What is It?
The present continuous tense shows that an action or event is happening now and will be happening in the future as well.
When to Use?
|
Cases |
Examples |
| * Describe an action or event that takes place at the moment of speaking. | I am hanging out with friends right now. Can you call back later? |
| *Show that something:
1. is going on during a certain period of time. 2. has become a trend. |
1. Look where you’re driving! Can’t you see me walking here?
2. Touchscreen smartphones are becoming more and more popular nowadays. |
| * Indicate that a situation is temporary. | I am reading a book. |
| * Point at a continuous series or repeating actions. | What kind of man are you? You are forever complaining about everything! |
Exceptions
There is a group of verbs that normally are not used in the present continuous tense. Usually, these are verbs referring to the human brain. Among the verbs that refer to this category are the verbs meaning:
| Sensations | Hear, smell, see, taste, feel |
| Point of view or opinion | Doubt, think, consider, assume, believe, suppose, find |
| Conditions or mind | Know, notice, mean, recognize, understand, remember |
| Emotions or desires | Like, hate, envy, fear, mind, want |
Also, this group includes such verbs as: contain, cost, hold, measure, weigh, look, seem, and some others.
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