Present
Progressive Tense
The present progressive
tense takes the form be + V ing.
The form of be is determined by the subject of the sentence.
|
He eats. |
|
He is singing. |
|
She is listening. |
|
They are sleeping. |
|
I am going home. |
In English, the present
progressive is used to indicate actions happening at the
time of speaking, or right now.
| Jake
is speaking to his mother right now. |
| Please
keep quiet. The baby is sleeping. |
The present progressive can also be used to indicate actions
occurring over a period of time which includes the present.
| I'm
taking five classes at the university. |
| Grace
is working at a chemical factory. |
| What
are you doing these days? |
The present progressive is
sometimes used to indicate ongoing, developing, imminent or
future actions.
|
ONGOING |
| Don't
bother Mr. Grumpy while he is watching the football
game. |
|
DEVELOPING |
| I'm
beginning to like this place!. |
|
IMMINENT |
| Q:
Honey, where are you?. |
|
A: I'm coming. Just let me put on my shoes. |
|
Future (Note the presence of future time
words.) |
| Q:
Are you going to the concert this weekend?. |
| A:
I wish I could, but I'm meeting an important client
from Oklahoma. |
Some non-action verbs do not occur in the present
progressive tense. The simple present is sufficient.
For Conversation practice :
Situations : Talking about here and now
For an example of this in context, see
Writing : Describing Action in Progress
See also :
Speaking : Talking about here and now
Present Continuous (from Englishpage.com)
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