Lesson: Describing Habits and Routines

Welcome to Everyday English.

In this lesson, you will learn how to describe people’s habits and
routines.
Introduction: What Does Tommy Do?

• What activities does Tommy do

• In the morning?
• In the afternoon?
• In the evening?

• Do you think Tommy enjoys these

activities? Why do you think so?

Take five minutes to answer these questions in your student notebook.

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Learning Objectives

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Vocabulary and Grammar

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Vocabulary Focus: Habits

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Vocabulary Focus: Chores

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Vocabulary Focus: Routine

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Concept Focus: Order in Routines

Shreya’s answer shows us that a routine has three stages: a beginning, middle and an
end. When she talks about her day, she starts with her activities in the morning, next
she describes her afternoon and then she ends with her evening.

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Grammar Focus: How many times?

What are the activities that you do at specific times every day?
They form part of your daily routine.

Daily Routine
6AM 9AM 11AM 1PM 5PM 8PM

What are some activities you do on specific days of the week?

They form part of your weekly routine.

Weekly Routine

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun

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Grammar Focus: Adverbs of Frequency

Weekly Routine

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun

I always wake up at 6 AM.

Weekly Routine

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun

I generally go to bed at 9 PM.

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Grammar Focus: Adverbs of Frequency

Weekly Routine

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun

I often exercise before breakfast.

Weekly Routine

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun

Sometimes, I help with the chores at home.

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Grammar Focus: Adverbs of Frequency

Weekly Routine

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun

I seldom watch cartoons on TV.

Weekly Routine

Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat Sun

I never eat chocolate at night.

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Grammar Focus: Make Sentences

What activities in your routine can you describe with these words?

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Reading Comprehension

Read this text and answer the questions on-screen.

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Glossary
• Adverbs of frequency: Adverbs of frequency are words used to indicate how many times a
repeated activity occurs in a specified time.
• Always: The word ‘Always’ indicates that an activity is done without fail. Example: “Tommy
always wakes me up at 5 AM. He has never missed a day!”
• Chore: A chore is a regular duty or task, like cleaning the house or washing clothes.
• Habit: A habit is an activity done regularly in a repeated way.
• Never: The word ‘Never’ is used to indicate that an activity is not done at all. “I never leave
Tommy alone at home for more than a few hours.”
• Often: Often indicates that an activity is done many times. Example: “I often cycle to school
because on many days I miss the bus.”
• Routine: A routine is a regular, ordered way of performing activities in a specified time, like
a day or week.
• Seldom or rarely: The words ‘seldom’ and ‘rarely’ indicate that an activity is done very few
times. “Tommy seldom sleeps in the afternoon. That’s because he is a very active dog.”
• Sometimes or occasionally: The words ‘sometimes’ and ‘occasionally’ indicate that an
activity is done only once in a while. Example: “I occasionally stop to eat ice cream, but
definitely not every day!”
• Usually or generally: The words ‘usually’ and ‘generally’ indicate that an activity is done
most of the time. Example: “I usually take Tommy out for a walk in the morning. That is,
unless it rains.”
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Activity Guidelines:
Asking and Answering Questions
Read through these guidelines carefully before you begin the activities.

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Pair Activity

1. Fill in the My Routine table on the next page.

(2 minutes)

2. Stand up, walk around and form pairs. (1 minute)

3. Ask your partner about his or her routine. Listen

carefully and fill in the My Friend’s Routine
table. (5 minutes)

4. Check whether you got the details correct.

(1 minute)

5. Now your partner will ask you about your routine

and fill out the details in his or her My Friend’s
Routine table. (5 minutes)
15 Minutes
6. Check to see whether your friend got all the
details right. (1 minutes)

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Pair Activity

My Routine My Friend’s Routine

Time Monday Time Monday

6:00 AM 6:00 AM

8:00 AM 8:00 AM

10:00 AM 10:00 AM

1:00 PM 1:00 PM

3:00 PM 3:00 PM

5:00 PM 5:00 PM

7:00 PM 7:00 PM

9:00 PM 9:00 PM

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Group Activity

1. Form groups of five and choose a leader

for your group. (2 minutes)
2. The leader will give each member
(including himself/herself) a role: sports
player, movie star, politician, teacher or
doctor. (1 minute)
3. Think about the daily routine of your
character. (2 minutes)
4. The leader will interview Student 1.
Student 1 will then interview Student 2
and so on. Finally, Student 4 will
interview the leader. (15 minutes)
5. Using the Activity Guidelines as
20 Minutes
reference, correct and guide each other
in asking questions and giving answers.

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Action Plan

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