The Present Continuous Tense

1. The Present Continuous Tense

Use and form

2. What is she doing?

• She is reading a book.

3. What is she doing?

• She is crying.

4. What’s he doing?

• He’s watching TV.

5. Where’s he going?

• He’s going to school.

6. And what are you doing right now?

• We are studying English grammar.

7. Use 1

• The previous examples show that we use
this tense to denote an action happening
at the time of speaking (adverbs: now,
right now, at the moment)

8. What are they wearing today?

• They are wearing T-shirts and mini
skirts today.

9. I’d love to see you. Are you busy?

• Unfortunately, I’m rather busy. I’m
painting my flat this week.

10. Are you having fun this summer?

• Not really. I’m working as a waiter. I
need some money for college.

11. Use 2

• These examples show that the Present
Continuous Tense is also used to denote
a temporary action happening today or
these days.

12. What’s wrong with our planet?

• It’s getting warmer.

13. What’ wrong with the air we breathe?

• It’s becoming more and more polluted.

14. Use 3

• It is also used to express the ongoing
changes, especially with verbs such as
become, get, grow, change, and with
expressions like more and more.

15.

• Are you going to the party on Friday?

16.

• We’re leaving tomorrow.

17. Use 4

• We use it for future arrangements with
a time reference.

18. Form – am, are, is + ing form

am, are,
is, are
Form – am,
is ++ ing
ingform
form
• Affirmative
I am sleeping.
He/she/it is sleeping.
You/we/they are sleeping.
• Negative
I am not (I’m not) singing.
He/she/it is not (isn’t) singing.
You/we/they are not (aren’t) singing.

19. Form - continued

• Interrogative
Am I dreaming?
Is he/she/it dreaming?
Are you/we/they dreaming?
• Short answers
Yes, I am/he is/we are…
No, I’m not/he isn’t/we aren’t…

20. ing form – spelling rules

• Most verbs just take –ing with no
changes in spelling: watch-watching,
clean-cleaning, listen-listening
• Verbs ending in –e drop it before –ing:
live-living, write-writing
• Verbs with short vowels and one
consonant double the consonant:
run-running, swim-swimming

21. ing form – spelling rules

• Verbs ending in –l, double it: traveltravelling, cancel-cancelling
• Verbs ending in –ie change it to –y: lielying, die-dying