Present Continuous Tense

A. Forms: present simple of the verb “to be” + verb-ing form (gerund/present participle)

Affirmative: Negative: Interrogative:

I am going I am not going Am I going?
You are going You are not going/ You aren’t going Are you going?
She/He/It is going She/He/it is not going / isn’t going Is she/he/it going?
We are going We are not going/ aren’t going Are we going?
You are going You are not going/ aren’t going Are you going?
They are going They are not going/ aren’t going Are they going?

*** If we have interrogative pronouns, the sentence begins with them when we put a question.
When/ Where/How/ Who/ Whom + am/is/are+ Subject+ verb -ing form
Why are you reading this?

B. Verb –ing form spelling rules:

1. The verb ends in –e => we remove the final “-e” and add “–ing’
Come=> coming write => writing

2. The verb ends in consonant with a vowel in front ( cons.+vowel+consonant) => we dubble the final consonant and add “-
ing”

Swim => swimming beg=> begging jog=> jogging plan=> planning

3. The verb ends in vowel + y => add “-ing”

Play => playing stay=> staying lay=>laying

4. The verb ends in –ie => replace “-ie” with “y” and add “-ing”

Die => dying lie=>lying tie=>tying

 C. Time expressions (key words) /

Now
At the moment
At this very moment
Right now
At present
This + adverb of time….. this morning/ this evening/week/summer/ Monday/ year => for exceptions to the rules, habits,
regular actions with period of time which is unfinished or in the future
For a few weeks/days/months
For a couple of days/hours/weeks

D. Uses:

1. To express things that are happening now, at the moment of speaking; actions in progress

2. To talk about temporary habits (exceptions from the habits); a new pattern or hobby

3. To talk about temporary situations, actions

3. To express future planned actions/ personal arrangements (with: tomorrow, later, at + hour, tonight, this
evening/afternoon, this weekend, on + day etc)

4. To emphasize annoying habits, reproach, thing that are disturbing (use: “always”, “forever”, “constantly”)

5. To describe a painting, a photo