Affirmative form Present Continuous (present continuous tense) is formed using the auxiliary verb to be in the present tense (am, is, are) and an infinitive without to with ending -ing(Participle I - participle I or present participle). This can be represented as a formula:
to be (changeable part am, is, are) + infinitive without to (speak) + -ing speak+ink=speaking
I am speaking now.
She is speaking now.
They are speaking now.
Please note:
Verbs expressing feelings of perception and mental activity, as well as some other verbs are not used in the Continuous tenses. This is: to want - want, to like - like, to love - be in love, to wish - want, to see - see, to hear - hear, to feel - feel, to notice - notice, to remember - remember, to recognize - learn, to forget - forget, to seem - seem, to be - be and etc.
Negative form formed by adding a negation not to auxiliary verb to be.
I am not working. I don't work.
He is not working. He does not work.
We are not working. We do not work.
They are not working. They do not work.
a) the auxiliary verb to be (am, is, are) is reduced, the negation not remains unchanged.
I'm not working now. I am not working right now.
He's not working now. It's not working now.
You're not working now. You are not working now.
b) the negative particle not merges with the auxiliary verb, the letter o drops out:
Not isn't working now. It's not working now.
We aren't writing now. We are not writing now.
Interrogative form formed by rearranging the auxiliary verb and the subject - auxiliary verb to be is placed before the subject.
Is he writing now? Is he writing now?
Are are they reading? They are reading?
If there is a question word, it is placed before the auxiliary verb to be.
What are you doing now? What are you doing now?
Where is he working? Where he works?
Please note:
If two verbs in the Present Continuous have the same subject and are joined by a conjunction and, then the auxiliary verb before the second, main verb in the Continuous is omitted.
She is sitting on the bench now and talking with Mr. Brown.
Now she is sitting on the bench and talking to Mr. Brown.
Writing rules
- If the verb ends in one letter -e, then before -ing this -e omitted: hat e-hat ing, so e- so ing.
- If the verb ends in -ee, then no changes occur. Ending -ing added to the main verb: see - see ing, agree - agree ing.
- If there is a short vowel before the final consonant, then when adding the ending -ing the final consonant is doubled: run - run n ing, swim - swim m ing.
- If the verb consists of two or more syllables and the stress falls on the last syllable, which consists of one vowel before the final consonant, then the final consonant is doubled: begin - begin n ing, admit - admit t ing.
Note:
- enter - entering (the stress on the last syllable does not fall);
- last letter -l after a vowel (if there is only one vowel) in the British version it is always doubled, regardless of the stress: travel - traveling, signal - signaling.
Conjugation of the verbs to work, to write in the Present Continuous
Use
Present Continuous is used:
- 1. To express an action that is happening at the present moment of speech, which is implied from the context or expressed by words such as now - Now, at (the) present (moment) - at present, at this moment - V this moment and so on.
What are you doing (now)? - What are you doing now)?
I am cooking. Come and have supper with us. I'm cooking (in the kitchen). Come and have dinner with us.
Please note:
In principle, the presence of words denoting the moment of speech in an English sentence is not necessary, since the form of time itself shows that the action occurs at the moment of speech. In Russian, the coincidence of an action with the moment of speech is either clear from the context, or is specified by the words now, at the moment, etc.
- 2. To express a continued action that does not necessarily occur at the time of conversation, but is of a permanent nature.
I am reading a novel by K. Simonov.
I am reading a novel by K. Simonov. (Action in progress, extended over time.)
They are learning two foreign languages at the new gymnasium.
In the new gymnasium they study two foreign languages.
Not teaching English and learning French. He teaches English and studies French.
- 3. To express a predetermined, planned action that will take place in the future, often in the near future.
Are you doing anything tonight? Are you doing anything tonight?
Yes, I am going to my judo class and (I’m) meeting my friends afterwards.
Yes, I go to judo class, then meet my friends. (This is planned.)
She is leaving at the end of the week. She's leaving at the end of the week. (It’s planned, it’s decided.)
- 4. With an adverb always to express a constantly repeated action that causes irritation, condemnation and even indignation in the speaker.
Not always going away for weekends. He's always going away for the weekend.
Compare:
Not always goes away for weekends. He always goes away on weekends.
Using Simple Present/Present Indefinite instead of Present Continuous changes emotional attitude speaker to what is happening and is perceived by the latter as an ordinary normal phenomenon, as a fact of action.
Present Continuous, as a rule, not used:
- 1. With verbs expressing feelings of perception: to see - see, to hear - hear, to notice - notice, to smell - smell, to feel - feel, to recognize - learn, to listen (to) - listen, to watch - observe.
But: Present Continuous is used:
a) with the verb to see in the meaning of “meet on business”, in the meaning of “visit” some places related to tourism, as well as in the meaning of “take care”.
The director is seeing the applicants this morning. The director is meeting with the applicants this morning.
Not seeing the sights. He'll be back later. He is sightseeing. He'll be back later.
Not seeing about tickets for tonight. He gets tickets for tonight.
b) with the verbs to listen, to look, to watch and sometimes to smell, if an intentional action is expressed.
Why are you looking at this furcoat? Why are you looking at this fur coat?
It's far too expensive. I see one in the corner that would suit you much better. She's too expensive. I see a fur coat in the corner that would suit you better.
Don’t disturb him now, he is listening to the “radio-fact”. Don't bother him, he's listening, "radio fact."
c) with the verb to hear meaning “to receive information about something or from someone.”
I’ve been hearing all about this accident.
I heard (learned) everything about this accident.
- 2. With verbs expressing emotions: to want - want, to desire - want, to refuse - refuse, to forgive - forgive, to wish - want, to hate - hate, to like - like, to love - be in love.
BUT: The Present Continuous is used with the verb to like in the meaning of “like”.
How are you liking this hot weather? How do you like this heat?
Are you enjoying this nice trip on the sea? Do you enjoy this magnificent journey by sea?
Yes, I love it. Yes, I like it very much).
(No, I hate it). (No I do not like.)
- 3. With verbs expressing thought processes, etc.: to understand - understand, to know - know, to remember - remember, to believe - believe, to expect - expect, to suppose - believe, assume, to recollect - recall, to trust - trust.
- 4. With verbs expressing ownership: to own - have, to belong - belong to possess - own.
- 5. With verbs to seem - seem, to signify - to express, to appear - appear, to contain - contain, to consist - consist, to keep - keep, to concern - worry, to matter - to mean.
Modal verbs in English language do not express the action itself (therefore they are not used independently), but the attitude towards the action. In combination with an infinitive, they express the possibility, necessity or desirability of performing an action and act as a compound verbal predicate.
Hello! If you are interested in the rules of formation and use of time Present Continuous in English, then you have come to the right place! I will tell you what the Present Continuous tense is, I will explain the nuances of the formation and use of this tense, and also for clarity, I will give many examples.
What is Present Continuous Tense?
Present Continuous Tense (Present Continuous Tense) is a temporary form of a verb that describes actions or states that are ongoing at the moment of speech. That is, Present Continuous Tense shows actions and states in progress! This is how it differs from the Present Simple Tense.
There is no equivalent in Russian for Present Continuous Tense. It provides only one tense form for the present tense, which expresses both shades of simple and continuous tense. Let's see this with an example:
- Present Continuous: You are speaking Spanish - You speak Spanish. (Meaning that you speak Spanish at this moment in time.)
- Present Simple: You speak Spanish. — You speak Spanish. (Meaning that you can speak Spanish at all.)
As you can see, in Russian the same verb form conveys different shades of the present tense. Time Present Continuous
Rules for the formation of Present Continuous Tense
The Present Continuous tense is complex. It is formed using an auxiliary verb to be in Present Simple Tense (am, are, is) and present participles of the main verb (verb ending -ing).
When forming the Present Participle, it is important to know the following rules:
- If the verb ends in an unpronounceable -e, then it is lowered:
to drive e- driving
to give e- giving
- If a verb ends in a consonant after a stressed syllable, the consonant is doubled:
sit − si tt ing
to stop - sto pp ing
to forget - forge tt ing
- If the verb ends in -l, preceded by a vowel, then -l always doubles (in the American version this rule is not observed).
to travel - travel ll ing
to fulfil - fulfi ll ing
- If the verb ends in -ie, That -ie changes to -y:
to l ie—l y ing
to d ie-d y ing
Formation of the affirmative form:
- subject + to be in Present Simple (am, are, is) + Present Participle of main verb (V + ing)
Formation of the interrogative form:
- to be in Present Simple (am, are, is) + subject + Present Participle of main verb (V + ing)
Formation of negative form:
- subject + to be in the Present Simple (am, are, is) + negation of not + Present Participle of the main verb (V + ing)
Conjugation table for the verb to starve in Present Continuous Tense
| Number | Face | Affirmative form | Interrogative form | Negative form |
| Unit h. | 1
2 3 |
I am(I"m) starv ing
You are (You"re) starv ing He/She/It is (He's/ She's/ It's) starv ing |
Am I starv ing?
Are you starv ing? Is he/ she/ it starv ing? |
I am (I"m) not starv ing
You are not (aren't) starv ing He/She/It is not (isn"t) starv ing |
| Mn. h. | 1
2 3 |
We are (We"re) starv ing
You are (You"re) starv ing They are (They"re) starv ing |
Are we starv ing?
Are you starv ing? Are they starv ing? |
We are not (aren't) starv ing
You are not (aren't) starv ing They are not (aren't) starv ing |
I advise you to thoroughly learn this table as a cliche, where you will then substitute other verbs.
when can you use Present Continuous?Not all English verbs are used in the continuous tense. Verbs that denote desires, thoughts, states, feelings, as a rule, are not used in the Present Continuous form. You can find a more detailed list of such verbs in the article: Present Simple tense in English
Present Continuous Tense is used:
1. When expressing an action that is happening at the moment (now). Very often in such sentences there are time circumstances by which the Present Continuous Tense can be accurately determined. For example:
- now - now
- at the moment - at the moment
- Don’t you smell something is burning? - Don't you feel like something is burning?
- What are you talking about now? - What are you talking about now?
2. When expressing an action or state that lasts in the present tense (the action has already begun and has not yet ended), but not necessarily related to the given moment of speech:
- Sorry but I can’t lend you this book because I’m reading it myself. - Sorry, but I can’t lend you this book, because... I’m reading it myself now.
- I’m studying at the university. - I study at University.
3. When expressing any inclination or constant habit (usually negative). In such sentences, the verb expresses impatience or disapproval and is often accompanied by adverbs:
- always - always
- constantly - constantly
- all the time - all the time
- She is always coming too late! - She always comes too late!
- I’m constantly wearing with my teachers. — I constantly quarrel with my teachers.
4. When expressing actions planned for the near future. Verbs of motion are often used in such sentences:
- to come - go
- to move - to move
- to leave - to leave
- to stay - to stay
- to return - return
- to start - to start
and expressions:
- to have guests - to have guests
- to give a party - make a party
- I am giving a birthday party tomorrow. — Tomorrow I'm throwing a birthday party.
- They are leaving us this afternoon. “They are leaving us tonight.”
Note!
The combination of the verb to go in the Present Continuous Tense with the infinitive form of another verb also expresses the intention to perform an action in the near future:
- Why are you going to change your flat? - Why are you going to change your apartment?
- I'm going to present him to my parents. “I’m going to introduce him to my parents.”
6. When expressing an action that occurs simultaneously with another action expressed in Present Simple Tense. That is, in subordinate clause time or condition after unions.
For a long time. Forms sentences using the auxiliary verb to be (in English translated as “to be”) in the form of the present tense and the fourth form of the main semantic verb (with the suffix -ing characteristic of the long tense).
Let's consider the use of present continuous. Example sentences:
You are having dinner. - You are having dinner (right now).
I am waiting for you. - I'm waiting for you.
They are traveling in the west. - They travel to the west.
She is writing a letter right know. - She is writing a letter right now.
We are speaking English now. - We speak English now.
They are reading this boring book now. - They are reading this boring book now.
For reference:
- In colloquial English, the word "dinner" means dinner, and "supper" means a late dinner in a homely family setting.
Formation of question and negation
When forming an interrogative sentence in the present continuous tense, the words in it change places. As in any other case of English.
The verb to be moves to the first place - before the subject (pronoun, noun or proper name) in sentences with the present continuous. Example sentences:
Is she reading this boring book now? - Is she reading this boring book now?
Are we speaking English right now? -Are we speaking English right now?
Is she writing the letter now? - Is she writing this letter right now?
When forming a negative sentence between the form of the auxiliary and the semantic verb, not is added along with the semantic verb in the present continuous. Example sentences:
He is not writing. - He does not write.
I am not speaking. - I do not speak.
We are not waiting. - We're not waiting.
They are not studying. - They don't study.
She is not asking. - She doesn't ask.
However, such complete forms of denial are rarely used. In spoken language, abbreviations are used: isn't in the singular or aren't in the plural.
Important rules for using this time
Using Present continuous. Rules of use:
1. The specified tense is used to express a specific action occurring at the present moment or period, that is, right now. This is what the temporary additions to the sentences specifically indicate:
now - now;
at the moment - at this (this) moment.
But these words are not always present in the sentence. They can only be implied.
He is reading his diploma. - He is reading his diploma (that is, right now).
2. It is usually not used with verbs that denote the state of an object rather than its action:
to want - to want;
to feel - to feel;
to love - to love;
to think - to think;
to like - to like, to love;
to be - to be;
to live - to live;
to hate - to hate;
to stay - to stay;
to hear - to hear;
to remember - remember;
to see - see and some other English verbs.
But sometimes these verbs of state are still used to emphasize the temporary state in the present continuous. Example sentences:
I know I am being a baby but I can't help it. - I know that I'm like a child, but I can't do anything about it (that is, I'm only acting like a child now).
She is wanting to stay at this house and I can't help it. - She wants to stay in this house and I can’t help (that is, she just wants to stay now).
3. When a sentence conveys the intention to perform an action, the present continuous is sometimes used to indicate the future tense. Example sentences:
We are going to the cinema tonight. - We are going to go to the cinema this evening.
She is leaving by seven-o"clock train. - She is leaving by seven o'clock train.
Present Perfect Continuous Forms
Or, as it is also called, progressive in English are peculiar derivatives of the present continuous tense.
You can get it using the verb to be (to be) in the form of the present perfect tense (have been or has been in the 3rd person singular) and an auxiliary verb in the continuous tense (with the ending -ing).
Present perfect continuous - example sentences:
1) Used to denote an action that began in the past at a certain point in time, continued for some time and continues at the present moment:
I have been walking since 8 o"clock in the morning. - I have been walking since 8 o'clock in the morning.
He has been living in Moscow for six years. - He has been living in Moscow for six years.
2) An ordinary and constantly occurring action, indicating the time period for the continuation of the action. In this case, if it is not indicated how long (time period) the action lasts, then the present continuous tense is used.
It has been raining for three days. - It has been raining for two days.
It has raining. - It's raining.
He has been studying English for seven years. - He has been studying English for seven years.
He is studying English. - He is studying English (that is, right now).
3) Constructions of the present perfect continuous tense are also used to indicate the duration of an action. At the same time, if the fact of the completion of an action is indicated, then another tense is used - the present perfect.
I have been living here since 1956. - I have been living here since 1956 (that is, my residence here has continued all this time).
I have lived here since 1956. - I have lived here since 1956 (that is, an episode of action that has already occurred is emphasized).
4) The present perfect continuous tense, like the present continuous tense, is not used with English verbs, denoting the state of an object, not its action. That is, verbs - to love - to love, to feel - to feel and others similar to them indicated above (present continuous rules).
5) This tense is also used in interrogative sentences to indicate the period that precedes the moment of speech (a given point in time). In this case, the use of appropriate question words and constructions is typical - how long - how long, how long; since when - since what time, since when.
How long have they been living here? - How long (how long) do they live here?
Since when has she been sitting there? - Since when (since when) has she been sitting there?
Present continuous passive
The passive voice of the present continuous tense shows the action in its development, that is, how it continues. This construction is formed as follows:
- verb to be (am, is, are) + being (that is, an indication of the continuous tense) + the second form of the semantic verb.
Let's look at the present continuous passive, example sentences:
New railway stations are being built. - New railway stations are being built (that is, they are being built right now).
Delicious supper is being cooked. - Delicious dinner It's getting ready now.
If the present tense in such a voice changes to the past, then in the sentences, since there is no indication of the time frame, only the form of the verb to be changes. It is put in the past tense was - in the singular and were - in the plural.
Continuous Tenses, "to continue"- continue, last. The very name of this group of tenses indicates that their main grammatical meaning is duration, the process of action.
Band times Continuous also called Progressive Tenses , and in Russian they are called continuous or long time. Verb used in the form Continuous means that an action is taking place at some specific moment. This point may be clear from the context or is often indicated by additional words - an exact indication of the time (hour), another action, etc. somehow concretizing this moment. Depending on the time of occurrence of the action, they are distinguished:
Present Continuous- present continuous (present continuous),
Past Continuous- past continuous (past continuous),
Future Continuous- future continuous (future continuous).
Scene 1 discusses examples of the use of tense The Present Continuous Tense.
Scene 5 contains examples of the use The Past Continuous Tense.
In scene 29 comparison in the use of tenses Future And Future Continuous.
Continuous Tense formed by an auxiliary verb "to be" and the fourth main form of the verb (present participle - Present Participle). The only part of the predicate that can be modified is the auxiliary verb. "to be".
| Continuous (Progressive) (process At what time? |
||
| Past | Present | Future |
| Affirmative sentences | ||
| was Ving were Ving |
am Ving is Ving are Ving |
will be Ving |
| Negative sentences | ||
| wasnot Ving werenotVing |
am notVing is notVing are notVing |
will not be Ving |
| Interrogative sentences | ||
| Was
...Ving? Were ... Ving? |
Am...Ving? Is...Ving? Are...Ving? |
Will ... be Ving? |
| Continuous (Progressive) (process- action in progress) At what time? |
||
| Past | Present | Future |
| Affirmative sentences | ||
| I/He/She/It was Ving We/You/They were Ving |
I am Ving (I " m) He/She/It is Ving We/You/They are Ving |
I/He/She/It/We/You/They will be Ving I "ll
be/He "ll
be/She "ll
be/It "ll
be |
| He was playing yesterday at 9 o’clock. He was playing yesterday at 9 o'clock. He played yesterday at 9 o'clock. I was writing yesterday from 6 till 7. |
He is playing football right now. He is playing football right now. He's playing football right now. I "m writing letter. |
He will be playing tomorrow at 3 o'clock. He will be playing tomorrow at 3 o'clock. He will play tomorrow at 3 o'clock. I "ll be writing when you come. |
| Negative sentences | ||
| I/He/She/It was not Ving (wasn't ) We/You/They were not Ving (weren't ) |
I am notVing (I "m not) He/She/It is not
Ving We/You/They are notVing |
I/He/She/It/We/You/They will not be Ving (won'tbe) |
| He was notplaying when you came. He wasn't playing when you arrived. He wasn't playing when you arrived. I wasn'twriting yesterday at 8 p.m. |
He is not playing football now. He is not playing football now. He doesn't play football now. I" m not writing letter. |
He won't be playing football tomorrow from 6 till 7. He won't be playing football tomorrow from 6 to 7. He won't play football tomorrow from 6 to 7. I will
not be writtening |
| Interrogative sentences | ||
| Was I/he/she/it Ving? Were we/you/they Ving? |
Am I Ving? Is he/she/it Ving? Are we/you/they Ving? |
Will I/he/she/it/we/you/they be Ving? |
| Was he playing football yesterday from 6 till 7? He was playing football yesterday from 6 to 7? Did he play football yesterday from 6 to 7? Were you writing when did I come? |
Is he playing football? Is he playing football? Is he playing football now? Are you writing now? |
Will I be writteningtomorrowat 7 p.m.? Will I be writing tomorrow at 7pm? Will I write tomorrow at 7 pm? Will he be playing |
| Time Markers - Time markers |
||
| yesterday at 3 p.m., yesterday from 6 till 7, when you came... |
now, right now, at the moment, currently |
tomorrow at 3 p.m., tomorrow from 6 till 7, when you come |
Conventions used in the table:
Ving- The fourth form of the verb. Present participle ( Present Participle or Participle I) and gerund ( Gerund).
to be + Ving- “to be a doer”
In order to better understand the grammatical essence of continuous tenses, let's use the literal translation of each component:
I am working
I am working
I am working
Not working
He is working
It works
We are working
We are working
We are working
She was working
She was working
She worked
They were working
They were working
They worked
I shall be working
I'll be working
I will work
You will be working
You will be working
You will work
From these examples it is clear that the second component of continuous tenses - the present participle - gives the entire verb a sign of duration of action. It is on the basis of the duration of action that these times are contrasted to the times of the group Indefinite. Latest used to express ordinary, repeatedly repeated actions. Compare:
Where is Ivanov?
Where is Ivanov?
Not is working in his study now.
He is now working in his office.
Ivanov usually works in his study.
Ivanov usually works in his office.
Forms in Russian Continuous translated by verbs of the imperfect form of the present, past or future tense (according to the tense of the auxiliary verb).
The interrogative and negative forms of continuous tenses are formed according to the rule of the verb "to be":
I am working.
Am I working?
He was working.
Was he working?
He was not working.
Verbs that do not represent action as a process are not used in the form Continuous.
The main ones are: to accept, to belong, to contain, to consist, to depend on, to deserve, to hope, to hear, to know, to like, to mind, to please, to possess, to prefer, to resemble, to recognize, to result, to see, to understand:
I understand what you are saying.
I understand what you are saying.
I see your drawing and I like it.
I see your drawing and I like it.
Here you can take a lesson on the topic: Present Continuous Tense in English. Present Continuous Tense.
In this lesson we will learn about another frequently used tense in English called Present Continuous(Present continuous). The Present Continuous is usually used for naming actions currently taking place. Additionally, this time can be characterized as unfinished and visual.
English verbs take on a special form to express the present continuous tense, namely the verb to be in the appropriate form is combined with a verb ending in the suffix -ing (Ving). Thus, the formula of verbs in the Present Continuous is as follows: to be + Ving. For example:
He is watching football on TV. - He watches football on TV. (action takes place at the moment)
To better understand what verbs look like in the Present Continuous, consider the conjugation of the verb work using personal pronouns as an example:
I am working (I"m working) - I am working
you are working (you"re working) - you are working / You are working
he is working (he"s working) - he is working
she is working (she"s working) - she is working
it is working (it "s working) - he/she works (inanimate)
we are working (we"re working) - we are working
they are working (they"re working) - they are working
As can be seen from the conjugation, there are also shortened forms. Moreover, they are preferable.
An interesting feature of verbs ending in -ing is their pronunciation. As a rule, the last letter (g) in the ending is not read, and a deep nasal sound /ŋ/ is produced. For example:
dancing /"da:nsiŋ/
singing /"siŋiŋ/ (especially difficult to pronounce due to the double nasal sound)
reading /"ri:diŋ/
listening /"lisəniŋ/
writing /"raitiŋ/
There are also several spelling rules verbs to which the ending -ing is added:
1. So, for example, to verbs ending in the letter -e, when adding the ending -ing, the letter -e disappears. For example:
change - changing (change - changes)
arrive - arriving (to arrive - arrives)
dance - dancing (dance - dances)
2. In monosyllabic verbs ending in one vowel and one consonant, when adding the suffix -ing The consonant is doubled. For example:
swim - swimming (swim - floats)
run - running (run - runs)
sit - sitting (sit - sitting)
3. If the verb ends in a combination of letters -ie, then when adding the ending -ing, this combination is replaced by the letter -y. For example:
lie - lying (to lie - lies)
die - dying (die - dies)
tie - tying (to tie - ties)
There is a category of verbs to which the ending -ing is not added. These verbs are called static verbs. These primarily include verbs of all feelings (for example: like, love, hate, smell, see, hear, etc.), verbs of thought processes (for example: think, know, understand, believe, etc. .), and all modal verbs.
I. As already noted, the Present Continuous tense is closely connected with the present, namely with actions at the moment. For this reason, very often in sentences expressed in the present continuous tense there are marker words: now, at the moment. Let's look at an example:
I am reading a book now. - I'm reading a book now.
They are fishing now. - They are fishing now.
Claude is watching a cartoon at the moment. - Claude is watching a cartoon at the moment.
Looking at the examples, we can conclude that in affirmative sentences in time Present Continuous great importance have subject and transformed predicate, and the circumstance (now, at the moment) and the addition, depending on the context, can be omitted. As a rule, even without the words now or at the moment, the formula to be+Ving in a sentence means that the action is happening right now. Let's look at a few more examples:
The baby's (is) crying. - The child is crying (now, at the moment).
They"re having a party. - They are having a party (now, at the moment).
The dogs are barking. - The dogs are barking (now, at the moment).
She "s playing the violin. - She plays the violin (now, at the moment).
They "re moving furniture. - They move (rearrange) furniture (now, at the moment).
II. Negative sentences in time, the Present Continuous is formed by adding the particle “not” to the verb to be in the appropriate form. Let's look at the example of conjugating the verb talk with personal pronouns:
I am not talking (I"m not talking) - I don’t speak
you are not talking (you aren't talking) - you don't talk / You don't talk
he is not talking (he isn't talking) - he doesn't speak
she is not talking (he isn't talking) - she doesn't speak
it is not talking (it isn't talking) - he/she does not speak (inanimate; may also apply to babies and any animals)
we are not talking (we aren't talking) - we don't talk
they are not talking (they aren't talking) - they don't talk
The examples show that abbreviations are also possible. In most cases they are preferable. Let's look at some proposals:
He isn't watching football, he's reading a magazine. - He doesn't watch football, he reads a magazine.
They aren't eating cookies, they're eating ice-cream. - They don't eat cookies, they eat ice cream.
The baby isn't crying, it is sleeping. - The baby is not crying, he is sleeping.
III. IN interrogative sentences in the Present Continuous tense, the verb to be is brought forward and the following word order is obtained:
To be - Subject - Ving - (Object) - (Adverbial modifier - now, at the moment)?
Let's look at a few examples:
Are you looking at the tower? -Are you looking at the tower?
Is he listening to the radio now? - Is he listening to the radio now?
Are the dogs barking? -Do dogs bark?
Are you laughing? - You're laughing?
Is she writing a letter at the moment? - Is she writing a letter at the moment?
These examples refer to general issues and require short answers: yes or no. And short answers in the Present Continuous repeat the verb to be in the question. For example:
Is he watching a film at the moment? -Yes, he is. -No, he isn't. - Is he watching TV at the moment? - Yes. - No.
Are Jill and Erica arguing now? - Yes, they are. -No, they aren't." - Are Gil and Erica quarreling now? - Yes. - No.
For education special issues In the Present Continuous you need to use a question word (who, what, where, etc.) before the verb to be. For example:
What are you doing now? - What are you doing now?
Where is she going? - Where is she going?
Who are they looking for? - Who are you looking for?
Why are they crying? - Why are they crying?
Thus, we examined the basic rules for the formation of different types of sentences in the present continuous tense, as well as some stylistic and phonetic features of this tense. For practice, it is recommended to construct as many sentences as possible about the actions taking place around you at the moment, and this will be a good language exercise.