Present Progressive for the Present and Future- Simplest Responses Game

Present Continuous for the present and future simplest responses game

with tense review

Without looking below, listen to your teacher and raise one of the two cards that you were given depending on the meaning of what you hear.

Label the lines below with “Pr” for present or “F” for future.

• Are you looking for the Elementary English class?
• Are you coming for drinks (later)?
• Are you sitting down? (I have some bad news).
• Are you still working with Robert?
• Are you waiting for someone?
• (I’m sorry,) he’s in a meeting right now.
• Her train is arriving.
• Her train is arriving at seven a.m.
• What are you doing on Wednesday?
• (I’m sorry but) I’m attending a meeting at that time.
• (I’m afraid) I’m going out with (some of) my friends then.
• I’m currently working in Osaka.
• I can’t speak now. I’m driving.
• I’m driving back this evening.
• I’m entering the building now.
• I’m not feeling very well.
• I’m flying to New York early in the morning, so how about meeting this evening?
• I’m getting married in spring.
• I’m having a great time.
• I’m meeting him this afternoon.
• I’m presently looking for a job.
• I’m seeing my doctor on Thursday.
• I’m standing under the clock, opposite the ticket barriers.
• I’m staying in the Radisson on the 2^nd and 3^rd.
• I’m still living in Singapore.
• I’m suffering from a bad back.
• What are you working on at the moment?
• I’m working on a report on customer service.
• My bus is leaving in ten minutes.
• You’re sitting on my newspaper.
• We’re having a party the day after tomorrow. Do you fancy coming?
• What’s that dish that you’re eating?
• Is it still raining?
• It’s raining. Do you have an umbrella?
• Costs are currently going down.
• Sales are increasing.
• Growth in profits is accelerating.

Check as a class, then play the same holding up cards game in groups.

Cards to hold up 

Present	Future
Present	Future
Present	Future
Present	Future
Present	Future
Present	Future

 

 

Grammar presentation

Brainstorm and then look above for time expressions used with Present Continuous to talk about the present and to talk about future.

Present time expressions	Future time expressions

How is Present Continuous different from Present Simple (e.g. “I’m having a great time” and “I have a great time”)? What time expressions are often used with Present Simple? 

What other forms can be used to talk about the future? How are they different from Present Continuous?

What future tense or tenses would you use to talk about future weather and future trends/ future line graphs (like future versions of the last three examples on the first page above)?

What future forms (Present Continuous or others) have these meanings?

• plans (e.g. things on your to-do list)
• arrangements (appointments, etc, fixed with another person)
• spontaneous decisions (speaking and deciding at the same time, e.g. to help someone)
• predictions (your imagination about future reality, forecasts, etc)

 

What tenses are used to talk about these lines on a line graph?

• past (e.g. last year)
• from the past to the present (e.g. from the beginning of this year until now)
• right now
• repeated trends/ trends that are always true (e.g. average rainfall per month every year)
• future trends (e.g. in five years)