Present Progressive

The Present Progressive (Continuous) is a form of the verb that shows the action or state is in
progress (continues) in the present.

For example: Lisa is dancing right now.

Click here for the full info, rules, examples and exercises on the present progressive and how to
use it.

Present Progressive Story 1

Who are they? Where are they? What are they doing?

Now Janet is in her house. She is sitting on a wooden chair. She is holding a coat. She is fixing
it.

James is Janet's husband. He is sitting in front of her. He is fixing clothes too.

Elizabeth is sitting next to James. She is Janet's sister. Right now she is helping Janet and James.
They are working together. They are fixing clothes.
 
At this moment a man is coming in. He is wearing dark clothes. He is carrying a pile of clothes.
They are all working very hard.

Click here to download the full worksheet: Present Progressive Story 1.

Present Progressive Story 2

Who are they? Where are they? What are they doing?

Right now, it is Monday morning. Mike and Tina are at home. They are sitting at a table. They
are eating breakfast.

At this moment, Tina is drinking coffee. She is eating a pastry. She is sitting across the table
from Mike. She is talking to Mike.

Mike is Tina's husband. He is sitting at the table with Tina. He is also drinking coffee. Mike is
listening to Tina.

After breakfast, Mike and Tina are leaving for work. They work in the city. They are riding the
bus to work.

Click here to download the full worksheet: Present Progressive Story 2.

Present Progressive Story 3

Who are they? Where are they? What are they doing?
Now the children are at school. Amy is sewing. She is practicing. She is sitting on a bench. She
is sitting near Timmy.

Timmy is at school too. Timmy is studying. He is sitting behind his desk. He wishes he could
play with the other children.

John and Susan are also at school. They are playing outside. They are picking flowers for their
teacher. John is carrying his hat. Susan is wearing a bonnet.

At this moment, Sarah is walking by the door. She is helping the teacher. She is carrying
textbooks to the shelf.

Click here to download the full worksheet: Present Progressive Story 3.

Present Progressive Story 4

Who are they? Where are they? What are they doing?

Today, Abby is visiting her grandparents. She loves her grandparents. At this moment, she is
sitting on her grandfather's knee. She is listening to a story. She is smiling. She loves her
grandfather's stories.

Jacob is Abby's grandfather. He loves his granddaughter. Right now, he is telling her a story. He
is holding her on his knee. He is holding her hands. They are sitting in the living room.

Sarah is Abby's grandmother. At this moment, Sarah is standing in the kitchen. She is baking
cookies for Jacob and Abby. She is also listening to Jacob's story.

Click here to download the full worksheet: Present Progressive Story 4.

A. Simple Present / Present Continuous

 Using the words in parentheses, complete the text below with the appropriate tenses, then
click the "Check" button to check your answers.
A Trekking Journal

November 12, 1997

Today (be) the second day of my trek around Mount Annapurna. I am

exhausted and my legs (shake) ; I just hope I am able to complete the trek. My
feet (kill, really) me and my toes (bleed) , but I (want, still)
to continue.
Nepal is a fascinating country, but I have a great deal to learn. Everything (be)
so different, and I (try) to adapt to the new way of life here. I (learn)
a little bit of the language to make communication easier; unfortunately, I (learn, not)
foreign languages quickly. Although I (understand, not) much
yet, I believe that I (improve, gradually) .
I (travel, currently) with Liam, a student from Leeds University in
England. He (be) a nice guy, but impatient. He (walk, always)
ahead of me and (complain) that I am too slow. I (do) my best to
keep up with him, but he is younger and stronger than I am. Maybe, I am just feeling sorry
for myself because I am getting old.

Right now, Liam (sit) with the owner of the inn. They (discuss) the
differences between life in England and life in Nepal. I (know, not) the real
name of the owner, but everybody (call, just) him Tam. Tam (speak)
English very well and he (try) to teach Liam some words in Nepali. Every time
Tam (say) a new word, Liam (try) to repeat it. Unfortunately, Liam
(seem, also) to have difficulty learning foreign languages. I just hope we don't
get lost and have to ask for directions.

Check Hint

Cumulative Verb Tense Review

 Complete questions 1-10 below with the appropriate tenses, answer questions 11-15, then
click the "Check" button to check your answers.

1. When Carol (call) last night, I (watch) my favorite show on

television.

2. I (work) for this company for more than thirty years, and I intend to stay

here until I retire!

3. Sharon (love) to travel. She (go) abroad almost every summer.

Next year, she plans to go to Peru.

4. Thomas is an author. He (write) mystery novels and travel memoirs. He

(write) since he was twenty-eight. Altogether, he (write) seven

novels, three collections of short stories and a book of poetry.

5. We were late because we had some car problems. By the time we (get) to

the train station, Susan (wait) for us for more than two hours.

6. Sam (try) to change a light bulb when he (slip) and (fell)

.

7. Everyday I (wake) up at 6 o'clock, (eat) breakfast at 7 o'clock

and (leave) for work at 8 o'clock. However, this morning I (get)

up at 6:30, (skip) breakfast and (leave) for work

late because I (forget) to set my alarm.

8. Right now, Jim (read) the newspaper and Kathy (make)

 dinner. Last night at this time, they (do) the same thing. She (cook)
and he (read) the newspaper. Tomorrow at this time, they (do,

also) the same thing. She (prepare) dinner and he (read)

. They are very predictable people!

9. By this time next summer, you (complete) your studies and (find)
a job. I, on the other hand, (accomplish, not) anything. I

(study, still) and you (work) in some new high paying

job.

10. The students (be, usually) taught by Mrs. Mon

2.Text View for Practice 1

Usually, Greg (eat) anything he (want) and (not worry) about what it (do) to his body.
However, now, he (compete) in swimming and has to change his eating habits.
Usually, he (get) up and (have) orange juice or just (skip) breakfast because he is late for
class. Then at lunch, he frequently (meet) his friends at Mac Donald's and(have) a Big Mac,
fries and a cola.

At dinner time, he always (sit) down with his family, and (enjoy) a big meal. His mom
usually (serve) meat, vegetables and potatoes. After that, he (eat) a green salad or some
fruit. Most of the time, by eleven o'clock, he is hungry again, so he (have) ice cream and
cookies.

Now, he (swim) competitively and his diet is completely different. This morning , he eat) lot
more protein, eggs and bacon, and a couple pieces of whole wheat toast, so that he has more
energy for his morning work-out. He (be) in the classroom now. He (discuss) with his
friends about the things they (do) next week. According to the their plan, they (follow) a
swimming competition next Saturday afternoon.
6.Tense Conjugation (REVIEW)

Once you have finished, re-read the text and make sure that you have understood
everything. The next step is to complete the story (the text is exactly the same) putting the
verbs into the correct tense.

John ________________ (always/travel) a lot. In fact, he _____ (be) only two years old
when he first _____ (fly) to the US. His mother ___ (be) Italian and his father ___ (be)
American. John ___ (be) born in France, but his parents ________ (meet) in Cologne,
Germany after they ________ (live) there for five years. They ______ (meet) one day while
John's father __________ (read) a book in the library and his mother ________ (sit down)
beside him. Anyway, John ________ (travel) a lot because his parents also __________
(travel) a lot.
As a matter of fact, John ____________ (visit) his parents in France at the moment. He
_______ (live) in New York now, but ______________ (visit) his parents for the past few
weeks. He really _______ (enjoy) living in New York, but he also _______ (love) coming to
visit his parents at least once a year.
This year he ___________ (fly) over 50,000 miles for his job. He _______________ (work)
for Jackson & Co. for almost two years now. He's pretty sure that he ____________ (work)
for them next year as well. His job __________ (require) a lot of travel. In fact, by the end
of this year, he ____________ (travel) over 120,000 miles! His next journey _______ (be) to
Australia. He really ________ (not like) going to Australia because it is so far. This time he
__________ (fly) from Paris after a meeting with the company's French partner. He
_______________ (sit) for over 18 hours by the time he ________ (arrive)!
John _____________ (talk) with his parents earlier this evening when his girlfriend from
New York _________ (telephone) to let him know that Jackson & Co. ___________ (decide)
to merge with a company in Australia. The two companies ______________ (negotiate) for
the past month, so it really _______ (not be) much of a surprise. Of course, this _______
(mean) that John _______ (have to catch) the next plane back to New York. He
______________ (meet) with his boss at this time tomorrow.