Present Progressive - Introduction

The present progressive is used for actions going on in the moment of speaking and for actions taking

place only for a short period of time. It is also used to express development and actions that are arranged

for the near future.

Present progressive is also known as present continuous.

Present Progressive - Form

Use a form of to be and the infinite verb plus -ing.

Use:

am with the personal pronoun I

is with the personal pronouns he, she or it (or the singular form of nouns)

are with the personal pronouns you, we, they (or the plural form of nouns)

  affirmative negative question

I I am playing. I am not playing. Am I playing?

he, she, it He is playing. He is not playing. Is he playing?

you, we, they You are playing. You are not playing. Are you playing?

Tips on how to form negative sentences and questions

In negative sentences, we put not between the form of be and the verb.

In questions, we simply swop the places of subject and the form of be.

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Exercise on the formation

Present Progressive - FormExercise on Form

Complete the table with the correct forms.

  affirmative negative question

I I am working.

you You are jumping.

he He is not dreaming.

she Is she sleeping?

it It is snowing.

we Are we singing?

you You are not fighting.

they Are they reading?

Exercise on affirmative sentences

Present Progressive - FormExercise on affirmative sentences

Use the words below to make sentences in present progressive.

1. I / to read a book -

2. it / to rain -

3. he / to repair his bike -

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4. they / to watch a film -

5. the cat /to sleep on the chair -

6. Jane and Emily / to do their homework -

7. Bill / to wait at the bus stop -

8. we / to listen to the radio -

9. the children / to play a game -

10. Laura / to walk the dog -

Exercise on negative sentences

Present Progressive - FormExercise on negative sentences

Transform the sentences below into negative sentences.

1. I am watching TV. -

2. I am talking. -

3. They are drawing. -

4. He is opening the window. -

5. Angela is cleaning the bathroom. -

6. We are helping in the garden. -

7. You are singing. -

8. It is raining. -

9. She is joking. -

10. I am tidying up my room. -

Exercise on questions

Present Progressive - FormExercise on questions I

Write questions with the words below.

1. Peter / to go / to the cinema -

2. they / to play / a game -

3. she / to listen /to the radio -

4. I / to dream -

5. they / to pack / their bags -

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6. you / to do / the washing-up -

7. we / to talk / too fast -

8. they / to clean / the windows -

9. she / to watch / the news -

10. you / to pull / my leg -

Exercise on questions with interrogative particles

Present Progressive - FormExercise on questions with interrogative particles

Ask for the information in the bold part of the sentence.

1. Ashley is going to a restaurant. -

2. Gareth is reading the paper. -

3. Stacey is playing in the garden. -

4. She is wearing a red dress. -

5. Britney is doing her homework. -

6. Mandy is leaving at nine. -

7. Joe is repairing his bike. -

8. Amanda is going out with Dan. -

9. They are meeting at two o'clock. -

10. Sandy is looking for Phil. -

Present Progressive - Exceptions in Spelling

Webtip: Check your grammar and spelling, analyze entire sentences and enrich your writing with more

then 600 letter templates

Animation: exceptions in spelling

A single, silent e at the end of the word is dropped before ing.

example: come - coming

I am coming home. You are coming home. He is coming home.

But: ee at the end of the word is not changed

example: agree - agreeing

The final consonant after a short, stressed vowel is doubled before ing.

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example: sit - sitting

I am sitting on the sofa. You are sitting on the sofa. He is sitting on the sofa.

The letter l as final consonant after a vowel is always doubled before ing.

example: travel - travelling

I am travelling around. You are travelling around. He is travelling around.

Mind: This applies only for British English; in American English there is usually only one l.

An ie at the end of a word becomes y before ing.

example: lie - lying

I am lying in bed. You are lying in bed. He is lying in bed.

Exercise on exceptions in spelling 1

Present Progressive - Exceptions in SpellingExercise on Exceptions 1

Write down the ing form of the following words. Mind the exceptions in spelling.

1. make -

2. have -

3. sit -

4. run -

5. lie -

6. stop -

7. model -

8. get -

9. travel -

10. tie -

Exercise on exceptions in spelling 2

Present Progressive - Exceptions in SpellingExercise on Exceptions 2

Use the words below to write sentences in present progressive. Note that sometimes there are exceptions

in spelling when adding 'ing'.

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1. He / to get / pretty nervous -

2. She / to write / a letter -

3. We / not / to work -

4. They / to argue -

5. Look! / The dog / to pee / on the carpet -

6. I / to meet / my friends tonight -

7. He / to travel / a lot -

8. The kids / to play / in the garden -

9. She / to enter / the house -

10. They / to tie / still -

Present Progressive - Short Forms

affirmative negative

I am playing. - I'm playing. I am not playing. - I'm not playing.

He is playing. - He's playing. He is not playing. - He's not playing. / He isn't playing.

We are playing. - We're playing. We are not playing. - We're not playing. /We aren't playing.

Exercise - changing short forms to long forms

Present Progressive - Short and Long FormsExercise on Short and Long Forms

Write down the long forms.

1. I'm climbing. -

2. You're studying. -

3. He's falling. -

4. We're having fun. -

5. They're shopping. -

6. He's not speaking. -

7. I'm not lying. -

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8. They're not playing. -

9. She isn't painting. -

10. You aren't watching TV. -

Exercise - changing long forms to short forms

Present Progressive - Short and Long FormsExercise on Short and Long Forms

Write down the short forms.

1. I am reading. -

2. You are talking. -

3. He is running. -

4. We are jumping. -

5. They are writing. -

6. It is raining. -

7. I am not joking. -

8. They are not working. -

9. She is not singing. -

10. You are not eating. -

Present Progressive - UseActions taking place at the moment of speaking (now)

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He is playing football.

The action is going on now.

Signal words like now, at the moment are often used to emphasise that the action is taking place at the moment of speaking. Signal words are not really necessary, however, as this is already expressed by the tense itself.

Exercise

Present Progressive - Use

Exercise on actions taking place now

The people in the pictures are in the middle of an action. Answer the questions in complete sentences

using the words in brackets in the correct form.

1. What is he doing? (to play golf)

2. What is he doing? (to watch TV)

3. What is she doing? (to talk on the phone)

4. What is he doing? (to read a book)

5. What are they doing? (to play American football)

6. What is he doing? (to cry)

7. What is she doing? (to run)

8. What are they doing? (to sit in a meeting)

9. What is he doing? (to cycle)

10. What is she doing? (to climb up a ladder)

Arrangements for the near future

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I'm going to the theatre tonight.

In the example you can see that the tickets are already bought. So we are talking about an arrangement for the near future.

To make clear that the action is not going on now, we usually use signal words like tonight, tomorrow, next Friday, at noon.

Exercise

Present Progressive - Use

Exercise on future activities

On the right you see Kim's diary for the next week. Answer the questions. Leave out the time expressions

(see example).

1. What is Kim doing on Monday evening? (to meet Tom)

2. What is she doing on Tuesday afternoon? (look after Carol's kids)

3. What is she doing on Tuesday evening? (play badminton)

4. What is she doing on Wednesday morning? (see the dentist)

5. What is she doing on Wednesday evening? (work late)

6. What is she doing on Thursday afternoon? (pick up Jen from the airport)

7. What is she doing on Friday evening? (go to a concert)

8. What is she doing on Saturday morning? (go on a sight-seeing tour with Jen)

9. What is she doing on Saturday evening? (have a party)

10. What is she doing on Sunday morning? (take Jen to the airport)

Actions taking place only for a limited period of time

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Jim is helping in his brother's firm this week.

Here we are talking about a time limit. Jim does not usually work in the firm, he is still at school and wants to earn some extra money during his holidays.

To make clear that there is a time limit, we usually use signal words, e.g. this week/month/year.

Exercise

Present Progressive - UseExercise on actions that are limited in time

The following actions are not permanent, but limited in time. Write sentences in the present progressive.

1. John / to live / in London -

2. Stacey / to help / in the pub this week -

3. Joey / to take / a computer course this month -

4. Tony / to stay / with a friend at the moment -

5. I / to work / this weekend -

6. Aaron / to go by bus / this week -

7. Ben / to make / his own sandwiches this week -

8. I / to keep / to a strict diet this month -

9. Kelly / not / to work / this week -

10. ? / to tour / Robbie Williams / Britain / this summer -

Actions taking place around now (but not at the moment of speaking)

I'm studying for my exams.

This action takes place around now and only for a limited period of time, but not at the moment of speaking.

We don't have to use signal words here, but we often find signal words in such sentences, e.g. now, at the moment.

Exercise

Present Progressive - UseExercise on actions taking place around now

For Judy, everything is topsy-turvy right now: there's a lot to do for school and even her private life is very

busy at the moment. Write sentences in the present progressive, expressing what Judy is doing now (but

not at the moment of speaking).

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1. What / you / to do / these days -

2. I / to lead / a very busy life right now -

3. I / to cram up / for a maths test at the moment -

4. I / also / to revise / for my biology exams -

5. I / to write / an essay for my English course -

6. I / to prepare / a presentation for history -

7. So I / to read / a lot about American history now -

8. At home / we / to decorate / my room -

9. I / to take / driving lessons -

Development, changing situations

The population of China is rising

very fast.

The sentence describes a development from one situation to another.

Signal words are not that common here, only sometimes the change of situation is emphasised by using for example more and more.

Exercise

Present Progressive - UseExercise on changing situations

Right now (March 2003), British papers are suffering from a changing situation. They are losing readers to

other media such as TV or internet.

Put the verbs into the correct form (present progressive). Use the long form as this is more typical for

formal articles.

1. Newspapers (to lose) readers.

2. Even the Daily Mail (to lose) readers now for the first time in ten years.

3. Young people (just not / to buy) newspapers the way their parents did.

4. This generation (to grow up) with no particular brand loyalty to any newspaper.

5. Young Britons (to get) their news either online, or from television or radio.

6. Sensing the trend, advertisers (to shift) to other media to get their messages across.

7. Some businesses, such as fashion, (to advertise / still) , but others are not.

8. Now the Sun (to try) to recapture younger readers.

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9. The Mirror (to hunt / now) readers in the overcrowded middle ground.

10. Some papers (to think) of launching new titles to survive in this contracting market.

Exercise on lyrics (mixed)

Present Progressive - UseExercise on lyrics

Put the verbs into the correct form (present progressive). Use the grammatically correct form, e.g. is doing

or 's doing, but not the forms you'd usually find in lyrics ('s doin oder 's doin').

1. PINK - Get The Party Started: Everybody (to wait) for me to arrive.

2. AVRIL LAVIGNE - Complicated: I like you the way you are when we (to drive)

in your car.

3. J'LO - Jenny From The Block: I know where I (go) and I know where I'm from.

4. BLUE (feat. ELTON JOHN) - Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word: And it (get)

more and more absurd.

5. BLUE - U Make Me Wanna: That's why I'm here, I (write) this song.

6. BUSTED - What I Go To School For: I guess that's why my marks (get) so high.

7. JC CHASEZ - Blowing Me Up: There's something about you baby. It (take) me over.

8. ROBBIE WILLIAMS - Feel: Before I fall in love, I (prepare) to leave her.

9. EMINEM: Lose Yourself: He opens his mouth, but the words won't come out. He (choke)

. How everybody (joke) now.

10. NICK CARTER - I Got You: They say I (look) for something that can't be found.

Exercise on useful phrases (mixed)

Present Progressive - UseExercise on useful phrases

Put the verbs into the correct form (present progressive).

1. I (to starve)

2. I can tell when you (to lie)

3. I (to joke / only)

4. She (to go out) with a real cutie.

5. (you / to try) to pull my leg?

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6. You (not / to fool) anyone.

7. What (to go on) here?

8. I (look forward) to seeing you again.

9. What (you / to do) ?

10. (I / to dream) ?

Present Progressive - Signal WordsExercise on Signal Words

1. Which of the words is a signal word for actions taking place at the moment of speaking?

now never sometimes 

2. Which of the words is a signal word for actions taking place at the moment of speaking?

yesterday tomorrow at the moment 

3. Which of the words is a signal word for actions taking place at the moment of speaking?

Listen! last night next week 

4. Which of the words is not a signal word for actions taking place at the moment of speaking?

right now just now every day 

5. Which of the words is not a signal word for actions taking place at the moment of speaking?

Listen! usually Look! 

6. Which of the words can be a signal word for an arrangement for the near future?

yesterday in the afternoon last week 

7. Which of the words can be a signal word for an arrangement for the near future?

tomorrow every week usually 

8. Which of the words can be a signal word for an arrangement for the near future?

last Sunday every Sunday next Sunday 

9. Which of the words cannot be a signal word for an arrangement for the near future?

next week last week next Friday 

10. Which of the words cannot be a signal word for an arrangement for the near future?

never at noon in the morning

Present Progressive - Signal WordsExercise on Signal Words

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Choose the correct signal word.

1. I am talking on the phone .

2. What are you doing ?

3. I'm not doing anything .

4. The sun is rising.

5. We're having a party .

6. Gwen is going to the doctor .

7. Josh is going to the cinema .

8. Jane is looking after Tom's dog .

9. Francis is cycling to work .

10. Alex is living in Australia .

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Present Progressive Test

Test your knowledge on the present progressive. After submitting your answers, you will see

how well you have done in the test.

Test

Positive Sentences - Part 1

Choose the correct present progressive form.

1. Look! Andy in the garden.

2. I TV at the moment.

3. We a book.

4. She the piano.

5. Listen! Sue and John .

Positive Sentences - Part 2

Put the verbs into present progressive.

1. My sister (to clean) the bathroom.

2. Look! They (to go) inside.

3. I (to wait) in the car now.

4. Mrs Miller (to listen) to CDs.

5. We (to speak) English at the moment.

Exceptions

Choose the correct form. Note that there are exceptions in spelling when adding 'ing.'

1. His brother a test at the moment.

2. They (to swim) in the pool.

3. Look! David and Max (to come) home.

4. My dog Charlie to the park.

5. I (to make) breakfast now.

Kurz- und Langform

Rewrite the sentences using the short forms (where long forms are given) or the long forms (where short

forms are given).

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1. We are reading a letter.

2. He is opening the window.

3. I am playing computer games.

4. She's dancing at the party.

5. They're drinking a cup of tea.

Verneinung

Rewrite the sentences using the negative forms.

1. We are playing a game.

2. I'm drawing a picture.

3. He is making pizza right now.

4. Susan and her brother are taking photos.

5. Dad is working in the kitchen.

Questions and Signal Words

Write questions in present progressive.

1. Robin / to ride / his bike -

2. where / she / to go -

3. what / your mother / to do / now -

4. Which is a signal word for the present progressive?

often now sometimes

5. Which is not a signal word for the present progressive?

always Look! at the moment

Present Progressive Test

Test your knowledge on the present progressive. After submitting your answers, you will see

how well you have done in the test.

Test

Positive Sentences

Put the verbs into present progressive.

1. The dog (to attack) the cat.

2. I (to draw) a picture.

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3. My mother (to wave) at me.

4. They (to choose) a cheap airline.

5. Listen! Tom (to make) a phone call.

Bildung von Lang- und Kurzformen

Rewrite the sentences using the short forms (where long forms are given) or the long forms (where short

forms are given).

1. He is eating. -

2. I am driving. -

3. We are not riding. -

4. You're telling great jokes. -

5. She's not hurrying. -

Bildung von negativen Sätzen

Rewrite the sentences using the negative forms.

1. She's selling fruit. -

2. We are travelling in an old van. -

3. I'm getting ready for school. -

4. The thieves are robbing the bank. -

5. My father is smoking a cigarette. -

Questions with Question Words

Ask for the information given in bold print.

1. Matthew is making a mistake. -

2. Linda is knocking at the door. -

3. They are flying to Rome. -

4. I'm making the new tree house at the moment. -

5. She is driving the Porsche carefully. -

Signalwörter1. Which of the following words can be a signal word for an arranged action taking place in the near

future.

every Monday next Monday last Monday

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2. Which of the following words is a signal word for an action taking place in the moment of speaking?

now next week often

3. Which of the following words is not a signal word for an action taking place in the moment of speaking?

at the moment Listen! never

4. Which of the following words cannot be a signal word for an arranged action taking place in the near future?

tomorrow last night this evening

5. Which of the following words is a signal word for an action taking place in the moment of speaking?

Look! two days ago every Friday

Present Progressive Test

Test your knowledge on the present progressive. After submitting your answers, you will see

how well you have done in the test.

Test

Form

Use the words in the first column to form sentences in the present progressive. Write the correct form (positive, negative, question) in the appropriate column.

  positive negative question

I / walk

you / read

he / speak

she / eat

it / rain

we / jump

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they / play

Besonderheiten

Write the ing form of the verbs. Mind the spelling when adding ing.

1. bake -

2. swim -

3. say -

4. travel -

5. lie -

Short forms

Rewrite the sentences using the short form when the long form is given and vice versa.

1. He is brushing his teeth. -

2. I'm doing a test. -

3. We are not joking. -

4. I am not reading. -

5. They aren't working. -

Verwendung

Choose the correct answer.

1. I am living in London now. - What does this sentence mean?

I have moved to London to stay there for ever.

I am in London only for a limited period of time.

I am going to move to London soon.

2. We are meeting Tom tonight. - What does this sentence mean?

The action is arranged for the near future.

The action is taking place now.

The action might take place.

3. I'm working hard at the moment. - Is the sentence correct even if I am not working at the moment of speaking?

yes

no

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4. He is playing football. - Which situation cannot be expressed by present progressive?

To express that the match is going on right now.

To express that he does not play football regularly, but only for a limited period of time.

To express that he plays football regularly.

5. Look! The Millers are moving house. - Which of the following situations is expressed by the present progressive?

They are in the middle of the action.

The action is going to take place next week.

They will come back to this place one day.

Signalwörter

Choose the correct signal word.

1. The girl is watering the plants .

2. We are going to the theatre .

3. My brother is moving to Australia .

4. they are playing our song on the radio.

5. Greg is walking to work .

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