Grammar: Present simple or Present continuous

We have two present tenses you need to practise: the present simple and the present continuous. We use them to talk about different things and we make them in different ways. Look at the picture:

What is happening in the picture?

The sheep are walking. The pig is guiding the sheep. The people are watching. The people are not talking.

We use the present continuous to talk about things that are happening now, at the moment. Everything you can see in the picture is happening now in the picture.

We make the present continuous using the verb BE as an auxiliary verb + base form + ing. For example,

I am talking          you are talking           he is talking          we are talking          they are talking


We use the present simple to talk about routines, things that happen every day. For example,

What do sheep do? They eat grass and play in the field. They don't eat meat.

We make the present simple using the base form of the verb. Remember,
1. when we use he/she/it, we need to add s, es, or ies to the base form
2. we use do/does + base form to make questions  do you like cheese? does he eat meat?
3. we use don't/doesn't + base form to make negative sentences  you don't eat kabsa/ he doesn't like meat

We also use the present simple to talk about facts and things that are always true. For example,

People speak Arabic in Libya.  The planet goes round the sun.

Here are some links where you can practise:

Present simple:
1. https://elt.oup.com/student/englishfile/elementary/a_grammar/file02/grammar02_a01?cc=us&selLanguage=en
2. https://elt.oup.com/student/englishfile/elementary/a_grammar/file02/grammar02_a02?cc=us&selLanguage=en
3. https://elt.oup.com/student/englishfile/elementary/a_grammar/file02/grammar02_b01?cc=us&selLanguage=en
4. https://elt.oup.com/student/englishfile/elementary/a_grammar/file02/grammar02_b02?cc=us&selLanguage=en
5. https://elt.oup.com/student/headway/elementary/a_grammar/unit03/?cc=gb&selLanguage=en 

(Be careful with the last link. The second exercise may not work.)

Present continuous:
1. https://elt.oup.com/student/englishfile/elementary/a_grammar/file06/grammar06_c01?cc=us&selLanguage=en
2. https://elt.oup.com/student/englishfile/elementary/a_grammar/file06/grammar06_c02?cc=us&selLanguage=en
3. https://elt.oup.com/student/headway/elementary/a_grammar/unit11/hwy_elem_unit11_1?cc=gb&selLanguage=en


Present simple or Present continuous?
1. https://elt.oup.com/student/englishfile/elementary/a_grammar/file06/grammar06_d01?cc=us&selLanguage=en
2. https://elt.oup.com/student/englishfile/elementary/a_grammar/file06/grammar06_d02?cc=us&selLanguage=en
3. https://elt.oup.com/student/result/engelem/a_grammar/unit08/8d_1?cc=gb&selLanguage=en
4. https://elt.oup.com/student/result/engelem/a_grammar/unit08/8d_2?cc=gb&selLanguage=en