At the beginning of the semester when I ask my grammar class when to use the present simple tense, I always get a few students who answer “now.” This is only partially correct. The present simple tense is really not so simple. When you are writing about something that is happening right now, you use the present continuous (progressive) tense.
Hopefully I can help my grammar students understand when to use the present simple tense and when to use the present progressive tense. To this end, I have created a short interactive PowerPoint presentation that reviews the uses of both tenses and then gives the students a chance to quiz themselves on what they remember. If you are interested, please link to the presentation below.
The photo at the top of this post comes from:
This site has some cool photos that make for interesting grammar questions.