Primary English: Present Continuous vs Present Simple Tutor Prep Guide

Primary English: Present Continuous vs Present Simple Tutor Prep Guide | Markers, Spelling and Traps

2026-11-14

Tutor lesson-prep guides · Primary English

A pupil who writes he is reads a book or I am knowing the answer is not being careless: the two tenses have merged into one. This chapter does two things only: use two timelines to pick the tense, then learn the eight state verbs that never take the continuous.

Objectives — Students can: (1) choose between the present continuous and the present simple using four now markers and five habit markers; (2) spell eight common verbs correctly with ing and state the three spelling rules; (3) name the eight state verbs that avoid the continuous and turn I am knowing into I know.

01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)

If any of these fails, fix it before the lesson starts.

Skill	Quick check	Pass mark
Verb be	I ___ a pupil.	am, first person takes am
Third person s	He ___ (play) football.	plays, the verb takes s
Action verbs	Name three action verbs	run, eat, write

02 Lesson flow (45 minutes)

Time	Stage	Tutor does	Student does
0-5 min	Two timelines	Photos of doing now and doing often	Say which tense each sentence needs
5-15 min	Marker sorting	Four now markers, five habit markers	Sort nine markers into two piles
15-25 min	ing spelling	Add, drop e, double the consonant	Write nine ing forms
25-33 min	State verbs	Eight verbs that avoid the continuous	Correct five sentences
33-42 min	Twelve mixed items	Four traps, eight ordinary	Work through twelve alone
42-45 min	Exit check	Three questions collected and marked	Work independently

03 Teaching script (read it out)

Scene 1: Two timelines: doing now and doing often

The division of labour is a single line: an action happening now takes the present continuous, an action that happens regularly takes the present simple. The continuous is be plus ing; the simple is the base verb, with s in the third person. Decisions come from markers, not feelings: now, at the moment, right now, today these 4 point to be plus ing, while every day, usually, often, always, on Sundays these 5 point to the s form. Model pair: he is reading a book now against he reads a book every day. Same action, different time, different verb. Warn pupils that a state verb with now still takes the simple (I know the answer now); that is act three.

Students do: sort the nine markers into two piles and write one sentence for each pile. Students say: why every day forces the simple, and what be is doing in the continuous.

Scene 2: Three ing spelling rules: add, drop e, double

Three rules cover almost every P3 verb. Rule one: add ing (read to reading, play to playing, eat to eating). Rule two: a silent final e is dropped first (write to writing, make to making, take to taking). Rule three: a short vowel plus one consonant doubles that consonant (run to running, sit to sitting, swim to swimming). All three rules protect the sound: dropping e avoids an extra syllable, doubling keeps the vowel short. The test for rule three is the ending: one vowel plus one consonant doubles, but two consonants (jump to jumping) or two vowels (read to reading) never do. Spell nine verbs together, then let pupils spell their own; correct on the spot rather than at marking.

Students do: write the nine ing forms and note which rule each one used. Students say: why run doubles n but jump does not.

Scene 3: Eight state verbs: states, not actions

State verbs describe thoughts, feelings or possession, not actions, so they avoid the continuous. The eight to learn are know, like, want, believe, need, understand, belong, hate. Wrong: I am knowing the answer, she is wanting a drink. Right: I know the answer, she wants a drink. The test to give pupils: can the action be stopped halfway? Know cannot, run can, and only what can be stopped takes the continuous. Have splits in two: possession takes the simple (I have a pen), while eating or bathing takes the continuous (I am having lunch, he is having a bath). Pair this act with practice: 4 of the 12 items are state-verb traps, 33.3 per cent, because the traps are where marks are lost.

Students do: correct five wrong sentences, giving the right verb and one reason each. Students say: how know differs from run, and why I am having lunch is acceptable.

04 Question types and worked steps

Type	Example	Steps	Answer
Gap fill	Choose continuous or simple	Find the marker first, then apply the formula	Using the continuous whenever now appears
Error correction	Fix I am knowing, she is wanting	Decide whether the verb is a state verb	Deleting am but leaving the wrong verb form
Spelling	Write nine ing forms	Match the ending against the three rules	Writing writeing
Marker matching	Match nine markers to two tenses	Ask whether it is this moment or usual	Filing today under the simple only

Sanity check (teach this): Sanity check: only the two present tenses are contrasted, with no past or present perfect, which P3 has not met; the state verbs are capped at eight common P3 words; the ing rules are three, covering about nine in ten textbook verbs; 4 of 12 practice items are state-verb traps at 33.3 per cent, deliberately high; both decision tests (can it be stopped, is there a marker) are single questions pupils can apply without exception lists.

05 Independent practice (3 questions)

Question	Answer	What to watch
Tense choice	Eight gap-fill sentences	Check the marker was found first
Spelling	Nine ing forms	Check write and run
Traps	Five state-verb corrections	Check know and want are spotted

06 Common mistakes and what to say

Mistake	Student writes	Say this
Missing be	He reading a book now.	The continuous always has be: he is reading. Without it the sentence is a different pattern.
State verb with ing	I am knowing the answer.	Know is a state, not an action: I know the answer.
ing misspelt	writeing, runing	Write drops the e: writing; run doubles the n: running.
Now means continuous	I am knowing it now.	Check the verb first: state verbs stay simple even with now.

07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)

Primary English chapter index — Every chapter in the subject
Tutor prep master index — Similar chapters in other subjects
Redo this chapter — Practice questions 1, 2 and 4: gap fill, correction, spelling

08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)

Question	Answer	Decision
Tense	Six of eight gap fills correct	Fewer than six: reteach act one
Spelling	All nine ing forms correct	Two wrong: redo practice question 3
Traps	Four state verbs spotted	Missed: back to act three

09 Tutor FAQ

Does today count as a now marker?

Yes, but check the verb: I am busy today is a state and takes the simple, while I am working today can take the continuous.

Does always force the simple?

Usually yes (he always walks to school). Always with the continuous signals complaint, which P3 does not need.

Should pupils treat have as a state verb always?

For P3 that is acceptable, but show I am having lunch once so the exception is not a surprise in secondary school.

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A TutorZone lesson-prep guide. Written by the TutorZone team; questions and lesson flow are original and are not taken from any school or publisher material.