Present continuous  He, she, it He, she, Is he, she, it

The present continuous of any verb is is going it isn't going?

composed of two parts - the present tense going
of the verb to be + the present participle of
the main verb. We are We aren't Are we
(The form of the present participle is: going going going?
base+ing, e.g. talking, playing, moving,
smiling) You are You Are you
going aren't going?
going
Affirmative
They are They Are they
Subject + to be + base + ing going aren't going?
She is talking. going

FUNCTIONS OF THE PRESENT

CONTINUOUS
Negative As with all tenses in English, the speaker's
attitude is as important as the time of the
Subject + to be + + base + ing
action or event. When someone uses the
not
present continuous, they are thinking about
She is not (isn't) talking something that is unfinished or incomplete

THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS IS

USED:
Interrogative
 to describe an action that is going
to be + subject + base + ing on at this moment: You are using
the Internet. You are studying
Is she talking? English grammar.
 to describe an action that is going
on during this period of time or a
trend: Are you still working for the
same company? More and more
people are becoming vegetarian.
 to describe an action or event in the
Affirmativ Negative Interrogative future, which has already been
e planned or prepared: We're going
on holiday tomorrow. I'm meeting
I am going I am not Am I going? my boyfriend tonight. Are they
going visiting you next winter?
 to describe a temporary event or
You are You Are you
situation: He usually plays the
going aren't going?
drums, but he's playing bass guitar
going.
tonight. The weather forecast was
 good, but it's raining at the EMOTIONS / DESIRES
moment.  to envy
 with "always, forever, constantly",  to fear
to describe and emphasise a  to dislike
continuing series of repeated  to hate
actions: Harry and Sally are always  to hope
arguing! You're constantly  to like
complaining about your mother-in-
 to love
law!
 to mind
 to prefer
VERBS THAT ARE NOT USUALLY
 to regret
USED IN THE CONTINUOUS FORM
The verbs in the list below are normally  to want
used in the simple form because they refer  to wish
to states, rather than actions or processes.
SENSES / PERCEPTION MEASUREMENT
 to feel*  to contain
 to hear  to cost
 to see*  to hold
 to smell  to measure
 to taste  to weigh

OPINION OTHERS
 to assume  to look (=resemble)
 to believe  to seem
 to consider  to be (in most cases)
 to doubt  to have (when it means "to
 to feel (= to think) possess")*
 to find (= to consider)
 to suppose
EXCEPTIONS
 to think*
Perception verbs (see, hear, feel, taste,
smell) are often used with can: I can see...
MENTAL STATES
These verbs may be used in the continuous
 to forget
form but with a different meaning
 to imagine
 This coat feels nice and warm.
 to know (your perception of the coat's
 to mean qualities)
 to notice  John's feeling much better now (his
 to recognise health is improving)
 to remember  She has three dogs and a cat.
 to understand (possession)
 She's having supper. (She's eating)
  I can see Anthony in the garden I think Do I think? I do not
(perception) think
 I'm seeing Anthony later (We are
planning to meet) You think Do you You do
think? not think
SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
He thinks Does he He does
think? not think
The simple present tense is one of several She thinks Does she She does
forms of present tense in English. It is used think? not think
to describe habits, unchanging situations,
general truths, and fixed arrangements. The It thinks Does it It does not
simple present tense is simple to form. Just think? think
use the base form of the verb: (I take, you
We think Do we We do not
take, we take, they take) The 3rd person
think? think.
singular takes an -s at the end. (he takes,
she takes) They think Do they They do
think? not think.
THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
IS USED: NOTES ON THE SIMPLE
 To express habits, general truths, PRESENT, THIRD PERSON
repeated actions or unchanging SINGULAR
situations, emotions and wishes:  In the third person singular the verb
always ends in -s:
I smoke (habit); I work in London
 he wants, she needs, he gives, she
(unchanging situation); London is a
thinks.
large city (general truth)
 Negative and question forms use
 To give instructions or directions:
DOES (= the third person of the
 To express fixed arrangements, auxiliary 'DO') + the infinitive of
present or future: the verb.
 To express future time, after some  He wants ice cream. Does he want
conjunctions: after, when, before, strawberry? He does not want
as soon as, until: vanilla.
He'll give it to you when you come
 Verbs ending in -y : the third
next Saturday.
person changes the -y to -ies:
Be careful! The simple present is not used
 fly --> flies, cry --> cries
to express actions happening now.
 Exception: if there is a vowel
before the -y:
FORMING THE SIMPLE PRESENT
 play --> plays, pray --> prays
TENSE: TO THINK
 Add -es to verbs ending in:-ss, -x,
Affirmativ Interrogative Negative -sh, -ch:
e  he passes, she catches, he fixes, it
pushes
 appropriate form of the auxiliary verb to
have (present tense), plus the past
EXAMPLES participle of the main verb. The past
 He goes to school every morning. participle of a regular verb is base+ed, e.g.
 She understands English. played, arrived, in the section called
 It mixes the sand and the water. 'Verbs'.
 He tries very hard. Affirmative
 She enjoys playing the piano.
Subject to have past participle
PRESENT PERFECT SIMPLE She has visited.
The present perfect is used to indicate a
link between the present and the past. The Negative
time of the action is before now but not
Subject to have + past participle
specified, and we are often more interested
not
in the result than in the action itself.
She has not visited.
THE PRESENT PERFECT IS (hasn't)
USED TO DESCRIBE
 An action or situation that started in Interrogative
the past and continues in the
to have subject past participle
present. I have lived in Bristol since
1984 (= and I still do.) Has she visited?
 An action performed during a
Negative interrogative
period that has not yet finished. She
has been to the cinema twice this
week (= and the week isn't over
yet.)
 A repeated action in an unspecified
to have + subject past participle
period between the past and now.
not
We have visited Portugal several
times. Hasn't she visited?
 An action that was completed in the
very recent past, expressed by 'just'. The present perfect continuous is used to
I have just finished my work. refer to an unspecified time between
 An action when the time is not 'before now' and 'now'. The speaker is
important. He has read 'War and thinking about something that started but
Peace'. (= the result of his reading perhaps did not finish in that period of
is important) time. He/she is interested in the process as
well as the result, and this process may still
FORMING THE PRESENT be going on, or may have just finished.
PERFECT
The present perfect of any verb is PRESENT PERFECT CONTINUOUS
composed of two elements : the
The present perfect continuous is made up been living haven't been living?
of two elements: the present perfect of the been
verb 'to be' (have/has been), and the living
present participle of the main verb
(base+ing)
Subject has/have been base+ing VERBS WITHOUT
CONTINUOUS FORMS
She has been swimming
With verbs not normally used in the
continuous form, use the simple present
Affirmative: She has been / She's been perfect instead (verbs such as: know, hate,
running. hear, understand, want).
I've wanted to visit China for years.
Negative: She hasn't been running. She's known Robert since she was a child.
I've hated that music since I first heard it.
Interrogative : Has she been running? I've heard a lot about you recently.
We've understood everything.
Interrogative negative: Hasn't she been
running? USE OF PRESENT PERFECT
CONTINUOUS
Affirmative Negative Interrogative
Unfinished actions
I have been I haven't Have I been 1: To say how long for unfinished actions
living been living? which started in the past and continue to
living the present. We often use this with 'for' and
You have You Have you 'since' She's been working here
been living haven't been living? since 2004.
been
living This use is very similar to how we use the
present perfect simple, and often it's
He, she, it He hasn't Has she been possible to use either tense. Of course, with
has been been living? stative verbs, we can't use the present
living living perfect continuous.
I've been here for hours.
We have We Have we
NOT: I've been being here for hours.
been living haven't been living?
been
2: For temporary habits or situations. The
living
action started in the past and continues to
You have You Have you the present in the same way as with use
been living haven't been living? number 1, but we don't answer the
been questions about 'how long' so clearly.
living Instead, we use a word like 'recently'.
I've been going to the gym a lot recently.
They have They Have they
This is very similar to the use of the B)am reading
present continuous for temporary habits C)have been reading
and often either tense is possible.
5.Hello,Jane.I’m home’.
Finished actions ‘Where have you been?I _____ for you all
3: Actions which have recently stopped day!
(though the whole action can be A)have been looking
unfinished) and have a result, which we B)look
can often see, hear, or feel, in the present. C)am looking
We don't use a time word here.
I'm so tired, I've been studying. 6.Are you having a holiday this year?’
‘Yes,I _____ to Hawaii.’
The present perfect simple has a very A)am going
similar use, which focuses on the result of B)have been
the action, whereas the present perfect C)have gone
continuous focuses on the action itself. See
my page here about the difference between 7.Who does your hair for you?’
the present perfect simple and the present ‘My mother usually _____ it’
perfect continuous for more explanation. A)is cutting
B)cuts
TIME TO PRACTICE C)has cut

1.Choose the correct answer. 8.Your socks are all wet!’

1._____ your sister recently?’ ‘Don’t worry.I _____ another pair with
‘Yes,she came to visit last weekend.’ me.’
A)have you been seeing A)am bringing
B)you have seen B)bring
C)have you seen C)have brought

2.I didn’t know Sarah could drive’.

‘Oh yes,she _____ since last April.’
A)has been driving
B)has driven 2.Correct the mistakes.
C)is driving
1.They have been to the shops.They’ll be
3.Where is Jason?’ home soon.
‘He _____ at the swimming pool.’
A)is being 2.Joe plays in the garden at the moment.
B)is
C)has been 3.I am going to work nu car every day.

4.This is a great book’. 4.The builders finish the block of flats

‘I know.I _____ twice already.’ already.
A)have read
5.He has been breaking his arm.
6.Sam have just finished reading a very
interesting book.
7.Water is boiling at 100 C.
8.John is living here since 1986.
9.I study this subject for 5 years.
10.Who has use my scissors?
3.Fill in the gaps with have/has been (to)
or have/has gone (to).
Jack:Hi,Jill.Where’s Paul?
Jill:Oh he, 1) __________ London for a
few days.
Jack:Really! I 2) __________ London
recently.I came back yesterday. 3) _____
you _____ there?
Jill:No,I haven’t.Paul 4) __________ twice
before,though.Where’s Sarah?
Jack:She 5) __________ Spain for 2 weeks
with her parents.They 6) __________ there
to visit some friends.
Jill:When is she coming back?
Jack:They’ll all be back next weekend.
4.Put the verbs in brackets into the
present perfect or continuous,using
short forms where appropiate.
1 A:How
long__________(you/know)Alison?
B:We__________ (be) friends since we
were children.
2A:Who__________ (use) that car?
B:I was.Is there a problem?
3 A:What are Andrew and David doing?
B:They __________ (work) in the
garden for 3 hours.
4 A:Why is Sally upset?
B:She__________ (lose) her bag.
5 A:I__________(always/believe) that
exercise is good for you.
B:Of course,it’s good to keep fit.
6 A:Emily__________ (teach) maths since
she left university.
B:Yes, and she’s a very good teacher,too.
7 A:Fred__________ ( open) a new shop.
B:Really?Where is it?
8 A:This pie is delicious.
B:Is it?I___________(not/taste) it yet.
9 A:Have you found your umbrella yet?
B:No,I___________(look) for it for an
hour now.
10 A:You look exhausted.
B:Well,I__________(clean) the
windows since 8 o’clock this morning.
11 A:Can i have some more
lemonade,please?
B:Sorry,your
brother__________(just/drink) it all.
12 A:Have you got new neighbours?
B:Yes,they__________(just/move) to
the area.
5.Choose the correct answer.
1 What tine does the train leave?
I think it_____ at 2 o’clock.
A)leaves
B)has been leaving
C)has left

2 Where are Tom and Pauline?

They_____to the supermarket.
A)have just gone
B)have been going
C)go

3 What is Jill doing these days?

She_____ for a job for 6 months.
A)is looking
B)has been looking
C)looks

4 Is Mandy watching TV?

No.She_____her homework right now.
A)is always doing
B)is doing
C)does

ANSWER KEY

1. 1.C
2.A
3.B
 4.A 3.B
5.A 4.B
6.A
7.B
8.C

2. 1.They have gone to the shops.

2.Joe is playing in the garden at the
moment.
3.I go to work by car every day.
4.The builders have finished the block
of flats already.
5.He has broken his arm.
6.Sam has just finished reading a very
interesting book.
7.Water boils at 100 C.
8.John has been living/has lived here
since 1986.
9.I have been studying/have studied
this subject for 5 years.
10.Who has been using my scissors?

3. 1’.s gone to
2.’ve been to
3.Have...been
4.’s been
5.’s gone to
6.’ve gone

4. 1.’ve been
2.’s been using
3.’ve been working
4.’s lost
5.’ve always believed
6.’s been teaching/‘s taught
7.’s opened
8.haven’t tasted
9.’ve been looking
10.’ve been cleaning
11.’s just drunk
12.’ve just moved

5. 1.A
2.A