Unit 1 A Space Adventure

Present Continuous

Grammar Model

A Space Adventure

A) 🔊 Listen and complete the dialogue.

Chin: Hi there, Mika. What (1) _________ you (2) _________?
Hey, is that Star Mission 2055?

Mika: Yeah.

Chin: I love that book. It’s so good. Where are you up to? What’s (3) _________?

Mika: Chapter 6. Captain Tim (4) _________ (5) _________ the ship—

Chin: But usually Jenna (6) _________ the ship, right?

Mika: I know, but Jenna and Ruby (7) _________ (8) _________ to fix the warp engine. And, uh, I think Joe (9) _________ (10) _________ the computer because of that problem they had on Jupiter.

B) Answer the questions:

1. How are answers 1, 4, 7, and 9 similar?
2. How are answers 2, 3, 5, 8, and 10 similar?
3. Which answers talk about things happening now?

Grammar Skill

Present continuous
We use the present continuous to talk about actions that are happening now. We can talk about these actions by using be (am/is/are) + verb + -ing.

Statements

Questions

Notes:

• If the verb ends with e, delete the e before adding -ing (write ➞ writing).
• Sometimes the last consonant in the verb must be doubled (running, stopping).

C) Practice
Circle the correct answer.

1. Quick! The aliens _________ right now!
   a) coming
   b) are coming
   c) is coming
   d) are comeing
2. I’m _________ to fix the computer—it isn’t working!
   a) trying
   b) tries
   c) is trying
   d) try
3. Jenna and Ruby, what _________?
   a) is you doing
   b) are you doing
   c) am you doing
   d) they are doing
4. They _________ to the weapons room!
   a) are running
   b) running
   c) runing
   d) am running
5. This is strange. _________ some kind of message on the computer.
   a) We gets
   b) We are getting
   c) We are get
   d) We geting
6. Who _________ those strange messages?
   a) send
   b) is send
   c) sending
   d) is sending

D
Read Mika’s email and correct the eight mistakes. Then listen and check your answers.

Hi, Chin!
Where are you up to in Star Mission 2055? I’m up to Chapter 7 now. Captain Tim’s yelling (yell) at everyone because the aliens is attacking right now! People are runing around everywhere. Joe hitting the computer—it still isn’t work! Ruby and Jenna couldn’t fix the warp engine, so now they shooting at the aliens. Jenna is smiling—she is liking fighting aliens! And someone are send strange messages to the ship, but nobody knows who. It’s such an exciting book, isn’t it?
Mika

E
Look at the pictures from Chapter 8 of Star Mission 2055. Work with a classmate and talk about what is happening in each picture.

1. Captain Tim
2. Ruby and Jenna
3. Joe
4. Aliens

F
Listen to Chin’s voice message and circle the correct answer.

Hi, Mika. I’m up to Chapter 9 now. The team escaped from the evil aliens, but now they (1) hide / are hiding inside an asteroid. Captain Tim (2) are telling / is telling everyone to be calm. Jenna (3) thinks / is thinking about a way to escape without being seen by the aliens. Joe (4) is making / are making a new gun that is very powerful. And Ruby has noticed that the warp engine (5) is humming / hum again…

G
Complete the passage using the correct form of the verbs given. Then listen and check your answers.

(know, send, get, work, fly, blast, chase, want)

In Chapter 10 of Star Mission 2055, things (1) ______________ really exciting! Everything (2) ______________ again—the warp engine, the computer, everything! They (3) ______________ away from the asteroid and Joe (4) ______________ the alien spaceship with the new gun. The aliens (5) ______________ them anymore.
Ruby (6) ______________ to find a secret planet because now she (7) ______________ who (8) ______________ the strange messages…

H
Imagine what is happening in Chapter 11 of Star Mission 2055 and tell the class.