Present Continuous
We use the Present Continuous (Present Progressive) when talking about actions that are happening at the moment (present or temporary action).
For example, "Alex is writing a new book" can have one or two meanings, depending on the situation.
1. He is writing the book at this very moment. (present acitivity)
2. Alex is in the process of writing a new book. (Even though he is having a nap at this exact moment.)
We may guess that:
- He probably spends a few hours a day working on it.
- He plans to finish the book or make a break soon. (temporary action).
We also use the Present Continuous for actions that will be done in the future. (future arrangement)
- I'm flying to Rome next week.
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Use
- Present or temporary actions
- Future (personal) arrangements
- Irritation over something or somebody in the present
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Mike is preparing to eat his big chicken
USE 2 (future arrangements) might seem a little confusing to an ESL learner because it's completely different from USE 1. Therefore, from my experience, ESL learners tend to make a lot of mistakes as they begin to use it. One mistake is to use the Future Simple to express future arrangements, while the correct tense would be the Present Continuous or the going to form.
I'm going to go to my grandma.
I'm going abroad this summer (in both sentences the speaker is speaking about plans)
I will go to my grandma (the speaker decided to go there in the moment of speaking)
Form
Contracted forms (more)
I + am = I'm
is + not = isn't
are + not = aren't
he + is = he's
she + is = she's
it + is= it's
The Present Continuous requires:
- the proper conjugation of the auxiliary verb "to be".
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st person | I am | We are |
| 2nd person | You are | You are |
| 3rd person | He / she / it is | They are |
- the "-ing" form of the verb (present participle)
Examples:
- try + ing = trying
- go +ing = going
Read about exceptions.
Declarative sentences:
| Subject | + | Auxiliary verb | + | Verb + ing |
| I/a dog etc. | is / are | going / taking |
| Examples | Use | |
 |
He is getting married this month | (Use 2) |
|
They are swimming in the sea | (Use 1) |
|
I'm having my first driving lesson this week | (Use 2) |
|
I'm studying to become lawyer one day | (Use 1) |
|
I'm drinking hot coffee now | (Use 1) |
|
She is always asking me stupid questions. | (Use 3) |
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I'm having a shower now (Use 1) |
Questions:
| Auxiliary verb | + | Subject | + | Verb + ing |
| is/are | I/a dog etc. | going/taking |
| Examples | Use | |
|
Is she eating my cake now? | (Use 1) |
|
Are they having the party on Friday or Saturday? | (Use 2) |
|
Are you meeting David today? | (Use 2) |
|
Is Mary having breakfast now? | (Use 1) |
Negative sentences:
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| Subject | + | Auxiliary verb+not | + | Verb + ing |
| I/a dog etc. | isn't/aren't | going/taking |
| Examples | Use | |
|
He is not joking | (Use 1) |
|
We aren't waiting for my uncle | (Use 1) |
|
He is not going to school tomorrow | (Use 2) |
Comments
When one uses a sentence like "He could not be selected, had it not been for his friends!" What kind of structure is this and where can I find more information about it?
The sentence could be rewritten as:
- he could not be selected, if it had not been for his friends
So it's a conditional sentence that uses the inversion to replace "if" in the if-clause (it is completely correct). As in:
- Were I more intelligent, ...
As far as the meaning of this sentences is concerned, the if-clause means more or less this:
- ..., if my friend hadn't helped him out / advised him / supported him.
I would be happy to hear from you again.
???
- he could not be selected, if it had not been for his friends
That is wrong isn't it?
- he could not have been selected, had it not been for his friends
That makes more sense but it still sounds bad. (Double negative)
- He could not have been selected, were it not for his friends.
Is that better?
"He could not have been selected, were it not for his friends."
Yes, I believe this sentence is the most correct of all.
Some readers may wonder why it's "were it not", and not "had it not been". I think this is because it's usually more natural to use the Past Simple in such contexts. Especially, when we speak about things that are still valid, as opposed to things that happened once e.g.:
"He could have been eaten by sharks, had it not been for a ship that rescued him"
"He could have been eaten by sharks, were it not for his amazing swimming skills"
Do you agree?
OMG I LOVE THIS WEBSITE
It says we cannot use "like" in present continuous form but I noticed some use it in sentences like "I am liking you". Is this correct?
"I am liking you" - this is incorrect. It is an English problem that arises often in sub-continental Asia (India etc), so you may well hear it a lot (that does not make it correct however :) ).
That, I like you, is a fact. Therefore, the correct tense is Present Simple 'I like you'.
Though it may be argued that I continue to like you, thus I am doing it now, so 'lking' is OK, it also then falls to PS on the basis of routine. There is no verb+ing form of 'like' that I am aware of, it always sounds better and is more corred to use 'like' or 'liked'.
Same thing with 'love' though McDonald's isn't helping with their "I'm loving it" slogan :)
Mark's explanation to your doubt is right. This is called the inversion of the third conditional sentences. In any third conditional sentences you can use 'had' in replace to 'if' and the meaning more emphasatic than the normal one.
Hi!
I was listening to the cure song "killing an arab" and I got wondering, what tense is this? Can I start a sentence with a verb plus ing form? Is it present continuous?
"killing" (without a subject before the verb) probably acts as a noun here (=gerund).
"If Tom had told the police the truth, he would not have been punished." What is the form of the verb in this sentence? Thank you if you can answer my inquiry..
The title of the Cure song, "Killing an Arab", is not a gerund. It is part of a longer sentence which is in the present simple tense.
"I am the stranger killing an Arab."
In this form, the sentence is present simple: I am. Subject + Verb1 + Complement (noun) + Gerund Phrase (participle phrase as an adjective in this case).
This differentiates him from other strangers, such as the stranger eating a sandwich or the stranger riding a bicycle.
However, the gerund form may be used thus:
"Killing an Arab is just about one of my favorite daily activities."
The act of killing an Arab is now the subject.
I have a confusion about USE 2 of present continuous.
I am going to go to my grandma. (I would prefer to use it for only near future plans. If I am planning this visit next month, is it still good to use present continuous?)
I will go to my grandma. ( I would use it for indefinite future ranging from today to any day in future, what is wrong in this usage?
> is it still good to use present continuous?
"I'm visiting my grandma next month" sounds correct to me.
>what is wrong in this usage?
There's nothing wrong with that sentence unless "going to grandma" is a planned action.
To whom would like to help me:
Please help me is OK to say I am withdrawing my son from this school today?
Thanks a lot to everyone.
Studentmommy