Present Continuous Tense: Examples

PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE
In English we use the present continuous to describe an action that is in progress or happening at the
same moment that we are speaking.
STRUCTURE: SUBJECT + TO BE + VERB in ING + COMPLEMENTIZER
Rules to change one verb to the present continuous.
1. When the verbs end in silent “e” we drop out the final “e” and we add “ing.”
Examples:
write → writing invite → inviting ride → riding
2. When the verbs end in a consonant proceeded by a single vowel we duplicate the final
consonant and add “ing” but there are some exceptions.
Examples:
swim → swimming sit → sitting run → running
3. When the verbs end in “y” just add “ing” for the progressive tense:
Examples:
play→ playing study → studying cry→ crying
4. When the verbs end in the diphthong “ie” it changes into “y” and we add “ing”.
Examples:
die → dying lie → lying dye→ dying
Note: Do not use the following verbs in the progressive form:

(like, want, love, understand, know, have, sound, hate, need, hear, believe, smell, taste, wish,
own).
These verbs are only used in simple present or simple past tense.
Examples:
Statement: We are studying at this moment.
Statement: They are doing their homework now.
Statement: He is watching television now.
To make a question we just have to move the To Be forms (am, is, are) to the beginning of the
sentences.
Examples:
Statement: He is standing in front of us.
Question: Is he standing in front of us?
Affirmative answer: Yes, he is standing in front of us.
Negative answer: No, he is not standing in front of us.
Statement: They are reading a book now.
Question: Are they reading a book now?
Affirmative answer: Yes, they are reading a book now.
Negative answer: No, they aren't reading a book now.
Statement: You are writing in your notebook right now.

Question: Are you writing in your notebook right now?
Affirmative answer: Yes, we are writing in our notebook right now.
Negative answer: No, we are not writing in our notebook right now.
In this tense the most common question is: What are you doing?
And when we answer this question we have to use the verb that describes the action that we
are carrying out in the present progressive, but sometimes it is possible to answer the
questions with “doing” especially if we are doing mental activities, such as: (homework,
reports, mathematics, exercise, business, etc.)
Examples:
Question: What are you doing?
Answer: I’m doing my homework.
Question: What is the teacher doing?

Answer: She’s doing her reports.
Question: What is Sam doing?

Answer: He’s doing his math.
TO BE + USED TO + “ING”
We use this structure when we want to say that we are accustomed to doing something which is
nothing new for us.
Examples:
I am used to waking up at 6:00 o’clock in the morning.
They are used to working late.
We are used to being alone.
My mother is used to living in New York.
This structure is also possible in negative form:
Examples:
I am not used to working too many hours.
They are not used to living alone.
I am not used to living in this kind of weather.
My father is not used to listening to rock music.
We are not used to staying up late.
 Get Smart! Quiz A
Use the correct form of the verb given in parenthesis to fill in the banks. Use the simple present tense or
the present continuous tense. Don’t forget to pay attention to spelling.
She ______ the newspaper every day. (read) She reads the newspaper.
She is ______ the newspaper now. (read) She is reading the newspaper now.
1. We ________ English every week. (study)
2. We are ________ English right now. (study)
3. They are ________ a book now. (read)
4. They always _______ books. (read)
5. She is _________ English at this moment. (teach)
6. She _________ English at Brownsville Community College. (teach)
7. He is ________ a shower right at this moment. (take)
8. He usually ________ a shower in the morning (take)
9. You aren’t _________ your homework. (do)
10. You never ________ your homework. (do)
11. It is _________ now. (rain)
12. It _______ a lot in the fall. (rains)
13. Sheila _______ two kilometers every day. (run)
14. Sheila is _________ through the park right now. (run)
15. My father is _________ the street now. (cross)
16. My father always __________ the street when the light is red. (cross)
17. The students are __________ an essay right now. (write)
18. The students in my class always _________ essays. (write)
19. I sometimes _________ breakfast in the morning. (have)
20. I am _________ breakfast right now. (have)

21. She is _________ for the bus at the corner. (wait)
22. She ________ for the bus at the corner most of the time. (wait)
23. We are _______ at the table for dinner. (sit)
24. We never _______ in front of the TV at dinner time. (sit)
25. Mike is ________ on the phone right now. (talk)
26. Mike ________ on the phone all the time. (talk)
27. My friends are _______ in the pool. (swim)
28. My friends _________ in the pool every day. (swim)
29. I always __________ up early. (get)
30. I am ___________ up early tomorrow because I have an interview. (get)
31. She wants to ________ me finish my homework. (help)
32. She is __________ me finish my homework. (help)
33. Sheila is __________ to the radio. (listen)
34. Sheila __________ to the radio as soon as she gets up. (listen)
35. My friend Peter __________ to school on time. (come)
36. My friend Peter is _________ coming to school right now. (come)
37. We are __________ out favorite TV show. (watch)
38. We usually _________ our favorite show on TV at night. (watch)
39. I am __________ my hair right now. (wash)
40. I ________ my hair every morning before I go to work. (wash)
41. They never ________ to the movies. (go)
42. They are _________ to the movies with their friends. (go)
43. I am in New York. I am _______ at the Four Seasons Hotel. (stay)
44. When we go to New York, we _________ at The Four Seasons Hotel. (stay)
45. He is _________ food at the supermarket. (buy)
46. He __________ food at the supermarket twice a month. (buy)
47. We _________ to finish this exercise. (need)
48. She _________ to find another job. (want)
49. I ________ this soup. It tastes delicious. (like)
50. They _______ what you are saying. Don’t say too much. (understand)

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PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE

STRUCTURE: SUBJECT + TO BE + VERB in ING + COMPLEMENTIZER

Rules to change one verb to the present continuous.

Note: Do not use the following verbs in the progressive form:

Statement: You are writing in your notebook right now.

Question: What is the teacher doing?

Question: What is Sam doing?

This structure is also possible in negative form:

1. We ________ English every week. (study)

2. We are ________ English right now. (study)

3. They are ________ a book now. (read)

4. They always _______ books. (read)

5. She is _________ English at this moment. (teach)

6. She _________ English at Brownsville Community College. (teach)

7. He is ________ a shower right at this moment. (take)

8. He usually ________ a shower in the morning (take)

9. You aren’t _________ your homework. (do)

10. You never ________ your homework. (do)

11. It is _________ now. (rain)

12. It _______ a lot in the fall. (rains)

13. Sheila _______ two kilometers every day. (run)

14. Sheila is _________ through the park right now. (run)

15. My father is _________ the street now. (cross)

17. The students are __________ an essay right now. (write)

18. The students in my class always _________ essays. (write)

19. I sometimes _________ breakfast in the morning. (have)

20. I am _________ breakfast right now. (have)

23. We are _______ at the table for dinner. (sit)

24. We never _______ in front of the TV at dinner time. (sit)

25. Mike is ________ on the phone right now. (talk)

26. Mike ________ on the phone all the time. (talk)

27. My friends are _______ in the pool. (swim)

28. My friends _________ in the pool every day. (swim)

29. I always __________ up early. (get)

30. I am ___________ up early tomorrow because I have an interview. (get)

31. She wants to ________ me finish my homework. (help)

32. She is __________ me finish my homework. (help)

33. Sheila is __________ to the radio. (listen)

35. My friend Peter __________ to school on time. (come)

36. My friend Peter is _________ coming to school right now. (come)

37. We are __________ out favorite TV show. (watch)

38. We usually _________ our favorite show on TV at night. (watch)

39. I am __________ my hair right now. (wash)

40. I ________ my hair every morning before I go to work. (wash)

41. They never ________ to the movies. (go)

43. I am in New York. I am _______ at the Four Seasons Hotel. (stay)

46. He __________ food at the supermarket twice a month. (buy)

47. We _________ to finish this exercise. (need)

48. She _________ to find another job. (want)

49. I ________ this soup. It tastes delicious. (like)

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