The present continuous (be + -ing)
«I eat» or «I'm eating»? How to choose.
Form: am / is / are + verb + -ing.
- I'm reading a book.happening right now
- Are you listening?at this moment
- She isn't working today.temporary situation
State verbs
Some verbs are not normally used in the continuous, even for «now»: know, understand, want, like, love, hate, believe, need, belong, seem.
Spelling
make → making (drop the silent e), run → running, sit → sitting (double the consonant), lie → lying.
Test yourself
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Complete: Listen! The baby (cry).
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is crying -
Complete: I (not / understand) this word.
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don't understand -
Complete: She usually (drive) to work, but today she (walk).
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drives / is walking -
Spelling: swim + -ing?
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swimming