Technical English Mimes

Mime one of the lines on the next page until your partner guesses what the action is.

Ask about any which you can’t understand, can’t mime, etc.

Why do we use Present Continuous (“I am doing”, “He’s doing”, etc) for those mimes and not the Present Simple (“I do”, “He does”, etc)? What are the differences between those two tenses?

Put the correct present tense into the following questions pairs of questions (one Present Simple question and one Present Continuous question in each pair):

How many hours a week _______________________________________ (you work)?

What project _________________________________ (you work on) at the moment?

________________________________________________ (you feel) tired right now?

________________________________ (you usually feel) tired when you finish work?

How often ____________________________________ (you use) a computer?

How many people in your office ________________ (use) a computer now, do you think?

Ask and answer the questions above in pairs.

Ask each other more questions using the verbs on Worksheet 1, both with the Present Simple (routines) and the Present Continuous (things happening now/ temporarily).

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Technical English actions to mime

• A pipe is leaking
• The knife is blunt
• The remote control’s batteries are flat
• The scissors are blunt
• You are adjusting the strap on a hard hat
• You are attaching a new printer to your computer.
• You are changing a light bulb
• You are changing gear
• You are changing some batteries (e.g. in a remote control)
• You are changing the oil in a car
• You are cleaning the computer’s monitor
• You are cleaning up some spilled chemicals
• You are cleaning your desk
• You are clicking and dragging a document
• You are counting barrels
• You are doing first aid on a colleague
• You are drilling a hole
• You are driving a fork lift (= fork lift truck)
• You are estimating how many hairs there are on your partner’s head
• You are fixing the printer (e.g. taking out jammed paper)
• You are flushing the toilet.
• You are gesturing for a truck to back up
• You are measuring the table
• You are mopping the floor
• You are painting a fence
• You are polishing your computer screen
• You are putting on a mask
• You are putting on protective clothing (goggles, helmet, gloves, etc.)
• You are putting out a fire (with a hand-held fire extinguisher)
• You are sharpening a pencil
• You are slipping on a wet floor
• You are spilling your coffee
• You are stretching a rubber band
• You are taking off your goggles
• You are taking someone on a tour of your factory
• You are ticking items on a checklist
• You are tidying up your desk
• You are tightening a bolt
• You are tightening some screws
• You are trying to move a stiff lever
• You are unblocking a pipe
• You are unlocking the safe
• You are using a calculator
• You are using a jack
• You are weighing yourself