Continuous or Progressive Tense
Uses
| Present | Past | Future |
|---|---|---|
| like simple present, present continuous is also used to talk about an action that is taking place in the present. | used to show an action which was happening when another action, which is usually shorter, happened at the same time, stopped the continuous action or started after the continuous action. | used to show that an action will be happening at a time in the future |
| only difference is that it denotes an action that is continuing to happen or progressing at the current moment. | Habitual actions in the past | To describe likely hypothetical situations in the future |
| to describe an action or event in the future, which has already been planned or prepared | Emphasizing how long a past action took | to describe an action or event in the future, which has already been planned or prepared |
Forms
| Present | Past | Future | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Positive | Subject + am/is/are + present participle (verb+ing) | Subject + was/were + present participle | Subject + will be + preset participle |
| Negative | Subject + am/is/are + not + present participle (verb+ing) | Subject + was/were + not + present participle | Subject + will not be + present participle |
| Questions | Am/is/are + subject + present participle (verb+ing) ? | was/were subject + present participle? | Will + subject + present participle? |
Signal words
| Present | Past | Future |
|---|---|---|
| always, forever, constantly | rarely, seldom, sometimes, occasionally, often, frequently, usually, all the time always constantly continuously and continually forever perpetually the entire time | next week month year later this afternoon tonight tomorrow soon |
| Learn English |
Present
- My son is working on his science project.
- Santana is singing Don’t Rain on my Parade.
- What are you planning to do tomorrow?
- Is she still working at the National Institute of Medical Sciences?
Past
- It was snowing yesterday.
- They were eating at the restaurant.
Future
- I will be watching my shows from lunch until dinner.
the future continuous tense is for actions taking place over a specific period of time in the future, while the future perfect continuous tense is for actions that are ongoing into the future but lack a specified end date.
