PRESENT SIMPLE X PRESENT CONTINUOUS

1) Read and circle the correct words:

a) We celebrate / are celebrating Christmas every year.
b) At the moment I buy / am buying presents.
c) Every year, we go / are going to London.
d) Now he writes / is writing cards.
e) We don’t have / aren’t having a party every December.
f) I never phone / am phoning my cousins in Australia.

2) Read and complete. Use the present simple or the present continuous of the verbs in brackets:
a) Every year at New Year we _____________________ (have) a party.
b) Today I ________________________(buy) presents.
c) At the moment we _____________________________(wear) party clothes.
d) We _______________________________(not wear) party clothes every day.
e) Now she _____________________________ (not listen) to pop music.

3) Read the paragraph and circle the correct answer:

Hi! It’s my birthday today and we have / are having a party. At the moment I’m standing / stand in the garden. My
favourite music plays / is playing and people are singing / sing “Happy birthday”. I don’t usually have / am not usually
having a party and I don’t always get / am not always getting a birthday cake but today is different. I’ve got a big cake
and lots of presents.

4) Complete the texts with the present simple or present continuous of the verbs in brackets:

a) Hello! My name is Jens. I’m from Denmark. I ___________________ (love) Christmas. We _______________
(celebrate) it every year with the family. We _________________________ (eat) lots of fish, and Mum and Dad
__________________ (drink) special wine.
Today my Dad ___________________(buy) our Christmas tree. Every year we ____________________(have) the
tree in the garden, and we ___________________ (dance) around it in the days before Christmas.
Now I __________________________(write) cards and ___________________ (make) presents. I always _________
(make) my presents – cakes and special Christmas food.

b) Claudia is Italian. She ____________________(live) in a small village called Rubiera and she _________________
(go) to school in Modena. Usually she ____________________ (not speak) much English. But today she
_________________________ (speak) English because some English students _________________________ (visit)
her school and they ________________________ (not speak) Portuguese.