Cathy and Steve
Cathy and Steve are engaged, but unfortunately, Cathy lives in Sussex and Steve in Yorkshire. It is nine o’clock on Saturday morning, when the phone rings beside Steve’s bed. He is still asleep.
STEVE: Hello?
CATHY: Hello dear, where are you?
STEVE: Where all civilised people should be at this time on a Saturday morning – in bed.
CATHY: Lazy thing!
STEVE: What do you mean ‘lazy thing’? I earn my rest. I work very hard, you know.
CATHY: Of course you do, dear.
STEVE: What about you? What are you doing?
CATHY: At the moment, I’m drinking a cup of coffee and talking to my lazy fiancé, but later I’m going
shopping. That’s what I want to talk to you about.
STEVE: Mmm
CATHY: I’m getting the curtains for the bedroom.
STEVE: Good.
CATHY: Do you like the idea of pale green?
STEVE: That sounds all right.
CATHY: Plain … then there won’t be any problem when you come to buy the carpet. But I want to
order the curtains today, because Aunt Phyllis is staying, and she’s giving the curtains as a
wedding present. So we’re going together to choose the material.
STEVE: That’s a good idea.
CATHY: And what are you doing today?
STEVE: Well, this morning I’ve got a little shopping to do, then this afternoon I’m going to the
football with Jim.
CATHY: All right, Love, enjoy yourself. Bye.
STEVE: Same to you. Bye.
A – Oral Questions
1. Do Cathy and Steve see one another every day?
2. If not, why not?
3. Why isn’t Steve at work when the phone rings?
4. Why does Cathy call Steve?
5. How does he defend himself?
6. What is Cathy doing while she’s talking to Steve?
7. What is she planning to buy
8. Who is paying for them?
9. Is she planning to buy flowered material?
10. Where is Steve going this afternoon?
B – Do you remember Peter (in Unit 1?
This story is about him. Put the verbs enclosed in brackets into the correct tenses:
Peter _____________ (work) for the bomb disposal squad. When people _______________(find)
something that ______________(look) like a bomb, the bomb disposal squad are called, and they
have to find out if it _________(be) a bomb or not. Today is Monday. At the moment Peter
________________________(not examine) any strange parcels. He ________________(sit) in his
office and (read) a number of official letters and notices.
Whenever the bomb disposal squad _______________(find) a new sort of bomb, they always
________________ (send) a full description of it to all the bomb disposal teams. So Peter always
______________(read) his official letters very carefully and _______________(study) any
diagrams they may contain.
C – Sometimes we use the Present Continuous tense to make a future statement. Look at this situation:
Fred is a bachelor and his life is very carefully organised. Brenda, one of the young secretaries in the office where Fred works, thinks he is rather nice. She suggests that they might go to the movies together one evening.
“What about Monday evening?” she asks.
“Oh!” says Fred, “on Monday evening I´m taking my washing to the Laundromat.
Now you play the part of Fred. Answer Brenda´s questions using the ideas below:
1. What about Tuesday evening?
HAVE/SUPPER/SISTER
2. What about Wednesday evening?
GO/MY EVENING CLASS
3. What about Thursday evening?
PLAY CARDS/ROBERT´S
4. What about Friday evening?
MEET/HARRY/DRINK
5. What about Saturday evening?
WATCH/FOOTBALL/TELEVISION
6. What about Sunday evening?
GO/CHURCH
D – When Steve is talking to Cathy in the conversation at the beginning of this unit, he says:
… I´m going to the football with Jim.
Use the notes below to make up similar sentences, using the present continuous as a future.
1. I/see/Mr Allen/tomorrow
2. I/go/movies/this evening
3. The President/come/London/next week
4. I/buy/some new shoes/at the weekend
5. He/change/his job/after Christmas
6. They/move/to the sea side/in the spring
7. We/go/to Spain/next month
8. They/open/a new store/on twentieth July
9. I/ask for a rise/at the end of the week
10. I/get/that record/Saturday
E – Cathy asks Steve this question:
What are you doing today?
Use the notes below to make up questions you might ask your friend.
1. Where/go/this afternoon
2. Why/go/into the city
3. Who/go/party with
4. What/do/tomorrow
5. Where/buy/shoes
6. When/go/dentist
7. When/get/tickets for the concert
8. Where/meet/Paul/this evening
9. What time/come/tomorrow
10. Why/come/so late
F – Ideas for discussion
Look at some more examples of the present continuous used as future:
I´M GETTING MARRIED NEXT MAY!
(Note: The ring has been bought, the arrangements have been made, the invitations have been printed.)
I´M GOING TO THE FOOTBALL MATCH ON SATURDAY.
(Note: Either you know there will be no problem about getting in, or you already have your ticket.)
Now make some statements like this about your life and talk about them with your friends.
Special points to note
In this unit we have more practice in making statements and asking questions using the present continuous tense – as a future.
Look at these examples:
ON MONDAY EVENING I´M TAAKING MY WASHING TO THE LAUNDROMAT.
ON THURSDAY EVENING, I´M PLAYING CARDS.
ON FRIDAY EVENING I´M MEETING HARRY
We use the PRESENT CONTINUOS to talk about future time if we know exactly what we are doing then: when we have arrangements, dates, appointments or tickets.
David in the Snowstorm
In London it doesn´t often snow, but when it does, life becomes very difficult for everyone. Cars have to go very slowly because the roads are covered in ice and wet snow, so there are terrible traffic jams, and lots of people arrive late for work. The snow usually melts quickly and this makes the pavement dangerous and unpleasant to walk on. Only children really like the snow.
David works in the local library. He usually goes to work by bus, but this morning he´s walking because there don´t seem to be any buses. He is wearing his winter coat and scarf, but it is still snowing and the wet snow is trickling down his neck, and making him feel very uncomfortable. He´s looking forward to having a nice, hot cup of coffee.
A – Do this exercise:
1. Ask if it often snows in London.
2. Answer the question.
3. What effect does the snow have on people´s lives?
4. What happens to cars?
5. Do people arrive at work on time?
6. Ask if the snow melts quickly.
7. Answer the question.
8. What is the result of the snow melting?
9. Who likes the snow very much?
10. Ask where David works.
11. Answer the question.
12. Why is he walking to work today?
13. What is he wearing?
14. What is trickling down his neck?
15. What effect is this having on him?
16. What is David looking forward to?
B – Look at this picture of boats on a river and then put the verbs in the passage below into the correct tenses:
In Cambridge the students often ______________ (take) their girlfriends for trips up and down the
river in boats like this. We ____________ (call) them punts. The students ______________ (steer)
them with a long pole. They also ___________ (use) the pole to propel the boat through the
water. In a rowing boat, of course, you ___________ (do) this with oars.
The young man in the picture ____________ (stand) at the back of the punt. He ___________ (do)
all the work while the couple enjoy the sunshine. A little group of people __________________
(stand) on the sideways. They ____________ (watch) the boats passing through and I believe
there are people ______________ (take) photographs.
Of course a great many foreigners ___________ (visit) Cambridge in the summer. I sometimes
_____________ (think) it must make it rather difficult for the students to study.
C – Look at these ideas:
When are you going to Germany?
I´m going on Friday?
John isn´t coming.
Use the notes below to make up similar sentences:
1. What time/you/come/Saturday?
2. Who/come/party?
3. Tom and Sue/not/come
4. Is it true/Peter/change/job?
5. George/get/new car
6. Where/buy/it?
7. You/watch/horror movie/tonight?
8. Which channel/they/show/it on?
9. Mike/go/abroad
10. When/he/leave?
D – Composition
You are the personal assistant to a very important man, who works at your embassy in London. It´s Monday and you are going through his programme for the week with him. Here is an example of the entries you have made in his diary.
MONDAY 3.00 pm Mr Steefen from
Germany Embassy
You say: “At 3.00 pm you´re seeing Mr Steffen from the German Embassy.”
Below are the complete notes for one week. Look at them carefully, then write the conversation between you and your boss:
MONDAY 12.00 pm Lunch with Mr. Patterson / Merrill Lynch
8.00 pm Dinner at Claridges Hotel / Turkish Ambassador
TUESDAY 10.00 am meeting with our Ambassador
1.00 pm Lunch, Post Office Tower / British Post Office officials
WEDNESDAY 10.00 am Appointment at Board of Trade / Discuss new import duties
THURSDAY 6.00 pm Attend cocktail party / German Embassy
professorca 