1. FREE TIME
UNIT 7

2. UNIT GOALS
• IDENTIFY ACTIVITIES THAT ARE HAPPENING
NOW
• TALK ABOUT ACTIVITIES THAT ARE
HAPPENING NOW
• TALK ABOUT ABILITIES
• TALK ABOUT SPORTS

3. PRESENT CONTINUOUS
TENSE
• FORM
• [am/is/are + present participle]
• Examples:
• You are watching TV.
• Are you watching TV?
• You are not watching TV.

4. USE 1 NOW
• Use the Present Continuous with Normal Verbs to express
the idea that something is happening now, at this very
moment. It can also be used to show that something is not
happening now.
• Examples:
• You are learning English now.
• You are not swimming now.
• Are you sleeping?
• I am sitting.
• I am not standing.
• They are reading their books.
• They are not watching television.

5. USE 2 Longer Actions in
Progress Now
• In English, "now" can mean: this second, today, this month, this year,
this century, and so on. Sometimes, we use the Present Continuous to
say that we are in the process of doing a longer action which is in
progress; however, we might not be doing it at this exact second.
• Examples: (All of these sentences can be said while eating dinner in a
restaurant.)
• I am studying to become a doctor.
• I am not studying to become a dentist.
• I am reading the book Tom Sawyer.
• I am not reading any books right now.
• Are you working on any special projects at work?
• Aren't you teaching at the university now?

6. USE 3 Near Future
• Sometimes, speakers use the Present Continuous to
indicate that something will or will not happen in the
near future.
• Examples:
• I am meeting some friends after work.
• I am not going to the party tonight.
• Is he visiting his parents next weekend?
• Isn't he coming with us tonight?

7. P. CONTINUOUS
EXERCISES
• http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/verbs2.htm
• http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/view
game.asp?id=983

8. CAN FOR ABILITY
• Can is an auxiliary verb, a modal auxiliary verb.
We use can to:
• talk about possibility and ability
• make requests
• ask for or give permission

9. Structure of Can
• subject + can + main verb
• The main verb is always the bare infinitive
(infinitive without "to").
• + I can play tennis.
• - He cannot (OR CAN’T) play tennis.
• ? Can you play tennis?
• The main verb is always the bare infinitive.

10. Use of Can
• can: Possibility and Ability
• We use can to talk about what is possible, what
we are able or free to do:
• She can drive a car.
• I cannot hear you. (I can't hear you.)
• Can you hear me?

11. can: Requests and
Orders
• We often use can in a question to ask somebody to do
something. This is not a real question - we do not
really want to know if the person is able to do
something, we want them to do it! The use of can in
this way is informal (mainly between friends and
family):
• Can you make a cup of coffee, please.
• Can you put the TV on.
• Can you come here a minute.
• Can you be quiet!

12. can: Permission
• We sometimes use can to ask or give permission
for something:
• Can I smoke in this room?
• You can't smoke here, but you can smoke in the
garden.
• (Note that we also use could, may, might for
permission. The use of can for permission is
informal.)

13. CAN exercises
• http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/view
game.asp?id=7223
• http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/modal-verbs-
of-ability-exercise-1.html