Spring Break

It's that time of the year again. The time where college students, families and loved ones take a week off from their responsibilities to enjoy Spring Break! Spring Break is when a group of people go on vacation usually to visit a tropical island or somewhere hot. In preparation for this fun time of the year, people are usually spending many hours at the gym, running from store to store in hopes of finding the perfect outfits, getting spray tans, and spending more money than they hoped for. Mothers are packing, while daughters envision the perfect day at the beach. Friends are giving each other advice on which bikini to bring with them and which shoes will go with that new dress they just bought.

Vocabulary 

1. responsibilities (n.) having a duty to deal with
2. vacation (n.) an extended period of time spent away from home to travel for fun 
3. preparation (n.) something done to get ready for an event
4. envision (v.) imagine as a future possibility; visualize
5. advice (n.) guidance or recommendations about a future action 

Write your own sentence for each of the sentences below.  Use the definitions and the context in which each word is used in the above paragraph.  
1. responsibilities ________________________________________________________
2. vacation ___________________________________________________________
3. preparation___________________________________________________________
4. envision___________________________________________________________
5. advice ___________________________________________________________

Grammar Point: Present Continuous Verbs
The present continuous tense is formed by using the present tense form of the verb "to be" and the present participle (-ing) form of the verb. We use the present continuous tense to talk about the present. For something that is happening at the moment of speaking, for something which is happening before and after a given time, for something which we think is temporary, for something which is new and contrasts with a previous state, for something which happens again and again, and to show that something is changing, growing or developing. We can also use the present continuous tense to talk about the future for something which has been arranged or planned. 

The following are examples of sentences from the paragraph above that use the present continuous:

1. In preparation for this fun time of the year, people are usually spending many hours at the gym, running from store to store in hopes of finding the perfect outfits, getting spray tans, and spending more money than they hoped for.
2. Mothers are packing, while daughters envision the perfect day at the beach.
3. Friends are giving each other advice on which bikini to bring with them and which shoes will go with that new dress they just bought.

Grammar Activity: 
Given the words below, please change the tense and create at least 5 sentences using the present continuous tense. 
Shop, play, write, read, cook, learn, walk, drive, sing, observe 

1.___________________________________________________________
2. ___________________________________________________________
3. ___________________________________________________________
4. ___________________________________________________________
5. ___________________________________________________________