Grammar: Continuous verbs (“-ing”)
Forming continuous verbs is fairly easy, because the form is always the same:
verb + ing
However the words that come before this verb change, depending on who you are referring to. Below is a list of the ways to use continuous tense.
| Subject | am/are/is/etc | Negative form | Continuous Verb |
| Present Continuous | |||
| I | am (I’m) | am not (I’m not) | eating |
| You | are (You’re) | are not (You’re not) | eating |
| They | are (They’re) | are not (They’re not) | eating |
| We | are (We’re) | are not (We’re not) | eating |
| He | is (He’s) | is (He isn’t) | eating |
| She | is (She’s) | is (She isn’t) | eating |
| It | is (It’s) | is (It isn’t) | eating |
| For example: I can’t talk right now because I’m eating dinner. | |||
| Past Continuous | |||
| I/he/she/it | was | was not (wasn’t) | eating |
| all others | were | were not (weren’t) | eating |
| For example: She cried whilst she was eating the ice cream. | |||
| Future Continuous | |||
| All | will be | will not be (won’t be) | eating |
| For example: We will be eating out at a restaurant for her birthday tomorrow. | |||
| Perfect Present Continuous | |||
| I/You/We/They | have been | have not been (haven’t been) | eating |
| He/She/It | has been | has not been (hasn’t been) | |
| For example: He has been eating nothing but fast food for a week. | |||
| Perfect Past Continuous | |||
| All | had been | had not been (hadn’t been) | eating |
| For example: They had been eating breakfast when they heard the earthquake. | |||
Now for an exercise!
Answer the blanks, using the tense listed in the brackets. (Hint – some are negative)
- The mother was angry because the children ______ (Past continuous) jumping on the bed.
- We _____ (present continuous) going to the party tonight, because we ______ (future continuous) working tomorrow.
- John ______ (past perfect continuous) on vacation in Spain when he met Maria.
- Ever since Carol became a vegetarian, she ______ (perfect present continuous) eating meat.
Comment below with these answers!
