How long does it take you to fall into a habit? In this lesson, students will discuss routine habits and actions happening in the moment. This lesson features audio of a person describing their colleagues. Students will also learn and practice the difference between the present continuous and the present simple tense and vocabulary relating to this topic. This lesson includes plenty of engaging discussion activities and worksheets that have been developed for adult and teenage learners.

Lesson Objectives

Grammar: Learners will understand the use and differences between the present continuous and present simple tense. They will practice forming sentences that describe routine habits and actions that are happening at the moment. Examples from the lesson include, "Susan is drinking coffee" (present continuous for actions happening now) and "She negotiates new contracts with our clients" (present simple for habitual actions).

Listening: Students will develop their listening skills through an audio clip that describes various colleagues and their activities. They will practice identifying details about what people are currently doing versus their regular duties or habits, such as distinguishing between someone who "is sitting on the sofa" versus someone's regular role in the company.

Speaking: The lesson encourages speaking activities by having students discuss their own routines and describe what actions they or people they know are doing at the moment. This will involve using both the present continuous and present simple tenses to talk about regular habits and immediate actions, respectively.

Vocabulary: Vocabulary related to the workplace, routine activities, and descriptions of actions will be introduced and practiced. This includes job titles (e.g., "receptionist," "manager"), action verbs (e.g., "negotiate," "make presentations"), and adverbs of frequency for routine actions (e.g., "always," "never").

Homework: Homework tasks will reinforce the lesson's focus on distinguishing between the present continuous and present simple tense. Students will complete sentences based on given verbs, choose correct answers to demonstrate understanding of tense usage, and match questions with appropriate answers that reflect either immediate actions or habitual routines.

Audio

Listen to the audio to hear about a man who meets his new colleagues for the first time. The receptionist introduces herself and shows the new employee around the office. She explains other people’s responsibilities and points out the manager. It sure is nerve-wracking being the new guy in town!

Audio Transcript

Vocabulary and Pronunciation

employee [noun]: someone who is paid to work for a person or company

receptionist [noun]: someone who works in a hotel or office building, answering the telephone and dealing with guests

negotiate [verb]: to try to make or change an agreement with another by having a discussion

multinational company [noun]: a company producing and selling goods in several different countries, as well as a company with workers from several different countries

outfit [noun]: a set of clothes that you wear for a particular occasion or activity

colleague [noun]: a person that you work with

regular hours [noun]: if you work regular hours, you work 40 hours a week, eight hours a day

meditation [noun]: the activity of focusing and thinking about only one thing; it can be done to relax or calm oneself down or as a part of a religious activity

blog [noun]: a website or page run by a person or group that posts information regularly, often written in a conversational style

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