Question

Circle the correct tense. »o 1.5, 1.6, 1.7
1 Cats sleep / are sleeping for about sixteen hours a day.
2 Mason walks / is walking to school every day.
3 Jack and Emily don't belong / aren't belonging to our sports club.
4 Don't forget your scarf - it snows / it's snowing.
5 I meet / I'm meeting Paul for a coffee this afternoon.
6 Why do you wear / are you wearing shorts? It's cold today!
7 He's laughing. but he doesn't understand / isn't understanding the joke.
8 Let's continue with the game. I have / I'm having fun!

Answer 1

The following are the correct tenses for the sentences:

1 sleep

2 walks

3 aren't belonging

4 it's snowing

5 I'm meeting

6 are you wearing

7 isn't understanding

8 I'm having

Simple present tense is used to talk about habits, routines, and facts.

Present continuous tense is used to talk about actions that are happening now, or that are temporary.

Here is a more detailed explanation of each sentence:

Cats sleep for about sixteen hours a day. This is a general fact about cats, so we use the simple present tense.

Mason walks to school every day. This is a regular habit of Mason's, so we use the simple present tense.

Jack and Emily don't belong to our sports club. This is a permanent fact, so we use the simple present tense.

Don't forget your scarf - it's snowing. The snow is falling right now, so we use the present continuous tense.

I meet Paul for a coffee this afternoon. This is a scheduled event, but it is also happening in the future, so we use the present continuous tense.

Why are you wearing shorts? It's cold today! The speaker is asking why the person is wearing shorts right now, so we use the present continuous tense.

He's laughing, but he doesn't understand the joke. The person is laughing right now, but they don't understand the joke, so we use the present continuous tense for the first action and the simple present tense for the second action.

Let's continue with the game. I'm having fun! The speaker is suggesting that they continue with the game because they are enjoying themselves, so we use the present continuous tense.