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Unusual Hobbies — Beyond the Ordinary

Present Tense Nuances · Vocabulary · Useful Expressions

Progress: 0 / 4 exercises completed

PRES. SIMPLE — permanent facts and habits  |  PRES. CONTINUOUS — temporary situations  |  PRES. PERFECT — life experience  |  PRES. PERF. CONT. — emphasis on duration

Exercise 1: Choose the Most Natural Tense

Select the present tense form that sounds most natural in each context.

1.She _____ miniature figures every evening after dinner — it's her favourite way to relax.

a) is painting
b) paints
c) has painted

2.I _____ about trying dark tourism for months, but I haven't booked anything yet.

a) have been thinking
b) think
c) am thinking

3.The craft beer movement _____ in popularity since the pandemic — it's everywhere now.

a) grows
b) is growing
c) has grown

4.She _____ constantly losing tools in her woodworking shed — it drives her mad.

a) was
b) has been
c) is

5.I _____ three escape rooms this year — each one was more challenging than the last.

a) visit
b) have visited
c) have been visiting

6.I _____ my crafting club this weekend — we're planning a new group project.

a) am meeting
b) meet
c) have met

7.She _____ people-watching at airports regularly — she says it's endlessly fascinating.

a) practises
b) is practising
c) has been practising

8.You look exhausted — how long _____ out there in the rain?

a) do you work
b) are you working
c) have you been working

Exercise 2: Match the Word to Its Definition

Click a word on the left, then click its definition on the right.

Word

1. Absorbing
2. Therapeutic
3. Eccentric
4. Meticulous
5. Demeanor
6. Tactile
7. Passersby
8. Intricate

Definition

A person's outward manner or behaviour
Relating to the sense of touch
People walking past a place
Highly detailed and complex
So interesting it completely captures your attention
Having a healing or calming effect
Unconventional and slightly strange
Giving extreme attention to every detail

Exercise 3: Which Expression Fits?

Select the expression that best matches each situation.

1.He spent six months crafting a wooden rocking chair as a birthday gift — every joint was hand-carved.

a) It's trial and error.
b) It's a labor of love.
c) It's an eye for detail.

2.She learned pottery mostly by experimenting, making mistakes, and trying different techniques until they worked.

a) She's using trial and error.
b) She's getting her hands dirty.
c) She's in her element.

3.After two hours of miniature painting, she looked up and realised it was midnight.

a) She got her hands dirty.
b) She has an eye for detail.
c) She lost track of time.

4.He spotted immediately that the wood grain was slightly uneven in one corner of the table.

a) He's in his element.
b) He's getting his hands dirty.
c) He has an eye for detail.

5.Stop watching tutorials and just start cutting the wood — the best way to learn is by doing.

a) Lose track of time.
b) Get your hands dirty.
c) Be in your element.

6.Watch him at the woodworking bench — he's completely relaxed, confident, and thoroughly enjoying every moment.

a) He's in his element.
b) He's losing track of time.
c) He's using trial and error.

Exercise 4: Identify the Reason for the Tense

Choose the best explanation for why the present tense form is used in each sentence.

1."I'm always losing my woodworking tools." — Why Present Continuous?

a) To describe a temporary situation
b) To express an annoying habit with 'always'
c) To describe a future arrangement

2."The craft beer movement has grown in popularity since the pandemic." — Why Present Perfect?

a) To show a result that connects past to the present
b) To state a permanent fact
c) To describe a future plan

3."My pottery class starts next Monday." — Why Present Simple for a future event?

a) To express an annoying habit
b) To describe a completed past action
c) To describe a fixed, scheduled future event

4."I've been collecting insects for two years." — Why Present Perfect Continuous?

a) To describe a completed past action
b) To express a future arrangement
c) To emphasise the duration of an ongoing activity

5."So I'm sitting in the café yesterday and this strange man walks in..." — Why Present for a past story?

a) To describe a permanent state
b) To make the past story more vivid and immediate
c) To describe a future arrangement

6."I've just finished this miniature — it took me three weeks." — Why Present Perfect?

a) To show a recently completed action with present relevance
b) To show how long something has been going on
c) To describe a scheduled future event