I do my homework now: the '-ing' that means 'right now'

Objective & content

This Grammar Fix video (about 3 minutes 30) fixes one mistake: the plain verb for something happening right now. Freya (British) and Cody (American) give the rule: for this exact moment, use am, is or are plus -ing (I'm doing my homework now). It works for every subject (She's reading, They're playing) and for questions (What are you doing?). The video also shows that habits stay plain (I play football every Saturday). Students repeat phrases with the hosts, then play a three-round game: which sentence is right?

Pedagogical guide

French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Polish and Dutch speakers all make this mistake. German and Polish have no separate progressive form. French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and Dutch have one, but the plain present is also correct there for "right now". English needs the -ing form, so the plain form feels normal to learners.

Watch for the opposite problem. Some students learn the rule and put -ing on every verb, including habits. Game round three catches it. The video says the wrong sentence once. Do the same: correct it, do not drill it.

Suggested procedure

1. Before (2 min). Ask three students what they do every day. Then ask what they are doing at this moment. Write both on the board.
2. Watch (4 min). Play the video once. Students repeat aloud when the hosts say "Say them with me": I'm doing, She's reading, They're playing.
3. Game (3 min). Play the game again. Both sentences are on screen and spoken. Pause at each thinking beat ("Have a think", "Hmm... let's see", "Which is it") and ask the class to vote. Warn them that round three is different.
4. After (3 min). In pairs, students look at the board and mark each sentence: habit or right now?

Materials & prerequisites

• The video, a screen and sound for the whole class.
• The examples are at about A1+ level. Students need the verb be and common action verbs (do, read, play, wait).

Assessment & extensions

One student mimes an action and a partner describes it (You're jumping!). Then each student says one thing they do every day, in the plain form. The class hears the difference live.