CFGM GA2 Administrative Management

M9 English
Vidal Ortega-Jiménez

THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS

1) FORM

1.1. AFFIRMATIVE

Subject + AM + -ING FORM

ARE
IS
e.g.: WORK: I am working.
You are working, we are working, you are working, they are working.
He is working, she is working it is working.

1.2. NEGATIVE

Subject + AM + NOT -ING FORM

ARE
IS
e.g.: WASH: I am not washing.
You/we/you/they are not washing.
He/she/it is not washing.

Subject + ‘M NOT + -ING FORM

AREN’T
ISN’T
e.g.: WASH: I’m not washing.
You/we/you/they aren’t washing = You’re not washing…
He/she/it isn’t washing = He’s not washing…

1.3. INTERROGATIVE

AM + Subject + -ING FORM ?

ARE
IS
e.g.: START: Am I starting?
Are you/we/you/they starting?
Is he/she/it starting?

1.4. NEGATIVE INTERROGATIVE

AM + Subject + NOT + -ING FORM?

AREN’T + Subject + -ING FORM?
ISN’T

ARE + Subject + not + -ING FORM?

IS
e.g.: PLAY: Am I not playing?
Aren’t you playing?

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 CFGM GA2 Administrative Management
M9 English
Vidal Ortega-Jiménez

2) FORM OF THE –ING FORM

-ING FORM = INFINITIVE + ING

e.g.: WORK: working.

Except:
a) Verbs ending in –E (not verbs ending in –EE).
-ING FORM = INFINITIVE (without E) + ING
e.g.: TAKE: taking.
but SEE: seeing, AGREE: agreeing.

b) Verbs ending in -IE

-ING FORM = INFINITIVE (without IE) + YING
e.g.: LIE: lying.

c) Verbs ending in one vowel + one consonant double the consonant

-ING FORM = INFINITIVE + consonant + ING
e.g.: STOP: stopping.
CLEAN: cleaning.
HELP: helping.

NB: Verbs with 2 or more syllables only double the consonant if it is an acute word (except
those ending in –L, which always double in British English):
e.g.: PREFER: preferring ≠ VISIT: visiting.
TRAVEL: (Br.E.) travelling, (Am.E.) traveling.

3) USE

3.1. Actions that are happening at the time of speaking (now, at the moment).
e.g.: Peter is going to the supermarket now.

3.2. Temporary (not permanent) actions which happening about this time, but not necessarily
now. They last for a short period.
e.g.: I live in Miralcamp, but I am living in Cambrils this summer.
I am taking lessons in driving this summer (but now I’m picking apples).

3.3. With always (or constantly, continually and forever), to express annoyance or
criticism. Irritating actions.
e.g.: He is always telling lies!

3.4. Future, planned actions. Definite = fixed arrangements in the near future. Diary. The time
of the action (not now) is stated or understood (we say the time adverbial: tomorrow, next
week, next Saturday, in one month’s time, in two weeks’ time, in a few days’ time…).
e.g.: I’m buying a car tomorrow.
I’m flying to London next week (It’s all arranged. I’ve already bought the tickets).

3.5. Changing situations.

e.g.: The world’s population is increasing very quickly.

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 CFGM GA2 Administrative Management
M9 English
Vidal Ortega-Jiménez

DIAGRAM OF THE USE:

1. Now, at the moment.

2. Short period.
3. Irritating actions (always).
4. Future, planned. Definite arrangements. Diary (time adverbial).
5. Changing situations.

4) NON-CONTINUOUS VERBS

There are some verbs that are not usually used in the continuous or progressive tenses, and
others that are not used in the progressive tenses in certain of their meanings. These verbs
are often called STATIVE VERBS (as opposed to dynamic verbs, which can normally have
continuous tenses). The most important ones are:

a) SENSATIONS (unwilling actions): feel, see, hear, smell (=give out a smell), taste (=have a
flavour), notice, observe (=notice), sound.

Exception: When feel is followed by an adjective indicating the subject’s emotions or physical
or mental condition (well/ill, hot/cold, tense/relaxed, happy/sad, nervous/confident,
anxious/relieved, angry/pleased), it can also be used in the Present Continuous.

e.g.: How do you feel? (= How are you feeling?).

I feel better now (= I’m feeling better now).
He feels much happier now (=He is feeling much happier now).

b) EMOTIONS: adore, appreciate (=value), care about (=feel interest), care for (=like), care to
(=want), desire, detest, dislike, fear, hate, like, loathe (=hate), love, mind, prefer, value, want,
wish.

c) MENTAL ACTIVITIES: agree, appreciate (=understand), believe, doubt, expect (=think),

feel (=think, have an opinion), feel sure, feel certain, forget, forgive, guess, imagine, know,
mean, perceive, realize, recall, recognize, recollect (=remember), refuse, remember, see
(=understand), see through somebody / something (=not be deceived by somebody /
something), suppose, think (=have an opinion), trust (=believe), understand.

d) INHERENT PROPERTIES (permanent qualities): appear (=seem), be, consist of, contain,
have, hold (=contain), look, measure (=have length, etc), seem, resemble, weigh (=have
weight).

e) POSSESSION: belong to, have, owe, own, possess.

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 CFGM GA2 Administrative Management
M9 English
Vidal Ortega-Jiménez

f) MODAL AUXILIARIES: can / could, may / might, must, need, will / would, shall / should,
ought to, dare, used to.

g) OTHER VERBS: appear (=seem), apply to (=refer to), astonish, concern, consist of, cost,
depend on, deserve, equal, fit, hold (=contain), impress, include, involve, keep (=continue),
lack, matter, need, please, remain, satisfy, seem, signify, surprise.

EXCEPTIONS:
However, some of these verbs can be used in continuous tenses when they express an
ACTIVITY or a WILLING (=deliberate) ACTION (rather than a state).

a) be (as the auxiliary of a passive tense).

e.g.: The house opposite our college is being pulled down.

b) be (=behave temporarily).
e.g.: Tom is being foolish (=Tom is acting or talking foolishly now).

c) expect (=await).
e.g.: I expect that he will not come.
I’m expecting a telephone call from France.

d) feel (=touch).
e.g.: Can you feel the bump on my head?

e) have (except when it expresses possession or obligation).

e.g.: Don’t disturb her, she’s having a bath.
I’m having a tooth taken out tomorrow.
We’re having breakfast now.
We’re having a wonderful time (=enjoying ourselves).

f) hear (=listen formally to).

e.g.: The court is hearing evidence this afternoon.

g) like (=enjoy).
e.g.: How are you liking this hot weather?

h) see (=meet somebody).

e.g.: I’m seeing John tonight (=meeting).

i) smell (=sniff at).

e.g.: I smell gas. There must be a leak somewhere.
Why are you smelling the fish? Has it gone bad?

j) think (when it doesn’t refer to an opinion).

e.g.: I think that you are right (=have an opinion).
Be quiet while I’m thinking (=considering).
He’s thinking of going to France.

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C/ Ferrer i Busquets, 17 25230-Mollerussa E-mail: lasallemollerussa@lasalle.cat
Tel. 973 600 270 Fax 973 710 599 http://www.mollerussa.lasalle.cat