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Flip to reveal answersHow do you form the present continuous?
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All 14 Flashcards — Present continuous
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Question
How do you form the present continuous?
Answer
am / is / are + the main verb with -ing (She is working).
Question
Which form of 'to be' goes with each subject?
Answer
I am · he/she/it is · you/we/they are.
Question
study → present continuous (I / she / they)
Answer
I am studying · she is studying · they are studying.
Question
make → -ing form
Answer
making — drop the silent final -e before -ing.
Question
run → -ing form
Answer
running — double the final consonant after a single stressed short vowel.
Question
lie → -ing form
Answer
lying — a final -ie becomes -y before -ing.
Question
How do you make the present continuous negative?
Answer
Put 'not' after the auxiliary: she is not (isn't) working.
Question
How do you ask a present-continuous question?
Answer
Put the auxiliary first: Are you studying? · Is she working?
Question
Name three uses of the present continuous.
Answer
An action in progress now, a temporary situation around now, and a fixed future arrangement.
Question
What are stative verbs and what tense do they take?
Answer
Verbs of state (know, want, like, need, believe) — they stay in the present simple, not the continuous.
Question
Present continuous or present simple: 'I ___ to school every day.'
Answer
Present simple — 'I go to school every day' (a permanent habit, not an action in progress).
Question
Which time words signal the present continuous?
Answer
now, at the moment, currently, these days, this week — actions around now.
Question
Spot the error: 'She cooking dinner now.'
Answer
The auxiliary is missing: 'She is cooking dinner now.'
Question
Spot the error: 'I am wanting a coffee.'
Answer
'want' is stative — use the simple: 'I want a coffee.'
Read the notes
Full study notes for Present continuous
Topic 3.1 hub
Present & core tenses
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English B exam skills
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