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The Present Progressive Tense

The document discusses the present progressive tense. It explains how to form the present participle of verbs and how the present progressive is used to describe actions that are in progress, planned for the near future, or repeated regularly. Examples are provided of how to use the present progressive in positive and negative sentences as well as yes/no questions. Exercises are included for the reader to practice forming sentences in the present progressive tense.

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234 views

The Present Progressive Tense

The document discusses the present progressive tense. It explains how to form the present participle of verbs and how the present progressive is used to describe actions that are in progress, planned for the near future, or repeated regularly. Examples are provided of how to use the present progressive in positive and negative sentences as well as yes/no questions. Exercises are included for the reader to practice forming sentences in the present progressive tense.

Uploaded by

Liza
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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The Present Progressive Tense

Verbing (Present Participle)


 Add ing to most verbs. Ex. play > playing, cry > crying, bark > barking
 For verbs that end in e, remove the e and add ing. Ex: slide > sliding, ride > riding
 For verbs that end in ie, change the ie to y and add ing. Ex: die > dying, tie > tying
 For a verb whose last syllable is written with a consonant-vowel-consonant and is
stressed, double the last letter before adding ing. Ex: beg > begging, begin > beginning.
However: enter > entering (last syllable is not stressed)

The present progressive tense is often overused by non-native speakers of English. It should only
be used in the following contexts:

To describe an incomplete action which is in progress at the moment of speaking; usually with
time expressions such as: now, at the moment, right now.
1. (During a phone call or in an e-mail) We are discussing the project at the moment.

To describe a plan or arrangement in the near future; usually with time expressions such as:
tonight, tomorrow, this week, this Monday.
1. Jim‘s leaving for Brussels this evening.

To express actions that are repeated regularly; usually with a negative meaning and with the time
expressions: always or forever.
1. Her husband is always complaining about his health.

Note: A common mistake is using this form to describe what a company sells or produces. In
general, a company sells something on a regular basis, so you need to use the present simple
tense and not the present progressive.
 Incorrect: We are producing high-end plastic pipes.
 Correct: We produce high-end plastic pipes.
 Correct: That company is always selling some cheap gadget. (negative meaning)

The present progressive (continuous) is formed using am, is or are together with the ing (present
participle) form of the verb.

Subject A form of be + Verbing (Present Rest of Sentence


Participle)

I am taking my final exam


tomorrow

He / She / It is sweeping the floor at the


Subject A form of be + Verbing (Present Rest of Sentence
Participle)

moment

You / We / are giving me a headache


They

Contractions in the Present Progressive (Continuous)


In general we contract (or shorten) the subject (the person or thing doing the action), and form of
be:
1. I am > I’m – I’m going to the store in about ten minutes.
2. He is > He’s, She is > She’s, It is > It’s – It’s raining cats and dogs.
3. We are > We’re, You are > You’re, They are > They’re – We’re catching the 9:00
flight.
Save the long forms for when you want to create emphasis.
1. You are not going out tonight!

When speaking, you should stress the not.


Negatives in the Present Progressive (Continuous)

When shortening a form of be and negative, just remove the o in not and add an apostrophe (‘)
is not > isn’t
are not > aren’t

The negative in the present progressive tense is created using am not, is not or are not together
with the ing form (present participle) of the verb.

Subject A form of be + Verbing Rest of Sentence

I am not working on that project now

He / She / It isn’t sleeping at the moment

You / We / aren’t running in the marathon tomorrow


They
Note: In general, use these contractions in the negative: isn’t, aren’t. Am not cannot be
shortened, but you can say I’m not. Save the long forms for when you want to create emphasis.
1. I’m not listening to you.
2. Roger isn’t eating with us tonight.
3. The Smiths aren’t going to France this year. They’re going to Thailand.
4. He is not coming with me dressed like that!
Yes/No Questions in the Present Progressive (Continuous)
To ask a question that will be answered with either a yes or no, start with Am, Is or Are, then
choose your subject (the person or thing doing the action), followed by the ing (present
participle) form of the verb and then the rest of your question.

A Form of Subject Verbing Rest of Sentence


be

Am I making myself clear

Is he / she / it shaking right now

Are you / we / buying steaks for dinner


they tomorrow

1. Am I talking too much?


2. Is that your dog barking?
3. Are you participating in the competition next week?

Examples – Present Progressive (Continuous)

Positive
1. We are discussing the project at the moment.
2. Jim’s leaving for Brussels this evening.
3. Her husband is always complaining about his health.

Contractions
1. I’m going to the store in about ten minutes.
2. It’s raining cats and dogs.
3. We’re catching the 9:00 flight.

Negatives
1. I’m not listening to you.
2. Roger isn’t eating with us tonight.
3. The Smiths aren’t going to France this year. They’re going to Thailand.
4. He is not coming with me dressed like that!
Yes/No Questions
1. Am I talking too much?
2. Is that your dog barking?
3. Are you participating in the competition next week?

Exercises for Present Progressive


Fill in the correct form of the Present Progressive as in the examples.
1. The runners are approaching the finish line. (approach)
2. Are you preparing the contract for the client? (prepare)
3. Joyce isn’t playing in today’s tournament. (not play)
1. The team members ______________ late to finish the bid. (stay)
2. What _______Arnie ____________ over there? (do)
3. _______ you __________ a big wedding? (plan)
4. Tim is helping you put the lights up, ___________?
5. The computers _____ finally ____________ like they’re supposed to. (run)
6. _________ Ann _________ in from New York tonight? (fly)
7. The customers aren’t getting the price quote this week, ____________?
8. I________________ Peter for a drink later. (meet)
9. How much money ________ they _________ in the company?(invest)
10. He ___________ to you. (not lie) He ____________ the truth. (tell)

https://www.gingersoftware.com/content/grammar-rules/verbs/the-present-progressive-tense/

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