Present continuous or present progressive actions are happening now or AROUND now. Present continuous represents temporary actions and actions in progress. They can also represent habits that always happen or plans for the near future. Here are a few signal words that will guide English language students in identifying the present progressive tense.
| at the moment | at present | now | right now | today | tonight | these days | this year |
| currently | Listen! | Watch out! | Look! | excuse me | tomorrow | next month | at _ o’clock |
| this afternoon | tomorrow morning |
The best way to teach and help non-native language speakers understand time expressions is by representing the verb tense with a timeline. Here is a timeline that works well to depict present continuous or progressive tenses.
Present Progressive Tense Verb Rules
The following are present continuous verb tense rules that are almost always followed when writing about the progressive tense.
| Positive (+) | Subject + am/is/are + verb (ing) | You are drinking coffee. |
| Negative (-) | Subject + am/is/are + verb (ing) | You are not drinking coffee. |
| Question (?) | Am/is/are + subject + verb (ing) | Are you drinking coffee? |
Present Progressive Tense Verb Tense Pronoun Chart
The pronoun chart allows students to learn the verb form that goes with the subject. This is a table that can help determine the correct conjugated verb.
| I | am | eating |
| You | are | eating |
| he/she/it | is | eating |
| We | are | eating |
| They | are | eating |
Present Progressive Tense Habitual Actions (Always)
The habitual present is a verb in the present tense that is used to talk about something that happens often or regularly. It’s known as both a habit and a routine. It’s something that the person or thing always does.
1. She is always singing in the shower. (sing + ing = signing)
2. He is always forgetting to turn off the lights. (forget + ing = forgetting)
3. It is always eating. (eat + ing = eating)
4. They are always dancing in class. (dance + ing = dancing)
5. They are always playing soccer after school. (play + ing = playing)
Present Progressive Tense Incomplete Actions
The present progressive tense, which consists of the auxiliary verb “be” plus a verb ending in “-ing,” is used to describe actions that are currently occurring or that are still in progress but have not yet finished; the actions are still happening in the present moment.
1. You are starting the project. (start + ing = starting)
2. They are driving to school. (drive + ing = driving)
3. He is working all day. (work + ing = working)
4. She is sleeping. (sleep + ing = sleeping)
5. I am studying English with my friend. (study + ing = studying)
Present Progressive Tense Negative Sentence Examples
Combining the negative forms of the present progressive verb, such as am not, is not, or are not, with the ing form of the verb creates the negative present progressive tense (the present participle).
1. He isn’t standing at his post. (stand + ing = standing)
2. They aren’t telling the truth. (tell + ing = telling)
3. She isn’t living here. (live + ing = living)
4. The teacher isn’t yelling at the students. (yell + ing = yelling)
5. We are not sitting there anymore. (sit + ing = sitting)
Present Progressive Tense Positive Sentence Examples
The present progressive is used to indicate an activity now in progress. “I’m reading” This construction differs from the simple present, present perfect, and present perfect progressive (“I have been reading”).
1. I am starting University in the fall. (start + ing = starting)
2. Kate is cooking dinner. (cook + ing = cooking)
3. The children are eating candy. (eat + ing = eating)
4. You are singing a nice song. (sing + ing = singing)
5. The dog is chasing the cat. (chase + ing = chasing)
Present Progressive Tense Questions
When you ask a question in the present tense, you need to use both the main verb and the helping verb, unless the main verb is “be.” Remember that the helping verb, do or does, changes depending on the subject. Here are some present-tense questions.
1. Am I cooking dinner tonight? (cook + ing = cooking)
2. Is Jack baking a pie? (bake + ing = baking)
3. Is the dog barking? (bark + ing = barking)
4. Is it raining? (rain + ing = raining)
5. Are Sam and Andy sleeping? (sleep + ing = sleeping)
10 Domain And Range Matching Activities