ANCA CEHAN, ŞTEFAN COLIBABA

UNIT 4

Present Progressive Tense

Spelling of Verbs Ending in –ing
Choosing Simple Present or Present Progressive
Verbs Not Usually Used in the Progressive

Focus 1

Present Progressive: Affirmative Statements

examples  explanations 

The food isburning.  Use the present progressive to talk about an action

that is happening right now: an action in progress.
The baby iscrying. 

The dog and the baby arefighting.

nowright now  Use these time expressions with the present

progressive.
at the moment

subject  be  base form of the verb + ‐ing 

I  am 

You  are 
working. 
He / She / It  is 

WeYou They  are 

Affirmative Contractions

subject + be contraction  base form of the verb + ‐ing 

I’m 

You’re 
working. 
He’sShe’sIt’s 

We’reYou’reThey’re 

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Exercise 4.1.1

Underline all the present progressive verbs in the text.

Example: Regis isn’t having a good day. 

  Today is not a normal day at the Harrisons’. Usually, Robin’s babysitter comes at 3:00 when 
Robin leaves for work. But today, Robin is attending an all‐day meeting at the college, and her 
babysitter can’t come. So Regis is spending the day at home. He’s taking care of the children. He’s 
trying very hard, but everything is going wrong. Regis isn’t having a good day. Actually, poor Regis is 
going crazy. He’s thinking about Robin. He’s learning something today. It’s not easy to stay home 
with the children. He’s beginning to understand this. 

Focus 2

Spelling of Verbs Ending in –ing

verb end  rule  examples 

1.  consonant + e  Drop the –e, add –ing.  write  writing 

2.  vowel + consonant  Double the consonant, add  sit  sitting 

–ing. 
(one syllable) 

Exception: verbs that end in –w, ‐x,  Do not double w, x, and y.  show  showing 

and –y. 
fix  fixing 

play  playing 

3.  consonant + vowel + consonant.  Double the consonant, add  beGIN  beginning 

There is more than one syllable,  –ing. 
and the stress is on the last  forGET  forgetting 
syllable. 

If the stress is not on the last syllable  Do not double the  LISten  listening 

consonant. 
HAPpen  happening 

4.  ‐ie  Change –ie to y, add –ing.  lie  lying 

die  dying 

5.  All other verbs  Add –ing to the base form  talk  talking 

of the verb. 
study  studying 

do  doing 

agree  agreeing 

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Exercise 4.2.2
Fill in the blanks with the present progressive.

Today’s a normal day at the Harrisons’. It is 4:00. Robin (1) ____ (prepare) dinner in the kitchen.She 
(2) _____ (slice) onions and (3) _____ (wipe) the tears from her eyes. The house is quiet, so she (4) 
_______ (listen) to some music. She (5) _____ (think) about her class tonight.She (6) ______ (wait) 
for her babysitter to arrive. The baby (7) _______ (sleep).The dog (8) _____ (chew) on a bone. Jimmy 
(9) _____ (play) with his toys. Suzy (10) ____ (clean) her room. Everything is under control. 

Exercise 4.2.3
Fill in the blanks with the present progressive of the verb.

Example: “You’re driving me crazy. Turn off the TV!” 

1. “That crazy dog _________________ (bite) me!” 

2. “I _________________ (walk) into a zoo!” 

3. “Quiet! You _________________ (make) a lot of noise. I can’t hear the TV.” 

4. “Stop that, Jimmy. You _________________ (hurt) me.” 

5. “Oh no! The food _________________ (burn)!”  

6. “I _________________ (die) to take off my shoes. My feet _____________ (kill) me.” 

Focus 3

Present Progressive: Negative Statements

subject + be + not  negative contraction  be contraction + not 

I  am  *    I’m 

You  are  You  aren’t  You’re 

He  is  He  isn’t  He’s 

She  not  She  She’s 

not working. 
It  working.  It  working.  It’s 

We  are  We  aren’t  We’re 

You  You  You’re 

They  They  They’re 

NOTE*: There is no standard English contraction with I am not.

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Exercise 4.3.4

Make sentences with negative contractions.

Example: Robin/take care of the children today. 

Robin isn’t taking care of the children today.

1. Robin/wear comfortable shoes today. 
2. Robin’s babysitter/come today. 
3. The baby and the dog/get along. 
4. Regis/relax. 
5. The children/listen to Regis. 
6. Suzy/do her homework. 
7. Suzy/help Regis. 
8. Regis/pay attention to the dinner in the oven. 
9. Regis/laugh. 
10. Regis/enjoy his children today. 

Focus 4

Choosing Simple Present or Present Progressive

The simple present and the present progressive have different uses.

use the simple present for:  use the present progressive for: 
 habits and repeated actions  actions in progress now
Suzy usually does her homework in the  Suzy’s watching TV right now. 
afternoon.

 things that are true in general  actions that are temporary, not
Women usually take care of children. habitual
Regis is taking are of the children today. 

 situations that are changing

These days, men are spending more time with 
their children. 

time expressions  time expressions 

always  rarely  right now  now 

often  never  today  at the moment 

usually  every day  this week  this evening 

sometimes  once a week  this year  this month 

seldom  on the weekends  these days 

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Exercise 4.4.5
Read the story. If the underlined verb describes an action in progress write a P on the
line in front of the sentence. If the underlined verb describes a temporary action or a
changing situation write T/C in front of the sentence.

Example:  T/C  Dad is under a lot of stress. But, this year he’s taking better care of 

himself. 

1.  ____  These days, he is jogging more often. 

2.  ____  He is jogging right now. 

3.  ____  He is also trying to eat better. 

4.  ____  Nowadays, he is eating more fruits and vegetables and less junk food. 

5.  ____  These days he is also spending more time with his family. 

6.  ____  But that isn’t helping his stress. 

7.  ____  The kids are jogging with him. 

8.  ____  Theyare driving him crazy. 

Exercise 4.4.6

Read each statement. If the statement is in the simple present, make a second
statement in the present progressive. If the statement is in the present progressive, make a
second statement in the simple present.

Simple Present  Present Progressive 

1. Suzy usually does her homework in the  a.  Tonight she is watching cartoons on TV. 

evening. 

2. _____________________________  b.  Tonight, Robin isn’t cooking dinner 

_____________________________ 

3. Robin usually takes care of the children.  c.  _____________________________ 

_____________________________ 

4. _____________________________  d.  Today, Regis is spending the day at home. 

_____________________________ 

5. The baby sitter usually takes car of the  e.  _____________________________ 

children when Robin goes to work. 
_____________________________ 

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6.  _____________________________  f.  Right now, the baby and the dog are 

fighting. 
_____________________________ 

7.  The babysitter usually doesn’t go crazy.  g.  _____________________________ 

_____________________________ 

Exercise 4.4.7
Make sentences with these days or today to show changing situations.

Example: women/get more education 

These days, women are getting more education.

1. Women/get good jobs 
2. Fifty percent of American women/work outside the home 
3. Women/earn money 
4. Women/become more independent 
5. Me/share the work in the home 
6. Husbands/help their wives 
7. Fathers/spend more time with their children 
8. The roles of men and women/change 

Focus 5

    Verbs Not Usually Used in the Progressive

There are some verbs not usually used in the present progressive. These verbs are
not action verbs. They are called nonprogressive (or stative) verbs.

examples  nonprogressive (stative) verbs 
Robin loves her job.  FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS
(like, love, hate, prefer, want, need)
NOT: Robin is loving her job. 

The children need help. 

NOT: The children are needing help. 

Regis understands his wife.  MENTAL STATES

(think, believe, understand, seem, forget,

remember, know, mean)

Regis hears the telephone ringing.  SENSES

(hear, see, smell, taste, feel, sound)

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Robin and Regis own a house.  POSSESSION

(belong, own, have)

There are some stative verbs you can use in the present progressive, but they have a
different meaning.

Simple Present  Present Progressive 

I think you’re a good student.  I am thinking about you now. 

(Think means “believe”.)

I have two cars.  I’m having a good time. 

(Have means “possess”.) (Have describes the experience.)

This soup tastes delicious.  I’m tasting the soup. 

(Taste means “how the food is”.) (Taste here means the person is putting the
soup in his or her mouth.)

Exercise 4.5.8
Fill in the blanks with the present progressive or simple present form of the verb.
Read the dialogues aloud. Use contractions.

Example: Regis:  I’m going (go) crazy in this house. 

      Robin:  I think (think) you need a vacation! 

1.  Regis:    Suzy, I need your help here. 

  Suzy:    But, Dad, you (a) _______________ (need) my help every five minutes! I (b) 
_______________ (watch) TV right now! 

2.  It is 3:00. The telephone is ringing. 

  Regis:    Hello. 

  Laura:  Hello, Regis. What are you (a) _______________ (do) home in the middle of the 
afternoon? 

  Regis:    Oh, hi, Laura. I know I (b) _______________ (be) never home in the 
afternoon, but today I (c) _______________ (try) to be a house husband! 

  Laura:  Oh, really? Where’s Robin? 

  Regis:    Robin (d) _______________ (attend) a meeting at the college, so I (e) 
_______________ (take care of) the kids. 

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3.  Jimmy interrupts Regis’s telephone conversation: 

  Regis:    Hold on a minute, Laura … Jimmy (a) _______________ (pull) on my leg! 
Jimmy, I (b) _______________ (talk) to Mommy’s friend Laura right now. You (c) 
_______________ (know) Laura. She (d) _______________ (come) to see Mommy 
every week. Now, just wait a minute, please. 

  Laura:  Is everything O.K., Regis? 

  Regis:    Oh, yes, Laura, don’t worry. We (e) _______________ (do) just fine. Talk to 
you later. Bye! 

4.  It is 5:30. The telephone rings. 

  Regis:    Hello. 

  Robin:    Hi, honey! The meeting (a) _______________ (be) over. I (b) 
_______________ (be) on my way home. What (c) _______________ (happen)? I 
hope the children (d) _______________ (behave). 

  Regis:    They (e) _______________ (act) like wild animal, Robin. I (f) 
_______________ (yell) at them ell the time, but they don’t listen to me. I (g) 
_______________ (not/have) a very good day. Please come home soon. 

  Robin:    You (h) _______________ (sound) terrible. Can I bring anything home dear? 

  Regis:    Yes, a bottle of aspirin! 

Focus 6

Present Progressive: Yes/ No Questions and Short

Answers
yes/no questions  short answers 

Am  I  Yes,  you  are.  No,  you  aren’t. 

Are  you  Yes,  I  am.  No,  I’m  not. 

Is  he  working?  Yes,  he  No,  he 

she  she  is.  she  isn’t 

it  it  it 

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Are  you  Yes,  we  No,  we 

we  you  are.  you  aren’t. 

they  they  they 

Focus 7

    Present Progressive: Wh- questions

wh-word be subject verb + -ing answers

What  am  I  doing?  (You’re) getting ready for the beach. 

When  are  (I’m going) at 2:00. 

Where  (We’re going) to the beach. 
you  going? 
Why  (We’re going) because we can. 

How  (We’re going) by car. 

Who(m)  is  she  meeting?  (She’s meeting) her friends. 

Who*  is    having a nice  Clara (is having a nice day). 

day? 

*Who is asking about the subject.

Exercise 4.7.9

Write the question that asks for the underlined information.

1.  Q:  Who is watching television? 

  A:  Suzy is watching television. 

2.  Q:  Who(m) is Regis taking care of tonight? 

  A:  Regis is taking care of the children. 

3.  Q:  ____________________________________________________________ 

  A:  Frankie and the dog are fighting because they both want the toy. 

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4.  Q:  ____________________________________________________________ 

  A:  Robin is meeting her colleagues at the college. 

5.  Q:  ____________________________________________________________ 

  A:  Robin’s thinking that she’s so lucky to be at work! 

6.  Q:  ____________________________________________________________ 

  A:  They’re eating sandwiches for dinner because Regis’s dinner tastes terrible. 

7.  Q:  ____________________________________________________________ 

  A:  Regis is watching the children today. 

8.  Q:  ____________________________________________________________ 

  A:  Regis is taking two aspirin because he has a terrible headache. 

9.  Q:  ____________________________________________________________ 

  A:  Robin’s meeting is taking place at the college. 

10.  Q:  ____________________________________________________________ 

  A:  Robin is coming home right now. 

11.  Q:  ____________________________________________________________ 

  A:  Regis is feeling very tired right now. 

12.  Q:  ____________________________________________________________ 

  A:  The children are making a lot of noise. 

Exercise 4.7.10

Correct the mistakes in the following sentences.

Example: Is the pizza tasting good? 

Does the pizza taste good?

1. Frankie and the dog are fight. 
2. He’s having a new TV. 
3. Why are you working today? 
4. Are you needing my help? 
5. What Robin is thinking? 
6. Is she believing him? 

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7. Right now, he plays cowboy on his father’s back. 
8. The soup is smelling bad. 
9. Where you are going? 
10. People not are saving money nowadays. 
11. You working hard these days. 
12. How you doing today? 

Exercise 4.7.11
  I am Jose. This is my family. I have three sisters. Jennifer is my older sister. My two younger 
sisters, Carmen and Margarita, are twins. I also have a younger brother Tito and a baby brother, 
Ricky. We are on vacation. Right now we are having fun at the Wild Water amusement park. 

Complete the sentences with the correct form of the present progressive tense.

Example: Jennifer is looking (look) at the lifeguard. 

1.  Tito _______________ (eat) a hot dog. 

2.  The lifeguard _______________ (watch) the swimmers and blowing his whistle. 

3.  Carmen and Margarita _______________ (bury) Dad in the sand. 

4.  The man _______________ (jump) into the water. 

5.  Mom _______________ (buy) the hot dogs and hamburgers. 

6.  Dad _______________ (sleep) on the sand. 

7.  Ricky _______________ (wade). 

8.  I _______________ (slide) down the water slide. 

9.  The hot dogs _______________ (burn). 

10.  The drinks _______________ (spill). 

Write a sentence describing each activity using the words in parentheses as cues. Be
sure to spell the verb correctly and use the correct form.

Example: (Ricky/wade) 

Ricky is wading.

1.  (Dad/get/sunburn) 

2.  (Carmen/dig) 

3.  (swimmers/splash) 

4.  (the girls/bury/Dad) 

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5.  (hot dogs/burn) 

6.  (I/slide) 

7.  (lifeguard/blow/whistle) 

8.  (Dad/lie in sand) 

9.  (Mom/buy/food) 

10.  (Jennifer/flirt) 

11.  (Tito/eat) 

Now we’re on our way home from the park. Everyone is hot and tired. We aren’t
having fun anymore.

Using the negative form, complete the sentences using the given cues.

Example: Tito/feel wellTito isn’t feeling well. 

1.  The family/have fun 

2.  Dad/drive carefully 

3.  Carmen and Margarita/sit still 

4.  Mom/agree with dad 

5.  The air conditioning/work 

6.  I/talk to my family 

7.  Traffic/move 

8.  Jennifer/smile 

9.  Ricky/sleep 

10.  Dad/watch the road 

Exercise 4.7.12

At Christmas time things are different around my house. We aren’t doing the things
that we usually do.

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Complete each complex sentence below by adding a phrase in the simple present
or the present progressive. Use but to connect the two phrases. Be sure to use the correct
time expression in your answer.

Example: I usually go to school, but today I’m shoveling snow. 

1.  I’m usually in my math class right now, _________________________________. 

2.  _______________________________ today he’s putting up the Christmas lights. 

3.  Mom rarely makes cookies, __________________________________________. 

4.  __________________________________ now she isn’t at her boyfriend’s house. 

5.  Ricky usually takes a nap, ____________________________________________. 

6.  _____________________________________ at the moment he’s eating cookies. 

7.  _____________________________ at present they are arguing over a decoration. 

8.  Mom usually takes care of Ricky during the day, _________________________. 

9.  Dad usually helps me shovel the snow, _________________________________. 

10.  Tito usually eats good food, __________________________________________. 

Exercise 4.7.13

Now we are getting ready for a big family reunion. There are so many people that
Mom made a list of who is coming, what food they are bringing, when they are coming, how
they are coming, and where they are sleeping. I hope they bring enough food for Tito.

Look at the lists, and write 15 questions about the people coming to the family
reunion. Use as many different question words as possible. Then answer the questions you
write. There are many correct answers to this exercise.

Example: When are Grandma and Grandpa arriving?

They are arriving Friday morning.

Who  What  When  How  Where 

Grandma & Grandpa  Potato Salad  Friday Morning  Car  Twins’ room 

Uncle Manuel  Drinks  Friday 7:00 am  Train  Living room 

Cousin Carla & her  Fresh Fruit  Friday Noon  Plane  Jose’s room 

husband 

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Aunt Luz  Cake  Friday Evening  Car  Guest room 

Uncle Raul  Chips  Friday Morning  Bus  Garage 

Reading 4
A Dolphin and an Astronomer
Read the text and do the exercises that follow.

One day in 1963, a dolphin named Elvar and a famous astronomer, Carl Sagan, were
playing a little game. The astronomer was visiting an institute which was looking into the way
dolphins communicate with each other. He was standing at the edge of one of the tanks where
several of these highly intelligent, friendly creatures were kept. Elvar had just swum up
alongside him and had turned on his back. He wanted Sagan to scratch his stomach again, as
the astronomer had done twice before. But this time Elvar was too deep in the water for Sagan
to reach him. Elvar looked up at Sagan, waiting. Then, after a minute or so, the dolphin leapt
up through the water into the air and made a sound just like the word 'More!'
The astronomer went to the director of the institute and told him about the incident. 

'Oh, yes. That's one of the words he knows,' the director said, showing no surprise at all.  

Dolphins have bigger brains in proportion to their body size than humans have, and it has 
been known for a long time that they can make a number of sounds. What is more, these sounds 
seem to have different functions, such as warning each other of danger. Sound travels much faster 
and much further in water than it does in air. That is why the parts of the brain that deal with sound 
are much better developed in dolphins than in humans. But can it be said that dolphins have a 
'language', in the real sense of the word? Scientists don't agree on this. 

A language is not just a collection of sounds, or even words. A language has a structure, or 
what we call a grammar. The grammar of a language helps to give it meaning. For example, the two 
questions 'Who loves Mary?' and 'Who does Mary love?' mean different things. If you stop to think 
about it, you will see that this difference doesn't come from the words in the question but from the 
difference in structure. That is why the question 'Can dolphins speak?' can't be answered until we 
find out if dolphins not only make sounds but also arrange them in ways which affect their meaning. 

Exercise 4.1

1. The dolphin leapt into the air because

a. Sagan had turned his back. c. he wanted Sagan to scratch him again.
b. it was part of the game they were playing. d. Sagan wanted him to do this.

2. When Sagan told the director what the dolphin had done, the director 

a. didn't seem to think it was unusual. c. told Sagan about other words the dolphin knew.
b. thought Sagan was joking. d. asked him if he knew other words.

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3.Dolphins' brains are particularly well developed to

a. help them to travel fast in water. c. respond to different kinds of sound.

b. arrange sounds indifferent structures.
 
d. communicate with humans through sound.

4.The sounds we call words can be called a language only if

a. each sound has a different meaning. c. there is a system of writing.

b. each sound is different from the other. d. they have a structure or grammar.

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