EREKA EREKA Education NetworkA project of Ayub Educational Services
Unit Pack 1 · Foundation to Beginner

Six tense units.
Read first. Then practise.

Original EREKA lessons. Each unit starts with a clear explanation, then classroom examples from Karachi, then questions. Games come after the reading.

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Study path

Read the rule. Then answer.

U1

Present continuous

am / is / are + verb-ing

Formal explanation

We use the present continuous to talk about an action that is in progress now, or around now. The action is not finished. The form is always a present form of be plus the -ing form of the verb.

I am writing. You / we / they are writing. He / she / it is writing.
Negative: I am not writing. She is not writing. They are not writing.
Question: Are you writing? Is he writing?

When we use it

  • Now: The teacher is explaining Unit 1.
  • Around now, even if not at this second: I am reading a grammar pack this week.
  • Temporary situations: Sara is staying with her aunt in PECHS.
  • A fixed future plan: We are starting class at nine tomorrow.

Spelling of -ing

  • Most verbs: talk → talking, read → reading.
  • Drop silent e: write → writing, live → living.
  • Double last letter after a short vowel: sit → sitting, run → running, stop → stopping.
  • ie becomes y: lie → lying.

Some verbs are rarely used in continuous form because they describe a state, not an action: know, like, love, want, need, believe, understand, belong. We say “I know the answer,” not “I am knowing the answer.”

EREKA examples
The students are sitting in Room B.
Ayub sir is writing on the board.
I am not using my phone in class.
Are you listening to the model sentence?

Now answer

1. Right now the class ______ English.

2. She ______ with her cousin this month. It is temporary.

3. Choose the correct sentence.

4. Make the -ing form of write.

5. ______ you coming to EREKA tomorrow?

U2

Present simple

work / works

Formal explanation

We use the present simple for facts, habits, and timetables. It does not mean the action is happening at this second. It means the action is true in general, or it repeats.

I / you / we / they work. He / she / it works.
Negative: I do not work. She does not work.
Question: Do you work? Does she work?

After he, she and it, add -s or -es: teach → teaches, go → goes, study → studies, have → has.

When we use it

  • Habits: I take the bus to PECHS every day.
  • Facts: Water boils at 100°C. Karachi is a large city.
  • Timetables: Class starts at 9:00.
  • Feelings and states: I like English. She wants a new book.

Frequency words usually sit before the main verb, but after am / is / are: I always revise at night. She is never late.

EREKA examples
Foundation class starts at nine.
Ali does not eat in the classroom.
Do you live in Karachi?
She teaches three groups on Saturday.

Now answer

1. My sister ______ in Saddar.

2. ______ you go to EREKA on Friday?

3. He ______ tea in the morning.

4. Class ______ at nine. This is a timetable.

5. Choose the correct sentence.

U3

Present simple or continuous?

habit versus now

Formal explanation

Do not mix the two present forms. Present simple is the regular picture of a life. Present continuous is the camera picture of this moment, this week, or this temporary plan.

I live in Karachi. (my home, long-term)
I am living with my uncle this month. (temporary)
She teaches English. (her job)
She is teaching Unit 3 now. (this lesson)

Signal words

  • Simple: always, usually, often, every day, on Monday, never.
  • Continuous: now, at the moment, this week, today, Look!, Listen!

If you can add “every day” and the sentence stays true, use present simple. If you can add “right now” and the sentence stays true, use present continuous.

EREKA examples
We start class at nine. We are starting Unit 3 now.
He usually takes the bus. Today he is walking because the bus is late.

Now answer

1. Look! The students ______ the board.

2. Fatima ______ Foundation English every Saturday.

3. I ______ tea every morning, but today I ______ juice.

4. Which sentence is a temporary situation?

5. Listen! Somebody ______ at the door.

U4

Past simple

finished time

Formal explanation

We use the past simple for a completed action at a finished time. The time may be said in the sentence, or it is clear from the situation. The action is closed.

Regular: work → worked, start → started, study → studied, stop → stopped.
Irregular: go → went, see → saw, have → had, come → came, take → took, write → wrote.
Negative: I did not go. She did not see. (use the base verb after did)
Question: Did you go? Did she see?

Time words

yesterday, last night, last week, in 2020, two days ago, when I was a child.

Do not use did + past form together. Wrong: Did you went? Right: Did you go?

EREKA examples
We started Foundation class last month.
I did not miss yesterday’s lesson.
Did you finish the worksheet?
Ali went to Saddar and bought a notebook.

Now answer

1. Yesterday we ______ Unit 3.

2. She ______ to EREKA by bus last Saturday.

3. Choose the correct negative.

4. ______ you see the notice on the board?

5. Which sentence has a finished time?

U5

Past continuous

was / were + verb-ing

Formal explanation

We use the past continuous for an action that was already in progress at a time in the past. Think of a film that was still rolling when something else happened.

I / he / she / it was writing. You / we / they were writing.
Negative: I was not writing. They were not writing.
Question: Was she writing? Were you writing?

Two common patterns

  • Background + interruption: I was walking to class when it started to rain.
  • Two actions together: While Sara was reading, Ali was writing.

Use past simple for the short finished action that interrupts. Use past continuous for the longer background action.

EREKA examples
At 8:30 I was waiting at the bus stop.
The teacher came in while we were talking.
Were you listening when he said the answer?

Now answer

1. At 9:05 the students ______ down.

2. I ______ home when you called.

3. While we ______, the lights went out.

4. Choose the short interrupting action.

5. ______ you sleeping at ten last night?

U6

Present perfect — first look

have / has + past participle

Formal explanation

The present perfect links the past and the present. We use it when the exact finished time is not the point. The result, the experience, or the unfinished period is the point.

I / you / we / they have finished. He / she / it has finished.
Negative: I have not finished. She has not finished.
Question: Have you finished? Has she finished?

Three starter uses

  • Experience: I have visited Lahore. (in my life, time not given)
  • Result now: She has lost her book. (so she does not have it now)
  • Unfinished time: I have written two pages today. (today is not finished)

Common words: ever, never, already, yet, just, so far, today, this week.

If you name a finished time (yesterday, last year, in 2019), use past simple, not present perfect. Wrong: I have seen him yesterday. Right: I saw him yesterday. Right: I have seen him before.

EREKA examples
Have you ever studied at EREKA before?
I have already done Unit 5.
She has not finished the quiz yet.
We started this pack today. We have completed five units so far.

Now answer

1. I ______ this unit. The result is now.

2. She ______ Lahore last year.

3. ______ you ever spoken to a native speaker?

4. He has not arrived ______.

5. Choose the correct sentence.

Play

Games after the reading

Do the units first. Then play.

G1

Time-word memory

Tap two cards. Match the time word to the tense it usually needs.

Pairs 0 / 6
G2

Tense detective

Read the sentence. Choose the tense.

Press Start
G3

Verb factory

Type the form asked. Then check.

Press New

G4

Fix the sentence

One sentence is broken. Tap the correct repair.

Press Start
Mixed paper

Ten questions from all six units

1. Listen! The teacher ______ our names.

2. Water ______ at 100°C.

3. I ______ in Karachi, but this month I ______ with my uncle.

4. They ______ the exam last Monday.

5. We ______ when the visitor arrived.

6. ______ she go to class yesterday?

7. I ______ this exercise already.

8. He ______ tea every day.

9. Choose the state verb sentence.

10. She has not called ______.

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