Look out for lots of uses of the Present continuous in the article and then a description below of how to use it A few chavs have been looting from shops and starting fires in London, which means that extra police are patrolling the streets, the Prime Minister is recalling Parliament, community groups are clearing up the mess left in their streets and the majority of people are hoping that they can travel home without any problems. But the London 2011 beach volleyball competition is continuing without ever stopping to consider if there should be a reason to stop the party! London 2012 is pressing ahead with the beach volleyball test event as preparations the Olympic Games, which are taking place next summer. Every day, a sell out crowd is filling the 15,000 seats of a temporary stadium in Horse Guard’s Parade, which has been constructed as a dry-run for next year’s event. To keep the party atmosphere going, between each point in every match, a DJ is blasting out killer tunes, while the spectators are topping up their tans in the glorious London sunshine. I wonder if the crowd are turning up every day for the sunbathing opportunity or to take in the view of athletic women in skimpy clothes bashing a ball around.
Present Continuous/progressive
Present Continuous forms
Am / are / is + -ing We use the present continuous (or present progressive) to talk about temporary actions/situations that are happening ‘around now’: this means before, during and after the moment of speaking. I’m studying at SGI in London at the moment. What are you doing? I’m making a birthday cake for my sister.
Present progressive for repeated actions
I’m working late a lot these days There’s a man in the street who is hitting the fence
Present Continuous for long lasting changes
The environment is heating up all the time because of greenhouse gases
Present continuous for talking about the future
The present continuous is often used to speak about future actions when the time and place have already been decided. I’m seeing John on Friday night. We’re meeting at the pub if you want to come along. What are you doing this evening? I’m washing my hair. We’re flying to Australia next week. I can’t wait!
Verbs NOT used in the present continuous
Some verbs are not normally used in the present continuous even when the meaning is actually ‘around now’. These verbs are not ‘progressive friendly’ I love this song (NOT I’m loving this song) I believe what he said (NOT I am believing what he said)
Common non-progressive verbs
MENTAL & EMOTIONAL STATES:
- Believe
- see
- understand
- love
- suppose
- think (have an opinion)
- hate
- remember
- know
SENSES:
- Feel
- see
- sound
- hear
- smell
- taste
COMMUNICATING & CAUSING REACTIONS:
- Agree
- impress
- promise
- seem
- surprise
OTHER:
- Be
- need
- depend
- belong
- include
