Job or Right Now?
Present Simple vs Present Continuous — starring Philo, Sophia, and (frequently in trouble) Marcos.
The Big Idea
Every person has a job — something true about them, day after day. But at any single moment, they're also doing something right now — and that might be their job, or it might be something completely different. English has two different verb forms for these two different ideas.
So remember
The "job" sentence and the "right now" sentence are two separate questions: "What's generally true?" and "What's happening this second?" — and the answer to one never tells you the answer to the other.
The Two Forms
Present Simple
Jobs, routines, facts — true again and again, not just today.
Present Continuous
One action, happening right this moment — or these days, temporarily.
Spelling: Third Person -s
When the subject is he, she, it (or a name), the present simple verb needs an ending.
| Rule | Examples |
|---|---|
| Most verbs: add -s | work → works, eat → eats, read → reads |
| Ends in -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -x, -o: add -es | watch → watches, go → goes, fix → fixes, wash → washes |
| Consonant + y: change y → ies | study → studies, carry → carries, fly → flies |
| Vowel + y: just add -s | play → plays, say → says, enjoy → enjoys |
| Irregular | have → has, do → does |
Spelling: The -ing Form
The present continuous always uses am / is / are + a verb ending in -ing.
| Rule | Examples |
|---|---|
| Most verbs: add -ing | work → working, read → reading |
| Ends in silent -e: drop the e, add -ing | make → making, write → writing, dance → dancing |
| Short word (one vowel + one consonant): double the last letter | run → running, sit → sitting, stop → stopping, swim → swimming |
| Ends in -ie: change ie → y, add -ing | lie → lying, die → dying, tie → tying |
Adverbs of Frequency
These words say how often something happens — and they go in a specific place: before the main verb, but after am/is/are.
| Present Simple | Present Continuous |
|---|---|
| Sophia always reads before bed. | Philo is usually working at this hour. |
| Marcos never listens. | Sophia is often correcting Marcos. |
Order, from most to least: always → usually → often → sometimes → rarely / hardly ever → never.
Marcos's Favourite Trick: "always" + -ing
Here's a strange one. "Always" usually goes with the present simple to describe a routine. But put "always" with the present continuous, and it stops being a calm fact — it becomes a complaint.
| Neutral fact | Annoyed complaint |
|---|---|
| Marcos always forgets his stylus. | Marcos is always forgetting his stylus! |
| Marcos always breaks something. | Marcos is always breaking something! |
Three Kinds of Sentence
Every sentence can be a statement, a negative, or a question. Present simple uses do/does to help; present continuous uses am/is/are.
| Present Simple | Present Continuous | |
|---|---|---|
| Positive | Sophia teaches Greek. | Philo is reading a scroll. |
| Negative | Sophia doesn't teach Latin. | Philo isn't reading a letter. |
| Question | Does Sophia teach Greek? | Is Philo reading a scroll? |
Notice: the -s ending only appears in the positive statement. "Does Sophia teach…?" — not "Does Sophia teaches…?" The does already carries the -s.
Exercises
Exercise 1 — Job or Right Now?
Write the correct form of the verb in brackets. Look for the clue words!
1. Sophia (teach) grammar every morning.
2. Look! Philo (run) down the corridor.
3. Marcos never (listen) to instructions.
4. Right now, Sophia (explain) the difference to Marcos.
5. Philo usually (eat) lunch at noon, but today he (eat) it early.
6. Marcos's job is being a student, but at the moment he (argue) instead of studying.
Exercise 2 — Spelling Practice
Part A: write the correct third-person -s form.
1. watch →
2. carry →
3. go →
4. play →
5. have →
6. fix →
Part B: write the correct -ing form.
1. run →
2. make →
3. lie →
4. stop →
5. write →
6. swim →
Exercise 3 — Where Does the Adverb Go?
Put the words in the correct order to make a sentence. Then reveal the answer to check.
1. always / scrolls / reads / Sophia
2. is / working / usually / at dawn / Philo
3. never / homework / does / his / Marcos
Show answers
2. Philo is usually working at dawn.
3. Marcos never does his homework.
Exercise 4 — Neutral Fact or Annoyed Complaint?
Rewrite each sentence as a complaint, using "always" + the present continuous — the way Sophia would say it about Marcos.
1. Marcos forgets his stylus.
2. Marcos breaks the furniture.
3. Marcos interrupts the lesson.
Show answers
2. Marcos is always breaking the furniture!
3. Marcos is always interrupting the lesson!
Exercise 5 — Make It Negative, Make It a Question
Change each sentence into (a) the negative and (b) the question form.
1. Sophia teaches Greek.
2. Philo is reading a scroll.
3. Marcos does his homework.
4. They are arguing.
Show answers
2. (a) Philo isn't reading a scroll. (b) Is Philo reading a scroll?
3. (a) Marcos doesn't do his homework. (b) Does Marcos do his homework?
4. (a) They aren't arguing. (b) Are they arguing?
Exercise 6 — Fill In the Story
Complete the story with the correct form of each verb — present simple or present continuous.