Download Present Continuous Flashcards here
Present Continuous (also known as Present Progressive) is a popular tense in the spoken and written English.
It is formed from the present tense of the verb to be and the present participle (-ing form) of a verb.
For example, The girl is crying. The dogs are barking.
We offer you the revise this grammar topic with the help of flashcards. In the downloadable PDF set, you will find the following examples of Present Continuous usage:
- The boy is smiling
- The man is playing guitar
- The lady is singing
- The boy is eating
- The boys are playing
- The man is fishing
- They are watching TV
- He is sleeping
- The man is surfing
- The girl is running
- She is leaving
- The child is reading
The Use of Present Continuous
Let’s now recollect the situations when we use the Present Continuous tense.
- We use it talk about the present:
- for something that is happening at the moment of speech. These things usually last for quite a short time and they are not finished when we are talking about them:
Please be quiet. The baby is sleeping. - for something which we think is temporary:
I’m working in New York for the next two days. - for something which is new and contrasts with a previous state:
These days most people are using email instead of writing letters. - to show that something is changing, growing or developing:
The climate is changing rapidly. - for something which is happening before and after a given time:
When I get home the children are doing their homework. - for something which happens again and again and we don’t like it. We normally use always with this use:
It’s always raining in London.
2. We use the Present Continuous tense to talk about the future:
- for something which has been arranged or planned:
Mary is going to a new school next term.
We can’t use this tense (or any other continuous tense) with stative verbs like believe, belong, smell, depend, mind, think, realize, etc.
