Present Continuous
We use the present continuous to talk about what is happening now.
| subject | be | present participle (verb + -ing) |
| I | am |
watching television. playing basketball. talking to the president. making cookies. eating dinner. |
| You | are | |
| He / She / It | is | |
| We | are | |
| They | are |
Rules for forming the present participle.
| VERB + “-ing” | Just add “-ing” |
catch → catching talk → talking sing → singing study → studying |
| Verbs ending in “-e” | If the verb ends in “-e”, take away the “-e” and add “-ing”. |
write → writing drive → driving take → taking |
| Verbs ending with a vowel and a consonant | If the word ends in a vowel and consonant we double the last consonant and add “-ing”. |
sit → sitting hug → hugging run → running |
| Verbs ending in "-ie" | If the verb ends with "-ie", change "-ie" to "-y" and add "-ing" |
lie → lying tie → tying |
Exceptions
| Verbs that end with a vowel and w,x, or y. | The verbs that end in a vowel and “w, x or y” don’t double. |
sew → sewing fix → fixing play → playing |
| Verbs ending with two vowels and a consonant. | If the verb ends in two vowels and a consonant, there is no change. |
eat → eating shout → shouting sleep → sleeping |
Unlock full access by logging in. Registered users can explore the entire lesson and more.