With several tenses to choose from, it’s crucial to understand each English tense to effectively communicate. One important tense that often confuses English learners is the present continuous tense. In this article, you will learn how to master the present continuous tense and see or do practical exercises to help you hone your skills.

The Use and Meaning of Present Continuous Tense

The present continuous tense, also known as the present progressive tense, is used for the following:

1. To  Describe Actions That Are Happening at the Time of Speaking.

Remember that you use this tense  for temporary actions, ongoing situations, or actions that are happening right now.

Examples:

1. “Where is Sue?” “She’s having lunch” (We do not say “She has lunch.”
2.  “Please don’t make too much noise. The baby is sleeping.” (We do not say “The baby sleeps.”)

Stative Verbs in the Present Continuous Tense

Some English verbs have stative meaning. They generally describe states. They are not used in the Present Continuous Tense.  See the following examples:

• This soup tastes good. (We can not say, “This soup is tasting good.”)
• She knows me well. (We can not say, “She is knowing me well.”)

Stative Verb Examples

See the following stative verbs you may need.

Stative Verbs	Stative Verbs	Stative Verbs	Stative Verbs	Stative Verbs
taste smell hear feel see	possess have own belong	believe know realize understand need	exist owe seem consist of contain	dislike envy hate like love

• Please don’t make too much noise. They (pray). Please don’t make too much noise. They are praying.
• Don’t go out. It still (rain).                               Don’t go out. It’s still raining now.

1. Listen! The people next door (fight).
2. Why (you/wear) your jacket? It’s not cold here.
3. Look. It (rain).
4. Excuse me. I (look) for an Internet Hot Spot, please?
5. Linda (get) more and more beautiful each day.
6. The number of poor people (rise) at the moment.
7. Food (get) more and more expensive these days.
8. What you (do) alone here?
9. Please be careful. The dog (approach) you.
10. The boy is already tall and he (get) taller and taller.

Exercise II

Put the verb into the correct Present Continuous form.

Examples :

Please don’t make so much noise. I  am studying. (study)

Let’s go out now. It isn’t running  (not/rain) any more.

1. Please be quiet. I ………….(try) to concentrate.

2. Look! It …………………….…(rain).

3. Why …………….(you/look) at me like that? Have I said something wrong?

4. You…………………….(make) a lot of noise. Be quiet, please!

5. Excuse me I ……………..(look) for a toilet. Is there one near here?

6. (in the cinema) It’s a good film, isn’t? ………….(you/enjoy) it?

7.  Listen! Can you hear those people next door? They …….(shout) at each other again.

8.  Why …………..(you/wear) your jacket  today? It’s very warm.

9.  I …………..(not/work) this week. I’m on holiday.

10.  I want to lose weight. I …..(not/eat) anything today.

Exercise III

Complete these sentences using the verb in the box.

get    become    change    rise     improve      get    increase

Example   :

The population of the world is rising very fast.

1. The number of people without jobs …………………at the moment.

2. He is still ill but he ………better  slowly.

3. These days food ………… more and more expensive.

4. The world ………..  Things never stay the same.

5. The cost of living ……each year. Things are getting higher and higher.

6. Ringo has gone to work in Spain.  When he arrived, his Spanish wasn’t very good but now it ………

7. The economic situation is already very  bad and it……………… worse.

Answer

Exercise I

1. Listen! The people next door are fighting.
2. Why are you wearing your jacket? It’s not cold here.
3. Look. It is raining.
4. Excuse me. I am looking for an Internet Hot Spot, please?
5. Linda is getting more and more beautiful each day.
6. The number of poor people is rising at the moment.
7. Food is getting more and more expensive these days.
8. What are you doing alone here?
9. Please be careful. The dog is approaching you.
10. The boy is already tall, and he is getting taller and taller.

Exercise II

1. Please be quiet. I am trying to concentrate.

2. Look! It is raining.

3. Why are you looking at me like that? Have I said something wrong?

4. You are making a lot of noise. Be quiet, please!

5. Excuse me. I am looking for a toilet. Is there one near here?

6. (in the cinema) It’s a good film, isn’t it? Are you enjoying it?

7.  Listen! Can you hear those people next door? They are shouting at each other again.

8.  Why are you wearing your jacket  today? It’s very warm.

9.  I am not working this week. I’m on holiday.

10.  I want to lose weight. I am not eating anything today.

Exercise III

1. The number of people without jobs is increasing at the moment.

2. He is still ill but he is getting better  slowly.

3. These days food is getting more and more expensive.

4. The world is changing.  Things never stay the same.

5. The cost of living is rising each year. Things are getting higher and higher.

6. Ringo has gone to work in Spain.  When he arrived, his Spanish wasn’t very good but now it is improving.

7. The economic situation is already very bad, and it is becoming worse.

Download/print the exercises above here.

By going through these exercises, you develop a clearer understanding of the present continuous tense and how it differs from other tenses. Regular practice and exposure to the correct usage of tenses will help you internalize them and use them naturally in your conversations or writing.

To further enhance your understanding, try using the present continuous tense in different contexts. For example, describe what you or someone else is doing right now, discuss ongoing events, or talk about future plans using the present continuous tense.