PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE

1. THE PRESENT
CONTINUOUS TENSE

2. PRESENT CONTINUOUS
DEFINITION:
We use the present continuous when often the
action is happening at the time of speaking.
 Please be quiet. I´m working.
 Let´s go out now. It isn´t raining any more.
 I´m tired. I´m going to bed now. Good night!
 ´´Where´s Margaret?´´ ´´She´s having a
bath.´´

4. PRESENT CONTINUOUS
But the action is not necessarily happening at the
time of speaking. We use the present continuous
when we talk about things happening in a period
around now (for example, today / this week /
this evening etc.):
 ´´You´re working hard today.´´
 ´´Is Susan working this week?´´ ´´No, she´s on holiday.´´
We use the present continuous when we talk about changes
happening around now, but maybe not at the moment of
speaking, things are temporary:
 The population of the world is rising very fast.
 Is your English getting better?

5. PRESENT CONTINUOUS
AFFIRMATIVE
We make the Present Continuous with:
Subject + be +(not) + verb + ing
gerund
POSITIVE
I´m working at the moment.
You/We/They´re looking for a job.
He/She/It´s waiting for you.

6. PRESENT CONTINUOUS

7. PRESENT CONTINUOUS NEGATIVE
NEGATIVE
I´m not driving very fast.
You/We/They aren´t watching TV.
He/She/It isn´t working now.
The children aren´t playing in the garden
now.
You can turn the television off. I´m not
watching it.

8. PRESENT CONTINUOUS
INTERROGATIVE

9. PRESENT CONTINUOUS
INTERROGATIVE

10. PRESENT CONTINUOUS
INTERROGATIVE

11. PRESENT CONTINUOUS INTERROGATIVE
QUESTION
WORD
AUXILIARY SUBJECT VERB
PRESENT
CONTINUOUS
WHERE AM I GOING?
WHY IS SHE WATCHING
TV?

12. Rules for spelling the gerund
(verb+ing)
SPELLING RULES:
1. Verbs that end in –e drop it: -e eing
Make making write writing
Come coming dance dancing
2. Verbs that end in –ie change it: -ie ying
Die dying tie tying
Lie lying
3. Verbs that end in a vowel + a consonant double
this consonant: p pp
Stop stopping sit sitting
Swim swimming run running

13. Exercises:

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19. PRESENT CONTINUOUS
We use continuous tenses only for actions
and happenings. Some verbs are not action
verbs, but they describe states (the
physical/mental condition of sb.)
The following verbs are not normally used in
continuous tenses, but in simple tenses:
Like, love, hate, want, need, prefer, know,
realise, suppose, mean, understand, believe,
remember, belong, contain, consist, depend,
seem

20. PRESENT CONTINUOUS

21. PRESENT CONTINUOUS
Examples:
 I´m hungry. I want something to eat. (not
´I´m wanting´)
 Do you understand what I mean?
 Ann doesn´t seem very happy at the
moment.