are you doing your homework yes i am

• English Grammar
• Present tense

Present continuous

Level: beginner

The present continuous is made from the present tense of the verb be  and the –ing form  of a verb:

We use the present continuous to talk about:

• activities at the moment of speaking :

I 'm just leaving work. I'll be home in an hour. Please be quiet. The children are sleeping .

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• future plans or arrangements:

Mary is going to a new school next term . What are you doing next week ?

Plans for next month

2nd (Sat.) – my birthday. Party! 4th – day off 10th (Sun.) – flight OS462 15.40 11th, 12th, 13th – conference, Vienna 15th – dentist 3 p.m. 22nd – Mum & Dad arrive, evening 23rd – Toni's Restaurant (make reservation!) 25th – Mum & Dad > home 29th – payday

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Present continuous questions

We make questions by putting am , is or are in front of the subject :

Are you listening? Are they coming to your party? When is she going home? What am I doing here?

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Present continuous negatives

We make negatives by putting not (or n't ) after am , is or are :

I 'm not doing that. You are n't listening. (or  You ' re not listening. ) They are n't coming to the party. (or  They ' re not coming to the party. ) She i s n' t going home until Monday. (or  She 's not going home until Monday. )

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Stative verbs

We do not normally use the continuous with stative verbs . Stative verbs include:

• verbs of thinking and feeling :
• verbs of the senses:

We normally use the simple instead:

I understand you. (NOT I am understanding  you. ) This cake tastes wonderful. (NOT  This cake is tasting wonderful. )

Level: intermediate

We also use the present continuous to talk about:

• something which is happening before and after a specific time :

At eight o'clock we are usually having breakfast. When I get home the children are doing their homework.

• something which we think is temporary :

Michael is at university. He 's studying history. I 'm working in London for the next two weeks.

• something which is new and contrasts with a previous state:

These days most people are using email instead of writing letters. What sort of clothes are teenagers wearing nowadays? What sort of music are they listening to?

• something which is changing, growing or developing:

The children are growing up quickly. The climate is changing rapidly. Your English is improving .

• something which happens again and again :

It 's always raining in London. They are always arguing . George is great. He 's always laughing .

Note that we normally use always with this use.  

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Level: advanced

We can use the present continuous to talk about the past  when we are:

• telling a story :

The other day I 'm just walking down the street when suddenly this man comes up to me and asks me to lend him some money. Well, he 's carrying a big stick and he looks a bit dangerous, so I 'm wondering what to do …

• summarising a book, film or play:

Harry Potter is a pupil at Hogwarts school. One day when he is playing Quidditch he sees a strange object in the sky. He wonders what is happening …

The train is leaving in ten minutes' time. Is it correct ? 

Or we must say the train leaves in ten minutes' time.

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Is it correct to use the present contineous to talk about our daily routine , like "...,when I’m not writing, I’m cooking and cleaning ...."? if it is valid, which of the P.C tense uses  mentioned above applies to this sentence ?

Hello lemmongrab,

Yes, that's correct. The present continuous describes a state of being, meaning the situation you're in at a given moment. In your example the speaker is saying that they are constantly busy and at any given moment if they are not busy doing one thing then they are busy doing another. It uses the idea of constant activities in progress to show how busy they are, so it's not really talking about a routine so much as a state of being busy constantly.

Does that clarify it for you?

The LearnEnglish Team

Could you tell me why the verb be doesn't drop the -e?

Because we say:

She's being a very good student

Instead of:

She's bing a very good student

Thank you so much.

Hi fernandesrafah,

It's because of how the word sounds. 

The "e" at the end of a verb is dropped if it is silent (e.g. live --> living; love --> loving; write --> writing). But in "be", the "e" is not silent. It has a sound, so the "ing" is added to it, rather than replacing it. "Being" has two syllables (be-ing) while the word "bing" would only have one syllable. Other verbs are similar (see --> seeing; agree --> agreeing).

I hope that answers your question?

LearnEnglish team

Hello teachers,

Is this sentence 'She is very careful' called a nominal sentence?

And if I want to use the sentence in present progressive form, which one is correct "She is very careful" or "she is being very careful"? Do they have different meanings?

Thank you very much in advance.

Hi Risa warysha,

No, it's not a nominal sentence. It's a verbal sentence, because it includes a finite verb ("is"). A nominal sentence has no finite verb (e.g. The faster, the better. / How interesting! )

About your second question, they are both correct. Yes, they have different meanings. "She is being very careful" means that she is doing the current action carefully (but it does not say anything about whether she is generally careful or not, in other actions). On the other hand, "She is very careful" is about her actions in general.

I hope that helps.

Can I say " She is lazy." for present progressive form because I think that "be" is a state verb?

And can I also say "She has been busy for the last 2 weeks." instead of "She has been being busy for the last 2 weeks."?

"Be" is a state verb, that's right. "She is lazy" is a perfectly good sentence but it's a present simple sentence, not the present progressive, because the present progressive is formed by be + - ing verb. The present progressive would be "She is being lazy", which also means a state but a temporary one, as mentioned above.

About your second question, it's very unusual to say "been being busy". The present perfect "She has been busy" already indicates a state that is temporary.

Hi Peter 1- can I use adverbs of frequency with Present continuous for ( temporary and changing, growing or developing and around now )

OR just I can use adverbs of frequency with Present continuous for (before and after a specific time and again and again ) ?

2- Is this grammatical or informal ? I use Present simple for future with (Instructions and directions) ? example - where do I pay ? - You take the train into the city centre and then you take a number five bus

Re: 1, if I understand you, I'd say adverbs of frequency aren't generally used with these meanings. But could you please give some specific examples? Just so we can be sure that we're talking about the same thing. 

Re: 2, yes, these sentences are good examples of the present simple for instructions or directions. I wouldn't say there's any future sense here because in general, instructions were valid in the past, are valid now, and will be valid in the future.

All the best, Kirk LearnEnglish team

why my answers consider wrong i put is not instead of isn't . well does't they consider the same thing ?

Hi ashley_20,

Yes, right! "Is not" is the same as "isn't".

But if you are looking at the exercise "Present continuous negatives 2", the instruction says:  Use contractions . That's why only "isn't" is accepted.

Why use "- ing" in this sentence? I usually say "I'll go...". How does "- ing" work?

Shall I pick up the laundry for you? Oh, no, don’t make a special journey. It’s OK. I'll be going to the shops anyway.

Hello again Jembut,

The form 'will be verb-ing' is often used when an action is seen as part of our day's itinerary. It's a little less formal than some other forms and is quite common in speech.

I don't get the: "something which happens again and again". Isn't Present Simple the tense which we use to phrase repetitive, routine actions?

Hello Prodykcja,

You are right in thinking that we generally use the present simple to talk about routine actions. If we use the present continuous to talk about habitual actions, another layer of meaning is added.

Typically, it's one of two or three additional meanings. First, it can show that we're thinking of actions that continue for a specific period of time. For example, if you ask me to go running with you at 7 p.m., I might say, 'I'm sorry, but I'm just getting home from work then. I can't.' The specific period of time is the time it would take to go for a run starting at 7 p.m. Note that in this case, I could also answer using the present simple, but using the present continuous shows I'm not thinking so much of a schedule as what I'm normally doing at that time. This is not particularly important most of the time; it's more just how people sometimes think.

The second additional meaning the present continuous can express is an attitude of annoyance. We very often use time adverbials such as 'always' and 'all the time' when we want to express this meaning. The sentences in the explanation above are good examples of this.

The third (though not necessarily last) meaning expresses some kind of change. For example, let's say that for years your brother has had the habit of going running two days a week. Now he is training for a marathon, so you could tell your friends 'He's running every day now'.

As I've mentioned, there are other possible meanings -- you can see more on our Continuous aspect page -- but I'd say these are the most common ones.

Best wishes, Kirk LearnEnglish team

Hi, I learned that we can use the present continuous with some state verbs, but most of the time, those verbs describe ‘actions’ rather than ‘states.’ However, there is one example that baffles me, it is ‘Ella’s with us at the moment. The children are loving having her here.’ The state verb here describes emotion rather than action. And there is an explanation that the state verb in the aforementioned sentence emphasizes the situation for a period of time around the present. But, I am still confused about that. I think the present simple would be more proper, it should be ‘Ella’s with us at the moment. The children love having her here.’

Would you mind giving me further explanation about this case? As what I have been taught was that the state verb without ‘action’ meanings should be used in present simple to describe the states or feelings which are true at present.

Hello Bao Quach,

You certainly could use the present simple here, and there's really very little difference between the simple and continuous forms in this case. The use of  continuous aspect here is very subjective and can communicate different things.

It could, for example, show that the speaker is trying to emphasise the temporary nature of the event, or it could be that it surprises her -- perhaps she expected the children not to enjoy having Ella at home. In this case, it would also be possible to use the simple 'don't like having her here' too, so it could again be a more emphatic way of saying it.

The continuous form is less matter-of-fact. If it were a simple observation about the children that isn't particularly important, the simple form would be the form the speaker would undoubtedly use. The fact they use the continuous form adds a more emotional or subjective flavour. I know that's very abstract, and I hope it's not confusing! It really depends on the speaker's intentions (which of course I don't know) and is difficult to describe.

But I hope that helps a little.

Thank you so much for your clear and insightful explanation; it helps a lot.

I have heard people say "I'm agreeing with you" or "I'm disagreeing with you". The word "to agree" or "to disagree" is a stative verb. Why is it used with the progressive?

Hello Selet,

As you say, these words are usually stative. However, if a person is in the middle of speaking and is interrupted then they might use them in a progressive form. For example:

John: I thought that film was really boring!

Sue:  She's a really good director...

John:  I know you'd argue!

Sue:  Let me finish - I'm actually agreeing with you here! I was going to say that she's a really good director but this was a really bad film, not like her at all.

In a context like this the progressive is possible.

Can I ask a question using the question word "how long" in present continuous? How long are you doing this? Or How long have you been doing this? Which one would be correct?

Hello renu,

There might be a particular context in which the first sentence (with present continuous) is possible, but in general it's not correct. If you see someone doing something that they started doing sometime in the past, generally speaking 'How long have you been doing this?' is the correct question because we use this tense to speak about something that began in the past and is still relevant to the present.

This is a challenging point for many people learning English.

Can I mention a long period with the present continuous example this company is working in air port for 100 years

this company is working now

No, if you want to say  for 100 years  (or  for  + any time period), it should be the present perfect continuous:  This company has been working in the airport for 100 years . You can read more about this on our Present perfect continuous page (linked) . I hope you find it useful. 

I'm reading a book about AI. This sentence doesn't necessarily mean I'm reading the book at the moment of speaking, Could you check this pls?

Hi Khangvo2812,

Yes, that's right. We understand "reading a book" as an activity that can stop and start, but still all be the same activity. This includes at the moment of speaking. Even if you are not reading the book right now, if you have already started reading it and you intend to continue reading it in the future, then you can still say "I'm reading the book". 

Hello, Sir! I wanted to know if the word "now" can be used with the present simple (excluding state verbs). I found an exercise where,I think, the options should have contained the present continuous form: - Melissa......... in a very busy office now. A. works B. has worked C. was working The answer is A (works). I think the sentence is about the action happening now. I was wondering why the present simple is used here. Thank you very much for your time. Best Wishes!

Hello Sokhomkim,

It's fine to use the present simple here provided you are describing a change to a permanent (or long-term) state. For example:

1. Melissa used to live in London, but now she lives in Madrid. 2. Melissa was living in London, but now she's living in Madrid.

The first sentence describes a change in Melissa's permanent/stable home; the second a change in her temporary living location.

I got it. Thanks you so much for your time, Sir. :)

Good morning teachers

When writing a sentence with for example “always, constantly, continually, forever” it means that something is irritating about the other people and more than normal? And can I use this form with “I”?

For example: A) My son is always staying up late. (Irritating for me and more than normal) B) My daughter is constantly studying. ( it is not irritating for me, but it’s more than normal)

C) I am forever losing my keys. (Irritating and more than normal)

Moreover, can I use this form to indicate an irritating behavior even if it doesn’t happen more than normal? For example: A) He is always play on his phone.( not more than normal, but irritating me)

So, these sentences are fine? Also, can I use other adverbs like(often, sometimes ) to give the same idea of always, forever and the other adverbs of this kind(always, constantly, endlessly…etc).

Thank you for your help and patience.

Hello khaledAl5,

The present progressive with always (forever, constantly etc) is often used for irritating habits but it can be used in other ways too. For example, it can be used to show something we find endearing or worrying as in your example B. It's context-dependent, of course, and the tone of voice or comments like 'it's so funny' signal the speaker's intent.

It's fine to use this form in the first person. Your example is a very good one.

Other adverbs of frequency like often, sometimes and so on are used with simple aspect rather than progressive. They don't have the same suggestion of impatience or irritation.

Hi, could you elucidate further about present continuous can be used for something which is happening before and after a specific time?

Hi nadiayunos,

For example, if you say:

At eight o'clock we are usually having breakfast.

It doesn't mean that the action happened only at eight o'clock, lasting for that moment only. The idea is that the action is ongoing at that specific moment - it started some time before eight o'clock, and went on after that moment.

Does that make sense?

Hello! I'm a bit confused with the irritating meaning of present continuous. Would you be so kind to explain these situations: 1. We can use always and some other words like constantly or continuously when we want to express irritation, but can we use words like never, rarely etc. ? 2. How can I express that someone doesn't do their homework using present continuous? Would it be correct to say 'You are always doing no homework!' or 'You are always not doing your homework!'?

Hello msh4x,

As far as I'm aware, this use of the present continuous is only used in the affirmative, not the negative. I certainly can't think of an example with 'never' or 'rarely' that sounds right to me.

The best form to use in general is the present simple. The present continuous is used when the action we're talking about is happening around the time of speaking, or at least the situation being described has just been discussed or is somehow relevant now.

Given all this, I'd recommend 'You never do your homework!' If you really wanted to use a continuous form, you could change it a bit and say something like 'You're always coming up with excuses for not doing your homework!'

Hope this helps.

Good point. One very common way we would express that meaning would be “You keep forgetting to”. You keep missing deadlines. You keep forgetting to turn in the work. You keep neglecting to do it. Etc.

Hi. I want to know the difference between: He don't play golf now. He is not playing golf now. Are both correct? or just one of them? Why?

Hi Darelia_1325,

The first sentence should be  He doesn't play golf now  (not don't).

We use the present simple ( He doesn't play... ] to describe habits. For example, I can say about myself that  I go running . It doesn't mean I'm running right now but rather that running is my hobby - I do it regularly.

We use the present continuous ( He isn't playing ) to describe an activity right now. For example, I can say about myself that  I am typing on my computer . It's what I am in the middle of right now.

Both sentences are possible:

He doesn't play golf now means that it was his hobby in the past but it's not his hobby any more.

He is not playing golf now means that he's doing something else - maybe he's at work or maybe he's driving his car.

He doesn’t play golf now = This is not a routine he has now. He no longer does this activity. He used to play golf but he doesn’t play any more because he has other hobbies or he isn’t able to play any more etc. But: “He is not playing golf now”” = He is not playing golf at this moment. For example “Can he come to the phone or is he playing golf?” “No, he isn’t playing golf. I will get him for you.” Do/Does play” is the simple present tense and describes routines or general facts. “Be + playing” is progressive and means at the moment/in progress.

Hello! It’s mentioned above that “We do not normally use the continuous with stative verbs”.

I thought I’d seen some words being used in that sense.

I don’t have the exact examples at the moment, but I strung some sentences together to show what I mean. I use the verbs ‘love’, ‘hate’, and ‘smell’.

• I’m loving it (LOL it’s McDonald’s but apart from that, I feel I’ve seen structures like this, as in, “I am not loving this moment right now”. • I’m hating this too much now to process any rational thoughts. • I was smelling the flower before a bee emerged from it and stung me.

Please advise, thank you!

Hello Elle_Y,

Yes, the explanation says 'normally' because there are exceptions. If you read through the comments below, you'll see many people have asked about this. Please have a look through the first few pages; I think our responses there should answer your questions. If not, please feel free to ask us again.

Yes, there are exceptions. We sometimes use stative verbs in the progressive to emphasize a currently changing or developing condition. For example: Kids grow fast. (General fact.) But “The kids are growing so fast!” Or “She often feels sick after eating sweets. (General or habitual condition.) But “I’m feeling a bit sick” emphasizes a change. “He is a bit temperamental.” (General routine or habit.) He is being especially difficult today. (Emphasizes deliberately acting in a particular way at the moment.)

We are not running tomorrow morning. Is that phrase right? If yes, could you explaing?

Hello Izabely Graebin,

Yes, that can be correct. If you regularly go running with a friend every morning, for example, then you could say this.

We very often use the present continuous to speak about future events that we've made some agreement or arrangement about. You can see more about this on our Talking about the future page, which explains the verb forms we use to speak about the future and their differences in meaning.

Hello,Sir. I was wondering if the sentence is right. e.g., More roads are being built every year. (Is it possible to use this sentence to talk about a process of changing?) Thank you for your precious time. Best Wishes!

Hello KimKH,

Yes, that sentence is perfect! 

Hi guys. I have heard that the Present Continuous tense has way more importance in its action than the Present Simple tense regarding the speaker. Do you know why?

Hello leo15722,

I'm afraid I don't really understand what that statement means. I'm not saying it's wrong, but without understanding it or seeing an example of it, I don't know what to say!

All the best, Kirk The LearnEnglish Team

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Chapter 3: Simple Present

Daily Habits & Routines

Learning Goals

At the end of this chapter you should be able to:

• Add -s for the third person singular verb
• Write yes/no questions and short answers
• Write information questions using wh- question words
• Add the plural marker -s ,-es, and -ies to verbs and nouns

Recognize and use

• the simple present in the affirmative and negative
• adverbs of frequency

Activity 3.1: Conversation

Directions: Ask your partner or group the following questions about your morning routines. A “routine” is a habit you usually do or a series of actions you do regularly.

• What do you do before school?
• Do you ever wake up late? Do you usually wake up early?
• Do you drink coffee or tea in the morning?
• Do you do your homework in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, or at night?
• How long does it take for you to get ready in the morning?
• How long does it take you to get to campus? Do you live close or far from campus?
• How do you get to campus? Drive? Bike? Bus? Walk? Carpool? Dropped-off?

Directions: Read this story out loud with a partner. One person reads a paragraph, then the other person reads the next paragraph. When you are finished, read the story again. This time, read the paragraphs, you did not read.

Yuri & Palani

       Hi! My name is Yuri. I am from Ukraine. I am a student at Clackamas Community College. I have a roommate. His name is Palani. He is from Laos. We live together, but we are very different.

       I wake up early at 6:00 am. Palani pushes the snooze button on his alarm clock many times, so he wakes up very late. He gets up at 7:30 am. I take a shower in the morning, but Palani takes a shower at night. I take a shower at 6:15 am. He takes a shower at 9:00 pm. I eat breakfast at home, but Palani doesn’t eat breakfast. I make coffee, and I eat cereal for breakfast. I bike to school, but Palani drives to school. I am never late. I leave at 7:30 am.  Palani leaves at 7:50 am. I arrive at school early, but Palani arrives late. I arrive at school at 7:45 am. Palani arrives at 8:05 am. Palani sometimes arrives late because he can’t find parking. We are friends, so I always save him a seat next to me. We sit with Jacques and Ana. They arrive early too. Class begins at 8:00 am.

       How often do you arrive late to class? Are you similar to me, or are you more similar to Palani?

Activity 3.2: Comprehension

Directions: Please write the answers to the questions in complete sentences.

1. What is the name of the man who is talking?

___________________________________________________________________

2. What is the name of his roommate?

3. What is Yuri comparing?

4. Who wakes up early? Who wakes up late?

5. What time does class begin?

6. Who arrives late? Who arrives on time?

7. How about you? Are you an early riser or a late riser?

8. What time does Yuri wake up? What time does Palani wake up?

Activity 3.3: Noticing

Part 1 Directions: Look at the story about Yuri and Palani. Choose (by underlining or otherwise markin g)  the verbs you find. Don’t choose the BE verb. We are not studying that verb in this chapter.

Part 2 Directions: Complete the table with the verb forms that agree with each subject.

Activity 3.4: Try It Out!

Directions: Write the correct simple present tense form of the verb (in parentheses) on the line.

1. I (wake up)_________________________ at 6:00 am.

2. He (wake up)_________________________ at 7:30 am.

3. You (eat)_________________________ breakfast on the bus.

4. They (take)_________________________ a shower before bed.

5. He (take)_________________________ a shower in the morning.

6. We (go) _________________________ to a restaurant for lunch.

7. She (have)_________________________ cereal for breakfast.

8. His class at Oregon City (begin)_________________________ at 9:00 am.

9. My classes at Harmony (begin)_________________________ at 6:00 pm.

10. She (wash) _________________________ the dishes in the morning.

Uses of the Simple Present

The simple present is used for talking about routines, habits, and repeated activities in the present time. We use the simple present to talk about facts, which are always true. Time expressions (e.g., every day, in the summer ) and adverbs of frequency (e.g., never, sometimes, always ) signal the simple present tense.

What is a routine? Something you do every morning, every week, every year.

• I brush my teeth two times a day.
• You go to the gym three times a week.
• He makes breakfast for my children every morning.
• She starts work at 7:00 am.
• They do laundry every Saturday.

What is a habit? Something you do regularly.

• My husband reads in bed before he goes to sleep.
• My cat wakes me up on Saturdays because he is hungry.

What is a repeated action? Action that we do more than once.

• I shop at Winco (not every week, but I like to go there).
• She wears shorts in the summer.

What is a fact? Something that is always true.

• The moon revolves around the earth.
• She has two children.
• Vegetables are healthy.
• Water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit.

Forms of the Simple Present

Affirmative statements in the simple present.

You must add an -s to the verb with the subjects he , she , and it .

subject + verb

Activity 3.5: fill-in-the-blank.

Directions: Write the correct form of the verbs in parentheses.

1. Yuri (wake up)______________ at 6:00 am.

2. Palani (drive)______________ to school.

4. Yuri (make)______________ coffee.

5. I (cook)______________ breakfast.

6. She (eat)______________ cereal.

7. Palani (take)______________ a shower in the evening.

8. They (carpool)______________ together.

9. She (ask)______________ for a pencil.

10. Yuri and Palani (attend) ______________ Clackamas Community College.

11. We (attend) ______________ Clackamas Community College.

12. I (take)______________ a shower in the morning.

13. He (make)______________ and (drink)______________ coffee every morning.

14. She never (arrive)______________ late.

15. Class (begin)______________ at 11:30 am.

16. He usually (find)______________ parking easily.

17. Palani (live)______________ with Yuri.

18. They (brush) ______________ their hair in the morning.

19. We (brush)______________ our teeth twice a day.

20. My cats (sleep)______________ all day.

Activity 3.6: Listening

Directions: Read the paragraph. Then, listen to your instructor read the paragraph. Listen for the verbs and write them on the line. Listen closely for the correct form of the verb.

Ana and Pedro’s Morning Routine

        Ana and Pedro (1)__________ at 6:00 am. Ana (2)__________ coffee. Her brother, Pedro, (3)__________breakfast. She (4)__________a shower at 6:30 am. Her brother (5)__________ a shower at 7:00 am. They (6)__________ and (7)__________ their teeth. Ana (8)__________ the cat. Ana (9)__________ her hair and (10)__________ makeup. Pedro (11)__________ his hair. Ana’s book bag (12)__________ready. Pedro (13)__________ his books in his backpack. Ana (14)__________lunches. Class (15)__________ at 9:00 am. Ana and Pedro (16)__________ the house at 8:30 am. They (17)__________ at school at 8:45 am. Ana (18)__________ out books from the college library before class. She always (19)__________ good books to read. Ana and Pedro (20)__________ to class at 8:55 am. Their first class (21)__________ at 10:50 am.

Activity 3.7: Interview

Part 1 Directions: Interview your partner.

1. Where do you live?

2. What time do you wake up?

3. When do you eat breakfast?

4. What do you eat for breakfast?

5. How do you get to school (walk, bus, car, etc.)?

6. What time do you go to school?

7. What time do you get home?

8. When do you go to bed?

Part 2 Directions: Write 8 sentences about your own daily routine using the same questions.

1. ________________________________________________________________

2. ________________________________________________________________

3. ________________________________________________________________

4. ________________________________________________________________

5. ________________________________________________________________

6. ________________________________________________________________

7. ________________________________________________________________

8. ________________________________________________________________

Part 3 Directions: Share and compare your daily activities. Read your sentences to your partner. Your partner reads to you. See if you have the same (or different) daily activities.

Part 4 Directions: Your instructor will give you a Venn Diagram to complete. Write sentences about yourself where it says You. Write sentences about your partner where it says Partner. If you and your partner have any activities that are the same, write them where it says both.

Adverbs of Frequency with the Simple Present

Adverbs of frequency (AoF) let us talk about how often we do something.

How often do you come to class?      I always come to class!

How often do you shop at Fred’s?     I often shop at Fred’s.

Study the chart below to learn the meanings of the following adverbs.

Adverbs of Frequency (AoF) with the BE Verb 

With the BE verb, the AoFs are added between BE and the rest of the sentence. You will see in the next section that this is different with other verbs.

subject + BE + AoF + rest of sentence

Activity 3.8: fill-in-the-blank.

Directions: Put the correct form of the BE verb followed by the AoF on the line.

1. I (be/always) _____________________________________ late.

2. He (be/never) _____________________________________ on time.

3. She (be/often) _____________________________________ busy on Saturday.

4. It (be/never) _____________________________________ cold in August.

5. You (be/usually) _____________________________________ cold in the morning.

6. We (be/never) _____________________________________ hungry in the morning.

7. They (be/seldom) _____________________________________ tired at 9:00  pm.

8. You (be/rarely) _____________________________________ late for school.

9. He (be/sometimes) _____________________________________ tired after work.

10. It (be/usually) _____________________________________ sunny in Los Angeles.

Activity 3.9: Fill-in-the-Blank

1. Class (usually)___________________________ interesting.

2. They (often)___________________________ busy.

3. I (always)___________________________ friendly.

4. You (never)___________________________ hungry after lunch.

5. She (always)___________________________ hungry at 3:00 pm.

6. He (rarely)___________________________ on time for class.

7. They (sometimes)___________________________ confused in class.

8. You (often)___________________________ sleepy.

Adverbs of Frequency with Other Verbs

But, what if we want to say how often we do some activity? In that case, we don’t use the BE verb. We use another verb, like eat, sleep, cook, drive, or talk.

Instead of adding the AoF after the verb, like we did with the BE verb, we add it before the verb. We do this because we are saying how often the activity of the verb happens.

subject + AoF + verb + rest of sentence

We use the AoF to talk about how often or how frequently something happens.

How often do you eat breakfast? I always eat breakfast.

In the sentence above, we are saying how often we eat breakfast (always).

How often does he cook dinner? He usually cooks dinner.

In the sentence above, we are saying how often he cooks dinner. (usually).

How often do they walk to school? They never walk to school.

In the sentence above, we are saying how often they walk to school (never).

Activity 3.10: Fill-in-the-Blank

Directions: Write the Adverb of frequency (AoF) and the verb in the correct form on the line.

When we use any verb except the BE verb, the AoF goes before the verb.

1. I (never/eat) ___________________ breakfast.

2. You (often/do) ___________________ laundry on Saturdays.

3. He (usually/swim) ___________________ on weekends.

4. She (never/sing) ___________________ karaoke.

5. It (rarely/rain) ___________________ in July.

6. They (seldom/watch) ___________________ movies.

7. We (always/do) ___________________ our homework.

8. She (sometimes/make)___________________ the bed.

Activity 3.11: Fill-in-the-Blank

Directions: Put the AoF and the verb in the correct order.

Ana and Pedro (wake up) _______________________________ at 6:00 am.

Our class (start) _________________________________________ at 6:00 pm.

The college (cancel) ________________________ classes because of snow.

The teacher (give) ____________________________________ us homework.

Vegetarians (eat) ________________________________________ vegetables.

The students (sleep) ____________________________________ during class.

7. sometimes

Ana (make) _________________________________________ lunch for Pedro.

Students (speak) ____________________________________ English in class.

Activity 3.12: Classmate Interview

Part 2 Directions: Choose 5 of the questions (and answers) from Part 1. On your own lined paper, use the answers to write sentences about your classmate’s activities. Remember to use adverbs of frequency. Turn this in to your teacher. Write your name, the date, and Activity 3.12 on the top of your paper.

Activity 3.13: Game

Directions: The purpose of this game is to practice using adverbs of frequency. Your teacher will give you some AoF game cards (often, sometimes, never).

• Stand up and find a partner.
• Ask your partner a question. Begin the sentence “How often…”
• The partner answers the question using an AoF.
• If your partner answers your question using the AoF that you have in your hand, give your partner the card.
• If your partner answers using an AoF that you don’t have, then change to another student and try again.
• You can only ask two questions before you need to change partners.
• You can only talk to the same person after you have talked with all your other classmates.
• Talk to as many partners as you can. When you have no more cards, sit down.

The goal of the game is to give away all of your cards.

Student 1: How often do you eat french fries for breakfast?

Student 2: I never eat french fries for breakfast.

(Student 1 gives the card saying “never” to Student 2)

Student 1: How often do you do your homework?

Student 2: I usually do my homework.

(Student 1 doesn’t have a ”usually” card. Student 1 changes partners and tries again.)

Ideas for Questions: How often do you…

wash your hair?

eat at a restaurant?

call your brother?

walk to school?

Pronunciation and Spelling: Adding -s and -es

We add -s and -es for two reasons:

1. The word is a noun, and we are making it plural.

2. The word is a verb, and it agrees with the subject (he, she, or it–3rd person singular)

Pronunciation

In English the same letters can have different sounds. For example, the letter “c” can sound like /k/ in cat , but it can also sound like /s/ in ice .

For words that end in -s or -es, there are three different sounds: /s/, /z/, and /ɪz/. We can predict how the -s or -es ending will sound by the last sound of the word before we add the -s or -es ending.

/θ/=th as in bath   /ð/=th as in that   /ʤ/=j as in judge    /tʃ/=ch as in church     /ʃ/=sh as in wash

Activity 3.14: Pronunciation

Activity 3.15: listening.

Directions: Listen to the teacher say a list of words and then sentences. You will hear each word or sentence two times. Decide if the ending sound is  /s/, /z/, or /ɪz/ and choose (by circling or otherwise marking) your choice.

1.    /s/      /z/      /ɪz/

2.   /s/      /z/      /ɪz/

3.   /s/      /z/      /ɪz/

4.   /s/      /z/      /ɪz/

5.   /s/      /z/      /ɪz/

6.   /s/       /z/      /ɪz/

7.   /s/       /z/      /ɪz/

8.   /s/       /z/      /ɪz/

9.   /s/       /z/      /ɪz/

10. /s/       /z/      /ɪz/

11.  /s/      /z/      /ɪz/

12.  /s/      /z/      /ɪz/

13.  /s/      /z/      /ɪz/

14.  /s/      /z/      /ɪz/

15.  /s/      /z/      /ɪz/

Activity 3.16: Listening & Speaking

Part 1 Directions: Identify which of the three ending sounds (/s/, /z/, or /ɪz/) is at the end of each of the target words. Write the sound symbol on the line.

/s/                /z/              /ɪz/

1.  changes _____

2.  crabs _____

3.  dishes _____

4.  touches _____

5.  helps _____

6.  books _____

7.  pencils _____

8.  sleeps _____

9.  mixes _____

10. kisses _____

11.  The students eat breakfast. _____

12.  My sister walks her dog. _____

13.  The dogs eat peanut butter. _____

14.  The student catches the bus. _____

15.  I have three cats.     _____

16.  Most teachers have pets. _____

17.  She writes a book.     _____

18.  Natasha buys food.     _____

19.  Yuri wakes up on time. _____

20.  She sees her daughter. _____

Part 2 Directions: With a partner, say the word or sentence. Your partner will point to the sound they hear.

If a word ends in /s/,  /z/,  /ch/,  /sh/  or  /x/ sound    →    add -es

Only add -es for the he/she/it form of the verb (third person singular).

watch   →   watches

wash    →   washes

kiss      →    kisses

I pass out papers.    →    She passes out papers.

I wash the dishes.   →    He washes the dishes.

Activity 3.17: Fill-in-the-Blank

Directions: Write the correct form of the verb in parentheses on the lines.

1. (watch) I __________ TV in the morning, but she ________ TV at night.

2. (wash) They ________ dishes together after dinner. He ________ dishes on  weekends.

3. (fix) My father and I _________ cars together. My husband ________ the bicycle.

4. (teach) They  ________ their daughter Ukrainian. Eva ________ her son Amharic.

5. (brush) I ________ my teeth twice a day. He _______ three times a day.

6. (kiss) She _______ her husband in the morning. I ________ my children before bed.

7. (stretch) I always ________ before exercise. Viktor ________ after exercise.

8. (guess) I never ________ the answer, but Tatiana often ________ the answer.

9. (mix) She ________ Spanish and English. They _______ English and Ukranian.

10. (splash) The kids ______ in the bathtub. My daughter always ________, too.

11. (cash) I ______ my check at the bank. He _________ his check too.

12. (latch) I ________ my screen door. She ________ her screen door.

13. (notice) I always ________ mistakes. She never ________ mistakes when she writes.

14. (touch) He ________ the door. We ________ the window.

15. (brush) They  ________ their hair once a day. He _________ his hair three times a day.

16. (pass) She ________ all her classes. They ________ their ESL classes.

17. (ask) I ________ for vegetarian food. Natasha ________ for Ukrainian food.

18. (ask) He ________ a question. We ________ to play a game.

19. (watch) She ________ Jackie Chan movies. They ________ Jet Li movies.

20. (dance) I ______ twice a week. He ________ once a week.

Activity 3.18: Listening

Directions: Read the story. Then listen to your teacher read the story. Listen for the missing words and write them on the line. Remember that the subject and the verb of a sentence have to agree. If they don’t agree, you should listen again. Some verbs end in -s and some verbs end in -es.

Viktor and Tatiana

        Viktor and Tatiana (1)_________ married. They (2)_________ English at Clackamas Community College. They (3)_________ from Ukraine. Tatiana sometimes (4)_________ angry with Viktor because he doesn’t help around the house. Tatiana (5)_________ dinner and Viktor (6)_________ TV. Tatiana (7)_________ the house, and Viktor (8)_________ English.

Then Tatiana remembers that Viktor (9)_________ the car while she (10)_________ books. In the grocery store, he always (11)_________ the shopping cart. He (12)_________ for her when she is sick. He also (13)_________ the socks when they (14)_________ movies at home. On school nights, Viktor (15)_________ the dishes after Tatiana cooks. He (16)_________ her every day when they leave the house, and he (17)_________ her every night before they (18)_________ asleep. Then Tatiana isn’t angry anymore.

If a word ends in a consonant plus -y, change -y to i and add -es. If the word ends in a vowel plus -y, just add -s.

Consonant + -y

Change -y to i and add -es

cry       →   cries

study   →   studies

pay      →   pays

buy      →   buys

Activity 3.19: Fill-in-the-Blank

Directions: Write the correct form of the verb on the line in the sentences below.

1. (study) I ___________ in the morning, but he ___________ at night.

2. (worry) He ___________ about money. I ___________ about him.

3. (cry) The cat ___________ when I leave. The babies  ___________ all the time.

4. (play) She ___________ piano. We ___________ violin.

5. (pay) I ___________ for groceries with a credit card. Tatiana ___________ with cash.

6. (stay) He ___________ after class for help. They ___________ after class to talk.

7. (stay) She ___________ at a hotel. I ___________with my mom.

8. (worry) My husband ___________ about school. I ___________ about our health.

9. (enjoy) We ___________ playing board games. He ___________ online games.

10. (say) They ___________ they are busy Friday, but she ___________ Friday is ok.

11. (fly) A bird ___________ south in winter. Birds ___________ north for the summer.

12. (buy) They ___________ paper online. She ___________ supplies at the store..

13. (fly) He ___________ to Paris today. I ___________ to Denver tomorrow.

14. (study) We ___________ before vocabulary tests. She ___________ for grammar.

15. (pay) He ___________ for 2 classes. I ___________ for 3 classes.

16. (try)     I ___________ to study 3 times a week. She ___________ to study every day.

Activity 3.20: Listening

Using infinitives with like, want, & need.

Some verbs can be combined with an infinitive (to + verb) to express a different meaning or opinion about the activity.

Activity 3.21: Fill-in-the-Blank

Part 1 Directions: Complete the sentences by writing like, want, or need on the line.

1. I ___________ to pay my rent.

2. She ___________ to study for the test.

3. They  ___________ to buy a diamond necklace.

4. You ___________ to have an expensive new car.

5. I ___________ to read a book before bed to help me sleep.

6. You ___________ to do your homework.

7. We ___________ to eat dessert first.

8. I ___________ to sleep until 10:00 am, but I __________ to get up because work starts at 7:00 am.

Negative Statements in the Simple Present

Negatives with the be verb, activity 3.22: writing.

Directions: Make these sentences negative by adding not after the verb.

1. She is a hairdresser.

2. He is busy today.

3. They are from Colombia.

4. He is a contractor.

5. It is sunny.

6. They are students.

7. He is a teacher.

8. The dog is in the garden.

Negatives with All Other Verbs

Using auxiliary verbs.

There are three auxiliary verbs in English: BE, DO, and HAVE. We will learn about BE and DO in this class. We will learn about using HAVE as an auxiliary in the next level. You have already seen the first of our three auxiliary verbs, BE, in Chapter 2. We combine the BE verb with the -ing form of the verb to create the present progressive (an action happening now).

When we make negative sentences with other verbs, we use the auxiliary verb, DO. It has two forms: do and does . The negative not comes after do or does and is followed by the base form of the main verb.

The base form is the infinitive without the to . Instead of “to sing” (infinitive), the base form is sing . Do not add -s to the base verb. Let’s look at an example sentence.

subj      do/does    neg.     base verb     rest of sentence

He         does           not        sing               in the shower.

• He is the subject
• Does is the auxiliary verb. Do/Does agrees with the subject (3rd person singular: add -es).
• Sing is the main verb in the base form. Do not add -s to the main verb.

subject + auxiliary DO + not + base form + rest of sentence

Negative contractions.

To make negative contractions, we contract the auxiliary verb and the negative.

Activity 3.23:  Choose the Correct Form

Directions: Choose the correct form, and then write the contraction on the line. Remember that the auxiliary DO (do/does) has to agree with the subject.

1. The teacher do not / does not eat meat.                                                 ___________________

2. I am a homemaker. I do not / does not work outside my home.    ___________________

3. She is a driver. She do not / does not work in an office.                     ___________________

4. He is a vegetarian. He do not / does not eat meat.                             ___________________

5. They do not / does not drink coffee in the evening.                            ___________________

6. Palani do not / does not like to wake up early.                                     ___________________

7. Yuri do not / does not want to come to school late.                            ___________________

8. Yuri do not / does not press snooze on his alarm clock.                    ___________________

9. They do not / does not have the same habits.                                     ___________________

10. It do not / does not  look like a good book.                                         ___________________

11. The students do not / does not do their homework.                        ___________________

12. He do not / does not get good grades on tests.                                ___________________

Activity 3.24: Fill-in-the-Blank

Directions: Write the correct form of do or does on the line.

1. (do/sing)        She ___________ not ___________ in public.

2. (do/write)     They ___________ not ___________ on the wall.

3. (do/drive)     He ___________ not ___________ for a job.

4. (do/ask)        You ___________ not ___________ for a diamond ring.

5. (do/play)       We ___________ not ___________ guitar.

6. (do/like)        The dog ___________ not ___________ my cat.

7. (do/type)       She ___________ not ___________ fast.

8. (do/read)       He ___________ not ___________ online.

Activity 3.25: Writing

Directions: Make these sentences negative. Use full forms for numbers 1-5 and contractions for numbers 6-10.

1. I go to work at 3:00 pm.

2. She wants to eat Chinese food.

3. They have two children.

4. He has a dog and two cats.

5. You need to stand in line.

6. She finishes her homework.

7. I eat breakfast.

8. You drink coffee.

9. He drinks diet soda.

10. My car has red seats.

Activity 3.26: Interview

Part 1 Directions: Use the sentences below to interview your partner. Take notes on your own lined paper.

Student A: Tell me a food you don’t like.

Student B: I don’t like eggs.

2. Tell me a movie you don’t like.

3. Tell me a place you don’t like.

4. Tell me a sport you don’t like.

5. Tell me a color you don’t like.

6. Tell me a singer or band you don’t like.

7. Tell me a type of music you don’t like.

8. Tell me a book you don’t like.

Part 2 Directions: Now, write 5 sentences about your partner. Use your notes to help you.  Write your partner’s answers in FULL sentences.

Yes/No Questions & Short Answers

Yes/No questions mean that the answer to the question is either yes or no . These questions don’t use wh- question words. Remember, when we use an auxiliary verb, the main verb is in the base form. The auxiliary verb goes before the subject and the main verb goes after the subject.

auxiliary DO + subject + base verb + rest of sentence

Short answers.

Short answers are quick answers to yes/no questions. Remember that if the question uses the BE verb, use the BE verb in your answer. If the auxiliary DO is used in the question, then use DO in the answer.

Do you have cats?    Yes, I do.

Are you a teacher?    Yes, I am.

Do you drink coffee in the morning?      Yes, I do.

Does he drink coffee in the morning?    No, he doesn’t.

Activity 3.27: Fill-in-the-Blank

Directions: Complete the questions with the missing auxiliary verb and subject.

A: Does she wake up early?

B: No, she doesn’t.

1. A:___________________ do her homework every day?

B: Yes, she does.

2. A:___________________ wash the dishes after dinner?

B: Yes, he does.

3. A:___________________ eat dinner together?

B: Yes, they do.

4. A:___________________ work late every day?

5. A:___________________ drive to school?

6. A:___________________ study vocabulary?

B: Yes, I do.

7. A:___________________ eat lunch at home?

B: No, we don’t.

8. A:___________________ ask questions?

9. A:___________________ practice English at the grocery store?

10. A:___________________ do laundry on Saturdays?

Activity 3.28: Game

Information questions in the simple present.

We have seen several lists of wh- question words in previous chapters. Here is a bigger list. You can practice making questions with the new words and review the ones you have seen in Chapters 1 and 2.

* What time asks about specific time. When asks about general time.

What time does class start?     Class starts at 9:00 am.

When is your birthday?         My birthday is in August.

We form information questions (sometimes called wh- questions) the same as yes/no questions. Add the question word (who, what, where, when, what time, etcetera) to the beginning of the question.

wh- + auxiliary DO + subject + main verb

Activity 3.29: choose the correct form.

Directions: Choose the correct question word.

1. Who/What is your teacher?                            My teacher is Susan.

2. Where/What is your address?                        My address is 19 Molalla Ave, Oregon City.

3. Where/When do you wake up?                      I wake up at 7:30 am.

4. Why/Who do you have an umbrella?           Because it’s raining.

5. How/Where do you take ESL?                         I take ESL classes at CCC.

6. When/What do you work?                               I work at 5:00 pm.

7. Why/How do you get to school?                     I take the bus.

8. What/How do you cook hotdogs?                 I boil them, but some people grill them.

9. How much/How often milk do you want?   I want 1 cup.

10. How many/Why cookies do you want?       I want 2 dozen.

Activity 3.30: Fill-in-the-Blank

Directions: Fill in the blank with the correct question word.

1. A:___________ do you go to work?

B: I go to work at 5:00 am.

2. A:___________ is he wearing a sweater?

B: He’s cold.

3. A:___________ do you study vocabulary?

B: I use vocabulary cards.

4. A:___________ are they from?

B: They’re from Italy.

5. A:___________ are you doing?

B: I’m doing my homework.

6. A:___________ often do you sleep in?

B: I sleep in on Saturdays.

7. A:___________ time does class start?

B: Class starts at 6:00 pm.

8. A:___________ do you study?

B: I study at the library.

9. A:___________ is your favorite actor?

B: My favorite actor is Brad Pitt.

10. A:___________ many classes do you take?

B: I take three classes each term.

Activity 3.31: Interview

Directions: Your instructor will give you a worksheet that you can use to interview a classmate.

• Match the wh- question word with the question. You can only use a word one time.
• When you finish matching you will have 10 questions and 10 answers. Choose 5 questions to ask your classmate.
• Write the answers to the 5 questions below.

1. ___________________________________________________________________

2. ___________________________________________________________________

3. ___________________________________________________________________

4. ___________________________________________________________________

5. ___________________________________________________________________

Activity 3.32: Error Correction

Directions: There are 10 mistakes in the paragraph below. Find the mistakes with the simple present, adverbs of frequency, negative sentences, or -s / -es endings and correct them.

My name is Jacques. I lives next to Yuri and Palani. I am a student at CCC also. I arrive always early to class. My brother drive me to school. I do not drives. I eat lunch with my friends. We eat often at Ana and Pedro’s house. I doesn’t cook. After class, always I study in the library. I finishes my homework in the afternoon. I study with my friend. My friend Palani finish his homework at night. I live with my family. My mother cook dinner for the family. She wash the dishes after dinner. I dry them.

Activity 3.33: Writing

Directions: Rewrite these sentences to include the adverb of frequency (AoF) in parentheses.

1. (usually) We eat dinner outside in summer.

2. (always) I wear slippers in the house.

3. (never) My family wakes up early.

4. (sometimes) My friends and I watch movies on Fridays.

5. (rarely) We eat uncooked food.

6. (often) They are late to class.

7. (never) I finish my homework on the computer.

8. (seldom) She takes her dog to the dog park.

9. (usually) You are on time.

10. (rarely) She eats fast food.

11. (never) It snows in August.

12. (always) It rains in October.

13. (often) We have homework.

14. (never) They forget books at home.

Activity 3.34: Writing

Directions: Write the question on the line below. Use the answer for extra information. Some questions are wh-questions, and some are yes/no questions.

1. A: ______________________________________________________________

B: I wake up at 8:00 am.

2. A: ______________________________________________________________

B: Yes, I do (I have a dog.)

3. A:_______________________________________________________________

B: My birthday is in August.

4. A: ______________________________________________________________

B: No, I don’t. (I don’t do my homework in the morning.)

5. A: ______________________________________________________________

B: I take a shower in the morning.

6. A: ______________________________________________________________

B: I arrive early for class.

7. A: ______________________________________________________________

B: He drives to school.

8. A: ______________________________________________________________

B: He washes the dishes every day.

9. A: ______________________________________________________________

B: Yes, I do. (I exercise 3 times a week.)

10. A: ______________________________________________________________

B: I eat fast food once a month.

Directions: Write a paragraph comparing your daily schedule with a partner’s daily schedule. Use the simple present tense, adverbs of frequency, and time expressions.

Pre-writing: 

• Write 6 questions to ask your partner. Use 6 different wh-question words. There is a place to write each question in the chart that follows.
• Answer the 6 questions for yourself.
• Choose a partner, ask your questions, and then write down your partner’s answers.
• Use your own 8.5″ x 11″ lined paper. Do not use other paper sizes, please.
• Heading: Put your full name, the due date, and Ch. 3 Writing Assignment at the top of your paper. Your instructor will tell you where the heading goes (left or right side).
• Indent the first sentence, skip lines (double space), and leave a 1-inch margin on the sides and bottom.

Writing and Grammar:

• First sentence: begin writing by using this topic sentence: [Partner’s name] and I are classmates, but we are very different.
• In your sentences, write your answer and your partner’s answer.
• Use 3 adverbs of frequency.
• Write 2 negative sentences.
• Use full forms; do not use contractions.
• Use capital letters and punctuation correctly.
• Use the rubric below to check your work.

Model Paragraph:

My partner and I are classmates, but we are very different. I get up very early at 5:00am. My partner doesn’t get up early. She often gets up at 9:00am. I usually drink coffee in the morning, but my partner doesn’t like coffee. She likes tea instead. I have two children, so I am busy with them. My partner is married, but she doesn’t have any children. I leave for school at 8:30am. My partners never goes straight to school. She goes to her parents house first. She always helps them because they are very old. My parents are still young at age 50 and 55.

Assignment Rubric:

Self-Assessment

These were our goals at the beginning of Chapter 3:

At the end of this chapter you will be able to:

• Add -s , -es, and -ies to verbs and nouns

Directions: Choose yes if you think you achieved the goals or no in the table below if you think you did not achieve the goals. Then, write an example of the goal in the last column.

Explorations 1: Grammar for the Experienced Beginner Copyright © by Susan; Jen; and Kit is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Learn English Grammar

English verbs, overview | action verbs | auxiliary verbs | finite / non-finite | irregular verbs main verbs | modal verbs | mood | phrasal verbs | regular verbs | stative verbs, the verb to do.

The verb to do is another common verb in English. It can be used as an auxiliary and a main verb. It is often used in questions.

As an auxiliary verb do is used with a main verb when forming interrogative or negative sentences, or for adding emphasis. It is also called the dummy operator or dummy auxiliary.

The most common question using " do " that you will probably hear whilst learning English is "What do you do ?" The person asking simply wants to know what you do for a living.

When using the continuous tense do becomes doing and it doesn't change.

When using the simple past tense do becomes did and it doesn't change.

When using the perfect tense do becomes done and it doesn't change.

More functions for the verb “ to do ”

The verb “to do” works as a main verb.

For example:-

YT - My husband does the dishes.

ST - Gosh! Did he do them yesterday?

YT - Yes he did .

Do is used as an auxiliary verb (dummy auxiliary) in the question form.

For example: I know the way. Do you know the way?

Do is used for emphasis in positive statements.

For example: I do like this beer!

!Note - As an auxiliary verb 'do' is always followed by the base form of the main verb (infinitive).

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, how to do homework: 15 expert tips and tricks.

Coursework/GPA

Everyone struggles with homework sometimes, but if getting your homework done has become a chronic issue for you, then you may need a little extra help. That’s why we’ve written this article all about how to do homework. Once you’re finished reading it, you’ll know how to do homework (and have tons of new ways to motivate yourself to do homework)!

We’ve broken this article down into a few major sections. You’ll find:

• A diagnostic test to help you figure out why you’re struggling with homework
• A discussion of the four major homework problems students face, along with expert tips for addressing them
• A bonus section with tips for how to do homework fast

By the end of this article, you’ll be prepared to tackle whatever homework assignments your teachers throw at you .

So let’s get started!

How to Do Homework: Figure Out Your Struggles 

Sometimes it feels like everything is standing between you and getting your homework done. But the truth is, most people only have one or two major roadblocks that are keeping them from getting their homework done well and on time. 

The best way to figure out how to get motivated to do homework starts with pinpointing the issues that are affecting your ability to get your assignments done. That’s why we’ve developed a short quiz to help you identify the areas where you’re struggling. 

Take the quiz below and record your answers on your phone or on a scrap piece of paper. Keep in mind there are no wrong answers! 

1. You’ve just been assigned an essay in your English class that’s due at the end of the week. What’s the first thing you do?

A. Keep it in mind, even though you won’t start it until the day before it’s due  B. Open up your planner. You’ve got to figure out when you’ll write your paper since you have band practice, a speech tournament, and your little sister’s dance recital this week, too.  C. Groan out loud. Another essay? You could barely get yourself to write the last one!  D. Start thinking about your essay topic, which makes you think about your art project that’s due the same day, which reminds you that your favorite artist might have just posted to Instagram...so you better check your feed right now. 

2. Your mom asked you to pick up your room before she gets home from work. You’ve just gotten home from school. You decide you’ll tackle your chores: 

A. Five minutes before your mom walks through the front door. As long as it gets done, who cares when you start?  B. As soon as you get home from your shift at the local grocery store.  C. After you give yourself a 15-minute pep talk about how you need to get to work.  D. You won’t get it done. Between texts from your friends, trying to watch your favorite Netflix show, and playing with your dog, you just lost track of time! 

3. You’ve signed up to wash dogs at the Humane Society to help earn money for your senior class trip. You: 

A. Show up ten minutes late. You put off leaving your house until the last minute, then got stuck in unexpected traffic on the way to the shelter.  B. Have to call and cancel at the last minute. You forgot you’d already agreed to babysit your cousin and bake cupcakes for tomorrow’s bake sale.  C. Actually arrive fifteen minutes early with extra brushes and bandanas you picked up at the store. You’re passionate about animals, so you’re excited to help out! D. Show up on time, but only get three dogs washed. You couldn’t help it: you just kept getting distracted by how cute they were!

4. You have an hour of downtime, so you decide you’re going to watch an episode of The Great British Baking Show. You: 

A. Scroll through your social media feeds for twenty minutes before hitting play, which means you’re not able to finish the whole episode. Ugh! You really wanted to see who was sent home!  B. Watch fifteen minutes until you remember you’re supposed to pick up your sister from band practice before heading to your part-time job. No GBBO for you!  C. You finish one episode, then decide to watch another even though you’ve got SAT studying to do. It’s just more fun to watch people make scones.  D. Start the episode, but only catch bits and pieces of it because you’re reading Twitter, cleaning out your backpack, and eating a snack at the same time.

5. Your teacher asks you to stay after class because you’ve missed turning in two homework assignments in a row. When she asks you what’s wrong, you say: 

A. You planned to do your assignments during lunch, but you ran out of time. You decided it would be better to turn in nothing at all than submit unfinished work.  B. You really wanted to get the assignments done, but between your extracurriculars, family commitments, and your part-time job, your homework fell through the cracks.  C. You have a hard time psyching yourself to tackle the assignments. You just can’t seem to find the motivation to work on them once you get home.  D. You tried to do them, but you had a hard time focusing. By the time you realized you hadn’t gotten anything done, it was already time to turn them in. 

Like we said earlier, there are no right or wrong answers to this quiz (though your results will be better if you answered as honestly as possible). Here’s how your answers break down: 

• If your answers were mostly As, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is procrastination. 
• If your answers were mostly Bs, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is time management. 
• If your answers were mostly Cs, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is motivation. 
• If your answers were mostly Ds, then your biggest struggle with doing homework is getting distracted. 

Now that you’ve identified why you’re having a hard time getting your homework done, we can help you figure out how to fix it! Scroll down to find your core problem area to learn more about how you can start to address it. 

And one more thing: you’re really struggling with homework, it’s a good idea to read through every section below. You may find some additional tips that will help make homework less intimidating. 

How to Do Homework When You’re a Procrastinator  

Merriam Webster defines “procrastinate” as “to put off intentionally and habitually.” In other words, procrastination is when you choose to do something at the last minute on a regular basis. If you’ve ever found yourself pulling an all-nighter, trying to finish an assignment between periods, or sprinting to turn in a paper minutes before a deadline, you’ve experienced the effects of procrastination. 

If you’re a chronic procrastinator, you’re in good company. In fact, one study found that 70% to 95% of undergraduate students procrastinate when it comes to doing their homework. Unfortunately, procrastination can negatively impact your grades. Researchers have found that procrastination can lower your grade on an assignment by as much as five points ...which might not sound serious until you realize that can mean the difference between a B- and a C+. 

Procrastination can also negatively affect your health by increasing your stress levels , which can lead to other health conditions like insomnia, a weakened immune system, and even heart conditions. Getting a handle on procrastination can not only improve your grades, it can make you feel better, too! 

The big thing to understand about procrastination is that it’s not the result of laziness. Laziness is defined as being “disinclined to activity or exertion.” In other words, being lazy is all about doing nothing. But a s this Psychology Today article explains , procrastinators don’t put things off because they don’t want to work. Instead, procrastinators tend to postpone tasks they don’t want to do in favor of tasks that they perceive as either more important or more fun. Put another way, procrastinators want to do things...as long as it’s not their homework! 

3 Tips f or Conquering Procrastination 

Because putting off doing homework is a common problem, there are lots of good tactics for addressing procrastination. Keep reading for our three expert tips that will get your homework habits back on track in no time. 

#1: Create a Reward System

Like we mentioned earlier, procrastination happens when you prioritize other activities over getting your homework done. Many times, this happens because homework...well, just isn’t enjoyable. But you can add some fun back into the process by rewarding yourself for getting your work done. 

Here’s what we mean: let’s say you decide that every time you get your homework done before the day it’s due, you’ll give yourself a point. For every five points you earn, you’ll treat yourself to your favorite dessert: a chocolate cupcake! Now you have an extra (delicious!) incentive to motivate you to leave procrastination in the dust. 

If you’re not into cupcakes, don’t worry. Your reward can be anything that motivates you . Maybe it’s hanging out with your best friend or an extra ten minutes of video game time. As long as you’re choosing something that makes homework worth doing, you’ll be successful. 

#2: Have a Homework Accountability Partner 

If you’re having trouble getting yourself to start your homework ahead of time, it may be a good idea to call in reinforcements . Find a friend or classmate you can trust and explain to them that you’re trying to change your homework habits. Ask them if they’d be willing to text you to make sure you’re doing your homework and check in with you once a week to see if you’re meeting your anti-procrastination goals. 

Sharing your goals can make them feel more real, and an accountability partner can help hold you responsible for your decisions. For example, let’s say you’re tempted to put off your science lab write-up until the morning before it’s due. But you know that your accountability partner is going to text you about it tomorrow...and you don’t want to fess up that you haven’t started your assignment. A homework accountability partner can give you the extra support and incentive you need to keep your homework habits on track. 

#3: Create Your Own Due Dates 

If you’re a life-long procrastinator, you might find that changing the habit is harder than you expected. In that case, you might try using procrastination to your advantage! If you just can’t seem to stop doing your work at the last minute, try setting your own due dates for assignments that range from a day to a week before the assignment is actually due. 

Here’s what we mean. Let’s say you have a math worksheet that’s been assigned on Tuesday and is due on Friday. In your planner, you can write down the due date as Thursday instead. You may still put off your homework assignment until the last minute...but in this case, the “last minute” is a day before the assignment’s real due date . This little hack can trick your procrastination-addicted brain into planning ahead! 

If you feel like Kevin Hart in this meme, then our tips for doing homework when you're busy are for you. 

How to Do Homework When You’re too Busy

If you’re aiming to go to a top-tier college , you’re going to have a full plate. Because college admissions is getting more competitive, it’s important that you’re maintaining your grades , studying hard for your standardized tests , and participating in extracurriculars so your application stands out. A packed schedule can get even more hectic once you add family obligations or a part-time job to the mix. 

If you feel like you’re being pulled in a million directions at once, you’re not alone. Recent research has found that stress—and more severe stress-related conditions like anxiety and depression— are a major problem for high school students . In fact, one study from the American Psychological Association found that during the school year, students’ stress levels are higher than those of the adults around them. 

For students, homework is a major contributor to their overall stress levels . Many high schoolers have multiple hours of homework every night , and figuring out how to fit it into an already-packed schedule can seem impossible. 

3 Tips for Fitting Homework Into Your Busy Schedule

While it might feel like you have literally no time left in your schedule, there are still ways to make sure you’re able to get your homework done and meet your other commitments. Here are our expert homework tips for even the busiest of students. 

#1: Make a Prioritized To-Do List 

You probably already have a to-do list to keep yourself on track. The next step is to prioritize the items on your to-do list so you can see what items need your attention right away. 

Here’s how it works: at the beginning of each day, sit down and make a list of all the items you need to get done before you go to bed. This includes your homework, but it should also take into account any practices, chores, events, or job shifts you may have. Once you get everything listed out, it’s time to prioritize them using the labels A, B, and C. Here’s what those labels mean:

• A Tasks : tasks that have to get done—like showing up at work or turning in an assignment—get an A. 
• B Tasks : these are tasks that you would like to get done by the end of the day but aren’t as time sensitive. For example, studying for a test you have next week could be a B-level task. It’s still important, but it doesn’t have to be done right away.
• C Tasks: these are tasks that aren’t very important and/or have no real consequences if you don’t get them done immediately. For instance, if you’re hoping to clean out your closet but it’s not an assigned chore from your parents, you could label that to-do item with a C.

Prioritizing your to-do list helps you visualize which items need your immediate attention, and which items you can leave for later. A prioritized to-do list ensures that you’re spending your time efficiently and effectively, which helps you make room in your schedule for homework. So even though you might really want to start making decorations for Homecoming (a B task), you’ll know that finishing your reading log (an A task) is more important. 

#2: Use a Planner With Time Labels

Your planner is probably packed with notes, events, and assignments already. (And if you’re not using a planner, it’s time to start!) But planners can do more for you than just remind you when an assignment is due. If you’re using a planner with time labels, it can help you visualize how you need to spend your day.

A planner with time labels breaks your day down into chunks, and you assign tasks to each chunk of time. For example, you can make a note of your class schedule with assignments, block out time to study, and make sure you know when you need to be at practice. Once you know which tasks take priority, you can add them to any empty spaces in your day. 

Planning out how you spend your time not only helps you use it wisely, it can help you feel less overwhelmed, too . We’re big fans of planners that include a task list ( like this one ) or have room for notes ( like this one ). 

#3: Set Reminders on Your Phone 

If you need a little extra nudge to make sure you’re getting your homework done on time, it’s a good idea to set some reminders on your phone. You don’t need a fancy app, either. You can use your alarm app to have it go off at specific times throughout the day to remind you to do your homework. This works especially well if you have a set homework time scheduled. So if you’ve decided you’re doing homework at 6:00 pm, you can set an alarm to remind you to bust out your books and get to work. 

If you use your phone as your planner, you may have the option to add alerts, emails, or notifications to scheduled events . Many calendar apps, including the one that comes with your phone, have built-in reminders that you can customize to meet your needs. So if you block off time to do your homework from 4:30 to 6:00 pm, you can set a reminder that will pop up on your phone when it’s time to get started. 

This dog isn't judging your lack of motivation...but your teacher might. Keep reading for tips to help you motivate yourself to do your homework.

How to Do Homework When You’re Unmotivated 

At first glance, it may seem like procrastination and being unmotivated are the same thing. After all, both of these issues usually result in you putting off your homework until the very last minute. 

But there’s one key difference: many procrastinators are working, they’re just prioritizing work differently. They know they’re going to start their homework...they’re just going to do it later. 

Conversely, people who are unmotivated to do homework just can’t find the willpower to tackle their assignments. Procrastinators know they’ll at least attempt the homework at the last minute, whereas people who are unmotivated struggle with convincing themselves to do it at a ll. For procrastinators, the stress comes from the inevitable time crunch. For unmotivated people, the stress comes from trying to convince themselves to do something they don’t want to do in the first place. 

Here are some common reasons students are unmotivated in doing homework : 

• Assignments are too easy, too hard, or seemingly pointless 
• Students aren’t interested in (or passionate about) the subject matter
• Students are intimidated by the work and/or feels like they don’t understand the assignment 
• Homework isn’t fun, and students would rather spend their time on things that they enjoy 

To sum it up: people who lack motivation to do their homework are more likely to not do it at all, or to spend more time worrying about doing their homework than...well, actually doing it.

3 Tips for How to Get Motivated to Do Homework

The key to getting homework done when you’re unmotivated is to figure out what does motivate you, then apply those things to homework. It sounds tricky...but it’s pretty simple once you get the hang of it! Here are our three expert tips for motivating yourself to do your homework. 

#1: Use Incremental Incentives

When you’re not motivated, it’s important to give yourself small rewards to stay focused on finishing the task at hand. The trick is to keep the incentives small and to reward yourself often. For example, maybe you’re reading a good book in your free time. For every ten minutes you spend on your homework, you get to read five pages of your book. Like we mentioned earlier, make sure you’re choosing a reward that works for you! 

So why does this technique work? Using small rewards more often allows you to experience small wins for getting your work done. Every time you make it to one of your tiny reward points, you get to celebrate your success, which gives your brain a boost of dopamine . Dopamine helps you stay motivated and also creates a feeling of satisfaction when you complete your homework !  

#2: Form a Homework Group 

If you’re having trouble motivating yourself, it’s okay to turn to others for support. Creating a homework group can help with this. Bring together a group of your friends or classmates, and pick one time a week where you meet and work on homework together. You don’t have to be in the same class, or even taking the same subjects— the goal is to encourage one another to start (and finish!) your assignments. 

Another added benefit of a homework group is that you can help one another if you’re struggling to understand the material covered in your classes. This is especially helpful if your lack of motivation comes from being intimidated by your assignments. Asking your friends for help may feel less scary than talking to your teacher...and once you get a handle on the material, your homework may become less frightening, too. 

#3: Change Up Your Environment 

If you find that you’re totally unmotivated, it may help if you find a new place to do your homework. For example, if you’ve been struggling to get your homework done at home, try spending an extra hour in the library after school instead. The change of scenery can limit your distractions and give you the energy you need to get your work done. 

If you’re stuck doing homework at home, you can still use this tip. For instance, maybe you’ve always done your homework sitting on your bed. Try relocating somewhere else, like your kitchen table, for a few weeks. You may find that setting up a new “homework spot” in your house gives you a motivational lift and helps you get your work done. 

Social media can be a huge problem when it comes to doing homework. We have advice for helping you unplug and regain focus.

How to Do Homework When You’re Easily Distracted

We live in an always-on world, and there are tons of things clamoring for our attention. From friends and family to pop culture and social media, it seems like there’s always something (or someone!) distracting us from the things we need to do.

The 24/7 world we live in has affected our ability to focus on tasks for prolonged periods of time. Research has shown that over the past decade, an average person’s attention span has gone from 12 seconds to eight seconds . And when we do lose focus, i t takes people a long time to get back on task . One study found that it can take as long as 23 minutes to get back to work once we’ve been distracte d. No wonder it can take hours to get your homework done! 

3 Tips to Improve Your Focus

If you have a hard time focusing when you’re doing your homework, it’s a good idea to try and eliminate as many distractions as possible. Here are three expert tips for blocking out the noise so you can focus on getting your homework done. 

#1: Create a Distraction-Free Environment

Pick a place where you’ll do your homework every day, and make it as distraction-free as possible. Try to find a location where there won’t be tons of noise, and limit your access to screens while you’re doing your homework. Put together a focus-oriented playlist (or choose one on your favorite streaming service), and put your headphones on while you work. 

You may find that other people, like your friends and family, are your biggest distraction. If that’s the case, try setting up some homework boundaries. Let them know when you’ll be working on homework every day, and ask them if they’ll help you keep a quiet environment. They’ll be happy to lend a hand! 

#2: Limit Your Access to Technology 

We know, we know...this tip isn’t fun, but it does work. For homework that doesn’t require a computer, like handouts or worksheets, it’s best to put all your technology away . Turn off your television, put your phone and laptop in your backpack, and silence notifications on any wearable tech you may be sporting. If you listen to music while you work, that’s fine...but make sure you have a playlist set up so you’re not shuffling through songs once you get started on your homework. 

If your homework requires your laptop or tablet, it can be harder to limit your access to distractions. But it’s not impossible! T here are apps you can download that will block certain websites while you’re working so that you’re not tempted to scroll through Twitter or check your Facebook feed. Silence notifications and text messages on your computer, and don’t open your email account unless you absolutely have to. And if you don’t need access to the internet to complete your assignments, turn off your WiFi. Cutting out the online chatter is a great way to make sure you’re getting your homework done. 

#3: Set a Timer (the Pomodoro Technique)

Have you ever heard of the Pomodoro technique ? It’s a productivity hack that uses a timer to help you focus!

Here’s how it works: first, set a timer for 25 minutes. This is going to be your work time. During this 25 minutes, all you can do is work on whatever homework assignment you have in front of you. No email, no text messaging, no phone calls—just homework. When that timer goes off, you get to take a 5 minute break. Every time you go through one of these cycles, it’s called a “pomodoro.” For every four pomodoros you complete, you can take a longer break of 15 to 30 minutes.

The pomodoro technique works through a combination of boundary setting and rewards. First, it gives you a finite amount of time to focus, so you know that you only have to work really hard for 25 minutes. Once you’ve done that, you’re rewarded with a short break where you can do whatever you want. Additionally, tracking how many pomodoros you complete can help you see how long you’re really working on your homework. (Once you start using our focus tips, you may find it doesn’t take as long as you thought!)

Two Bonus Tips for How to Do Homework Fast

Even if you’re doing everything right, there will be times when you just need to get your homework done as fast as possible. (Why do teachers always have projects due in the same week? The world may never know.)

The problem with speeding through homework is that it’s easy to make mistakes. While turning in an assignment is always better than not submitting anything at all, you want to make sure that you’re not compromising quality for speed. Simply put, the goal is to get your homework done quickly and still make a good grade on the assignment! 

Here are our two bonus tips for getting a decent grade on your homework assignments , even when you’re in a time crunch. 

#1: Do the Easy Parts First 

This is especially true if you’re working on a handout with multiple questions. Before you start working on the assignment, read through all the questions and problems. As you do, make a mark beside the questions you think are “easy” to answer . 

Once you’ve finished going through the whole assignment, you can answer these questions first. Getting the easy questions out of the way as quickly as possible lets you spend more time on the trickier portions of your homework, which will maximize your assignment grade. 

(Quick note: this is also a good strategy to use on timed assignments and tests, like the SAT and the ACT !) 

#2: Pay Attention in Class 

Homework gets a lot easier when you’re actively learning the material. Teachers aren’t giving you homework because they’re mean or trying to ruin your weekend... it’s because they want you to really understand the course material. Homework is designed to reinforce what you’re already learning in class so you’ll be ready to tackle harder concepts later.

When you pay attention in class, ask questions, and take good notes, you’re absorbing the information you’ll need to succeed on your homework assignments. (You’re stuck in class anyway, so you might as well make the most of it!) Not only will paying attention in class make your homework less confusing, it will also help it go much faster, too.

What’s Next?

If you’re looking to improve your productivity beyond homework, a good place to begin is with time management. After all, we only have so much time in a day...so it’s important to get the most out of it! To get you started, check out this list of the 12 best time management techniques that you can start using today.

You may have read this article because homework struggles have been affecting your GPA. Now that you’re on the path to homework success, it’s time to start being proactive about raising your grades. This article teaches you everything you need to know about raising your GPA so you can

Now you know how to get motivated to do homework...but what about your study habits? Studying is just as critical to getting good grades, and ultimately getting into a good college . We can teach you how to study bette r in high school. (We’ve also got tons of resources to help you study for your ACT and SAT exams , too!)

These recommendations are based solely on our knowledge and experience. If you purchase an item through one of our links, PrepScholar may receive a commission.

Ashley Sufflé Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams.

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The present continuous: I am doing …

• Auteur/autrice de la publication : abc 123
• Publication publiée :
• Post category: grammar

Form: I am, You are, he/she/it is, We are, You are, They are + BV-ing

Example: Verb TO DO: I am doing You are doing He/She/It is doing We are doing You are doing They are doing

Negative form: am + NOT + doing: I am not doing, I am not sleeping, It is not raining, They are not woking,

Interrogative form: Are you working? Are they joking? Is he serious?

Used to talk about: 1/ Present situations, now: the short-term or temporary situation. Something is happening now, at this moment. (Or something is not happening now). The action is not finished: the action is taking place now, at the time of speaking. I am reading a book, I am learning English (now), I am not running. You are running, You are not sleeping . Quiet! He is sleeping. She is playing outside. The cat is playing with the mouse. It’s raining. We are eating a cake. We are watching TV. You are watching TV. You are not studying. Are you studying? No. They are reading their books. What are you doing ? What are you reading? Who are you talking to on the phone? Why aren’t you doing your homework?

2/ Present situation: the long-term situation: Now (at the time of speaking), the action is true, but it could change in a long-term situation. With: now, today, this week, this month, this year … (periods around now)

Specially with : to live, to work, to teach: It’s now, but it could change: I’m looking for a new flat. I am studying hard today. You are studying to become a doctor. He’s thinking about leaving his job. He is reading the book « Da Vinci Code ». Are you teaching english at the university?

3/ Near Future: Something will happen in the near future (or will not). It has been already arranged. I ‘ m meeting my friends tonight at 8.30. My cousin is arriving this week-end. Are you running with us next Sunday?

4/ Repetition, Irritation with « always » or « constantly »: You can express the idea that something irritating or shocking often happens. It’s like the Simple Present, but with negative emotion. « always » or « constantly » are between « be » and « ing-form »

He is always coming late. He is constantly talking . They are always complaining .

Verbs about changing situations: begin, become, change, fall, get, grow, improve, increase, rise, start, stop,

We use the present continuous if we talk about changes happening now. I’m beginning my exercises, now. The situation is changing, he is working hard. The cat is falling from the window! Your English is getting better, you’re working hard! The population of United Kingdom is increasing slowly. Oh, it’s starting to rain. Where is my umbrella?

Adverb placement: adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc. You are still studying ? Are you still studying ?

• 001a: Present Continuous: I am doing
• 001b: Present Continuous: I am doing (2)
• 001c: Present Continuous: I am doing, description (3)
• 002:  Present Simple: I do
• 003a: Present Continuous or Present Simple? I’m doing … or … I do … ?
• 003b: Present Continuous or Present Simple? I’m doing … or … I do …? (2)
• 003c: Present Continuous or Present Simple? I’m doing … or … I do … ? (3)

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Future in english with will, express the time: when, how long, for, during, while, since.

DO, DOES, IS, ARE, AM, WAS, WERE

How to get into a good homework routine

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We're guessing there are loads of things you'd like to do once you get in from school. Watching a must-see series that's just dropped on iPlayer? Yes please. Hanging out with your mates? Yes please. Doing your latest piece of homework? No thank you.

But what if we told you that by forming good habits with your homework, you'll make it feel like less of a chore? Spend two minutes watching this short video from our Homework Helpline heroes and then scroll down to see some expert tips on creating a good homework routine.

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Our Homework Helpline heroes are comedians Louise Young, Inel Tomlinson, and actor Lenny Rush – happy to help!

Video Transcript Video Transcript

Inel: Oh guys, we've got one!

Charlotte: My name is Charlotte and my question is: I try to keep my head down and do my homework every night, but sometimes other things get in the way. I also have ADHD which makes it hard to focus. How do I keep myself in a good routine?

Inel: Ah, well, you know what our experts say? They say get rid of all the things that you don't need and only have the things that you really need to help you focus, yeah! Well, you know, different things work for different people. So we've got a whole bunch of different tips to help you get into a routine. Haven't we guys?

Louise: But you know what? I'm gonna say it. Sometimes the last thing we want to do is homework, it's true! And I think in those circumstances just get it done and then we can get on with the things that we do want to do.

Lenny: You've got a really prioritise the urgent assignments, get them done first, they're out the way and then focus on the ones that you, like, have a bit more time on.

Louise: What I do to this day, I still do this, it helps me focus so well, I set a timer on my phone for like 30 minutes, set that and then just work for that time. And then after the 30 minutes I get up, run around, do star jumps, but then go back, set another 30 minutes and then keep working, and it really focuses my mind and also it helps with those really important screen time breaks.

Inel: Yeah, because I get distracted easily. I'm bad when it comes to my phone, I'm constantly scrolling, and once you're scrolling, it's hard to tell yourself away. So what I try and do is put the phone somewhere else. Out of sight, out of mind.

Lenny: Some schools open up the library before and after school, which can help if you've not got a place at home where you can focus.

Louise: Do you know what? I didn't have a desk when I was younger.

Inel: What did you use?

Louise: The kitchen table. It worked really well. Just clear a space on there, and I think that worked better for me than maybe working, like, on a sofa or of bed or something like that.

Inel: So to summarise, make sure to do your homework as soon as you can.

Louise: And also try and find that all important quiet space to get some work done.

Lenny: Yeah, take breaks.

Louise: And stop scrolling. Try your best to stop scrolling, put the phone away, lock the phone away, throw away the key.

Inel: Don't throw away the key Louise!

Louise: Maybe not.

Inel: If you want some more tips and tricks visit BBC Bitesize support.

How to get more organised when doing homework

Developing the skills to be organised is key to coping with the growing demands of homework. Our Homework Helpline heroes have some tips that may help you out.

Homework: managing deadlines

If you've got a stack of homework on your bed and the deadline is looming, this guide is just what you need!

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Does Homework Really Help Students Learn?

A conversation with a Wheelock researcher, a BU student, and a fourth-grade teacher

“Quality homework is engaging and relevant to kids’ lives,” says Wheelock’s Janine Bempechat. “It gives them autonomy and engages them in the community and with their families. In some subjects, like math, worksheets can be very helpful. It has to do with the value of practicing over and over.” Photo by iStock/Glenn Cook Photography

Do your homework.

If only it were that simple.

Educators have debated the merits of homework since the late 19th century. In recent years, amid concerns of some parents and teachers that children are being stressed out by too much homework, things have only gotten more fraught.

“Homework is complicated,” says developmental psychologist Janine Bempechat, a Wheelock College of Education & Human Development clinical professor. The author of the essay “ The Case for (Quality) Homework—Why It Improves Learning and How Parents Can Help ” in the winter 2019 issue of Education Next , Bempechat has studied how the debate about homework is influencing teacher preparation, parent and student beliefs about learning, and school policies.

She worries especially about socioeconomically disadvantaged students from low-performing schools who, according to research by Bempechat and others, get little or no homework.

BU Today  sat down with Bempechat and Erin Bruce (Wheelock’17,’18), a new fourth-grade teacher at a suburban Boston school, and future teacher freshman Emma Ardizzone (Wheelock) to talk about what quality homework looks like, how it can help children learn, and how schools can equip teachers to design it, evaluate it, and facilitate parents’ role in it.

BU Today: Parents and educators who are against homework in elementary school say there is no research definitively linking it to academic performance for kids in the early grades. You’ve said that they’re missing the point.

Bempechat : I think teachers assign homework in elementary school as a way to help kids develop skills they’ll need when they’re older—to begin to instill a sense of responsibility and to learn planning and organizational skills. That’s what I think is the greatest value of homework—in cultivating beliefs about learning and skills associated with academic success. If we greatly reduce or eliminate homework in elementary school, we deprive kids and parents of opportunities to instill these important learning habits and skills.

We do know that beginning in late middle school, and continuing through high school, there is a strong and positive correlation between homework completion and academic success.

That’s what I think is the greatest value of homework—in cultivating beliefs about learning and skills associated with academic success.

You talk about the importance of quality homework. What is that?

Quality homework is engaging and relevant to kids’ lives. It gives them autonomy and engages them in the community and with their families. In some subjects, like math, worksheets can be very helpful. It has to do with the value of practicing over and over.

What are your concerns about homework and low-income children?

The argument that some people make—that homework “punishes the poor” because lower-income parents may not be as well-equipped as affluent parents to help their children with homework—is very troubling to me. There are no parents who don’t care about their children’s learning. Parents don’t actually have to help with homework completion in order for kids to do well. They can help in other ways—by helping children organize a study space, providing snacks, being there as a support, helping children work in groups with siblings or friends.

Isn’t the discussion about getting rid of homework happening mostly in affluent communities?

Yes, and the stories we hear of kids being stressed out from too much homework—four or five hours of homework a night—are real. That’s problematic for physical and mental health and overall well-being. But the research shows that higher-income students get a lot more homework than lower-income kids.

Teachers may not have as high expectations for lower-income children. Schools should bear responsibility for providing supports for kids to be able to get their homework done—after-school clubs, community support, peer group support. It does kids a disservice when our expectations are lower for them.

The conversation around homework is to some extent a social class and social justice issue. If we eliminate homework for all children because affluent children have too much, we’re really doing a disservice to low-income children. They need the challenge, and every student can rise to the challenge with enough supports in place.

What did you learn by studying how education schools are preparing future teachers to handle homework?

My colleague, Margarita Jimenez-Silva, at the University of California, Davis, School of Education, and I interviewed faculty members at education schools, as well as supervising teachers, to find out how students are being prepared. And it seemed that they weren’t. There didn’t seem to be any readings on the research, or conversations on what high-quality homework is and how to design it.

Erin, what kind of training did you get in handling homework?

Bruce : I had phenomenal professors at Wheelock, but homework just didn’t come up. I did lots of student teaching. I’ve been in classrooms where the teachers didn’t assign any homework, and I’ve been in rooms where they assigned hours of homework a night. But I never even considered homework as something that was my decision. I just thought it was something I’d pull out of a book and it’d be done.

I started giving homework on the first night of school this year. My first assignment was to go home and draw a picture of the room where you do your homework. I want to know if it’s at a table and if there are chairs around it and if mom’s cooking dinner while you’re doing homework.

The second night I asked them to talk to a grown-up about how are you going to be able to get your homework done during the week. The kids really enjoyed it. There’s a running joke that I’m teaching life skills.

Friday nights, I read all my kids’ responses to me on their homework from the week and it’s wonderful. They pour their hearts out. It’s like we’re having a conversation on my couch Friday night.

It matters to know that the teacher cares about you and that what you think matters to the teacher. Homework is a vehicle to connect home and school…for parents to know teachers are welcoming to them and their families.

Bempechat : I can’t imagine that most new teachers would have the intuition Erin had in designing homework the way she did.

Ardizzone : Conversations with kids about homework, feeling you’re being listened to—that’s such a big part of wanting to do homework….I grew up in Westchester County. It was a pretty demanding school district. My junior year English teacher—I loved her—she would give us feedback, have meetings with all of us. She’d say, “If you have any questions, if you have anything you want to talk about, you can talk to me, here are my office hours.” It felt like she actually cared.

Bempechat : It matters to know that the teacher cares about you and that what you think matters to the teacher. Homework is a vehicle to connect home and school…for parents to know teachers are welcoming to them and their families.

Ardizzone : But can’t it lead to parents being overbearing and too involved in their children’s lives as students?

Bempechat : There’s good help and there’s bad help. The bad help is what you’re describing—when parents hover inappropriately, when they micromanage, when they see their children confused and struggling and tell them what to do.

Good help is when parents recognize there’s a struggle going on and instead ask informative questions: “Where do you think you went wrong?” They give hints, or pointers, rather than saying, “You missed this,” or “You didn’t read that.”

Bruce : I hope something comes of this. I hope BU or Wheelock can think of some way to make this a more pressing issue. As a first-year teacher, it was not something I even thought about on the first day of school—until a kid raised his hand and said, “Do we have homework?” It would have been wonderful if I’d had a plan from day one.

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Senior Contributing Editor

Sara Rimer A journalist for more than three decades, Sara Rimer worked at the Miami Herald , Washington Post and, for 26 years, the New York Times , where she was the New England bureau chief, and a national reporter covering education, aging, immigration, and other social justice issues. Her stories on the death penalty’s inequities were nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and cited in the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision outlawing the execution of people with intellectual disabilities. Her journalism honors include Columbia University’s Meyer Berger award for in-depth human interest reporting. She holds a BA degree in American Studies from the University of Michigan. Profile

She can be reached at [email protected] .

Comments & Discussion

Boston University moderates comments to facilitate an informed, substantive, civil conversation. Abusive, profane, self-promotional, misleading, incoherent or off-topic comments will be rejected. Moderators are staffed during regular business hours (EST) and can only accept comments written in English. Statistics or facts must include a citation or a link to the citation.

There are 81 comments on Does Homework Really Help Students Learn?

Insightful! The values about homework in elementary schools are well aligned with my intuition as a parent.

when i finish my work i do my homework and i sometimes forget what to do because i did not get enough sleep

same omg it does not help me it is stressful and if I have it in more than one class I hate it.

Same I think my parent wants to help me but, she doesn’t care if I get bad grades so I just try my best and my grades are great.

I think that last question about Good help from parents is not know to all parents, we do as our parents did or how we best think it can be done, so maybe coaching parents or giving them resources on how to help with homework would be very beneficial for the parent on how to help and for the teacher to have consistency and improve homework results, and of course for the child. I do see how homework helps reaffirm the knowledge obtained in the classroom, I also have the ability to see progress and it is a time I share with my kids

The answer to the headline question is a no-brainer – a more pressing problem is why there is a difference in how students from different cultures succeed. Perfect example is the student population at BU – why is there a majority population of Asian students and only about 3% black students at BU? In fact at some universities there are law suits by Asians to stop discrimination and quotas against admitting Asian students because the real truth is that as a group they are demonstrating better qualifications for admittance, while at the same time there are quotas and reduced requirements for black students to boost their portion of the student population because as a group they do more poorly in meeting admissions standards – and it is not about the Benjamins. The real problem is that in our PC society no one has the gazuntas to explore this issue as it may reveal that all people are not created equal after all. Or is it just environmental cultural differences??????

I get you have a concern about the issue but that is not even what the point of this article is about. If you have an issue please take this to the site we have and only post your opinion about the actual topic

This is not at all what the article is talking about.

This literally has nothing to do with the article brought up. You should really take your opinions somewhere else before you speak about something that doesn’t make sense.

we have the same name

so they have the same name what of it?

lol you tell her

totally agree

What does that have to do with homework, that is not what the article talks about AT ALL.

Yes, I think homework plays an important role in the development of student life. Through homework, students have to face challenges on a daily basis and they try to solve them quickly.I am an intense online tutor at 24x7homeworkhelp and I give homework to my students at that level in which they handle it easily.

More than two-thirds of students said they used alcohol and drugs, primarily marijuana, to cope with stress.

You know what’s funny? I got this assignment to write an argument for homework about homework and this article was really helpful and understandable, and I also agree with this article’s point of view.

I also got the same task as you! I was looking for some good resources and I found this! I really found this article useful and easy to understand, just like you! ^^

i think that homework is the best thing that a child can have on the school because it help them with their thinking and memory.

I am a child myself and i think homework is a terrific pass time because i can’t play video games during the week. It also helps me set goals.

Homework is not harmful ,but it will if there is too much

I feel like, from a minors point of view that we shouldn’t get homework. Not only is the homework stressful, but it takes us away from relaxing and being social. For example, me and my friends was supposed to hang at the mall last week but we had to postpone it since we all had some sort of work to do. Our minds shouldn’t be focused on finishing an assignment that in realty, doesn’t matter. I completely understand that we should have homework. I have to write a paper on the unimportance of homework so thanks.

homework isn’t that bad

Are you a student? if not then i don’t really think you know how much and how severe todays homework really is

i am a student and i do not enjoy homework because i practice my sport 4 out of the five days we have school for 4 hours and that’s not even counting the commute time or the fact i still have to shower and eat dinner when i get home. its draining!

i totally agree with you. these people are such boomers

why just why

they do make a really good point, i think that there should be a limit though. hours and hours of homework can be really stressful, and the extra work isn’t making a difference to our learning, but i do believe homework should be optional and extra credit. that would make it for students to not have the leaning stress of a assignment and if you have a low grade you you can catch up.

Studies show that homework improves student achievement in terms of improved grades, test results, and the likelihood to attend college. Research published in the High School Journal indicates that students who spent between 31 and 90 minutes each day on homework “scored about 40 points higher on the SAT-Mathematics subtest than their peers, who reported spending no time on homework each day, on average.” On both standardized tests and grades, students in classes that were assigned homework outperformed 69% of students who didn’t have homework. A majority of studies on homework’s impact – 64% in one meta-study and 72% in another – showed that take home assignments were effective at improving academic achievement. Research by the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) concluded that increased homework led to better GPAs and higher probability of college attendance for high school boys. In fact, boys who attended college did more than three hours of additional homework per week in high school.

So how are your measuring student achievement? That’s the real question. The argument that doing homework is simply a tool for teaching responsibility isn’t enough for me. We can teach responsibility in a number of ways. Also the poor argument that parents don’t need to help with homework, and that students can do it on their own, is wishful thinking at best. It completely ignores neurodiverse students. Students in poverty aren’t magically going to find a space to do homework, a friend’s or siblings to help them do it, and snacks to eat. I feel like the author of this piece has never set foot in a classroom of students.

THIS. This article is pathetic coming from a university. So intellectually dishonest, refusing to address the havoc of capitalism and poverty plays on academic success in life. How can they in one sentence use poor kids in an argument and never once address that poor children have access to damn near 0 of the resources affluent kids have? Draw me a picture and let’s talk about feelings lmao what a joke is that gonna put food in their belly so they can have the calories to burn in order to use their brain to study? What about quiet their 7 other siblings that they share a single bedroom with for hours? Is it gonna force the single mom to magically be at home and at work at the same time to cook food while you study and be there to throw an encouraging word?

Also the “parents don’t need to be a parent and be able to guide their kid at all academically they just need to exist in the next room” is wild. Its one thing if a parent straight up is not equipped but to say kids can just figured it out is…. wow coming from an educator What’s next the teacher doesn’t need to teach cause the kid can just follow the packet and figure it out?

Well then get a tutor right? Oh wait you are poor only affluent kids can afford a tutor for their hours of homework a day were they on average have none of the worries a poor child does. Does this address that poor children are more likely to also suffer abuse and mental illness? Like mentioned what about kids that can’t learn or comprehend the forced standardized way? Just let em fail? These children regularly are not in “special education”(some of those are a joke in their own and full of neglect and abuse) programs cause most aren’t even acknowledged as having disabilities or disorders.

But yes all and all those pesky poor kids just aren’t being worked hard enough lol pretty sure poor children’s existence just in childhood is more work, stress, and responsibility alone than an affluent child’s entire life cycle. Love they never once talked about the quality of education in the classroom being so bad between the poor and affluent it can qualify as segregation, just basically blamed poor people for being lazy, good job capitalism for failing us once again!

why the hell?

you should feel bad for saying this, this article can be helpful for people who has to write a essay about it

This is more of a political rant than it is about homework

I know a teacher who has told his students their homework is to find something they are interested in, pursue it and then come share what they learn. The student responses are quite compelling. One girl taught herself German so she could talk to her grandfather. One boy did a research project on Nelson Mandela because the teacher had mentioned him in class. Another boy, a both on the autism spectrum, fixed his family’s computer. The list goes on. This is fourth grade. I think students are highly motivated to learn, when we step aside and encourage them.

The whole point of homework is to give the students a chance to use the material that they have been presented with in class. If they never have the opportunity to use that information, and discover that it is actually useful, it will be in one ear and out the other. As a science teacher, it is critical that the students are challenged to use the material they have been presented with, which gives them the opportunity to actually think about it rather than regurgitate “facts”. Well designed homework forces the student to think conceptually, as opposed to regurgitation, which is never a pretty sight

Wonderful discussion. and yes, homework helps in learning and building skills in students.

not true it just causes kids to stress

Homework can be both beneficial and unuseful, if you will. There are students who are gifted in all subjects in school and ones with disabilities. Why should the students who are gifted get the lucky break, whereas the people who have disabilities suffer? The people who were born with this “gift” go through school with ease whereas people with disabilities struggle with the work given to them. I speak from experience because I am one of those students: the ones with disabilities. Homework doesn’t benefit “us”, it only tears us down and put us in an abyss of confusion and stress and hopelessness because we can’t learn as fast as others. Or we can’t handle the amount of work given whereas the gifted students go through it with ease. It just brings us down and makes us feel lost; because no mater what, it feels like we are destined to fail. It feels like we weren’t “cut out” for success.

homework does help

here is the thing though, if a child is shoved in the face with a whole ton of homework that isn’t really even considered homework it is assignments, it’s not helpful. the teacher should make homework more of a fun learning experience rather than something that is dreaded

This article was wonderful, I am going to ask my teachers about extra, or at all giving homework.

I agree. Especially when you have homework before an exam. Which is distasteful as you’ll need that time to study. It doesn’t make any sense, nor does us doing homework really matters as It’s just facts thrown at us.

Homework is too severe and is just too much for students, schools need to decrease the amount of homework. When teachers assign homework they forget that the students have other classes that give them the same amount of homework each day. Students need to work on social skills and life skills.

I disagree.

Beyond achievement, proponents of homework argue that it can have many other beneficial effects. They claim it can help students develop good study habits so they are ready to grow as their cognitive capacities mature. It can help students recognize that learning can occur at home as well as at school. Homework can foster independent learning and responsible character traits. And it can give parents an opportunity to see what’s going on at school and let them express positive attitudes toward achievement.

Homework is helpful because homework helps us by teaching us how to learn a specific topic.

As a student myself, I can say that I have almost never gotten the full 9 hours of recommended sleep time, because of homework. (Now I’m writing an essay on it in the middle of the night D=)

I am a 10 year old kid doing a report about “Is homework good or bad” for homework before i was going to do homework is bad but the sources from this site changed my mind!

Homeowkr is god for stusenrs

I agree with hunter because homework can be so stressful especially with this whole covid thing no one has time for homework and every one just wants to get back to there normal lives it is especially stressful when you go on a 2 week vaca 3 weeks into the new school year and and then less then a week after you come back from the vaca you are out for over a month because of covid and you have no way to get the assignment done and turned in

As great as homework is said to be in the is article, I feel like the viewpoint of the students was left out. Every where I go on the internet researching about this topic it almost always has interviews from teachers, professors, and the like. However isn’t that a little biased? Of course teachers are going to be for homework, they’re not the ones that have to stay up past midnight completing the homework from not just one class, but all of them. I just feel like this site is one-sided and you should include what the students of today think of spending four hours every night completing 6-8 classes worth of work.

Are we talking about homework or practice? Those are two very different things and can result in different outcomes.

Homework is a graded assignment. I do not know of research showing the benefits of graded assignments going home.

Practice; however, can be extremely beneficial, especially if there is some sort of feedback (not a grade but feedback). That feedback can come from the teacher, another student or even an automated grading program.

As a former band director, I assigned daily practice. I never once thought it would be appropriate for me to require the students to turn in a recording of their practice for me to grade. Instead, I had in-class assignments/assessments that were graded and directly related to the practice assigned.

I would really like to read articles on “homework” that truly distinguish between the two.

oof i feel bad good luck!

thank you guys for the artical because I have to finish an assingment. yes i did cite it but just thanks

thx for the article guys.

Homework is good

I think homework is helpful AND harmful. Sometimes u can’t get sleep bc of homework but it helps u practice for school too so idk.

I agree with this Article. And does anyone know when this was published. I would like to know.

It was published FEb 19, 2019.

Studies have shown that homework improved student achievement in terms of improved grades, test results, and the likelihood to attend college.

i think homework can help kids but at the same time not help kids

This article is so out of touch with majority of homes it would be laughable if it wasn’t so incredibly sad.

There is no value to homework all it does is add stress to already stressed homes. Parents or adults magically having the time or energy to shepherd kids through homework is dome sort of 1950’s fantasy.

What lala land do these teachers live in?

Homework gives noting to the kid

Homework is Bad

homework is bad.

why do kids even have homework?

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Have you finished your homework? Yes, I have

• Thread starter J1 AKD
• Start date Feb 14, 2012
• Feb 14, 2012

Hola, If I am asked something in the perfect tense, how do I respond in Spanish? For example. English: "Have you finished your homework?" "Yes, I have." Spanish: "¿Has terminado tus deberes?" "...." I could answer "Sí, he terminado mis deberes", but it seems long winded. Is there not a shorter answer, like "Sí, yo he"? Gracias.  

grahamcracker

Senior member.

How about, " Sí, yo hice "? (Yes, I did.)  

There isn't really an exact equivalent of this in Spanish. You could say just "Sí," or you could say "Sí, los he hecho/terminado." But never "yo he."  

Oh well, thank you for the responses.  

colombo-aussie

grahamcracker said: How about, " Sí, yo hice "? (Yes, I did.) Click to expand...