How do I choose between the present simple and the present continuous?

The present simple is for habits, facts and timetables (every day, usually, never). The present continuous is for what is happening right now or temporarily (now, Look!, at the moment). The same verb can take either tense; the difference is habitual versus this moment.

Why are know, like and believe not used in the continuous form?

They are state verbs: they describe a mental or sensory state that simply exists rather than an action that starts and stops, so they normally stay in the present simple: I know, She likes, He believes.

S1 English: Present Simple and Present Continuous (Basic, 10 Questions)

2026-11-07

Tutor Prep Guide · S1 English

A basic set on the present simple (third person -s and -es, y to ies, have to has), do and does in negatives and questions, the forms of be, and the present continuous triggered by now, Look! and Listen!, each with an answer and a one-line note.

Quick answer Answers in order: goes, do not watch, Does … play, am, is sleeping, are not doing, has, carries, is singing, rises. Ask yourself first whether the sentence is about a habit or about this moment.

01 Paper details (check answers afterwards)

Item	Detail
Questions	10 questions
Suggested time	about 30 minutes
Difficulty mix	Foundation 10
Chapter	Chapter: S1 English: Present Simple and Present Continuous
Level	S1

02 Questions (10 items)

FoundationMary ______ (go) to school by bus every day.
FoundationThey ______ (not / watch) TV in the morning.
Foundation______ he ______ (play) football every Sunday?
FoundationI ______ (be) a Secondary One student this year.
FoundationLook! The baby ______ (sleep) in the room.
FoundationWe ______ (not / do) our homework now.
FoundationMy sister ______ (have) two cats.
FoundationHe usually ______ (carry) a big bag to school.
FoundationListen! Someone ______ (sing) in the next room.
FoundationThe sun ______ (rise) in the east.

03 Answers and one-line notes

#	Answer	One-line note
1	goes	Every day signals a habit, so we use the present simple; with a third person singular subject go becomes goes.
2	do not watch	For a negative present simple we use do not plus the base verb; with they the auxiliary is do, not does.
3	Does … play	A present simple question starts with do or does and the main verb stays in the base form, so it is Does he play.
4	am	The present form of be with I is am; is goes with he, she and it, and are with you, we and they.
5	is sleeping	Look! points to something happening now, so we use am, is or are plus the -ing form; the baby takes is.
6	are not doing	Now shows the action is in progress, so we use the present continuous and put not after are.
7	has	Owning something is a state, so the present simple is used; the third person singular of have is has.
8	carries	Usually marks a habit, so we use the present simple; carry ends in a consonant plus y, so y changes to ies.
9	is singing	Listen! signals something happening at this moment, so the present continuous is used, and someone takes is.
10	rises	A natural fact takes the present simple, and with a third person singular subject rise becomes rises.

04 What to do after marking

After marking, redo only the wrong items and write down which step went wrong (formula, unit, or misread number).
Repeat the same item two days later; move to the next paper only when both attempts are correct.
Parents only need the answer and note columns; there is no need to explain every item.

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