Read this conversation between friends and fill in the spaces.

Most of the
spaces are in the present continuous - positive, negative and questions.
Be careful - there are a couple of present simple verbs!

1. Rosanna: Hi, John. Nice to see you. What

(do) these

days?
2. John: Hi, Rosanna. I

3. I

(work) in a hotel near the beach.

(like) it a lot because it's so interesting.

4. And you?

(still study) French at the college?

5. Rosanna: Yes. I

(not like) it very much because we

have to work too much.

6. But one good thing is that I

(write) to a French boy

who lives in Marseilles.

7. It helps with my French.

8. John: No, I

(go) to work now?

(go) to the supermarket to do some

shopping. Do you want to come with me?

9. Rosanna: I can't, sorry. I

(go) to a cafe to meet my

friend Melissa.
10. She

(help) me with my thesis. I will telephone you

tomorrow.
John: OK, speak to you tomorrow. Bye.

Present Continuous
1.What are you doing?
I'm studying English. What are you doing?
I'm making some food. Do you want some?
Sure!
----2.
Right now I'm WORKING AT HOME . My friend is talking on the 'phone and my sister is studying
Spanish. She wants to be a businesswoman, so she's learning a new language. I usually work at the
office, but today I'm working at home. It's great fun!
----3.
How's Sarah?
She's fine. She's living in Chicago now.
Really!
Yes, and she's working as a fashion designer.
That's great. Is she having a good time?
Yes, she's doing really well.
-------Key Vocabulary
make
language
food
usually
talk
office
'phone
fun
sister
Sarah - a girl's name
businesswoman
Chicago
learn
fashion designer
Grammar
1. Present Continuous
The Present Continuous is used for actions that are happening around the present time. For
example, "I am studying English" means that I am in the process of studying English now.

Form
The Present Continuous is formed by adding the verb "to be" and the -ing form
Singular
Plural
Affirmative
Affirmative
I am studying
We are studying
You are studying
You are studying
She is studying
They are studying
He is studying
Negative
It is studying
We do not have a pen = We don't have a pen
Negative
You do not have a pen = You don't have a pen
I am not studying
They do not have a pen = They don't have a pen
You are not studying
Questions
She is not studying
Do we have a pen?
He is not studying
Do you have a pen?
It is not studying
Do they have a pen?
Questions
Do I have a pen?
Do you have a pen?
Does she has a pen?
Does he has a pen?
Does it have a pen?
For negatives we simply add not after the auxilary verb "to be", for example:
- I am playing - I am not playing.
For questions we invert the subject and auxiliary verb to be, for example:
- You are playing - Are you playing?
Usage
The Present Continuous is used for actions happening at the present time. For example:
- We are studying English.
- You are using a computer.
The Present Continuous is also used for processes happening around the present time. For
example:
- It is raining today.
- I am working in Paris this month.
- The world is turning.
The time period of the first sentence is today, the second sentence one month, and the third
sentence forever, but all of these sentences are about processes that happen around the present.
They started before the present, are happening now, and will continue after the present. This is a key
idea of the Present Continuous.
The Present Continuous is also used for repeated actions or habits. Such repetition is seen as one
continuing process. For example:
- I am getting up early this week.
Obviously I'm not getting up just one time for a whole week, but during one week I will get up early
every day, so this can be seen as one process.
The Present Continuous is also used for future arrangements at a particular time. For example:
- I'm going to Rome at 10.30 tomorrow.
- She's coming to my apartment this evening.
Spelling
To make the -ing form, also known as the present participle, we usually add -ing to the verb. For
example:
- study - studying

- eat - eating
- jump - jumping
For verbs ending in -e, we leave out the -e and add -ing. For example:
- write - writing: not writeing
- skat - skating: not skateing.
For verbs ending in a vowel and a consonant, we usually double the last consonant and add -ing.
For example:
- run - running: not runing
- cut - cutting: not cuting
For verbs ending in -ie we change the -ie to -y and add -ing. For example:
- lie - lying: not lieing
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