Understanding the bases of present continuous

1. Present
continuous

2. What is it?
● The present continuous is a verb tense that is used to talk about
actions that are happening:
○ at the present moment
○ at the moment of the conversation
○ that are planned for the near future.

3. Uses:
● Describe something which is happening at the exact moment of speech
○ Jim is watching T.V at the moment.
● Describe an action that is taking place now but no at the exact moment of speech.
○ Sarah is working in London.
● Describe an event planned in the future (informal)
○ I’m taking my French class on Tuesday.
● To describe a temporary situation.
○ I’m statins with a friend for a few days.
● To emphasize the frequency of an action.
○ That child is always crying for no good reason.
● To describe changing situations
○ Her health is improving by leaps and bounds

4. Magic formula!
✅
☺ + Verb to be (am/is/are) + verb (-ing) + complement
He is playing football.
✖️
☺ + (am/is/are) + not + verb (-ing) + complement
They are not coming to the party.
❓
(Am / Is / Are) + ☺ + verb (-ing) + complement + ?
Is she dancing hip-hop?

5. Remember:
Verb to be
am is are
I
He
She
It
You
We
They

6. Contractions
Verb to be
am is are
I
He
She
It
You
We
They
I’m
He’s
She’s
It’s
You’re
We’re
They’re

7. Activity!

8. Put the verbs in brackets into the
gaps using present continuous
1. The woman __________ with a child. (to play)
2. The girls _________ now. (to skate)
3. I ________ you downstairs. (to wait for)
4. The teacher _________ the grammar rule now. (to explain)
5. He __________ about him. (to think)
6. I___________ an essay at the moment. (to write)
7. The children ________ mushrooms now. (to gather)
8. Where is Kate? –She ___________ her homework. (to do)
9. Don’t disturb him! He ____________ for his maths exam. (to prepare)