PRESENT PROGRESSIVE USAGE

1. USE I : FIRSTLY, PRESENT CONTINOUS FORM

The Present Continuous with Normal Verbs to express the idea that something is happening now, at this very moment. It can also be used to show that something is not happening now.

Am, is, are + present participle

Positive	Negative	Question
I am speaking. You are speaking. We are speaking. They are speaking. He is speaking. She is speaking. It is speaking.	I am not speaking. You are not speaking. We are not speaking. They are not speaking. He is not speaking. She is not speaking. It is not speaking.	Am I speaking? Are you speaking? Are we speaking? Are they speaking? Is he speaking? Is she speaking? Is it speaking?

2. USE II : ACTIONS TAKING PLACE AT THE MOMENT OF SPEAKING (NOW)

In English, "now" can mean: this second, today, this month, this year, this century, and so on. Sometimes, we use the Present Continuous to say that we are in the process of doing a longer action which is in progress; however, we might not be doing it at this exact second.

Examples :

· I am studying to become a doctor.

· I am not studying to become a dentist.

· I am reading the book Andrea Hirata.

· I am not reading any books right now.

· Are you working on any special projects at work?

· Aren't you teaching at the university now?

3. USE III : DEVELOPMENT, CHANGING SITUATION

The sentence describes a development from one situation to another.

Signal words are not that common here, only sometimes the change of situation is emphasized by using for example more and more.

Examples :

· I’m getting better at playing the piano.

· The weather is improving.

· Our country is getting richer.

· The Internet is becoming less of a novelty.

· The Universe is expanding .

4. USE IV : ARANGEMENT FOR THE NEAR FUTURE

Sometimes, speakers use the Present Continuous to indicate that something will or will not happen in the near future. In this case we have already made a plan and we are pretty sure that the event will happen in the future.

Examples :

· I’m meeting my father tomorrow.

· I’m leaving at three.

· I am meeting some friends after work.

· I am not going to the party tonight.

· Is he visiting his parents next weekend?

· Isn't he coming with us tonight?

5. USE V : TEMPORARY ACTION OR NEW HABITS

(For normal habits that continue for a long time, we use the present simple).

Examples :

· He is eating a lot these days.

· She’s swimming every morning (she didn’t used to do this).

· You are smoking too much.

· They’re working late every night.

Note:
We do use verbs which express states and are normally not used with the Present Progressive. Watch the different!

· They love being together. (They are not together now.)

· They are loving being together. (They are together now.)

6. USE VI : REPEATED ACTION WHICH ARE IRRITATING TO THE SPEAKER (WITH ALWAYS, CONSTANTLY, FOREVER)

The Present Continuous with words such as "always" or "constantly" expresses the idea that something irritating or shocking often happens. Notice that the meaning is like Simple Present, but with negative emotion. Remember to put the words "always" or "constantly" between "be" and "verb+ing."

Examples :

· She is always coming to class late. (I don’t like it)

· He is constantly talking. I wish he would shut up.

· I don't like them because they are always complaining.

· Andrew is always coming in late. (I don't like it.)

· Simple Present:
Andrew always comes late. (Here I don't give a comment.)

7. USE VII : PHYSICAL FEELINGS

Some verbs used in the simple form can also be used in the continuous form. That's typically when they have an active meaning or emphasize change. Very often these sentences have a completely different meaning:

Verb Form	Verb	Example	Meaning
Simple	to think	I think you should see a doctor	opinion
Continuous	to be thinking	I'm thinking of changing my flat	trying to reach a decision
Simple	to love	I love going to the cinema	feeling
Continuous	to be loving	You look great in this hat. I'm loving it, man!	emphasis or gradual process
Simple	to smell	I smell something burning	sense
Continuous	to be smelling	My baby was smelling a flower	activity
Simple	to have	He's really rich — he has 3 cars	possession
Continuous	to be having	When you called me, I was having a bath	activity
Simple	to see	I can see you have a big garden	sense
Continuous	to be seeing	I'm seeing him later	appointment
Simple	to taste	I could taste a lot of sugar in the wine	sense
Continuous	to be tasting	He was tasting the cake and said it was OK	activity

Keep in mind there is a group of verbs that can be used in both the continuous and simple forms with no difference. These are, for example, the verbs "to hurt" and "to feel":

• How is Maryfeeling after the accident?
• How does she feelafter the accident?

8. USE VIII : FINALY, VERBS ARE NOT USED IN PROGRESSIVE FORMS

Some English verbs, which we call state, non-continuous or stative verbs, aren’t used in continuous tenses (like the present continuous, or the future continuous). These verbs often describe states that last for some time. Here is a list of some common ones:

Stative (or State) Verb List

like	know	belong
love	realise	fit
hate	suppose	contain
want	mean	consist
need	understand	seem
prefer	believe	depend
agree	remember	matter
mind	recognise	see
own	appear	look (=seem)
sound	taste	smell
hear	astonish	deny
disagree	please	impress
satisfy	promise	surprise
doubt	think (=have an opinion)	feel (=have an opinion)
wish	imagine	concern
dislike	be	have
deserve	involve	include
lack	measure (=have length etc)	possess
owe	weigh (=have weight)

Examples:

• I think you look pretty today. meaning: Opinion
• I'm thinking of moving to San Francisco. meaning: Act of thinking

Note

A verb which isn’t stative is called a dynamic verb, and is usually an action.

9. REFERENCES

1. Practical English Usage 3e - Michael Swan OCR
2. http://www.perfect-english-grammar.com/
3. http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/
4. http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/grammar/
5. http://www.englishtenseswithcartoons.com/tenses/
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