Simple Present & Present Progressive
Conjugate the verb to do in present tense.
I do we do
you do you do
he/she/it does they do
Which of these verbs can be stative and show action?
to have
to own
to see
to belong
to have
stative: Sam has a great accent when he speaks.
action: I am having a great time at the party.
to see
stative: We see that we will have to work hard.
action: She is seeing her teacher after class.
Conjugate the verb to walk in simple past and past progressive.
Simple Past Past Progressive
I walked I was walking
you walked you were walking
he/she/it walked he/she/it was walking
we walked we were walking
you walked you were walking
they walked they were walking
Complete the sentence:
I ______________ (talk) on the phone when someone ______________ (knock) on the door.
I was talking on the phone when someone knocked on the door.
Which is correct?
My family ____________ to eat spaghetti on Sundays, but now we have roast beef.
A. use
B. used
My family used to eat spaghetti on Sundays, but now we have roast beef.
Choose TRUE is the sentence is correct and FALSE if it is incorrect.
We are discussing homework every Friday.
A. True
B. False
FALSE! For routines and habits, use simple present:
We discuss homework every Friday. (This is a routine. The hint is it happens every Friday.)
Rigo __________ electric cars are good.
A. aren't believing
B. doesn't believe
C. don't believe
D. isn't believing
(To believe is a stative verb, and we use simple present with stative verbs.)
In the hallway, the repairman _____ to open the door for several minutes.
A. was trying
B. tried
A. In the hallway, the repairman was trying to open the door for several minutes.
(This action happened over a period of time: "for several minutes" and we use past progressive.)
_____ I was riding my bike, I passed my friend.
A. When
B. While
C. Both When and While are possible
C. When OR While I was riding my bike, I passed my friend.
(Use WHEN or WHILE to introduce an ongoing action.)
WhatsApp _____ in 2009.
A. started
B. used to start
C. would start
A. WhatsApp started in 2009.
(Use simple past to describe actions, situations, or events that are completed.)Choose TRUE if the sentence is correct and FALSE if it is incorrect.
Omar is studying Grammar 3 this semester.
A. True
B. False
TRUE!
Omar is studying Grammar 3 this semester.
(This is correct because it is a changing situation. Omar will study something different next semester. He is temporarily studying Grammar 3.)Laura __________ the doctor this week.
A. are seeing
B. sees
C. is seeing
D. aren't seeing
Laura is seeing the doctor this week.
(Even though TO SEE can be a stative verb, which we do NOT use present progressive with, it can also be an action verb. Here, it is an action verb meaning "meet with" and we use the present progressive to describe what is happening now or around now.)
Taylor Swift ____ her album "Folklore" in 2020.
A. was releasing
B. released
B. Taylor Swift released her album "Folklore" in 2020.
(We use simple past to describe actions, events, or situations that are in the past or that happened once or repeatedly in the past.)
____ Thahn moved to the US, she started school to learn English.
A. When
B. While
C. Both When and While are possible
A. When Thahn moved to the US, she started school to learn English.
(Use WHEN with simple past to introduce the first event that happened almost at the same time as another event.)I _____ regularly ride my skateboard as a child.
A. would
B. used to
C. Both are possible
C. I would/used to regularly ride my skateboard as a child.
(Used to and would describe past routines or repeated actions. The suggestion here is both that I no longer do [used to]--and that it was a repeated action [would].)
Choose TRUE if the sentence is correct and FALSE if it is incorrect.
I walk to the store at the moment.
A. True
B. False
FALSE!
I am walking to the store at the moment.
(Use the present progressive to describe what is happening now or around now.)
Yesterday, I ____ a cool video on TikTok.
A. saw
B. was seeing
A. Yesterday, I saw a cool video on TikTok.
(TO SEE can be a stative verb. Here, it is a stative verb in the category of senses. We use simple past
(NOT past progressive) with stative verbs.
Taylor Swift's album ____ very successful.
A. was
B. was being
A. Taylor Swift's album was very successful.
(We use simple past to describe actions, event, or situations that are in the past.)
The company wasn't successful _____ it started selling Taylor Swift t-shirts.
A. as soon as
B. when
C. until
C. The company wasn't successful until it started selling Taylor Swift t-shirts.
(Use UNTIL with the 2nd event to mean "up to that time.")
Ella ____ be a graphic artist before she changed jobs.
A. used to
B. would
C. Both are possible
A. Ella used to be a graphic artist before she changed jobs.
(Use "used to" when a past routine or repeated action is no longer true.)