Present Continuous For beginners

In this lesson, beginners will learn about English Present Continuous Tense with easy explanations, clear examples, and practice exercises.

auxiliary verbs continuous tenses present continuous present tenses tenses

"Present Continuous" Tense in English grammar

What Is Present Continuous Tense?

The present continuous tense is used to talk about an action or situation that is happening now.

Structure

The present continuous tense is formed using 'to be' + -ing form of the main verb'. The full form or the short form of the verb 'to be' can be used in this structure.

Subject	Full Form	Short Form
I	am working.	I'm working.
He/She/It	is working.	He's/She's/It's working.
We/You/They	are working.	We're/You're/They're working.

Spelling

For most verbs, '-ing' is added to the base form of the verb to form the present continuous tense, but when the verb ends in '-e', it should be removed before adding '-ing'. Here are some examples:

make → making

take → taking

come → coming

If the verb ends in a vowel + a consonant and the last syllable is stressed, the consonant is doubled before adding the '-ing'. For example:

plan → planning

stop → stopping

Negation

To make a present continuous verb negative, add not to the 'to be' verb. For example:

Affirmative	Negative	Short Form
I'm working.	I am not working.	I'm not working.
She is eating.	She is not eating.	She isn't eating.
They are waiting.	They are not waiting.	They aren't waiting.

Tip

Remember never to use the short form 'I amn't'. Say 'I'm not.'

Questions

To make a question in the present continuous tense, use the 'to be' verb at the beginning of the sentence before the subject and then add the '-ing' form of the verb.

Sentence	Question
I'm working.	Are you working?
She is eating.	Is she eating?

Uses

The present continuous tense is used to talk about an ongoing action or an event that is happening right now.

Example

I am watching a movie now.

We're eating dinner right now.

She is talking on the phone at the moment.

Quiz:

What is the correct present continuous form of the verb "stop"?

stoping

stopping

stoppeing

stops

Which sentence is the correct negative form in present continuous tense?

She is not eating.

She not is eating.

She is eating not.

She not eating.

Complete the story using the correct form of present continuous verbs.

Emma

(feed) the ducks near the pond. Her little brother

(sit) on a bench, watching Emma and the ducks. He

(not play) with the other kids because he is tired. Their parents

(watch) them. They

(not talk), they are just enjoying a peaceful afternoon.

Sort the words to form a question in the present continuous tense:

she

book

reading

Match each incomplete sentence or phrase with the correct correct ending.

She

They

Are

she playing?

are waiting.

am working.

you working?

isn't eating.

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