Present Continuous Tense

Present Countinuous Tense

Affirmative form

singular plural

I am working we are working

you are working you are working

he/she/it is working they are working

Present Countinuous Tense

• How to add –ing ending to the verb

1. wait/waiting (beating, carrying, enjoying)

2. write/writing (coming, having, making)

3. run/running (hitting, letting, putting)

4. begin/beginning (forgetting, upsetting, preferring)

* -ic at the end of the verb changes to –ick: panic/panicking, picnic/picniking * tie/tying

Present Countinuous Tense

Negative form

singular plural

I am not working we are not working

you are not working you are not working

he/she/it is not working they are not working

Present Countinuous Tense

Interogative form

singular plural

am I working are we working

are you working are you working

is he/she/it working are they working

Present Countinuous TenseUSE

• Actions or events which are in progress at the moment of speaking

e.g. He’s talking to his girlfriend on the phone.

*Adverbials: now, at the moment, just, still (to emphasise duration: He’s still talking to his girlfriend on the phone.)

Present Countinuous TenseUSE

• Actions which may not have been happening long, or which are in progress for a limited period

e.g. What is your dooughter doing these days? S he’s studying English.

• 1. Such situations may not be happening at the moment of speaking.

e.g. Don’t take thet ladder away. Your father’s using them.

Present Countinuous TenseUSE

• 2. Temporary events may be in progress at the moment of speaking.

e.g. The river’s flowing very fast after last night’s rain.

• 3. To describe current trends.

e.g. People are becoming less tolerant of smoking these days.

Present Countinuous TenseUSE

• To refer to actions planned for future.

e.g. We’re spending next winter in Australia.

• For travel arrangements (associated with future arrival and depature), with verbs like arrive, come, go, leave

e.g. He’s arriving tomorrow morning on the 13.27 train.

Present Countinuous TenseUSE

• The adverbs always, constantly, continually, forever, repeatedly can be used to describe continually repeated actions.

e.g. I’m always hearing strange stories about him.

• When something happens too often (habitual annoying actions).

e.g. He’s always interrupting.