10 - ] Basic Grammar For Beginners - The Present Continuous Tense =- The Past Continuous Tense

10 - ] Basic Grammar For Beginners

13 .The Present Continuous Tense .

Positive	Negative	Question
I am playing / coming .	I am (‘m) not playing / coming.	Am I playing / coming?
He She is playing / coming . It	He She is not (isn’t)playing /coming. It	she Is  he   playing /coming?       it
We They are playing /coming. You	We They are not (aren’t) playing . You	we Are they playing ?         you

1 . We use the present continuous for something that is happening at the moment of speaking( now ) .

He is eating now .

They are studying English at the moment .

2 . We form the present continuous : verb to “be” ( am , is , are ) + verb + ing

Mother is cooking lunch now .

We are cleaning our room now .

3 . We use the present continuous tense to talk about future plans often with time expression .

I am flying to London the week-end .

I am staying at a hotel .

We are having a party next Monday .

4 . Verbs ending in a single (e) , drop it before adding (ing) .

ride - riding / make - making / leave - leaving / write - writing / come - coming / take -taking

have - having / type - typing  / bake - baking

5 . Verbs ending in a consonant after a vowel , the last consonant is doubled before adding (ing) .

hit - hitting / dig - digging / let - letting / admit - admitting / run - running / cut - cutting /

begin - beginning / shop - shopping / swim - swimming / signal - signaling / set - setting /

drop - dropping / put - putting / sit - sitting

6 . Verbs ending in (ie) change them into (y) before adding (ing) .

die - dying / lie - lying / tie - tying

7 .  This tense is often used with the following adverbs and adverbial phrases .

now , at present , at the moment , today , the imperative verbs such as “look ! “ listen ! “ smell !

Exercise

1 . She ------------------[ write ] a story now .

2 . We ---------------------[ learn ] English grammar at the moment .

3 . The servant -----------------[ clean ] the vase now .

4 . Look ! a car ---------------[ come ] quickly .

5 . Mother ------------[cook] dinner right now .

6 . Sally --------------------[ prepare ] her homework now .

7 . She -----------------[ wait ] for me in the corner now .

8 . --------------------- the boys [ do ] their homework now ?

9 . ----------------------father [ read ] the paper at this moment ?

10 . The leaves ------------------[ begin ] to fall from the tree .

11 . Look ! It --------------[ begin ] to rain .

12 . They ---------------[ take ] a walk along Ramses Street .

13 . I -----------------[ begin ] to understand English grammar now .

14 . We -------------------[ make ] good progress in our courses .

15 . Listen ! The telephone -------------------[ ring ] .

16 . Mr. and Mrs. Sultan --------------[ build ] a new house now .

17 . --------------they ----------------[ watch ] television now ?

18 . --------------mother --------------[ rest ] at the moment ?

19 . She ----------------[ not listen ] to the radio now .

20 . He -----------------[ help ] his father at the moment .

21 . --------------------the servant [ wash ] the car now ?

22 . Listen ! The baby ---------------------[ cry ] .

23 . ------------------you -----------------[ take ] French at present ?

24 . The wind --------------------- [ low ] hard now .

25 . The sky ----------------[ get ] dark now .

26 . We --------------------[ study ] the exercise on page 72 now .

27 . Helen -----------------[ look ] for her English book .

28 . All the students -----------------[ laugh ] at you .

14 .The Past Continuous .

Positive	Negative	Question
I was playing .	I was not (wasn’t) playing.	Am I playing / coming?
He She was playing.  It	He She was  not (isn’t)playing . It	she Was     he   playing ?       it
We They are playing . You	We They were not (weren’t) playing. You	we Were they playing ?           you

1 . We use the past continuous tense to talk about an action that was already happening at a particular time in the past .

At seven o’clock last night I was watching TV .

2 . We form the past continuous tense :

verb to “be” in the past [ was , were ] + verb + ing

They were reading stories for fun .

 I was having my breakfast when you came .

 They were walking to school when I saw them .

3 . The key words are : while , as , just as , when .

While / As / Just as ----------------------past continuous ----------------simple past

While / As / Just as Dina was getting ready to go out , Sara dropped in to see her .

Mr. Khalid came home , while / as / just as  the children were having breakfast .

4 . Past continuous ---------------------- when ---------------------simple past

He was returning home when a dog bit him .

The boy was riding a bicycle when a stone fell on his head .

Exercise

Correct the verbs in brackets :

1 . He -----------------------[ come ] when I called you .

2 . We --------------------------[ look ] for our teacher when we met .

3 . She ------------------[ walk ] down the steps when she fell .

4 . He played tennis while I ------------------------[ eat ] diner .

5 . I -----------------------------[ type ] when he rang .

6 . She did not listen while he was ---------------------------[ talk ] .

7 . He watched while she ---------------[ mix [ the paint .

8 . She said he -------------------[ sleep ] .

9 . I ----------------[ sew ] when she went out .

10 . She was washing up while he ------------------- [ dry ] .

11 . While she --------------------[ read ] , the milk oiled over .

12 . What -------------------you [ look ] at just now ?

13 . When she was shopping , it ------------------[ begin ] to rain .

14 . What -----------------you [ read ] when I rang you ?

15 . While he ------------------[ travel ] he ------------[ lose ] his money .

16 . As the wind -----------------[ blow ] yesterday I closed my eyes .

17 . When the war began we -----------------------[ live ] in London .

18 . The light -----------------------[ go ] out while I was having tea .

19 . My friend --------------------[ sing ] when I came in .

20 . While you ----------------[ play ] the piano I sent a message .

21 . He --------------[ eat ] his dinner when I --------------------[ go ] to see him .

22 . ------------------ you ------------------[ wear ] your new hat when I met you ?

23 . When the phone -----------------[ ring ] I ---------------[ have ] a bath .

24 . Large crowds ------------------[ wait ] at the station when the Prime Minister -------------

[ arrive ] .

25 . We ------------------[ walk ] to the station when the storm ------------[ blow ] .

26 . While he -------------------[ write ] homework , the telephone ---------------[ ring ] .

27 . He -----------------[ go ] downstairs when I -----------------[ meet ] him .

28 . As she ------------------- [ draw ] , she -------------[ break ] her brush .