UNIT 2: PRESENT CONTINUOUS

A. Study this example situation:

Ann is in her car. She is on her way to work. She is driving to work.
This means: she is driving now, at the time of speaking. The action is not finished.

B. I am doing something = I'm in the middle of doing something;

I've started but I haven't finished yet.

Often the action is happening at the time of speaking:

 Please don't make so much noise. I'm working. (not 'I work')
 'Where's Margaret?' 'She's taking a bath.' (not 'she takes a bath')
 Let's go out now. It isn't raining any more. (not 'it doesn't rain')
 Hello, Jane. Are you enjoying the party? (not 'do you enjoy')
 I'm tired. I'm going to bed now. Goodnight!

But the action is not necessarily happening at the time of speaking. For example:
Tom and Ann are talking in a cafe.
Tom says: “I'm reading an interesting book at the moment. I’ll lend it to you when I've finished it.”
(Tom is not reading the book at the time of speaking. He means that he has started it but not finished it yet.
He is in the middle of reading it.)

Some more examples:

* Catherine wants to work in Italy, so she is learning Italian. (but perhaps she isn't learning Italian exactly at the time of
speaking)
* Some friends of mine are building their own house. They hope it will be finished before next summer.

C. We use the present continuous when we talk about things happening in a period around now (for example,
today/this week/this evening etc.):

* 'You're working hard today.' 'Yes, I have a lot to do.' (not 'you work hard today')
* 'Is Susan working this week?' 'No, she's on holiday.'

We use the present continuous when we talk about changes happening around now:
* The population of the world is rising very fast. (not 'rises')
* Is your English getting better? (not 'does your English get better')
We use the present continuous to talk about:

A) Activities at the Moment of Speaking:

I'm just leaving work. I'll be home in an hour.
Please be quiet. The children are sleeping.

Match the explanations with the requests 1–6.

1. Will you please be quiet?
2. (on the phone) Can I phone you later?
3. Could you stop the car, please?
4. (on the phone) Can I take a message?
5. Is it OK if we take a taxi?
6. Would you start cooking the dinner?
a) ____ Ray’s taking a shower at the moment.
b) ____ I'm having problems with my car today.
c) ____ I'm feeling sick.
d) ____ We're just eating our dinner.
e) ____ I'm trying to do my homework.
f) ____ I'm leaving the office now.

B) Future Plans or Arrangements:

Mary is going to a new school next term.

What are you doing next week?
Look at Steve's plans for next month. Are the sentences true or false?
Next month: 22nd – Mum & Dad arrive, evening
2nd (Sat.) – my birthday. Party! 23rd – Toni's Restaurant (make reservation!)
4th – day off 10th (Sun.) – flight OS462 15.40 25th – Mum & Dad > home
11th, 12th 13th – conference, Vienna 29th – Payday!!
15th – dentist 3pm

1. Steve's having a birthday party on Saturday 2nd. True False

2. He's taking a day off on Tuesday. True False
3. He's flying to Vienna on Sunday 10th in the morning. True False
4. He's seeing his dentist on 15th. True False
5. His parents are visiting him from 23rd to 25th. True False
6. He's getting paid on the last Friday of the month. True False

PRESENT CONTINUOUS NEGATIVES

We make negatives by putting not (or n't) after am, is or are:

I'm not doing that.

You aren't listening. (or You're not listening.)
They aren't coming to the party. (or They're not coming to the party.)
She isn't going home until Monday. (or She's not going home until Monday.)

FEEL - EAT - TALK - LISTEN - WORK - COME

1. You don't understand because you ____________________________________ to me!
2. I'm sorry, but we ____________________________________ to the party. We're just so busy.
3. Mercedes ____________________________________ very well today. Can she go home?
4. I told my boss that I ____________________________________ this weekend. I'm visiting my parents.
5. Richard and Cecile had a big argument and now they ____________________________________ to each other.
6. John's on a special diet. He ____________________________________ any red meat at the moment.
PRESENT CONTINUOUS QUESTIONS

We make questions by putting am, is or are in front of the subject:

Are you listening?

Are they coming to your party?
When is she going home?
What am I doing here?

STATIVE VERBS

We do not normally use the continuous with stative verbs. Stative verbs include:

- verbs of thinking and feeling:

believe love recognise understand

dislike hate remember want
know prefer suppose wish
like realise think (= believe)

- verbs of the senses:

appear look smell taste

feel seem sound

- others:

agree belong need own

be disagree owe possess

We normally use the simple instead:

I understand you. (NOT I am understanding you.)

This cake tastes wonderful. (NOT This cake is tasting wonderful.)

EXERCISES

1.1 Complete the sentences using one of the verbs in the correct form:
come - get - happen - look - make - start - stay - try - work
1. 'You are working hard today.' 'Yes, I have a lot to do.'
2. I ________________________ for Christine. Do you know where she is?
3. It ________________________ dark. Shall I turn on the light?
4. They haven't got anywhere to I've at the moment. They ________________________ with friends until they find
somewhere.
5. 'Are you ready, Ann?' 'Yes, I ________________________ '
6. Have you got an umbrella? It ________________________ to rain.
7. You ________________________ a lot of noise. Could you be quieter? I ________________________ to concentrate.
8. Why are all these people here? What ________________________?
1.2 Use the words in brackets to complete the questions.

1. 'Is Colin working this week?' 'No, he's on holiday.'

2. Why ________________________ (look) at me like that? What's the matter?
3. 'Jenny is a student at university.' 'Is she? What ________________________?' (study)
4. ________________________ to the radio or can I turn it off? (listen)
5. How is your English? ________________________ (get) better?

1.3 Put the verb into the correct form. Sometimes you need the negative

1. I'm tired. I am going to bed now. Goodnight!

2. We can go out now. it ________________________ (rain) any more.
3. 'How is your new job?' 'Not so good at the moment. I ________________________ (enjoy) it very much.'
4. Catherine is on holiday in France. She ________________________ (have) a great time and doesn't want to come
back.
5. I want to lose weight, so this week I ________________________ (eat) lunch.
6. Angela has started evening classes. She ________________________ (learn) German.
7. I think they had an argument. They ________________________ (speak) to each other.

1.4 Read this conversation between Brian and Sarah. Put the verbs into the correct form.

SARAH: Brian! How nice to see you! What ________________________ (do) these days?
BRIAN: I ________________________ (train) to be a supermarket manager.
SARAH: Really? What's it like? ________________________ (enjoy) it?
BRIAN: It's all right. What about you?
SARAH: Well, actually I ________________________ (not/work) at the moment.
I ________________________ (try) to find a job but it's not easy.
But I'm very busy. I ________________________ (decorate) my flat.
BRIAN: ________________________ (do) it alone?
SARAH: No, some friends of mine ________________________ (help) me.

1.5 Complete the sentences using one of these verbs:

get - change - rise - fall - increase
You don't have to use all the verbs and you can use a verb more than once.
1. The population of the world is rising very fast.
2. Ken is still ill but he ________________________ better slowly.
3. The world ________________________. Things never stay the same.
4. The cost of living ________________________. Every year things are more expensive.
5. The economic situation is already very bad and it ________________________ worse.