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The present continuous
Introduction
He's eating a hamburger.
Definition
The present continuous is one of the two present tenses used in modern English. The other one is the present simple.
Construction
The present continuous tense consists of:
subject + present simple of 'to be' + the present participle of another verb
I am going.
| Affirmative | Negative 1 | Negative 2 | Interrogative |
|
I'm working You're working He's working She's working It's working We're working They're working
|
I'm not working You're not working He's not working She's not working It's not working We're not working They're not working |
---------------------------- You aren't working He isn't working She isn't working It isn't working We aren't working They aren't working |
Am I working? Are you working? Is he working? Is she working? Is it working? Are we working? Are they working?
|
Uses
| Uses | Examples |
|
To talk about something that is happening at the moment
|
I'm studying the present continuous.
It's raining.
The phone's ringing.
They're watching TV.
|
|
To talk about something that is in progress
|
I'm reading a really good book at the moment.
We're painting the kitchen.
He's looking for a new job.
|
Examples
He's listening to his favourite CD.
Are you enjoying your new job?
They're painting their bedroom walls.
Our sales figures are increasing.
Ben and Sue wear glasses but Ben isn't wearing his today.
Note that it is the correct tense to use if you are describing a picture because we can imagine that it's happening now:
They're dancing. He's wearing glasses and he's singing. She's wearing a dress and she's smiling.
