General English
Be Successful
The Present Continuous Tense —Progressive Action
(A) This tense is normally used for an action in progress that is temporary in nature (not for a permanent activity) in the present at the time of speaking.
For example:
(i) She is not working. She is swimming in the river.
(ii) It is raining outside.
(B) It also expresses future action or a definite arrangement in the near future.
For example:
(i) I am going to the cinema tomorrow.
(ii) She is coming next week.
Additional Uses of Present Continuous Tense
(C) Continuous tense with ‘always’ may express an idea which is not to the liking of the speaker.
For example:
(i) She is always teaching her children.
(ii) He is always praising his friends.
(D) There are some of the verbs which sometime don’t admit of progressive action. Such verbs are called Non-progressive (Stative verbs).
For example:
(i) Verbs of Perception: See, taste, smell, hear, prefer, please.
(ii) Verbs of Thinking Process: Think, know, mean, mind.
(iii) Verbs Showing Possession: Own, have, belong, comprise, possess, contain.
(iv) Verbs Expressing Feelings or State of Mind: Believe, like, love, want, wish, desire, hate.
(v) Verbs in General: Look, seem, appear, affect, resemble, cost, require, stand, face, become.
(a) Study these sentences carefully:
| Incorrect | Correct |
|---|---|
| 1. He is owning a car. | He owns a car. |
| 2. We are hearing the bell. | We hear the bell. |
| 3. This house is belonging to me. | This house belongs to me. |
| 4. I am not hating him. | I don’t hate him. |
| 5. Are you forgetting my name? | Have you forgetten my name? |
| 6. I am not meaning this. | I don’t mean this. |
| 7. I am having no house to live in. | I have no house to live in. |
| 8. She stands in the shade of a tree. | She is standing in the shade of a tree. |
| 9. The temple is standing in the heart of the city. | The temple stands in the heart of the city. |
| 10. The book is containing good subject-matter. | The book contains good subject-matter. |
(b) Mark the difference in the use of stative activity and progressive verbs.
| Sentence | Verb Type |
|---|---|
| 1. The rose smells sweet. | Stative verb |
| 2. She is smelling a black rose. | Progressive verb |
| 3. He lives in Chennai. | Stative verb |
| 4. She is living in India at present. | Temporary activity |
| 5. She has a large house to live in. | Stative verb |
| 6. She is having lunch now. | Progressive verb |
| 7. It looks it may rain soon. | Stative verb |
| 8. She is looking at the sky. | Temporary activity |
| 9. I am seeing him next morning. | Progressive verb |
| 10. The nurse is feeling her forehead. | Progressive verb |
| 11. I think she is a miser. | Stative verb |
| 12. I am thinking of leaving Chandigarh. | Progressive verb |
| 13. I love my sister. | Stative verb |
| 14. She is loving her daughter. | Progressive activity |
(E) ‘While, still, at the moment, presently (at present) and now’ may help students to express progressive present.
