Grammar Time: Present Simple and Present Continuous

Exam in Mind Level B1 / B2

Revise Present Simple and Present Continuous Tenses before you start doing these exercises.

Task 1. Put the verbs in brackets into the Present Simple or Present Continuous.

Dear Philip!

I (write)_______________ to tell you about my holiday. I (stay)_______________ with my friend in Spain. It (be)_______________ usually sunny at this time of the year, but at the moment it (rain)_______________. Tomorrow morning we (go)_______________ sightseeing and in the evening we (plan)_______________ to go out for a nice meal. We both (enjoy)_______________ Spanish food very much. I (arrive)_______________ home next Saturday.

Dear Kate!

How are you? I (write)_______________ to you from Bali. I (be)_______________ here on holiday. The weather is hot and sunny so I (get)_______________ a great tan. I (get)_______________ up early every morning and (go)________________ swimming in the sea. I (go)_______________ on a boat trip tomorrow morning. I really (look)_______________ forward to it. Right now I (sit)_______________ on the beach. There is a restaurant nearby and the food (smell)_______________ wonderful. I (start)________________ to feel very hungry. Food in Bali (taste)________________ lovely. I must be careful, though, as I (think)_______________ I (put)________________ on some weight. Well, I (come)_______________ home on Tuesday. My parents (meet)__________ me at the airport.

Dear Steve,

I (work)_______________ very hard these days, but I have some good news. Right now, I (sit)_________________ at a desk in the Entertainment section of The Tribute! Of course, I (take)_______________ still journalism classes at night as well. The job is temporary – Joe Sims, the regular reporter, (take)_______________ this month off to write a book. This week we (prepare)_______________ to interview your favourite group, the Airheads. In fact at this very moment they (fly)_______________ into town by helicopter. They (perform)_________________ at the Theatre Royal all week. How you (get)_______________ on? You still (write)_______________? Oops! The crew (call)_______________ me. We (leave)_______________ for the theatre right now. Write soon!

Task 2. Fill in with Present Simple and Present Continuous

1. I (smell)_______________ lavender. Is there a bush in the garden?

2. Quick! Get rid of all this mess! Here (come)_______________ Mum and Dad!

3. You always (complain)_______________ and it (get)_______________ on my nerves.

4. Scientists (believe)_______________ that the climate (change)_______________.

5. I (taste)_______________ cinnamon in this cake. It’s lovely.

6. We (weigh)_______________ the salmon to put a price on it.

7. British summers (get)_______________ hotter and winters (get)_______________ wetter.

8. I (smell)_______________ the lavender. It’s a very strong variety.

9. Is it an inadequate explanation or I (be)_______________ so stupid?

10. I (feed)_______________ the neighbour’s cat this week while she’s in hospital.

11. The dance group (appear)__________ to have arrived at the theatre.

12. The neighbours forever (slam)_______________ the doors and (shout)_______________ during the night.

13. We currently (show)_______________ the film ‘Star Wars’ at all Odeon cinemas in the region.

14. I (see)_______________ why you (want)_______________ to buy a new car. It always (break)_____________ down.

15. Alex Cameron (appear)_______________ as Hamlet at the Royal Theatre all week.

16. My dad (not take)_______________ the bus to work today. His friend (give)_______________ him a lift.

17. What you (do)_______________ this evening? – I (see)_______________ my friend.

18. That carton (contain)_______________ one litre of orange juice.

19. You really (not/expect)_______________ me to eat this stew! It (smell)_______________ awful.

20. Excuse me, but you (speak)_______________ English? I (look)________________ for a hotel.

21. I (have)_______________ problems getting a new phone connection so instead of sending e-mails I (write)_______________ a letter.

22. No wine for me! I (take)_______________ antibiotics for an ear infection.

23. Scientists nowadays slowly (begin)_______________ to understand more about how the brain (work)_______________.

24. What’s that noise? It (sound)_______________ like Jane playing her trumpet.

25. More and more people (move)_______________ to the countryside these days.

26. What you (look)_______________ at? – The sky. It (look)_______________ as if it’s going to rain.

27. The perfume you (wear)_______________ (smell)_______________ lovely. What is it called?

28. People slowly (realize)_______________ the dangers of global warming.

29. The silk blouse (feel)_______________ soft.

30. Why you (be)_______________ so rude to me today? What’s up?

31. Computers (change)_______________ all the time.

32. I think Kate’s flight (arrive)_______________ at 7 tomorrow morning.

33. Whenever I (put)__________ my hand up, Harry (kick)_______________ me under the desk.

34. Mrs. Adams isn’t in her usual class. They (repair)_______________ her classroom ceiling this week and she (use)_______________ the library as her classroom.

35. A lot of students here (cycle)__________ to college, so I (try)_______________ to find a cheap bike, and I also (think)_______________ of moving nearer to the college.