Present Simple vs Present Progressive
(oral drill, elementary level)
Suppose that students already have some basic knowledge of the given structures – they just haven't had enough practice in using them.
First it may be a good idea to brush up their knowledge with some short talk, maybe based on something like this:
Study the following.
| Present Progressive | Present Simple | |
|---|---|---|
| He's painting a picture on the wall now. What is he doing now? Is he painting a picture now? |
 |
He often paints pictures on walls. What does he often do? Does he often paint pictures? |
| I'm painting a picture on the wall now. What are you doing now? Are you painting a picture on the wall? | I often paint pictures on walls. What do you often do? Do you often paint pictures? |
| What are you doing? I'm just standing here. |  |
Do you often wait for the bus? Yes, I always do. |
| Why are you standing here? I'm waiting for the bus. | How often does the bus come? It comes every second day. | |
| Is the bus coming? No, it isn't. It never comes. |
| Present Progressive | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony | is | playing | golf | . | ||
| Who | is | playing | golf | ? | ||
| Is | Tony | playing | golf | ? | ||
| What | is | Tony | doing | ? | ||
| What | is | Tony | playing | ? | ||
| Tony | isn't | playing | golf | . | ||
| I | 'm | driving | fast | . | ||
| Who | is | driving | fast | ? | ||
| Are | you | driving | fast | ? | ||
| How | are | you | driving | ? | ||
| I | 'm not | driving | fast | . | ||
| Present Simple | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tony | plays | golf | . | |||
| Who | plays | golf | ? | |||
| Does | Tony | play | golf | ? | ||
| What | does | Tony | do | ? | ||
| What | does | Tony | play | ? | ||
| Tony | doesn't | play | golf | . | ||
| I | drive | fast | . | |||
| Who | drives | fast | ? | |||
| Do | you | drive | fast | ? | ||
| How | do | you | drive | ? | ||
| I | don't | drive | fast | . | ||
| Is this frog walking? Yes, he is. Is he going to school? No, he isn't. Is he going to the cinema? No, he isn't. Where is he going? He's going fishing. |  | Does he go fishing every day? No, he doesn't. When does he usually go fishing? He goes fishing at weekends. |
Then we can get on to some more serious practising exercise:
Read out the sentences as many times as possible.
The point in reading out each part of the exercise very many times is that students should achieve the automatic performance of given structures and vocabulary. Special care should be taken of correct pronunciation, intonation, and normal (i.e. relatively fast) speed of speech. Students should be encouraged to extend the sentences with words and expressions from their own vocabulary. It is important that thinking in their native language must be excluded when doing the exercise.
|
Jane goes to the cinema on Mondays. Jane goes to the cinema on Tuesdays. Jane goes to the cinema on Wednesdays. Jane goes to the cinema on Thursdays. Jane goes to the cinema on Fridays Jane goes to the cinema on Saturdays. Jane goes to the cinema on Sundays. Jane goes to the zoo on Mondays. Jane goes to the museum on Tuesdays. Jane goes to the pub on Wednesdays. Jane goes to the library on Thursdays. Jane goes to the sports club on Fridays Jane goes to the discotheque on Saturdays. Jane goes to the theatre on Sundays. She goes to school every day. She goes to the park every second day. Her brother goes to a concert once a month. |
... etc. etc. (1-2 or more pages of variations may follow here)
The same pattern should be varied with a fairly large amount of vocabulary items (just as well with changing grammatical features like person or number). Don't save time with abbreviations or using tables; if the sentences even with the least change in them are printed out (or shown on a screen) in full, students will be more likely to do the exercise thoroughly.
Maybe the most important part of the practice is with questions:
|
Jane goes to the cinema on Sundays. Does she go to the cinema on Sundays? (Yes, she does.) When does she go to the cinema? (On Sundays.) Where does she go on Sundays? (To the cinema.) What does she do on Sundays? (She goes to the cinema.) Who goes to the cinema on Sundays? (Jane does.) The children play football in the park on Sundays. Do they play football in the park on Sundays? (Yes, they do.) When do they play football in the park? (On Sundays.) Where do they play football on Sundays? (In the park.) What do they play in the park on Sundays? (Football.) What do they do in the park on Sundays? (They play football.) Who plays football in the park on Sundays? (The children do.) I don't watch TV at night. Do(n't) you watch TV at night? (No, I don't.) When don't you watch TV? (At night.) What don't you watch at night? (TV.) What don't you do at night? (I don't watch TV.) Who doesn't watch TV at night? (I don't.) Tony isn't at school this week. Is(n't) he at school this week? (No, he isn't/) When isn't he at school? (This week.) Where isn't he this week? (At school.) Who isn't at school this week? (Tony isn't.) |
When this section is finished, do the same with the other pattern in question (in this case, the present progressive).
After a good amount of practising this way, combine the two:
|
What are you doing? I'm watching TV. What are you watching? I'm watching a cowboy film. What's your sister doing? She's reading a book. What book is she reading? She's reading a love story. What are you reading? I'm not reading, I'm watching a film. Are you watching a horror film? No, I'm not. Are you watching a cowboy film? Yes, I am. Is your sister watching TV, too? No, she isn't. She's reading What's she reading? She's reading a love story. Are you reading a love story? No, I'm watching a film. |
What do you do? I'm a student, I study at university. What do you study? I study mathematics. What does your sister do? She's a waitress, she works in a bar. Does she read books? Yes, she reads love stories. What do you read? I don't often read, I always watch films. Do you watch horror films? No. I don't. Do you watch cowboy films? Yes, I do. Does your sister watch films, too? No, she doesn't. She reads books. What does she usually read? She reads love stories. Do you read love stories? No, I usually watch films. |
Now we can go on to present short texts and challenge the students to (for example) ask and answer about the text and find out similar texts and go on practising with them on their own.
Longer and longer texts may be concerned as the time of practice goes on – of course these "texts" (apart from the sample ones) need not be written down: this is an oral exercise after all.
| This young gentleman is called Ian. He's a popstar, he plays the drums with a famous rock band. He usually plays at big concerts in different countries of the world. But he isn't playing music now, he's playing football with his friends. They often play football in their free time. |  |
| What does Ian do? | He's a popstar. |
| What does he play? | He plays the drums. |
| Where does he play? | He plays with a rock band. He plays at big concerts. |
| Is he playing the drums now? | No, he isn't. |
| What is he doing now? | He's playing football. |
| Who is he playing football with? | He's playing with his friends. |
| Where is he playing football? | He's playing in a stadium. |
| Where does he play with his rock group? | He plays in big stadiums and concert halls. |
 |
This old man's name is Santa Claus. He's a funny person, he's making a snowman now. He often goes out in winter and he has fun in the snow. He likes skiing and skating, but his real hobby is making snowmen. He's making a very big snowman now. He's rolling on a big snowball, and he's making the snowman's head of this ball. He usually makes a big snowman, but now he's making something much bigger. |
| What's the old man doing? | He's making a snowman. |
| Does he often make a snowman? | Yes, he often does. |
| Does he always make a big snowman? | Yes, he does. He always makes a very big snowman. |
| Is he making the snowman's body now? | No, he isn't. |
| What is he making now? | He's making the snowman's head. |
| What is he rolling on? | He's rolling on a big snowball. |
| Why is he rolling on a snowball? | Because he's making a snowman. |
| How often does he make a snowman? | He makes a snowman every week. |
| Does he make a snowman in summer? | No, he doesn't. He makes snowmen only in winter. |
| What kind of snowman is he making now? | He's making a very big one. |
Students may be astonished when they first get several sheets of printed paper with endless variations of one and the same sentence, but when they realize that the whole exercise can be done in about the same time as any page of a regular textbook, we have scored a goal.
And the more accustomed to this kind of practice students are (they will be, by and by) the less instructions and sample sentences they will need: at a more developed stage of studies the student will be able to create enough examples based on a few suggested sentences for the appropriately correct use of grammar and vocabulary.
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