Present Continuous — Affirmative & Negative

Hook

Your phone rings. “What are you doing?” “I’m cooking dinner!” When you talk about what is happening right now, around you, English uses a different tense from your daily routine: the present continuous.

Notice

  • I am reading this lesson.
  • She‘s cooking dinner.
  • They are playing football in the park.
  • He isn’t sleeping. He‘s working.
  • We aren’t watching TV at the moment.
  • Look! It‘s raining.

What two parts does every verb in bold have?

Rule

am / is / are + verb-ing for actions happening now.

PositiveNegative
II’m working.I’m not working.
he / she / itShe’s eating.She isn’t eating.
you / we / theyWe’re studying.We aren’t studying.

-ing spelling (as in Module 7): make → making (drop e) · run → running, sit → sitting (double) · study → studying, play → playing (no change).

Time words: now · right now · at the moment · today · Look! · Listen!

Watch Out

  • ✗ I working now. → ✓ I’m working now. (don’t forget am/is/are)
  • ✗ She is cook. → ✓ She is cooking.
  • ✗ He is siting. → ✓ He is sitting. (double the t)
  • ✗ They doesn’t playing. → ✓ They aren’t playing.

Practice

  1. Complete: I ___ (write) an email now.
  2. Complete: She ___ (not / watch) TV right now.
  3. Complete: They ___ (play) in the garden.
  4. Spell: swim + ing
  5. Spell: make + ing
  6. Make it negative: “He is sleeping.”
  7. Complete: “Listen! The baby ___ (cry).”
  8. Correct it: “We is studying English.”
Show the answers
  1. am writing / ‘m writing
  2. isn’t watching
  3. are playing
  4. swimming
  5. making
  6. He isn’t sleeping.
  7. is crying
  8. We are studying English.

Your Turn

Look around you or out of the window. Write six sentences about what people (or animals) are doing right now, and two about what they are not doing.

Connect

Our Grammar Quiz has A1 questions on the present continuous.

Try our Grammar Quiz →

Practise -ing spellings like sitting and making in our Spelling Quiz.

Try our Spelling Quiz →

CEFR A1 — Spoken Production: I can describe what is happening right now using simple sentences.

Azizul Hakim
Latest posts by Azizul Hakim (see all)

Printable worksheet (PDF) Pro

PreviousNext