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A1Present simple and present continuous

A1 English grammar worksheet

The two present tenses: what is always true against what is happening now.

8 gap-fill exercises on Present simple and present continuous, the first thing most beginners get wrong in English. Answer in the browser and the rule appears with each answer, or print the PDF and work through it on paper.

This A1 sheet is free on the web. The graded set from A2 to C2 lives in the oqou app, where A1 is part of Pro as well.

Practise it here

After each answer you get the rule, written in English. That is deliberate: the sheets are made to be worked through in the language you are learning.

Exercise 1 of 8

My sister in a bank.

Choose the word that fills the gap.

A1 English grammar worksheet

Print it

The same worksheet as a print-ready A4 PDF, with the answer key on the last page. Free to use in a classroom, and free to share.

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A4, 2 pages, answer key included

Present simple and present continuous

  1. My sister ___ in a bank.

    • works
    • is working
    • work
    • working

  2. Look, it ___ outside.

    • rains
    • is raining
    • rain
    • rained

  3. We usually ___ dinner at eight.

    • are having
    • having
    • have
    • has

  4. Be quiet, the baby ___.

    • sleeps
    • sleep
    • is sleep
    • is sleeping

  5. Water ___ at one hundred degrees.

    • boils
    • is boiling
    • boil
    • boiled

  6. I cannot talk now, I ___ to work.

    • drive
    • am driving
    • drives
    • driving

  7. He ___ coffee. He prefers tea.

    • is not drinking
    • not drink
    • does not drink
    • do not drink

  8. ___ you often work on Saturdays?

    • Are
    • Is
    • Does
    • Do
Answer key

  1. My sister works in a bank.

    Present simple for a job: it is true every day, not only now.

  2. Look, it is raining outside.

    Present continuous for something happening at this moment.

  3. We usually have dinner at eight.

    Present simple with usually, always and never: how often something happens.

  4. Be quiet, the baby is sleeping.

    Present continuous for right now, even when the verb is normally a habit.

  5. Water boils at one hundred degrees.

    Present simple for a fact that is always true.

  6. I cannot talk now, I am driving to work.

    Present continuous for this moment, often with now or at the moment.

  7. He does not drink coffee. He prefers tea.

    Present simple negative uses do not or does not for a habit.

  8. Do you often work on Saturdays?

    Present simple questions start with do or does, not with be.

The rest of the English grammar set

The oqou app carries the full graded set, one worksheet per CEFR level, alongside the reading it is meant to support. Grammar practice is part of Pro.

  • A2Past simple and past continuous14 exercisesIn the app
  • A2Comparatives and superlatives12 exercisesIn the app
  • A2Countable and uncountable: some, any, much, many, a few12 exercisesIn the app
  • A2Going to and will12 exercisesIn the app
  • A2Adverbs of frequency and word order12 exercisesIn the app
  • A2Verb + -ing or verb + to-infinitive12 exercisesIn the app
  • B1Present perfect and past simple14 exercisesIn the app
  • B1Must, have to, should: obligation and advice12 exercisesIn the app
  • B1Relative clauses, defining and non-defining12 exercisesIn the app
  • B1Reported speech and backshift12 exercisesIn the app
  • B1The passive: present and past simple12 exercisesIn the app
  • B1Used to and would for past habits12 exercisesIn the app
  • B2The three conditionals16 exercisesIn the app
  • B2Modals of deduction: must have, might have, can't have12 exercisesIn the app
  • B2Wish, if only and the unreal past12 exercisesIn the app
  • B2Passive reporting: it is said that, he is thought to12 exercisesIn the app
  • B2Future perfect and future continuous12 exercisesIn the app
  • B2Concession and contrast: although, despite, whereas, however12 exercisesIn the app
  • C1Inversion and fronting for emphasis14 exercisesIn the app
  • C1Cleft sentences: it-clefts and wh-clefts12 exercisesIn the app
  • C1Reduced and prepositional relative clauses12 exercisesIn the app
  • C1Verb patterns that change meaning: stop, remember, go on, regret12 exercisesIn the app
  • C1Alternatives to if: unless, provided that, as long as, otherwise12 exercisesIn the app
  • C1Hedging and cautious language12 exercisesIn the app
  • C2Participle clauses, ellipsis and nominalisation15 exercisesIn the app
  • C2The mandative subjunctive and formal that-clauses12 exercisesIn the app
  • C2Register: Latinate verb or phrasal verb12 exercisesIn the app
  • C2Modality in formal and legal register: shall, be to, may12 exercisesIn the app
  • C2Correlative structures: the more... the more, such... that, no sooner... than12 exercisesIn the app
  • C2Reporting and distancing: allege, purport, be said to12 exercisesIn the app
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Questions about the worksheets

Are these grammar worksheets really free?

Yes. The A1 worksheet for every language is free on this site, both to practise online and to download as a PDF, with no account and no email. You may print them for a class.

Where are the A2, B1 and higher worksheets?

In the oqou app, one worksheet per CEFR level per language, as part of Pro. A1 is free here on the web and part of Pro in the app, which is a deliberate exception rather than an oversight.

Can I use these with my students?

Yes. Print the PDF, hand it out, keep the answer key. A link back to this page is appreciated but not required.