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Grammar - Level 1

  • Grammar - Level 1
  • Lesson 16: Present Continuous Tense “ING” || To Be + Used to + “ING”

Present Continuous Tense “ING”

In English we use the present continuous to describe an action that is in progress or happening
at the same moment that we are speaking.

Structure:
Subject + To be + Verb in “ing” Form + Complementizer

Rules to change one verb to the present continuous.

  • write
 ————> writing 
  • invite
  ————> inviting 
  • ride
 ————> riding 

    2. When the verbs end in a consonant preceded by a single vowel we duplicate the final consonant and add “ing” but there are some exceptions.

    • swim
    		 ———> swimming 
    • sit
    		  ———> sitting 
    • run
    		 ———> running 

      3. When the verbs end in “y” just add “ing” for the present progressive tense:

      • play
      		  ———> playing 
      • study
      		 ———> studying 
      • cry
      		  ———> crying 

        4. When the verbs end in the diphthong “ie” it changes into “y” and we add “ing”.

        • die
        		 ————> dying 
        • lie
        		 ————> lying 
        • dye
        		  ————> dying 


          Do not use the following verbs in the progressive form:
          (like, want, love, understand, know, have, sound, hate, need, hear, believe, smell, taste, wish, own).
          Only in simple present or simple past tense.

          • We are studying at this moment. 
          • They are doing their homework now. 
          • He is watching television now. 

          For questions we just have to move (am , is, are) at the beginning of the sentences and the question is made immediately.

           Statement:          		 He is standing in front of us. 
          Question:          		 Is he standing in front of us? 
          Affirmative Answer:          		 Yes, he is standing in front of us. 
          Negative Answer:          		 No, he is not standing in front of us. 
          Statement:          		 They are reading a book now. 
          Question:          		 Are they reading a book now? 
          Affirmative Answer:          		 Yes, they are reading a book now. 
            Negative Answer:          		 No, they aren’t reading a book now. 
          Statement:          		 You are writing in your notes right now. 
          Question:          		 Are you writing in your notes right now? 
          Affirmative Answer:          		 Yes, we are writing in our notes right now. 
          Negative Answer:          		 No, we are not writing in our notes right now.

          Some of the most common questions in present progressiver tense are:

          • What are you doing? (action)
          • Where are you going? (place)

          And when we answer this question we have to use the verb that describes the action that we are carrying out in the present progressive, but sometimes it is possible to answer the questions with “doing” especially if we are doing mental activities, such as: (homework, report, mathematics, exercises, business, etc.)

          Question:          		 What are you doing? 
          Answer:          		 I am doing my homework. 
            Question:          		 What is the teacher doing? 
          Answer:          		 She is doing her reports. 
          Question:          		 What is Sam doing? 
          Answer:          		 He is doing his math exercises. 
          Question:          		 Where are they going? 
          Answer:          		 They are going to the movies. 
            Question:          		 Where is Rita going? 
          Answer:          		 She is going to the train station. 

          To Be + Used to  + Verb in “ING”

          We use this structure when we want to say that we are accustomed to doing something which is nothing new for us.

          • I am used to waking up at 6:00 o’clock in the morning. 
            I always get up at that time.
          • They are used to working late. 
            They work late every single day
          • We are used to being alone. 
            We hardly ever have company
          • My mother is used to living in New York. 
            She has been living there for 40 years.

          This structure is also possible in negative form:

          • I am not used to working many hours. 
            I have always worked hard.
          • They are not used to living alone. 
            They have always had company.
          • I am not used to living in this kind of weather. 
            Where I come form is spring all year round.
          • My father is not used to listening to rock music. 
            He prefers romantic music.
          • We are not used to staying up late. 
            We go to bed early because we are early risers.