At a basic level the present continuous or progressive tense is fairly easy to teach. It lends itself to miming activities and exercises using pictures. At a more advanced level it becomes more difficult and students have to understand that some verbs may be used differently depending on the context (ie.stative vs progressive).
A worksheet for practicing the present continuous tense for routines. One of the easiest ways to teach the present continuous is with the aid of pictures. Students have to describe the action in the pictures with phrases or sentences. They should feel free to use their imaginations and be creative. This now includes audio so it can also be used as a listening activity)
(see the video version on YouTube)
What are they doing ?- general situations (PDF)
This is an elementary writing and speaking exercise to help students understand the differences between the present simple and present continuous tenses.
This is an elementary ESL speaking exercise practicing the present continuous tense. Students make sentences about each picture in the present continuous. This can be done as a speaking or writing activity.
This is a sorting exercise that helps students learn when to use verbs in the present simple or present continuous/progressive tenses.
