THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE

THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE

The present continuous (sometimes called the present progressive) tense in English is really easy to make and is the same for all verbs. We make it using the present simple of “be” + verb-ing:

Here is how we make the positive:

SUB + BE (AM, IS, ARE) + V-ING + (OBJ)

Positive	Positive Short Form
I am sleeping.	I'm sleeping.
You are sleeping.	You're sleeping.
He is sleeping.	He's sleeping.
She is sleeping.	She's sleeping.
It is sleeping.	It's sleeping.
We are sleeping.	We're sleeping.
They are sleeping.	They're sleeping.

We can make the negative by adding “not”:

SUB + BE (AM, IS, ARE) + NOT + V-ING + (OBJ)

 

Negative	Negative Short Form
I am not sleeping	I'm not sleeping
You are not playing	You aren't playing
He is not reading	He isn't reading
She is not working	She isn't working
It is not raining	It isn't raining
We are not cooking	We aren't cooking
They are not listening	They aren't listening

Questions are also really, really easy. Just like we made the question with “be” in the present simple, here we also put “am”, “is”, or “are” before the subject to make a “yes / no” question:

BE (AM, IS, ARE) + SUB + + V-ING + (OBJ)?

Yes / No Questions

Am I eating chocolate ?

Are you studying now ?

Is he working ?

Is she doing her homework ?

Is it raining ?

Are we meeting at six ?

Are they coming ?

For “wh” questions, just put the question word at the front:

WH-WORD + BE (AM, IS, ARE) + SUB + + V-ING + (OBJ)?

Wh Questions

Why am I eating chocolate ?

What are you studying now ?

When is he working ?

What is she doing ?

Why is it raining ?

Who are we meeting ?

How are they travelling ?

THE SPELLING RULES OF VERB + ING

The following is a guide to the correct spelling of –ing forms of verbs and gerunds.

The general rule when changing a verb into its -ING form is just to add -ING to the end of the verb.

Infinitive	ING form
to feel	feeling
to go	going
to work	working
to sleep	sleeping

For example:

She wasn't feeling very well.

He is working on a new project.

The children are sleeping so be quiet.

Spelling exceptions

The following exceptions exist when spelling words ending in ING:

1). If the verb ends in an E we remove the E and add ING.

Infinitive	ING form
to live	living
to have	having
to make	making
to take	taking

For example:

People are living longer now than they were 100 years ago.

We are making a chocolate cake.

He was taking his time to get ready.

2). If the verb ends in a consonant + vowel + consonant, we double the final consonant and add ING.

Infinitive	ING form
to stop	stopping
to sit	sitting
to plan	planning
to get	getting
to swim	swimming

For example:

The policeman is stopping the traffic.

We are planning a surprise party for our teacher.

I think I am getting a cold.

3). If a two-syllable verb ends in a consonant + vowel + consonant, we do not double the final consonant when the stress is on the first syllable.

Infinitive	ING form
to happen	happening
to enter	entering
to offer	offering
to suffer	suffering

For example:

What is happening?

They are offering a discount.

Many people are suffering from a lack of food and water.

4). But, we do not double the final consonant when the verb ends in W, X or Y or when the final syllable is not emphasized.

Infinitive	ING form
to fix	fixing
to enjoy	enjoying
to snow	snowing

For example:

He is fixing his bike.

We are enjoying this great weather.

It's snowing outside.

5). If the verb ends in IE we change it to YING.

Infinitive	ING form
to lie	lying
to die	dying
to tie	tying

For example:

I know you are lying to me!

You should water your plant more because I think it is dying.

The little boy is tying his shoelaces.

6). If the verb ends in consonant + vowel + L, we normally double the final L and add ING.

Note: In the United States (US) they do not double the L when the accent is on the first syllable.

Infinitive	ING form (UK)	ING form (US)
to travel	travelling	traveling
to marvel	marvelling	marveling

For example:

I have been travelling around South America for 6 months.

He was marvelling at her beauty.

7). If the verb ends in a stressed vowel + R, we double the final R and add ING.

Infinitive	ING form
refer	referring
defer	deferring

For example:

Are you referring to this one or that one?

They are thinking of deferring payment of their mortgage.

8). If the verb ends in an unstressed vowel + R, we do not double the final R and add ING.

Infinitive	ING form
to offer	offering
to suffer	suffering
to whisper	whispering

For example:

I am offering you a special deal.

He is now suffering the consequences of his actions.

I wonder what he is whispering in her ear.

HOW TO USE THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE

1: First, we use the present continuous for things that are happening at the moment of speaking. These things usually last for quite a short time and they are not finished when we are talking about them.

For example:

I'm working at the moment.

Please call back as we are eating dinner now.

Julie is sleeping.

2: We can also use this tense for other kinds of temporary situations, even if the action isn't happening at this moment.

For example:

John's working in a bar until he finds a job in his field. (He might not be working now.)

I'm reading a really great book.

She's staying with her friend for a week.

Compare this with the present simple, which is used for permanent situations that we feel will continue for a long time.

For example:

I work in a school. (I think this is a permanent situation.)

I'm working in a school. (I think this is a temporary situation.)

3: We can use the present continuous for temporary or new habits (for normal habits that continue for a long time, we use the present simple). We often use this with expressions like 'these days' or 'at the moment'.

For example:

He's eating a lot these days.

She's swimming every morning (she didn't use to do this).

You're smoking too much.

4: Another present continuous use is for habits that are not regular, but that happen very often. In this case we usually use an adverb like 'always', 'forever' or 'constantly'. Often, we use the present continuous in this way to talk about an annoying habit.

For example:

You're forever losing your keys!

She's constantly missing the train.

Lucy's always smiling!

Future Uses
5: The next use is for definite future arrangements (with a future time word). In this case we have already made a plan and we are pretty sure that the event will happen in the future.

For example:

I'm meeting my father tomorrow.

We're going to the beach at the weekend.

I'm leaving at three.

We can't use this tense (or any other continuous tense) with stative verbs.

Click here to get full lesson explanation and to do the exercises