Present Continuous
Examples
- He is sleeping.
- I am visiting grandpa in the afternoon.
- You are always coming late for the meetings!
The Present Continuous is mainly used to express the idea that something is happening at the moment of speaking. The Present Continuous also describes activities generally in progress (not at the moment). Another use of the tense is to talk about temporary actions or future plans.
Use
- Present actions
- Temporary actions
- Longer actions in progress
- Future (personal) arrangements and plans
- Tendencies and trends
- Irritation
USE 1: Present Actions
Most often, we use the Present Continuous tense to talk about actions happening at the moment of speaking.
Examples:- He is eating a dinner.
- Mary is talking with her friends.
- They are swimming in the pool.
Stative (State) Verbs
There is a certain group of verbs that usually does not appear in the Continuous form. They are called
Examples:
- I
think you look pretty today. meaning:Opinion - I'm
thinking of moving to San Francisco. meaning:Act of thinking
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Explanation
In this cartoon, you can see a man in the shower who says: "I'm taking a shower now".
- Why is the Present Continuous tense used in this example? Because the Johny is taking shower at this precise moment.
USE 2: Temporary Actions
This tense is also used for activities continuing only for a limited period of time.
Examples:- I'm riding a bike to get to work because my car is broken.
Temporary Action (His car will soon be repaired) - They are not talking with each other after the last argument.
Temporary Action (They will soon make up) - Mary is working at McDonald's.
Temporary Action (She is working there only during the summer holidays)
USE 3: Longer Actions in Progress
We also use the Present Continuous when we are in the middle of doing something time-consuming (i.e. something that takes time to complete). An example of such an activity is writing a book, saving money or studying for an exam.
Examples:- They are working hard to earn money.
- I am training to become a professional footballer.
- Mike is studying hard to become a doctor.
- Elizabeth is currently writing a children's book titled I am the World.
To understand this use better, watch this interactive animation:
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Explanation
In this cartoon, you can a man who says: "I'm writing an adventure book".
- Why is the Present Continuous tense used in this example? Click on the buttons located on the Timeline to see the other scenes. You will find out that Alex (the writer) was writing the book a month ago, two months ago and four months ago. Clearly, it's a longer action in progress.
USE 4: Future (Personal) Arrangements and Plans
Sometimes we use the Present Continuous to show that something is planned and will be done in the near future.
Examples:- I'm meeting Katie in the evening.
- He's flying to Rome in September.
- We're not going anywhere tomorrow.
USE 5: Tendencies and Trends
This tense is also used for expressing tendencies or trends.
Examples:- Our country is getting richer.
- The Internet is becoming less of a novelty.
- The Universe is expanding .
USE 6: Irritation or Anger
And the last use of this tense is to express irritation or anger over somebody or something in the present with adverbs such as:
- She is continually complaining about everything!
- Johny is always asking stupid questions!
- My boss is contantly critising me!
Form
To form a sentence in the Present Continuous, you have to:
- know the proper conjugation of the auxiliary verb .
- add the
ing suffix to the verb (to form the present participle of the verb)Examples:
- try + ing = trying
- go + ing = going
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| First | I am | We are |
| Second | You are | You are |
| Third | He/she/it is | They are |
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
Declarative Sentences
| Subject | + | Auxiliary verb | + | Verb + ing |
| e.g. I/a dog etc. | is / are | e.g. work/go/make |
| Examples | Use | |
 |
I am reading a book. | (Use 1) |
|
They are swimming in the sea. | (Use 1) |
|
I'm having my first driving lesson this week. | (Use 4) |
|
I'm studying to become lawyer one day. | (Use 3) |
|
She is always asking me stupid questions. | (Use 5) |
Questions
| Auxiliary verb | + | Subject | + | Verb + ing |
| is / are | e.g. I/a dog etc. | e.g. work/go/make |
| 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 |
| e.g. I/a dog etc. | is not / are not | e.g. working/going/making |
| 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.