Tag: Present simple tense

In this post I would like to share 7 online quizzes to practise the present simple tense. All the quizzes are in HTML 5, so you or your students can play them on their mobile phones. Moreover, if you have a website or a wordpress site, you can easily enter these exercise there by copying the code under the quizzes.

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Present simple – affirmative

[/su_heading][su_spacer] In the first two quizzes, students can practise forming the affirmative statements in the present simple tense. In the first quiz they have to put the verb into the correct form.

To play the quiz on the full screen, click the button below:

[su_button url=”https://engames.eu/Present simple/Quizzes/Present simple affirmative (Web)/index.html” target=”blank” background=”#f56b68″ size=”6″]Present tense affirmative[/su_button]

To put this quiz on your website or wordpress site, just copy the following code:

<iframe width="710" height="480" src="https://engames.eu/Present simple/Quizzes/Present simple affirmative (Web)/index.html"></iframe>

In the second quiz, students test their knowledge of the third person singular.

To play the quiz on the full screen, click the button below:
[su_button url=”https://engames.eu/Present simple/Quizzes/Present simple affirmative third person (Web)/index.html” target=”blank” background=”#f56b68″ size=”6″]Third person affirmative[/su_button]
To put this quiz on your website or wordpress site, just copy the following code:
<iframe width="710" height="480" src="https://engames.eu/Present simple/Quizzes/Present simple affirmative third person (Web)/index.html"></iframe>

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Present simple – Negative sentences
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In the following quiz, students are asked to make the sentences negative.


To play the quiz on the full screen, click the button below:
[su_button url=”https://engames.eu/Present simple/Quizzes/Present simple negative (Web)/index.html” target=”blank” background=”#f56b68″ size=”6″]Present simple negatives[/su_button]
To put this quiz on your website or wordpress site, just copy the following code:
<iframe width="710" height="480" src="https://engames.eu/Present simple/Quizzes/Present simple negative (Web)/index.html"></iframe>

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Present simple – Questions
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In the following quiz, students practise forming questions in the present simple tense.


To play the quiz on the full screen, click the button below:
[su_button url=”https://engames.eu/Present simple/Quizzes/Present simple questions (Web)/index.html” target=”blank” background=”#f56b68″ size=”6″]Questions in the present simple tense[/su_button]
To put this quiz on your website or wordpress site, just copy the following code:
<iframe width="710" height="480" src="https://engames.eu/Present simple/Quizzes/Present simple questions (Web)/index.html"></iframe>

In the fifth quiz, students can test their knowledge of the short answers in the present simple tense:

To play the quiz on the full screen, click the button below:
[su_button url=”https://engames.eu/Present simple/Quizzes/Present simple questions (Web)/index.html” target=”blank” background=”#f56b68″ size=”6″]Questions and short answers in the present simple tense[/su_button]
To put this quiz on your website or wordpress site, just copy the following code:
<iframe width="710" height="480" src="https://engames.eu/Present simple/Quizzes/Present simple questions (Web)/index.html"></iframe>

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Present tense – Revision
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To revise everything students have learnt about the present simple tense, there are two quizzes to do this.

In the first one, students have to tick all the sentences, that are grammatically correct.



To play the quiz on the full screen, click the button below:
[su_button url=”https://engames.eu/Present simple/Quizzes/Present simple choose correct (Web)/index.html” target=”blank” background=”#f56b68″ size=”6″]Choose the correct sentences[/su_button]
To put this quiz on your website or wordpress site, just copy the following code:
<iframe width="710" height="480" src="https://engames.eu/Present simple/Quizzes/Present simple choose correct (Web)/index.html"></iframe>

And in the last exercise, students try to choose the correct answer for each gap.

To play the quiz on the full screen, click the button below:
[su_button url=”https://engames.eu/Present simple/Quizzes/Present simple questions and affirmative (Web)/index.html” target=”blank” background=”#f56b68″ size=”6″]Present tenses revision[/su_button]
To put this quiz on your website or wordpress site, just copy the following code:
<iframe width="710" height="480" src="https://engames.eu/Present simple/Quizzes/Present simple questions and affirmative (Web)/index.html"></iframe>

	
				

In this post I would like to share with you the best activities I know to teach the present simple tense.

To achieve this, I will recycle some of the materials I have already and shared here. However, there are several new materials (for example the infographic) which I designed just for this post.

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I hope you find these materials useful and you will use them in your lessons.
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Present simple – song

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In my opinion, it is best to start a lesson on new grammar with a song. Play the following song to your students and ask them to complete the lyrics.

Here are the lyrics to complete:

[su_button url=”https://engames.eu/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/I-wake-up-in-the-morning.pdf” target=”blank” background=”#f56b68″ size=”6″]Present simple song[/su_button]

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Present simple – form

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Elicit what you are going to do in this lesson. You should get the answer that you are going to talk about things people do every day.

The aim of the following activity is to sensitize students to the forms of the present simple tense and to improve their pronunciation.

Play the following rhyme and ask the students to listen and then repeat it. In the last phase, students should read it on their own.

It is a good idea to ask your students to memorise the rhyme.

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Present simple – infographic

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I have been using a different infographic for a long time, but it was a bit too complicated, so I decided to create a new one.

Print the picture for everyone and explain that students should use the ending -s with the third person singular.
You might want to teach the correct spelling of the -s ending, but I do not think it is a good idea. I believe, it is better to expose the students to the language now.

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Present simple – story

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Before you play the following story for your students teach the following vocabulary:

[su_button url=”https://engames.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Present-simple-tense_Dad-story_flashcards.docx” target=”blank” background=”#f56b68″ size=”6″]Present simple – Dad’s story flashcards[/su_button]

Print the worksheet, so that every student has a copy. It is best to print the cards on a stronger paper. Ask the students to cut the cards and go through the cards and translate the expressions into the students´ MT. Students write the translation on the other side of each card.

Then students learn the new words using the flashcards.

Once they learn the words, play the following British Council video and ask the students to do the accompanying tasks. I think that tasks 1 and 4 are especially important.
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Collect the texts your students write and correct them to see what problems your students have.

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Present simple – grammar exercises

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To practise the presents simple tense, I devised the following maze. Print the worksheet for everyone and tell the students to start in the left hand upper corner and go through the maze. They must make correct sentences in the present simple tense. They must go just right, left, up or down. They mustn´t go diagonally. They must go through each square just once and they have to finish in the right hand bottom corner.

[su_button url=”https://engames.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Present-simple-maze.docx” target=”blank” background=”#f56b68″ size=”6″]Present simple tense – maze[/su_button]

It is a good idea to teach the most frequent verbs in English here. Here are the flashcards for the most frequent verbs in English:

[su_button url=”https://engames.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/Most-common-verbs-250.docx” target=”blank” background=”#f56b68″ size=”6″]Most frequent English verbs[/su_button]

In my previous post I offered several resources to teach the difference between the present simple and present continuous tenses. There are several exercises and games including an infographic. But, as my students complained that the infographic was not that helpful I created a new one.

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In this post there is an infographic explaining the usage of the two present tenses using the key words and then there is a quiz where the students can practise their knowledge of the grammar.
I hope you like it.

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Teach the present tenses – infographic

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Display or print the following infographic.

Elicit the usage of the present tenses. Students should understand that the present continuous tense is used when there are the words “now, at the moment, right now and today“.
If the words like “always, sometimes, on Tuesdays” etc. are used the present simple tense is often used.
Of course, this explanation is not 100% grammatically correct but for some students (and many textbook exercises) it works very well.
Emphasize that the students do not have to learn both of the lists. It is enough if they learn the words connected with the present continuous tense and use the present simple in all the other cases.
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Present tenses – online quiz

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Once your students understand the grammar, they should practise it. They can do so either at school on an IWB or they can do so at home or on their mobile phones. Their task is to complete the sentences either with the present simple or present continuous tense.
[su_button url=”https://engames.eu/Present tenses/Present tenses quiz (Web)/index.html” target=”blank” background=”#f56b68″ size=”6″]Present tenses – online quiz[/su_button]

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Present tenses – Darts

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I know I have already used this game in my previous post, but as I think the game is really great. You can buy the template and build your own game here.

Type the correct answer and then score as many points possible.
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[su_button url=”https://engames.eu/darts/darts_game/index.html” target=”blank” background=”#f56b68″ size=”6″]Darts game – full screen[/su_button]

Beginners have to memorise a lot of new words and grammar. To make the process a bit easier, I and my colleague came up with a set of simple grammar rhymes that help our learners remember the crucial verb forms.
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In this post, I would like to share the rhymes with you. There is a short video for two rhymes and the text. And one of the rhymes comes only with the audio file. It seems that the best way to teach the grammar is to ask your students to memorise the poems, and then they use the underlying grammar automatically. I hope you will find these rhymes useful.

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Simple grammar rhymes – Verb TO BE

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I am small.
You are tall.
He is fat.
It is bad.
She is late.
It´s not great.
We are old.
They are cold.

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Simple grammar rhymes – Verb HAVE GOT

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She’s got a cat
He’s got a pet.
I’ve got a ball.
You’ve got a doll.
We’ve got a house.
They’ve got a mouse.
Sue’s got a parrot
It’s got a carrot.

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Simple grammar rhymes – Present simple tense

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You say.
I play.
We learn.
They turn.

He works.
She talks.
It rains.
He trains.

They live.
We make.
We give.
They take.
And here is just the audio recording:
[su_button url=”https://engames.eu/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Rhymes.mp3-present-simple.mp3″ target=”blank” background=”#f56b68″ size=”6″]Present simple – simple grammar rhyme MP3[/su_button]
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Simple grammar rhymes – How to use them

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I always use the rhymes to introduce the grammar. I play the video and then we read the rhyme together with the video several times. I hand out the text and the students have to learn the rhyme by heart.

If you teach a monolingual class, it is a good idea to translate the rhyme.

In the following lesson, I ask the students to recite the rhyme and I introduce the grammar and we do several exercises.

I have to say that it really works and it is much easier for the students to learn and understand the grammar then.
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Simple grammar rhymes – Share

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If you have created your own rhyme, please do not be afraid to share it here. Please, post your rhymes in the comments. Thank you.

After teaching present simple to my elementary students, we wrote a test and I collected the most common mistakes my students made. I analysed the mistakes and prepared games and exercises to help my students learn from their mistakes.

In this post there is an infographic with all the mistakes, their corrections and explanations. Then there is a worksheet with 4 exercises, two games and an online quiz to practise the most difficult aspects of the present simple tense.

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Common mistakes – present simple – infographic

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In the following infographic there are all the most common mistakes my students make in the present simple tense. I have divided the mistakes into three categories. First, my students struggle with questions (they often forget to use DO/DOES). Second, their negative sentences frequently miss something. And last but not least, they still do not stick to the SVOMPT word order.

In the mind map there are all the wrong sentences, their corrections and in blue ink there is an explanation why the sentence was wrong.
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Common mistakes – present simple – worksheet

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Some might find it attractive to start the lesson with the mind map but I do it differently. I use an activity which I found in the book by Scott Thornbury called Teaching Unplugged. I copy all the wrong sentences – each on a separate piece of paper – and I place the sentences around the classroom. Students take a sheet of paper and a pen or pencil and go around the classroom. Their task is to copy and correct the sentences on the sheet. They can help each other. I stop the activity after ten minutes and then I elicit their corrected sentences.

Only after this activity I display the infographic and explain the mistakes.

Then it is time to hand out the following worksheet:

[su_button url=”https://engames.eu/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Present-simple-worksheet.pdf” target=”blank” background=”#f56b68″ size=”6″]Common mistakes in present simple tense worksheet [/su_button]

In the worksheet there are four exercises. The first one is slightly unusual. First the students have to decide where the verbs go and then they have to put the words into the correct order. The rest of the exercises are all standard exercises.

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Common mistakes – present simple – games

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The first game is called Penalty Shootout. In this game you should choose the correct form and then try to score a goal. Good luck.
As the game is in Flash, it will only play on desktop computers.
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[su_button url=”https://engames.eu/common_mistakes/present simple/Present simple en garde.html” target=”blank” background=”#f56b68″ size=”6″]Present simple – Penalty game[/su_button]
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To practise the present simple tense you can play the following game. Its name is En Garde. Your task is to choose the correct answer and then stop the target as close to the centre as possible. Hopefully, you will be faster and more accurate then your opponent. The game is in Flash and will play only on desktops:

[su_button url=”https://engames.eu/common_mistakes/present simple/Present simple penalty.html” target=”blank” background=”#f8d23c” size=”6″]Present simple – En Garde game[/su_button]
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The following quiz can help your students practise the past simple tense at home. The quiz consists of two parts. In the first part, students should put the words into the correct order. In the second part, students have to put the verbs into the correct form. Students will be rewarded with a game after each part of the quiz they pass. The quiz is in HTML5, so it will play on all desktops and mobile devices.

[su_button url=”https://engames.eu/common_mistakes/present simple/Present simple tense quiz (Web)/index.html” target=”blank” background=”#f56b68″ size=”6″]Present simple tense – quiz[/su_button]

Present simple is one of the most important tenses in English. It is quite easy to teach and learn but it must be done properly. In this post I am going to teach some vocabulary first and then teach the forms using the verbs.
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In this post you can find a worksheet, a video and an interactive quiz to teach the vocabulary for daily activities. Once your students know the verbs it is time to introduce the forms – present simple tense affirmative, present simple tense negative and present simple tense questions.
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Daily activities

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First have a look at the following pictionary:

If you need the pronunciation, you should try the following video. In the second part of the video there is a quiz to practise the words. There appear the words and you have about 3 seconds to say the word before you hear it.

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Daily activities – worksheets

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To practise the vocabulary there are several activities. The first one is an interactive quiz. You have three tasks. First, match the words and the pictures, second, click the correct image and third write the words. The quiz is in HTML5 so it will work anywhere.

If you would like to play the quiz on the full screen, click the following button.
[su_button url=”https://engames.eu/grammar/present_simple/Daily activities – vocabulary (Web)/index.html” target=”blank” background=”#f08cf5″ size=”6″]Daily activities – quiz[/su_button]

There are four more activities in a print form. Print out the following worksheets and solve them:
Daily routine_worksheet

When the students know the vocabulary, I believe it is time to introduce the grammar.
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Daily activities – song

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Here is a short song to practise the daily activities. It may serve as a good way to introduce the grammar too, as all the sentences are in present simple tense.

You could just play the song to the students or you could ask them to listen and complete the lyrics
I wake up in the morning

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Present simple tense – grammar

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Here is the infographic for present simple tense:
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The infographic contains a lot of details. If you think it would be too much for your students, feel free to cut it into parts and present the different forms at different times.

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Present simple tense – stories

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To help my students remember the grammar, I tell stories. I tell them in their mother tongue as their purpose is to help the students remember the grammar. I have already presented the story about questions here and you can find it in our post on Questions.
Here, there are two more stories to highlight the grammar.
The first story explains why people use the ending -s in third person singular.
In English there is the sound PSST which is used to draw someone’s attention. A long long time ago people did not gossip. But then they started to speak about someone else but no one listened. But those people who gossiped needed attention so they started to use the PSST sound. They said:
Nikola (use students’ names, it is more fun and people listen) cook PSST very badly.
Adam play PSST football. Jane like PSST English. And so on.
And as people spoke quicker and quicker they soon reduced the PSST sound to the ending -s. So ever since when we speak about 1 person who is not me or you, we use the ending -s.

The other story explains the usage of DON’T.
Do you know what sound do bells make in English. DING DONG! It is very important because I will tell you a story that happened in the year 756. On 15th June suddenly three bells fell from a church tower in the English town Epston and they became alive. Suddenly they had legs and they walked around the country. And they spoke. People came to them and they asked them. “Do you live here?” “We,” started the bells but suddenly the sound DONG came from inside, “DONG live here.”
“Do you like music?” people asked.
“We DONG like music?”
“Do you do any work?”
“We DONG work.”
People spoke about these bells everywhere. “They dong like music.” “They dong work.” And as the time passed they changed the DONG sound to don’t and ever since we use DON’T in negative sentences. Later people added the form DOESN’T in third person singular.
And what happened to the bells? As they could not do anything they put them back on the tower and they never became alive again.

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Present simple tense – grammar practice

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To practice the grammar I have created the following interactive quizzes.
The first quiz is a game calleed On Target. Your aim is to choose the correct answer and then shoot as many bad ducks as possible. You can shoot a bottle on the side too and win a bonus. The game is in flash and it plays on desktops only.

To play the game on the full screen, click the button below.

[su_button url=”https://engames.eu/grammar/present_simple/present simple tense_target.html” target=”blank” background=”#f08cf5″ size=”6″]Present simple tense – On Target[/su_button]

The second quiz is in HTML5 and thus it will play everywhere.

To play the game on the full screen, click the button below.

[su_button url=”https://engames.eu/grammar/present_simple/Present simple tense (Web)/index.html” target=”blank” background=”#f08cf5″ size=”6″]Present simple tense – QUIZ[/su_button]

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Present simple tense – Communicative activities

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You might miss here a worksheet with some communicative activities. So do I. But as I do not have any I would like to ask you to send me yours. If it is good and I decide to publish it here, I will Paypal you 10$. Please send the worksheets to rotreklzdenek@gmail.com. Thank you.
Remember the worksheets have to be your own.