Present continuous tense Notes

Present continuous tense

Read the following sentences.

1. Tiya is playing golf.

2. Dikky duck is dancing.

3. Tom is baking cookies.

4. Ronit and Jiya are talking to each other.

5. Rambo and Mike are fighting.

6. We are playing video games.

Learn the formula for present continuous tense.

Subject + first form of the verb with –ing + object.

We use the Present Continuous:

When somebody is doing something at this moment, now:

Examples :

1. Tanya's having a bath.

2. Bobby and Tina are sitting on the bench and eating food.

When something is happening at this moment:

Examples :

1. It's raining.

2. Listen! The birds are singing!

To talk about something that is happening around the moment of speaking but not exactly at that moment (this week, this month, this year):  

Examples :

1. My sister's travelling in India.

2. I'm learning English at school.

We use the Present Continuous to talk about the future when there is a fixed agreed plan

1. Sanya’s birthday is on 1 july.

She's having a big party on her birthday.      

(a fixed plan)

2. Ravi and Kavi are good players.

They're playing soccer next Saturday.   

(a fixed event)

3. Our chairman wants to meet me.

I'm meeting him at nine o'clock.              

(an agreed /pre decided appointment)

4. I want to come to meet you.

What are you doing next weekend?                 

(What is your plan?)

But we cannot use the Present Continuous when there is no fixed programme and when we talk about things which we can't control:

Spelling: verb + -ing.

Usually, we add -ing to the basic ( first form) verb:

1. work → working
2. speak → speaking
3. see → seeing

But when verbs end in –e:

1. come → coming      
2. like → liking     
3. take → taking

Verbs which end in a vowel between two consonants:

1. get → getting
2. hit → hitting
3. sit →  sitting
4. win → winning
5. travel → travelling

Verbs which end in -ie:

1. die → dying      
2.  lie → lying