essay in present progressive

The Present Continuous Tense (Present Progressive)

Table of Contents

Introduction.

The present continuous tense is one of the first things you learn when you start studying English. It’s a simple tense that helps you talk about what’s happening right now.

In this post, we will explore how to form and use the present continuous. We’ll also include example sentences to illustrate its usage.

What Is The Present Continuous Tense?

The present continuous tense , also known as the present progressive , is a grammatical tense that describes both events happening at the time of speaking and future planned actions .

Here is an example that illustrates the present continuous tense :

John is heading to work. At this very moment, he’s driving to work.

“ He’s heading ” and “ he’s driving ,” show the present continuous tense. They describe what’s happening right now .

In the following sections, we’ll go through how to form and when to use the present continuous tense.

The present continuous must not be confused with the past continuous tense

The Forms Of The Present Continuous Tense

The basic form of the present continuous is as follows:

1. The Affirmative Forms Of The Present Continuous:

2. the interrogative forms of the present continuous, 3. the negative forms of the present continuous, the uses of the present continuous tense, 1. actions happening at the time of speaking.

The present continuous is used to talk about actions happening at the time of speaking.

• Where is Mary? She is having a bath. (Not she has a bath)
• Jane is in her bedroom. She is doing her homework.
• What are you doing at the moment in front of your screen? Well, I am reading this lesson. I a m  learning English.

2. Temporary Situations

The present continuous is used to describe temporary situations that are taking place around the time of speaking.

• She works for a web design agency. She ‘s working on a new website. “The new website ” is a temporary situation and “working for the web design agency” is more permanent. It’s true in general.
• Jane ‘s living with her mother until she buys a house. “Living with her mother” is a temporary situation.

Compare these two examples to see the difference between the present simple and the present continuous :

• She  works  for a web design agency. → The verb –  works –  is in the simple present because it refers to  a permanent situation .
• She ‘s working  on a new website. → The verb –  ‘s working  – is in the present continuous because it refers to  a temporary situation .

3. Actions In Progress Or Involving Change

The present continuous can be also used when an action is in progress or involves some sort of change. The action may not be necessarily happening at the time of speaking

• I am reading a book; it’s a nice book. (I am not necessarily reading it at the present moment. But I started reading it and I haven’t finished it yet.)
• His mother is getting better and, hopefully, she will make a full recovery. (There is a positive change in her health.)
• Studies show that the environment is getting worse day in and day out. (The environment is getting worse)

4. planned Actions In The Future

The present continuous can also be used to describe plans, things that are already discussed, or planned.

• They are traveling to France in June. They have already bought the tickets.
• Nadia is starting a new job on Monday.

Time Expressions Used With The Present Continuous

These are examples of the time expressions (also called signal words) that are used with the present continuous tense:

now, right now, at the moment, currently, today, this week, this month, this year, these days, etc.

The above time expressions are important when using the present continuous tense. Here is why they are crucial:

• Contextual Clarity: Time expressions specify when an action occurs, adding clarity to the present continuous tense.
• Distinguishing Timeframes: They help distinguish actions in progress from habitual or general statements.

Stative Verbs Vs. Action Verbs

Some verbs, called stative verbs, are typically not used in the present continuous.

be, believe, belong, hate, hear, like, love, mean, prefer, remain, realize, see, seem, smell, think, understand, want, wish

These verbs are called stative verbs in contrast to action verbs (also referred to as “dynamic verbs”) such as “work, play, eat, etc.”

It’s not correct to say:

• He is wanting to buy a new car.
• I am preferring tea.
• She is believing in God

You must say:

• He wants to buy a new car.
• I prefer tea.
• She believes in God.

The -Ing Spelling Rules

When adding the ing to verbs in continuous verbs, there are specific rules that we have to follow:

1. The general rule is to add -ing to the verb.

• play + ing → play ing
• watch + ing → watch ing

2. For the verbs that end in a silent e , we drop the e and add -ing .

• clos e + ing → clos ing
• writ e + ing → writ ing

3. For one syllable-verbs ending in a vowel and a consonant, we double the final consonant and add -ing .

• stop + ing → sto pping
• set + ing → se tting

4. For verbs ending in w , y , or, x , we only add -ing .

• fix + ing → fix ing
• say + ing → say ing
• snow + ing → snow ing

4. For verbs ending in a vowel and a consonant with stress on the final syllable, we double the consonant and add -ing .

• begin + ing → begi nning
• admit + ing → admi tting
• refer + ing → refe rring
• upset + ing → upse tting

5. For verbs ending in -ie , we drop the -ie and add – ing .

• die + ing → d ying
• lie + ing → l ying

6. For Verbs ending in consonant + vowel + L, we have two rules depending on whether you are using American or British English.

• In American English, we do not double the final L. Example: travel + ing → trave ling
• In British English, we double the final L. Example: travel + ing → trave lling .

Here is a link to learn more about continuous tenses

Related Pages:

• The present simple
• Present continuous
• Simple Present VS Present Continuous
• The present continuous for future plans
• State and dynamic verbs
• Exercises on the present continuous
• Exercise: Present simple or present continuous
• Dynamic and stative verbs exercise
• Listen to the song “Sailing” by Rod Stewart.

• Humanities ›
• English Grammar ›

Present Progressive Tense: Definition and Examples

Verbs that represent ongoing action in the present

• An Introduction to Punctuation
• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

In  English grammar , the present progressive is a  verb  construction comprised of a present form of the verb  "to be"  plus a  present participle that usually conveys a sense of ongoing action at the present time. This construction is also known as the durative aspect. The present progressive is used to describe an activity currently in progress. For example, "I am reading  right now." Notice this construction is distinct from the simple present ("I read"), the present perfect ("I have read"), and the present perfect progressive ("I have been reading"). The present progressive also occurs when a speaker is referring to things that are planned for the future, e.g, "I am reading at the event tomorrow."

Common Usage of Present Progressive

According to R. Carter and M. McCarthy, authors of "Cambridge Grammar of English," there are numerous reasons for using the present progressive tense:

"To refer to events that are in progress at the time of speaking or writing

To refer to things that are taking place or that are true around the moment of speaking or writing

To describe actions that are repeated or regular but are either temporary or may be judged to be temporary

To describe regular actions in relation to a particular time or a specified event, especially when those events interrupt something already in progress

To refer to gradual processes of change

With adverbs of indefinite frequency (such as  always, constantly, continually, forever ) to describe events that are regular but unplanned and often undesired"

Present Progressive vs. Passive Voice

Students of English are frequently told that one sure way to improve their is prose by removing "passive language," meaning sentences in which the object of an action appears as the main subject. For example:

• The pins were knocked over by the bowling ball.

Passive language introduces "be" verbs (the pins were  knocked over) that would not appear had the original sentence had been written actively:

• The bowling ball knocked over the pins.

For this reason, some students become wary of using "be" verbs, thinking they are indicators of passive language, however, this is not always the case. The present progressive tense—a construction that always includes a "be" verb—should not be confused with passive voice.

Present Progressive Examples

The best way to get a sense of how the present progressive is used is to review examples that appear in books, movies, and in common speech. Take the following example from "Beautiful," a 2009 novel by Amy Reed:

"I am looking at my piece of pizza. I am watching pepperoni glisten. It is my third day at the new school and I am sitting at a table next to the bathrooms. I am eating lunch with the blond girls with the pink sweaters, the girls who talk incessantly about Harvard even though we're only in the seventh grade."

Here the present progressive is used to describe a series of actions (looking, sitting, eating) that are all occurring within the same present moment. The use of this tense not only unites these actions but also provides a sense of immediacy, grounding the reader in the present.

The present progressive can also be used to describe actions that are habitual or regular or true across time, as is the case with this quote from renowned Irish author and playwright George Bernard Shaw.

"People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are."

Shaw uses the present progressive to show that blame is "always" being assigned, from generation to generation, a symptom of human nature that will never change.

Finally, the present progressive may be used to refer to planned actions. In her novel "Notting Hell," Rachel Johnson describes a host telling her guests what's for dinner:

"'Anyway, tonight, we  are having  a perfectly balanced supper of fish fingers (essential fatty fish oils), baked beans (lovely roughage) and oven chips (bursting with potato goodness).'"

Present Progressive vs. Simple Present

Like past progressive , present progressive tense can be confusing, especially for those learning English as a second language whose native language doesn't have an equivalent verb tense. The authors of "The Business Writer's Handbook" provide the following example:

"I am searching for an error in the document." [The search is occurring now and may continue.]

In contrast, the simple present tense more often relates to habitual actions:

"I search for errors in my documents." [I regularly search for errors, but I am not necessarily searching now.]

The following example provides a further distinction:

"I live in London." "I am living in London."

The sense of the first sentence is that this is a relatively permanent state of affairs—there is no suggestion that the speaker is intending to leave any time soon. In the second sentence, however, the sense is that the situation is temporary. London is where the speaker happens to live at the moment, but this situation may change in the future.

• Carter, R.; McCarthy, M. "Cambridge Grammar of English." Cambridge University Press, 2006
• Alred, Gerald J.; Brusaw, Charles T.; Oliu, Walter E. "The Business Writers Handbook." Twelfth Edition, MacMillan, 2019
• Present Perfect Progressive
• What Is a Past Progressive Verb in English?
• Definition and Examples of Aspect in English Grammar
• Understanding Verb Tenses
• Habitual Present Verbs
• Future-in-the-Past Use in English Grammar
• The Present Tense of Verbs in English Grammar
• Present-Day English (PDE): Definition and Examples
• active verb (action verb)
• Verbs in Simple Present Tense
• An Introduction to Present Participles and Gerunds
• Compound Tenses in English Grammar
• Habitual Past (Grammar)
• Past Participles in English Grammar
• Indirect Speech Definition and Examples
• Present Progressive vs. Present Participle Verb Forms

Present Progressive Tense

What is the present progressive tense.

• John is baking a cake.
• They are painting the fence.
• We are moving to New Zealand in the summer.
• The train is arriving in 2 minutes.

Table of Contents

More Examples of the Present Progressive Tense

Forming the present progressive tense, interactive verb conjugation tables, video lesson.

• Caroline is looking for the latest brochure.
• Dan and Billy are fishing off the pier.
• A lot of good arguments are spoiled by some fool who knows what he is talking about. (Playwright Miguel de Unamuno)
• Middle age is when you are sitting at home on a Saturday night and the telephone rings and you hope it isn't for you. (Poet Ogden Nas)
• She is running.
• I am talking.

Forming the Present Participle

• play > playing
• shout > shouting
• prepare > preparing
• ride > riding
• lie > lying
• untie > untying
• run > running
• forget > forgetting

The Negative Version

• Caroline is not looking for the latest brochure.
• Dan and Billy are not fishing off the pier.

The Question Version

• Is Caroline looking for the latest brochure?
• Are Dan and Billy fishing off the pier?
• Why is Caroline looking for the latest brochure?
• When are Dan and Billy fishing off the pier?
• Is Caroline looking for the latest brochure or her chair?
• Are Dan and Billy fishing off or jumping off the pier?

Top 10 Regular Verbs

Top 10 Irregular Verbs

All 4 Past Tenses

All 4 Present Tenses

All 4 Future Tenses

Are you a visual learner? Do you prefer video to text? Here is a list of all our grammar videos .

The Other Present Tenses

This page was written by Craig Shrives .

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