We make the Present Continuous with the present tense of be and the –ing form of a verb:
I | am/’m | working. |
You/we/they | are/’re | |
He/she/it | is/’s |
I | am not/’m not | working. |
You/we/they | are not/aren’t | |
He/she/it | is not/isn’t |
Am | I | working? |
Are | you/we/they | |
Is | he/she/it |
Yes, | I | am. |
you/we/they | are. | |
he/she/it | is. |
No, | I | am not/‘m not. |
you/we/they | are not/aren’t. | |
he/she/it | is not/isn’t. |
INFINITIVE | -ing FORM | |
With most verbs we add -ing: | go ask |
going asking |
With verbs that end with a consonant + -e, we delete the -e and add -ing: | take hope live queue |
taking hoping living queuing |
With verbs that end with -ie, we change -ie to -ying: | lie die |
lying dying |
With verbs that end with one vowel + one consonant (e.g. run, swim, jog), we double the consonant: | get run swim jog |
getting running swimming jogging |
But note that we do not double the consonant,
|
stay buy borrow draw visit listen wonder |
staying buying borrowing drawing visiting listening wondering |
But note also that we double the l at the end of verbs, when the last syllable is not stressed (e.g. TRAvel): | travel | travelling |
We use the Present Continuous for actions in progress at the time of speaking:
We use the Present Continuous for an action that has started, that has not finished, and that will continue in the future. The action is not in progress at the time of speaking, but we often say at the moment:
We use the Present Continuous for a temporary action or situation that is different from a person’s normal habits:
- A: Can I speak to Roger, please?
- B: No, he’s not at work. He’s doing a training course in London this week.
We use the Present Continuous to talk about changes and trends. This often goes with nowadays, these days, etc.
- The earth’s climate is getting warmer.
- These days, more and more people are watching streaming services like Netflix and HBO.
- Sales of smartphones are increasing every year.
We can use the Present Continuous with always to say that something happens too often:
- Rachel is always complaining.
- I’m always losing my smartphone.
- My son is always playing computer games.
PRACTICE
Now it is time to practise what you have learned.
- For each Practice Test, read the instructions carefully.
- Complete the exercise and press 'Check' to get your results.
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