Present continuous tense is one of the most basic and commonly used grammar in English.
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Today, English tivi will share a specific way to help you better understand the present continuous including its structure, usage, and signs, as well as help you understand the present continuous in 12 English in general. At the same time, detailed analysis examples and practice exercises will help you better understand this present continuous tense! What is the present continuous tense?
What is the Present Continuous Tense?
Present Continuous Tense Definition: The present continuous is used to describe events that happen at the moment of speaking or around the time of speaking, and are actions that have not ended (continued to happen).
When Should I Use the Present Continuous Tense?
The Present Continuous is used to describe:
+ Actions that are happening at the time of speaking
Examples: – I'm reading now.
– We are having lunch with our parents.
+ Actions or events that are generally happening but not necessarily happening at the moment of speaking.
EX: I'm looking for a new car. (at the moment of speaking, he is not looking for a new car, but during this time in general, he needs to buy a new car.)
+ Action that is about to happen shortly is usually a pre-scheduled plan.
Examples: – My class is going to the beach to camp for the weekend.
– Yesterday, I bought a ticket. I am going to the concert tomorrow
+ Frequent repetitive actions that annoy or annoy the speaker are often used with the adverb “always,”
Examples: – Whenever I see him he is drinking.
– He is always copying my homework.
Present Continuous Tense Formula
Present Continuous Affirmative
| S + is/am/are + V_ing + O |
In which:
| He/she/it + is | You/we/they + are | I + am |
Example: I am listening to music now.
Present Continuous Negative
| S + is/am/are + not + V_ing + O |
In which:
| He/she/it + is not | You/we/they + are not | I + am not |
We can abbreviate: is not = isn't, are not= aren't
Example: I am not studying at the moment.
Present Continuous Interrogative
A: Yes/No question
Question:
| Am/ Is/ Are + S + V-ing + O ? |
Answer:
| Yes + I am | No, I am not |
| Yes + he/she/it + is | No + he/she/it + isn’t |
| Yes, you/we/they + are | No, you/we/they + aren’t |
Example:
- Q: Are they playing guitar?
- A: Yes, they are.
- Q: Are you going to travel?
- A: No, you aren’t.
Present Continuous WH Questions
For questions with question words WH (what, who, where,…) you just need to invert the auxiliary verb be before the subject and after the question word.
Question:
| WH + am/is/are + S + V_ing + O ? |
Answer:
| S + am/is/are + V_ing + O. |
Example: Who is she walking with?
She is walking with her mom.
Signal words for the Present Continuous Tense
+ Present Continuous Tense usually comes with adverbs of time:
- Now
- Right now
- At the moment
- At present
- At + time
+ In the sentence there are verbs:
- Look!
- Listen!
- Keep silent!
Example: Keep silent! We are checking.
Now I'm cleaning the house to welcome Tet.
Look! The flight is taking off.
How to add the Ending “ing” after the Verb
+ With most verbs, you just need to add “ing” at the end.
- Cook => cooking
- Clean => cleaning
- Watch => watching
- Sing => singing
In addition, there are some notable cases such as:
+ When the verb ends in ONE “–e” then we drop the “e” before adding “-ing”
- write => writing
- type => typing
- live =>living
- leave => leave
- come => coming
- make => making
+ For verbs with one syllable, ending in a consonant, preceded by a vowel. We double the last consonant and add “-ing”.
- Get => getting
- Pat => patting
- Put => putting
+ With verbs ending in “ie” We change “ie” to “y” and then add “-ing”.
- Lie => lying
- Die => dying
See more at: Grammar
Present Continuous Exercises with Answers
Exercise of Present Continuous Tense
Exercise 1: Complete the following sentences using the verbs in brackets in the Present Continuous
1. Look! The tree (fall)
2. Listen! Someone (cry) in the garden.
3. Your sister (sit) next to the handsome boy over there at present?
4. Now they (try) to overcome their fear.
5. It’s 6 a.m, my mother and I (cook) dinner in the kitchen.
6. Keep silent! You (bother) us.
7. I (not study) at school at the moment.
8. Now she (show off) to her mother about her good marks.
9. they (travel) to New York at the moment?
10. She (not work) in her office now.
Exercise 2: Using the suggested words, write complete sentences in the Present Continuous
1.He/ play/ football/ at present.
2. He/listen/ music/ in room.
3. My sister/not/study/ her room.
4. My father/ work/ in the garden/ now.
5. Peter and Katy/ watch/ TV/ now.
6. What/ he/ do/ at the moment?
– He/buy /book/ the bookshop.
7. Where/ you/ go/ now?
– I/ go/ the cinema.
8. I/do/exercise/ now.
9. She /do/her housework/ now?
10. Now/It/ rain/ heavily.
Answers of Present Continuous Tense
Exercise 1
1. is falling
2. is crying
3. Is your sister sitting
4. are trying
5. are cooking
6. are bothering
7. am not studying
8. is showing off
9. Are they traveling
10. isn’t working
Exercise 2
1. He is playing football at present.
2. He is listening to music in the room.
3. My sister is not studying in her room.
4. My father is working in the garden now.
5. Peter and Katy are watching TV now.
6. What is he doing at the moment?
– He is buying books in the bookshop.
7. Where are you going now?
– I'm going to the cinema.
8. I am doing exercise now.
9. Is she doing her housework now?
10. Now, It’s raining heavily.
Present Continuous Exercises Pdf, Doc
This PDF, DOC file contains exercises for practicing present continuous tense. It includes exercises such as choosing the correct form of the verb to complete sentences and writing sentences in the present continuous tense.
Conclusion
Here is the formula and usage of the present continuous. Remember to do the full exercises to grasp the knowledge, to avoid forgetting. Besides, if you have any questions, please comment, and Englishtivi will answer immediately. Good luck!
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