Work or study Pres Simp or Cont (Face2Face Pre U3/ Study abroad)
Work or Studies Present Simple Present Continuous (Face2Face Pre-Intermediate Unit 3 Alternative Lesson Plan/ Study abroad students)
Ask each other questions about how often you do things. The person who does each thing more often is the winner.
Continue, only asking about work or studying.
Continue, asking questions about the actions below.
Use an eraser Clean your desk Read the newspaper
File your notes Carry a heavy bag Write with a ballpoint pen
Check your answers Use a computer Have a break
Sharpen your pencil Answer the phone in English Run
Dream in English Stand up for a long time Study for an exam
Do grammar exercises Refill an automatic pencil Cook meals
Use a dictionary Wear gloves Sell
Use a calculator Use a date stamp Meet people
Add up Take a written test Drive
Tidy up Use a map Chew your pencil
Use a ruler Fill in a form Use a compass
Open and close your pencil case
Divide the actions above into ones mainly about work (W) and ones mainly about studying (S) or equally about both (EB)
Mime the actions above and guess what your partner is doing.
Which tense did you use in the How often questions, and what tense did you use to describe the mimes?
Which tense is the Present Simple (”simple” means only one verb) and which tense is the Present Continuous?
What is the difference in meaning between the two tenses?
Which tense is used for things that happen often, habits, routines etc? Which tense is used for things now, things that are only temporary etc?
Read the texts below without writing anything and decide if each one is about work or studies.
Dear Sir
My son, Kevin, left school two months ago and now he _________________ (look) for a job. The problem is that companies always ____________________ (say) they _________________ (want) people with experience, but how can he get experience if no-one gives him a job? He ____________________ (read) the paper every day, but there’s nothing for people like him. Today, he ________________________ (do) some gardening for our neighbours to earn a bit of money but he ____________________ (need) a real job.
Mrs J McKenzie
Wolverhampton
Dear Sir
I read your report on unemployment in yesterday’s paper and I ___________________ (write) to tell you how it feels to be unemployed. I’m 54 years old and I worked for a computer company for 17 years until it closed down 4 months ago. I’m applying for every job I can but I ________________________ (never get) an interview because people __________________ (think) I’m too old. It’s very frustrating. I ___________________ (have got) lots of experience and I ________________________ (want) to work. I just ___________________ (need) someone to give me a chance.
George Carter, Tipton
Read through again and fill each gap with the correct form of the Present Continuous or the Present Simple.
Check your answers in your book (Face2Face Pre-Intermediate Page 22-23)
Which of the verbs above is a state verb (a verb that is never used in the Present Continuous with the meaning above)?
Match the two texts to the two photos.
Looking only at the photos, test each other on what the two people do and are doing.
What jobs might match all the actions you marked W or E in the worksheet above? Which jobs could be suitable for the two people and why? Which jobs on the worksheet below might be suitable for them and why?
Further practice Choose one of the jobs below and mime one of the things people do in that job. When your partner guesses which action, they can ask you how often you do that in your job and you then have to guess which job it is.
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A home tutor (= private teacher)
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A shop assistant (= shop staff)
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Table staff (=Waiter/ waitress)
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Kitchen staff (= cook, sous chef etc.)
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Warehouse staff (e.g. shelf stacker, fork lift driver)
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A bar tender/ barmaid (=Bar staff)
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A chamber maid (= room attendant= hotel cleaner)
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A bellboy/ hotel porter
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A medical research volunteer (=taking new medicines)
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A film extra/ TV extra (= actor with no lines)
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A data input clerk(= easy computer work)
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A childminder/ babysitter/ nanny
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A gardener
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A cleaner (e.g. an office cleaner)
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A dog walker
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A cycle courier
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A camp councillor
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A fruit picker
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Campsite staff
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Event staff (for conferences, sports grounds etc.)
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A lifeguard/ swimming instructor
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A security guard
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A receptionist
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A care worker (e.g. in an old people’s home)
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A petrol station attendant (= gas station attendant)
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A car washer
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A street cleaner
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A removals man
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A charity fundraiser
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A swimming pool cleaner
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A milk man (= milk delivery)
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A door to door salesman
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A summer camp sports instructor
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A leafleter
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A market research volunteer
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A private language teacher
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A barista (= a coffee maker= café staff)
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Student Union (= University Union) staff
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A cinema usher
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A factory worker
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A plonger (= dishwasher)
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A pizza delivery boy
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A farmer/ farm hand
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A home help
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Choose one of the jobs above, and describe the job one sentence at a time and see if your partner can guess which job it is after each sentence.
Continue, but with a job your teacher will give you a photo of (from Face2Face Pre Intermediate Pages 20/21). Don’t open your books and don’t show the photo to your partner.
Match the 3 photos to the sentences on page 20 exercise 2, and continue with the book exercises.
Choose any other job and give your partners hints using the “have to” forms in the book. Can they guess which job you are describing?
The jobs listed above are all typical part-time jobs advertised on a students’ union notice board. Which jobs would you like and why?