Free English Grammar - Mary Ansell 2000
Chapter 3. The present continuous
1. Uses of the present continuous
In English, the Present Continuous tense is usually used to express continuing, ongoing actions which are taking place at the moment of speaking or writing. In the examples given below, the verbs in the Present Continuous tense are underlined.
e.g. Right now I am cooking supper.
At the moment the plane is flying over the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
The Present Continuous tense is often used in conversation.
e.g. "What are you doing?"
"I am working on my English assignment."
Occasionally, the Present Continuous tense is used to refer to a future event.
e.g. We are leaving tomorrow.
2. Formation of the present continuous
The Present Continuous tense of any verb is formed from the Simple Present of the auxiliary to be, followed by what is generally referred to as the present participle of the verb.
The present participle of a verb is formed by adding ing to the bare infinitive. For instance, the present participle of the verb to work is working.
Thus, the Present Continuous tense of the verb to work is conjugated as follows:
I am working
you are working
he is working
she is working
it is working
we are working
they are working
See Exercise 1.
3. Spelling rules for the formation of the present participle
Some verbs change their spelling when the ending ing is added to form the present participle.
a. Verbs ending in a silent e
When a verb ends in a silent e, the silent e is dropped before the ending ing is added. For example:
Infinitive
to close
to dine
to leave
to move
Present Participle
closing
dining
leaving
moving
However, when a verb ends in an e which is not silent, the final e is not dropped before the ending ing is added. For example:
Infinitive
to be
to see
Present Participle
being
seeing
b. Verbs ending in ie
When a verb ends in ie, the ie is changed to y before the ending ing is added. For example:
Infinitive
to die
to lie
Present Participle
dying
lying
When a verb ends in y, no change is made before the ending is added. For example:
Infinitive
to fly
to play
Present Participle
flying
playing
See Exercise 2.
c. One-syllable verbs ending in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel
Except in the case of the final consonants w, x and y, when a one-syllable verb ends in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel, the final consonant must be doubled before the ending ing is added. The reason for this is to reflect the fact that the pronunciation of the single vowel does not change when the ending ing is added.
English vowels have a variety of pronunciations. For instance, each English vowel has two contrasting pronunciations, which are sometimes referred to as short and long. Vowels which are followed by two consonants, and vowels which are followed by a single consonant at the end of a word, are generally pronounced short. In contrast, vowels which are followed by a single consonant followed by another vowel are generally pronounced long.
In the table below, the underlined vowels in the left hand column are pronounced
short; whereas the underlined vowels in the right-hand column are pronounced long.
For example:
Short Vowels
fat
tapping
let
win
filling
not
hopping
flutter
Long Vowels
fate
taping
delete
wine
filing
note
hoping
flute
Thus, in the case of most one-syllable verbs ending in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel, the vowel is pronounced short. In order to reflect the fact that the vowel is also pronounced short in the corresponding present participle, except in the case of w, x and y, the final consonant must be doubled before the ending ing is added.
In the following examples, the consonants which have been doubled are underlined. For example:
Infinitive
to nod
to dig
to run
to clap
to set
Present Participle
nodding
digging
running
clapping
setting
When a verb ends in w, x or y preceded by a single vowel, the final consonant is not doubled before the ending is added. For example:
Infinitive
to draw
to fix
to say
Present Participle
drawing
fixing
saying
It should also be noted that when a verb ends in a single consonant preceded by two vowels, the final consonant is not doubled before the ending is added. The reason for this is that two vowels together are generally pronounced long. For example:
Infinitive
to rain
to read
to meet
to soak
Present Participle
raining
reading
meeting
soaking
See Exercise 3.
d. Verbs of more than one syllable which end in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel
When a verb of more than one syllable ends in a single consonant other than w, x or y preceded by a single vowel, the final consonant is doubled to form the present participle only when the last syllable of the verb is pronounced with the heaviest stress.
For instance, in the following examples, the last syllables of the verbs have the heaviest stress, and the final consonants are doubled to form the present participles. In these examples, the syllables pronounced with the heaviest stress are underlined. For example:
Infinitive
to expel
to begin
to occur
to omit
Present Participle
expelling
beginning
occurring
omitting
When a verb of more than one syllable ends in w, x or y, the final consonant is not doubled before the ending ing is added. In the following examples, the syllables pronounced with the heaviest stress are underlined. For example:
Infinitive
to allow
to affix
to convey
Present Participle
allowing
affixing
conveying
When the last syllable of a verb is not pronounced with the heaviest stress, the final consonant is usually not doubled to form the present participle. For instance, in the following examples, the last syllables of the verbs do not have the heaviest stress, and the final consonants are not doubled to form the present participles. In these examples, the syllables pronounced with the heaviest stress are underlined. For example:
Infinitive
to listen
to order
to focus
to limit
Present Participle
listening
ordering
focusing
limiting
If necessary, a dictionary can be consulted to determine which syllable of a verb has the heaviest stress. Many dictionaries use symbols such as apostrophes to indicate which syllables are pronounced with the heaviest stress.
See Exercise 4.
It should be noted that British and American spelling rules differ for verbs which end in a single I preceded by a single vowel. In British spelling, the I is always doubled before the endings ing and ed are added. However, in American spelling, verbs ending with a single I follow the same rule as other verbs; the I is doubled only when the last syllable has the heaviest stress. In the following examples, the syllables with the heaviest stress are underlined. For example:
Infinitive
to signal
to travel
to compel
to propel
Present Participle
American Spelling
signaling
traveling
compelling
propelling
British Spelling
signalling
travelling
compelling
propelling
From these examples it can be seen that the American and British spellings for verbs ending in a single l differ only when the last syllable does not have the heaviest stress.
4. Questions and negative statements
a. Questions
In the Present Continuous, the verb to be acts as an auxiliary. As is the case with other English tenses, it is the auxiliary which is used to form questions and negative statements.
To form a question in the Present Continuous tense, the auxiliary is placed before the subject. For example:
Affirmative Statement
I am working.
You are working.
He is working.
She is working.
It is working.
We are working.
They are working.
Question
Am I working?
Are you working?
Is he working?
Is she working?
Is it working?
Are we working?
Are they working?
See Exercise 5.
b. Negative statements
To form a negative statement, the word not is added after the auxiliary. For example:
Affirmative Statement
I am working.
You are working.
He is working.
She is working.
It is working.
We are working.
They are working.
Negative Statement
I am not working.
You are not working.
He is not working.
She is not working.
It is not working.
We are not working.
They are not working.
See Exercise 6.
c. Negative questions
To form a negative question, the auxiliary is placed before the subject, and the word not is placed after the subject. However, when contractions are used, the contracted form of not follows immediately after the auxiliary. Although there is no universally accepted contraction for am not, the expression aren't I? is often used in spoken English. For example:
Without Contractions
Am I not working?
Are you not working?
Is he not working?
Is she not working?
Is it not working?
Are we not working?
Are they not working?
With Contractions
[Aren't I working?] - used in speaking
Aren't you working?
Isn't he working?
Isn't she working?
Isn't it working?
Aren't we working?
Aren't they working?
See Exercise 7.
d. Tag questions
Tag questions are also formed using the auxiliary. In the following examples, the tag questions are underlined. In spoken English, aren't I? is often used as a tag question. For example:
Affirmative Statement
I am working.
You are working.
He is working.
She is working.
It is working.
We are working.
They are working.
Affirmative Statement with Tag Question
I am working, am I not?
You are working, aren't you?
He is working, isn't he?
She is working, isn't she?
It is working, isn't it?
We are working, aren't we?
They are working, aren't they?
See Exercise 8.
5. Comparison of the uses of the simple present and present continuous
As pointed out in Chapter 1, the Simple Present tense may be used for stating general truths, and for referring to actions which occur at regular intervals. In the following examples, the verbs in the Simple Present tense are underlined.
e.g. Nova Scotia is a Canadian province. Geese fly south every winter.
In contrast, the Present Continuous tense is usually used to refer to ongoing actions happening at the time of speaking or writing. In the following examples, the verbs in the Present Continuous tense are underlined.
e.g. Right now, I am visiting the province of Nova Scotia. At the moment, a flock of geese is flying overhead.
Exercises for Chapter 3
1. Using the Present Continuous tense, fill in the blanks with the correct forms of the verbs shown in brackets. For example:
He ... hard. (to work)
He is working hard.
We ... anxious. (to feel)
We are feeling anxious.
1. I ... the questions. (to answer)
2. You ... boots. (to wear)
3. We ... for work. (to look)
4. She ... her friend. (to call)
5. He ... a house. (to build)
6. They ... supper. (to cook)
7. We ... a story. (to tell)
8. You ... for the bus. (to wait)
9. I ... a book. (to read)
10. They ... berries. (to pick)
Answers
2. Using the Present Continuous tense, fill in the blanks with the correct forms of the verbs shown in brackets. For example:
They ... the lemons. (to squeeze)
They are squeezing the lemons.
It ... on the sidewalk. (to lie)
It is lying on the sidewalk.
I ... the groceries. (to carry)
I am carrying the groceries.
1. She ... a letter. (to write)
2. They ... about it. (to worry)
3. He ... jam. (to make)
4. It ... . (to die)
5. We ... to school. (to hurry)
6. She ... us to do it. (to dare)
7. You ... on the blanket. (to lie)
8. He ... the problem. (to solve)
9. I ... now. (to leave)
10. They ... to help us. (to try)
Answers
3. Using the Present Continuous tense, fill in the blanks with the correct forms of the verbs shown in brackets. For example:
We ... to come. (to plan)
We are planning to come.
They ... the lawn. (to mow)
They are mowing the lawn.
It ... . (to rain)
It is raining.
1. I ... the grass. (to cut)
2. It ... downstream. (to float)
3. They ... the game. (to win)
4. We ... the present. (to wrap)
5. She ... lettuce. (to grow)
6. He ... for us. (to look)
7. I ... a sweater. (to knit)
8. They ... wood. (to saw)
9. She ... the windows. (to clean)
10. We ... the floor. (to scrub)
11. I ... the toaster. (to fix)
12. He ... his coffee. (to sip)
13. They ... the hedge. (to trim)
14. You ... the ducks. (to feed)
15. She ... her head. (to nod)
Answers
4. Each of the following sentences is preceded by a bare infinitive, the most heavily stressed syllable of which is underlined. Paying attention to whether or not the final consonant should be doubled before ing is added, fill in the blanks with the present participles corresponding to the bare infinitives. Use the American spelling for verbs ending in I. For example:
whisper: They are ... to their friends.
They are whispering to their friends.
refer: I was ... to your letter.
I was referring to your letter.
1. open: I am ... the door.
2. display: She is ... her talents.
3. submit: He is ... his report tomorrow.
4. limit: The store is ... the number of items on sale.
5. permit: We are not ... him to go.
6. sharpen: They are ... the pencils.
7. confer: She is ... with her colleagues.
8. focus: He is ... the camera.
9. repel: They are ... the attack.
10. shovel: I am ... the steps.
11. destroy: Hail is ... the crops.
12. dispel: They are ... our doubts.
13. squander: He is ... his money.
14. prefer: We are ... our new school to the old one.
15. color: The child is ... the picture.
16. unravel: We are ... the wool.
17. propel: Jet engines are ... the plane.
18. flower: The pansies are ...
19. infer: They are ... that we do not want to come.
20. listen: The children are ... to us.
Answers
5. Change the following affirmative statements into questions. For example:
It is snowing.
Is it snowing?
They are being cautious.
Are they being cautious?
1. I am learning English.
2. You are carrying a parcel.
3. It is growing colder.
4. We are living in Halifax.
5. They are running a race.
6. He is drinking coffee.
7. She is shopping for presents.
8. I am cleaning the window.
9. We are buying pencils.
10. They are playing football.
Answers
6. Change the affirmative statements given in Exercise 5 into negative statements. For example:
It is snowing.
It is not snowing.
They are being cautious.
They are not being cautious.
Answers
7. Change the affirmative statements given in Exercise 5 into negative questions. Except when the subject of the verb is I, write both the form without contractions and the form with contractions. For example:
It is snowing.
Is it not snowing?
Isn't it snowing?
They are being cautious.
Are they not being cautious?
Aren't they being cautious?
Answers
8. Add negative tag questions to the affirmative statements given in Exercise 5. Except when the subject of the verb is I, use contractions for the tag questions. For example:
It is snowing.
It is snowing, isn't it?
They are being cautious.
They are being cautious, aren't they?
Answers
9. For each of the following sentences, determine whether the Simple Present tense or the Present Continuous tense is more appropriate, and fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb given in brackets. For example:
Right now, he ... ridiculous. (to be)
Right now, he is being ridiculous.
She ... to Sydney every weekend. (to drive)
She drives to Sydney every weekend.
1. At the moment, I ... supper. (to cook)
2. He ... the paper every weekday. (to read)
3. We ... right now. (to study)
4. She ... every day. (to study)
5. Now it ... . (to rain)
6. They ... to Mexico every year. (to travel)
7. Just now we ... the shopping. (to do)
8. She always ... correctly.( to answer)
9. You ... never late. (to be)
10. Now I ... to the radio. (to listen)
11. Each Sunday, we ... the flea market. (to visit)
12. At present, I ... for work. (to look)
Answers
Answers to the exercises for Chapter 3
Answers to Exercise 1:
1. am answering 2. are wearing 3. are looking 4. is calling 5. is building 6. are cooking 7. are telling 8. are waiting 9. am reading 10. are picking
Answers to Exercise 2:
1. is writing 2. are worrying 3. is making 4. is dying 5. are hurrying 6. is daring 7. are lying 8. is solving 9. am leaving 10. are trying
Answers to Exercise 3:
1. am cutting 2. is floating 3. are winning 4. are wrapping 5. is growing 6. is looking 7. am knitting 8. are sawing 9. is cleaning 10. are scrubbing 11. am fixing 12. is sipping 13. are trimming 14. are feeding 15. is nodding
Answers to Exercise 4:
1. opening 2. displaying 3. submitting 4. limiting 5. permitting 6. sharpening 7. conferring 8. focusing 9. repelling 10. shoveling 11. destroying 12. dispelling 13. squandering 14. preferring 15. coloring 16. unraveling 17. propelling 18. flowering 19. inferring 20. listening
Answers to Exercise 5:
1. Am I learning English? 2. Are you carrying a parcel? 3. Is it growing colder? 4. Are we living in Halifax? 5. Are they running a race? 6. Is he drinking coffee? 7. Is she shopping for presents? 8. Am I cleaning the window? 9. Are we buying pencils? 10. Are they playing football?
Answers to Exercise 6:
1. I am not learning English. 2. You are not carrying a parcel. 3. It is not growing colder. 4. We are not living in Halifax. 5. They are not running a race. 6. He is not drinking coffee. 7. She is not shopping for presents. 8. I am not cleaning the window. 9. We are not buying pencils. 10. They are not playing football.
Answers to Exercise 7:
1. Am I not learning English? 2. Are you not carrying a parcel? Aren't you carrying a parcel? 3. Is it not growing colder? Isn't it growing colder? 4. Are we not living in Halifax? Aren't we living in Halifax? 5. Are they not running a race? Aren't they running a race? 6. Is he not drinking coffee? Isn't he drinking coffee? 7. Is she not shopping for presents? Isn't she shopping for presents? 8. Am I not cleaning the window? 9. Are we not buying pencils? Aren't we buying pencils? 10. Are they not playing football? Aren't they playing football?
Answers to Exercise 8:
1. I am learning English, am I not? 2. You are carrying a parcel, aren't you? 3. It is growing colder, isn't it? 4. We are living in Halifax, aren't we? 5. They are running a race, aren't they? 6. He is drinking coffee, isn't he? 7. She is shopping for presents, isn't she? 8. I am cleaning the window, am I not? 9. We are buying pencils, aren't we? 10. They are playing football, aren't they?
Answers to Exercise 9:
1. am cooking 2. reads 3. are studying 4. studies 5. is raining 6. travel 7. are doing 8. answers 9. are 10. am listening 11. visit 12. am looking