PRESENT CONTINUOUS (BE + -ING) vs PRESENT SIMPLE
| PRESENT (BE + -ING) | PRESENT SIMPLE |
| Main use | Action which is being done at the same moment | Permanent situations; regular habits and daily routine; feelings |
| Affirmative | AUXILIARY BE + verb ending in -ING
eg: I am playing, you are playing, he/she/it isplaying, we are playing, you are playing, theyare playing | In the positive form, add an 's' to the base form of the 3rd person singular.
eg : I play, you play, he/she/it plays, we play, you play, they play |
| Exceptions | 1) If the verb ends in "-e", remove the "-e": smoke -> he is smoking
2) If the verb has one syllable AND if it ends in "consonant-vowel-consonant", double the final consonant: run -> running | 1) If the verb ends in "ch", "s", "sh", "x", "z", "o", add "-es" to the base forme of the 3rd p sg: she goes, he catches
2) If the verb ends in -y preceded by a consonant, change the "-y" to "-ies": study -> he studies. |
| Negative | Use NOT
eg: I am not playing | Use DO NOT / DON'T or DOES NOT / DOESN'T (3rd p sg)
eg: I don't play, she doesn't play |
| Questions | Auxiliary BE at the beginning of the question
eg: Are you playing football? | Auxiliary DO or DOES at the beginning of the question
eg: Do you play football? Does he play football? |
| Short answers | Use BE
eg: Yes, I am. No, he isn't. | Use DO or DOES
eg: Yes, I do. No, he doesn't. |
Please follow this link for further practice, you must complete the exercises on this page for our next class. http://www.ego4u.com/en/cram-up/grammar/simpre-prepro |
