Maripaz B1 : Present Continuous

The Present Continuous is used:

1. For actions taking place now, at the moment of speaking.

e.g She's cooking dinner.

2. For temporary actions; that is actions that are going on around now but not at the moment of speaking.

e.g. She is working hard these days.

3. With always when we want to express our irritation at actions which happen too often.

e.g You're always forgetting to pay the bill.

4.For actions the we have already arranged to do in the near future, especially when the time and place have been decided.

e.g She's getting married at 3 this afternoon.

5. For changing or developing situations.

e.g These days everything is changing. Cities are becoming bigger and busier every year, technology is developing faster than ever before.

The present continuous is used with the following time expressions: now, at the moment, these days, at present, tonight, nowadays, still, etc.

Spelling rules for the formation of the present participle.

Some verbs change their spelling when the ending ing is added to form the present participle.

a. Verbs ending in a silent e

When a verb ends in a silent e, the silent e is dropped before the ending ing is added. For example: make - making

However, when a verb ends in an e which is not silent, the final e is not dropped before the ending ing is added. For example: to be- being to see- seeing

b. Verbs ending in ie When a verb ends in ie, the ie is changed to y before the ending ing is added. to die -dying to lie -lying

When a verb ends in y, no change is made before the ending is added. fly-flying

c. One-syllable verbs ending in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel.

Except in the case of the final consonants w, x and y, when a one-syllable verb ends in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel, the final consonant must be doubled before the ending ing is added. The reason for this is to reflect the fact that the pronunciation of the single vowel does not change when the ending ing is added. put-putting

d. Verbs of more than one syllable which end in a single consonant preceded by a single vowel.

When a verb of more than one syllable ends in a single consonant other than w, x or y preceded by a single vowel, the final consonant is doubled to form the present participle only when the last syllable of the verb is pronounced with the heaviest stress.

In these examples, the syllables pronounced with the heaviest stress are underlined. For example: to ex'pel- expelling to be'gin-beginning to o'ccur- occurring to o'mit-omitting