This document provides information about the present continuous tense in English. It defines the present continuous tense as describing actions that are happening at the time of speaking or around the current time. It gives examples of affirmative, negative, and interrogative forms of the present continuous tense and rules for forming the -ing verb form (gerund). It also lists some verbs like seem, want, know that are typically not used in the continuous tenses since they describe states rather than actions.

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:

14. Exercises:

15. Exercises:

16. Exercises:

17. Exercises:

18. Exercises:

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.