ESL BLUE
(s)
The Hurricane:
present progressive tense
The hurricane: quiz on present tense forms
The reading text describes what normally happens during a hurricane. For this exercise, imagine that you are a television reporter describing the approach and the arrival of a hurricane. Because
it is happening now,
you must use the present progressive instead of the simple present.
Look at the examples at the beginning of the text.
Click for more information about:
present tenses
(10 a.m. newscast)
A hurricane
approaches
the Florida coast.
is approaching
It
doesn't move
very quickly so people have time to react.
is not moving
Meteorologists at the National Hurricane Center
monitor
the storm very carefully.
They
warn
the population that a hurricane is approaching.
Winds
increase
in strength
and the residents
take
the necessary precautions.
Many schools and businesses
close
early.
Parents
make
sure that their children are safe at home.
Some people
do
some last-minute shopping for food and emergency supplies.
Stores
run
out of things like candles, flashlights and batteries.
Many residents
cover
their windows with plywood.
The government
encourages
those who live very close to the ocean to move to evacuation centers.
Heavy traffic
causes
huge bottlenecks on certain roads and bridges.
The shelters
fill
up with people from all over the area.
Volunteers and government employees
look
after their needs.
They
provide
blankets, bedding and food.
The evacuees
don't feel
very safe, however.
Everybody
stands
anxiously around the television, waiting for news.
(6 p.m. newscast)
The hurricane
hits
the coast.
All hell
breaks
loose.
Gigantic waves
crash
onto the beaches.
The wind
attacks
everything in its path.
Trees and branches
fall
to the ground,
windows
break
,
roofs
fly
off houses.
The wind
grabs
any loose object
and
carries
it away.
Anybody foolish enough to go outdoors
runs
the risk of injury of death from all the flying debris.
Because of the violence of the storm, people
don't feel
secure even inside their homes.
Some areas of the city
experience
power outages.
The police
don't patrol
the streets.
There's no need. Nobody
goes
out onto the streets in the middle of such a violent storm.
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