)

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C. Make the following sentences negative as in the example given. Use both contracted forms
where possible.
 Example: They are putting their books in their schoolbags.
They aren’t putting their books in their schoolbags.

1. The boys are making a boat.

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2. Kelly is waiting for the bus.

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3. It is raining now.

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4. Henry is doing his homework now.

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5. A cat is climbing up the tree.

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D. Change the following statements into questions and then, using the words in brackets, give
short answers as in the examples given.
Examples: My brother is listening to the music. (Yes)
Is my brother listening to the music? Yes, he is.
Susan is talking to Amy. (No)
Is Susan talking to Amy? No, she isn’t.

1. The plane is taking off now. (No)

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2. The birds are singing. (Yes)

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3. The teacher is marking the test papers. (Yes)

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4. Your father is working in Tsim Sha Tsui. (No)

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5. The monitor is cleaning the blackboard. (No)

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E. Choose one of the following four options for each blank which best completes the passage.

Mother came back. She talked to Nancy and Peter. ‘Oh, you (1) your homework. You
(2) hard because today (3) the last day of the Christmas holiday. Am I right?’
 ‘This evening your uncle (4) , and I (5) to take him to the Peak and have dinner there.
What (6) ?’ asked mother.

‘Oh, Mum, don’t you see that we (7) a lot of homework to do?’ Peter said wryly.

Suddenly Nancy asked mother, ‘Mum, (8) something strange? Something (9) .’
Then Mum found that she had forgotten to switch off the stove before she went to the market.
‘Well done, Nancy,’ said mother. ‘I (10) of buying something for you because you are a
clever girl.’ Peter looked unhappy and went back into his room.

1. a. doing 5. a. am think 9. a. burns

b. does b. want b. burning
c. are doing c. am wanting c. is burning
d. do d. think d. burn

2. a. works 6.a. do you think 10. a. think

b. worked b. are you thinking b. am thinking
c. have worked c. do you want c. don’t think
d. are working d. are you think d. am

3. a. is 7. a. are having
b. was b. has
c. will be c. have
d. are d. will have

4. a. arrive 8. a. are you smell

b. is arriving b. do you smelling
c. will arriving c. are you smelling
d. is arrive d. do you smell

F. Complete the following blanks with the correct tense of the verbs given.

‘What (1) you (do) here, Peter?’ asked Nancy.

‘I (2) (revise) my notes because the first test (3)

(come),’ Peter replied. ‘What (4) you (hide) at your back?’

‘It’s a plastic mouse. I (5) (think) of scaring mother from behind.

She (6) (bake) a cake in the kitchen now. She’ll cry out when she

(7) (see)it. Let’s go.’

Present Continuous Tense (Advanced)

A. In each of the following questions, decide which of the choices given is the most suitable if
inserted in the place(s) marked…
1. Mother: What you , Tony?
Tony: I’m making my bed.
A. do…do B. are…doing C. is…doing D. does…do

2. Host: Must you go now?

Guest: I’m afraid I must. My friend for me.
A. wait B. waits C. are waiting D. is waiting

3. I think Mary the dishes now.

A. wash B. washes C. is washing D. washing

4. She television. She is doing her homework.

A. not to watch B. do not watch C. does not watch D. is not watching

5. Listen! Somebody at the door.

A. knock B. knocks C. is knocking D. has knocked

6. Tom: Do you know that boy?

Ann: You mean the one who to your sister? No, I don’t think I do.
A. is talking B. are talking C. talk D. talks

7. Gary: What you this Saturday afternoon?

Lily: Nothing special. Why do you ask?
A. did…do B. do…do C. do…have D. are…doing

8. Mrs Chan put on her coat and said to her husband, ‘I to buy some vegetables.
and evening paper?’
A. will go… Are you buying B. go… Are you reading
C. have gone… Will you read D. am going… Do you want

9. Lily: Whose pen , Henry?

Henry: It to my brother.
A. you use… is B. are you using… belongs
C. has used…belong D. you will use…have belonged

10. Nelson: I to explain the whole thing.

Alice: I .
A. try…listen B. am trying… hear
C. must…will listen D. am trying… am listening

B. Complete the following sentences by choosing suitable verbs from the box below. Study the
example first:
 ring, eat, read, play, clean, quarrel, pick
Example: They are playing basketball happily now.

1. The servant up my room at present.

2. Go and answer the bell as it .

3. The baby is sleeping upstairs while her sister a book.

4. She her breakfast now.

5. She some flowers. Can you see her?

6. The teacher is very angry when he knows that the boys at the

moment.

C. Complete the following sentences by using either the present simple or present continuous
tense of each verb in brackets.

1. Autumn and winter time (be) traditionally the season for hunting in Europe.

2. Every year it (take) me a lot of time and effort to prepare for the Christmas

Eve dinner.

3. Bob sometimes (watch) television until late into the night.

4. Mr. Lee (talk) on the other line. Will you please call again in

about ten minutes?

5. John (like) painting, but he (not paint)

any picture at the moment. Instead he (assemble) a radio.

6. I’ll wait here until she (come) back.

7. (go) to bed, children. Your father (take)

you to Ocean Park early tomorrow morning.

8. Alice: Are you free this evening?

Amy: I’m afraid not. I (expect) William.

D. Complete the following passage by adding the correct form of the verbs given in brackets.
Write your answers in the spaces provided to the right of the passage.

We (1) (celebrate) Christmas in Hong Kong and most of (1)

us (2) (enjoy) ourselves to the full. It may be interesting to (2)

know how people in different parts of the world celebrate the ocassion.

In fact, Christmas (3) (celebrate) in different ways around (3)

the world and here are a few ways:

SWEDEN Celebrations (4) (begin) on the feast of St. (4)

Lucia on December 13, but Christmas dinner (5) (eat) on (5)

Christmas Eve. Main church services (6) (hold) that day, (6)

too, with people in rural areas arriving by horse-drawn sledge.

Christmas Day (7) (spend) quietly, and most families (7)

(8) (have) a meal of dried fish in a white sauce. This meal is (8)

eaten only at Christmas.

FINLAND Preparation (9) (begin) weeks ahead, with (9)

the house being cleaned from top to bottom. Christmas dinner

(10) (eat) on Christmas Eve, but cooking (11) (begin) (10)

days before. (11)

Christmas trees originated in Scandinavia, and every home

(12) (have) one. Often it (13) (not decorate) with (12)

baubles and lights, but simply sprinkled with salt, to make it look like (13)

snow.

Embroidered mats (14) (place) under the tree, and (14)

an embroidered cloth (15) (lay) on the table. Both (15)

(16) (use) only at Christmas. (16)

SPAIN Presents (17) (not exchange) until Twelfth (17)

Night, January 6, the night when the Three Wise Men (18) (18)

(say) to have brought their presents to their baby Jesus.

AMERICAN (19) (have) one of the shortest Christmases. (19)

Everyone (20) (go) back to work on December 26. (20)