Present continuous statements

The Present Progressive Tense

Spelling Tip

Verbing (Present Participle)

• Add ing to most verbs. Ex. play > playing, cry > crying, bark > barking
• For verbs that end in e, remove the e and add ing. Ex: slide > sliding, ride > riding
• For verbs that end in ie, change the ie to y and add ing. Ex: die > dying, tie > tying
• For a verb whose last syllable is written with a consonant-vowel-consonant and is stressed, double the last letter before adding ing. Ex: beg > begging, begin > beginning. However: enter > entering(last syllable is not stressed)

The present progressive tense is often overused by non-native speakers of English. It should only be used in the following contexts:

To describe an incomplete action which is in progress at the moment of speaking; usually with time expressions such as: now, at the moment, right now.

1. (During a phone call or in an e-mail) We are discussing the project at the moment.

To describe a plan or arrangement in the near future; usually with time expressions such as: tonight, tomorrow, this week, this Monday.

1. Jim‘s leaving for Brussels this evening.

To express actions that are repeated regularly; usually with a negative meaning and with the time expressions: always or forever.

1. Her husband is always complaining about his health.

Note: A common mistake is using this form to describe what a company sells or produces. In general, a company sells something on a regular basis, so you need to use the present simple tense and not the present progressive.

• Incorrect: We are producing high-end plastic pipes.
• Correct: We produce high-end plastic pipes.
• Correct: That company is always selling some cheap gadget. (negative meaning)

The present progressive (continuous) is formed using am, is or are together with the ing (present participle) form of the verb.

Exercise 1: Present continuous 
Exercise 2:  Choose the correct form