Present continuous

THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE

Affirmative form subject + am/is/are + verb + ing I am sleeping you are sleeping he/she/it is sleeping we are sleeping you are sleeping they are sleeping

Negative form subject + am/is/are not + verb + ing I am not sleeping you are not sleeping he/she/it is not sleeping we are not sleeping you are not sleeping they are not sleeping

Interrogative form am/is/are + subject + verb + ing Am I sleeping? Are you sleeping? Is he/she/it sleeping? Are we sleeping? Are you sleeping? Are they sleeping?

We use the Present Continuous Tense for actions happening at the moment of speaking.

examples

He is running now.

Spelling Rules

After a vowel + a consonant double the consonant (for one syllable verbs only)

• Cut
• Put
• Get
• Run

• Cutting
• Putting
• Getting
• Running

Note: Don’t double w,x,y. e.g. fix - fixing lay - laying snow - snowing

After a consonant + -e, drop –e and add -ing

• Drive
• Smile
• Write
• Come
• Take
• Make

• Driving
• Smiling
• Writing
• Coming
• Taking
• Making

Exception If a verb ends in –ee the final –e is not dropped see + ing seeing agree + ing agreeing

If the word ends in -ie we change -ie to -y and add –ing.

• Die
• Lie
• Tie

• Dying
• Lying
• Tying

Add –ing to the other verbs

• Reading
• Working
• Going
• Dreaming
• Sleeping
• Doing
• watching

• Read
• Work
• Go
• Dream
• Sleep
• Do
• Watch

Examples

He is carrying a big fish.

He is getting angry.

He is riding a horse at the moment

What is he doing now?

He is trying to lift the dumbbell

It is raining cats and dogs.

Exercises

Complete the sentences using the present continuous tense of the verbs in parentheses

• What ….you……(do) these days?
• My father …… (sleep) at the moment
• ……… he ……… (do) his homework?
• The children ………(play) in the park.
• No, she ……..(not/write) a letter.

• I ………..(come) right now!
• …… ..you ……(listen) to me?
• How …….it……..(go)?
• Why …….they ……..(wait) for?
• Who …….. (run) over there?
• He ………..(not/yell) in the classroom.
• …… they……..(yell) in the classroom?

THE END