Questions tagged [present-continuous]
It is used to express a continued or ongoing action at present time. It expresses an action which is in progress at the time of speaking. Using the suffix '-ing'
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You look good vs You are looking good
I have been told that 'you look good' is the perfect compliment to give. Because 'you are looking good' is not colloquial. How correct is it?
For example, if I have to ask others about myself:
How ...
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Is the expression "I'm wearing shorts and sandals in the morning" correct?
The time expression "In the morning" can imply a different moment, not necessarily something which is happning at the moment of speaking.
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I work vs I am working (Present Simple vs Present Continous)
I have doubts when it comes to deciding if I should use the Present Simple or the Present Continous tense. Below are the examples:
I have worked for 4 companies so far. Now I work/I am working for X ...
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Is "it is looking good" slang?
I heard American people often say this.
Say, a person is drawing a picture. When he is halfway to finishing it, he says "it's looking good".
I was taught at school that many linking verbs (...
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Present simple vs present continuous when describing a video
Person A: Let's watch this video now kids.
[plays the video]
[the dog in the video starts to bark at someone]
Person A: What is the dog doing?
A child: He's barking at someone.
In this exchange the ...
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Is there any difference in meaning between "do you follow me?" and "are you following me?" when are you asking someone if they understand you?
Can you please tell me if there is there any difference in meaning between do you follow me? and are you following me? when you asking someone if they understand you? For example:
I've heard both used ...
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What is the difference between Future Continuous and Present Continuous?
I heard that natives use Present Cont. to describe things in the future.
As I understood, we use Present Cont. when we have arranged an action or there is at least one person with whom we agreed to ...
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What is is difference between "As long as I am selling" and "As long as I can sell"?
I am reading a book. It says there is a bakery owner who wants everyone will be hungry for one thing - his donuts! So he invented a special donut recipe. As result, his donuts are turning people into ...
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Looking for reference of present continuous and simple past in story telling?
The sentence being: After pulling the fisherman to safety, the groomsmen returned for more wedding photos on the jetty – this time in their underwear, dripping wet and a little battered and bruised.
...
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What grammar should I use to talk about an action I've been doing for a long time and will definitely keep doing?
What grammar should I use if I want to talk about a routine action (something like "running, biking, wrestling, bowling") that I have been doing for a long time and will definitely go on ...
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Present Progressive or Simple Present
I have a question about using present tenses;
would it be said that:
Robots are being developed
Robots are developed
I would say it is present progressive because the process is not ...
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do you see/are you seeing
A: Why don't you just focus on making the best of it for yourself as well as for your children?
B: Maybe that's what I'm trying to do.
A: But then why do you only see / are you only seeing them a ...
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present continuous in this case
I am flying to Spain tomorrow and am staying/will stay there one week.
What is the best solution I think both are valid.
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Nicky is thinking of giving up her job
Nicky is thinking of giving up her job
In this sentence why have give+ing? I know give up means release.
I want to know why in this sentence uses "giving up"?
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Why did the writer choose future continuous instead of present continuous
Quick reminder as we go into the weekend that I'll be closing the order book for the new design T-shirt at noon on Sunday.
I would like to know if it would have been possible to write "am ...
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The Present Simple instead of The Present Progressive in the speech of native speakers of English
I’ve found some examples (provided by native speakers of English) of using The Present Simple where according to all the grammars I’ve read The Present Progressive should have been used. Could you ...
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Present Continuous+never for emotional tone
As we know Present Continuous is used with always / constantly to express some emotional nuance (often negative).
e.g. My sister is always borrowing my clothes without asking!
Can we similarly use ...
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Why do native speakers sometimes use present continuous when it seems like it should be present simple?
I'm a teacher of English and I try to dive a bit deeper into the language I teach. I have a good command of grammar, but I sometimes hear things like:
(all these examples are from vlogs by natives ...
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When to use present continuous
If something is planned you have been imposed, can that be considered as an arrangment to use present continuous?
For example, you received an email saying there will be some work in 3 weeks along ...
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Mix of present simple and continuous
An average user of social media feels that he is underperfoming and his self-esteem is constantly decreasing.
I used tenses in this sentence instinctively, and after I had finished I started to ...
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Is "covered wagons rolling access the prairies" wrong?
I am using Oxford's Dictonary Advanced learner + Oxford's Collocations dictionary - 10th edition - mobile application (licensed). I seen
In my thought, it is covered wagons are rolling access the ...
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"when you do something" or "when you are doing something"?
Tell me please if there is any difference in meaning between the following sentences.
You are bending too much when you are squatting.
You bend too much when you squat.
The context is a man finishes ...
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Present continuous tense [closed]
Is it grammatically correct to say: I'm taking a shower today?
I've read that we can use present continuous with today, these days, etc.
I appreciate your help very much.
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How to tell if I need to put present continuous or past simple in a sentence
For example:
I was getting ready.
I got ready.
When do I use which?
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'I wouldn't lie' vs 'I wouldn't be lying'
Is there any difference between those two forms:
I wouldn't be lying
I wouldn't lie
For example:
I wouldn't be lying if I said this is the best evening in my life!
I wouldn't lie if I said this is ...
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Why don't we use Present Continuous in example
I know that we should use Present Simple when we talk about things in general and Present Continuous when we talk about something incomplete that is happening around time of speaking. I also know that ...
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Use of Present continuous tense
I'm feeling nostalgic as I pen these words to you.
I'm feeling nostalgic as I am penning these words to you.
I feel that the first sentence is correct. Could you point out which sentence is correct ...
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Is the present continuous idiomatic in "I'm liking to take it easy on the weekend"?
Is I'm liking to take it easy on the weekend idiomatic?
The context is that I started to take it easy on the weekend recently and I'm liking the novalty, the new state of affairs.
I like to take it ...
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What are you thinking of the class?
Is What are you thinking of the class? a natural way to ask your opinion about the class at the beginning of the course?
It's about the student's expectations, if they're being met. Or their first ...
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Is it correct to use the word 'made' in the present continuous or simple present tense?
I am studying the English tenses and came across the following quiz:
Fill in the correct verb form: PRESENT SIMPLE or PRESENT PROGRESSIVE.
The delicious chocolate is ____ by a firm in Switzerland. (...
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I'm running on weekends or I run on the weekend?
Is I'm running on weekends right?
I mean this as a habit in the present but I'm not confident I'll keep doing that for a long time.
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"I miss or I am missing" meaning I don't have it?
I also have all the
vinyls and flexis, but I'm still missing a few tapes, the really old ones .
I think miss would be better than is missing .
Does Is missing mean that the writer thinks that he is ...
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Usage of the present perfect simple and present perfect continuous tenses
I tried this exercise:
Make the present perfect - it could be positive, negative or question.
(you / keep a pet for three years)
but I can't find the correct answer to the first question.
I thought ...
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Am having or have in this case
Imagine I am trying to connect my smartphone to the net. The problem is that I am sitting in a train and the connection is not working .
What can I say " I am having difficulties to be connected ...
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"You will acquire more and more knowledge while you work."
You will acquire more and more knowledge while you work.
You will acquire more and more knowledge while you are working.
What is the difference between them? Which sounds more natural?
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Can I use present tense instead of present continuous tense in the following sentence?
Q:
I heard you started a new job. __________ (enjoy) it?
The correct answer is are you enjoying it.(Page 3, intermediate grammar in use)
I wonder if do you enjoy it is also a correct answer. It sounds ...
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Using present continuous in sentence
There is the sentence:
Do you usually cook at weekends?
Can i use present continuous?
Are you usually cooking at weekends?
I found this example of using present continuous on internet.
At ...
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Where is the girl going or where the girl is going?
Where is the girl going?
or
Where the girl is going?
Is/subject/ -ing in present continuous questions
Which one is right according to the Grammer?
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Where do we use "IT" in sentence? For person we use he/she in singular [closed]
"It" in which sentence it is used
For Tom we use he
For Niana we use she
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"I wasn't listening to what the teacher was saying"? "I didn't listen to what the teacher was saying"?
We often avoid repeating the continuous form, do we? Like you say
What do you think you are doing?
instead of
What are you thinking you are doing?
How about the following sentences?
I wasn't ...
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Do you use present continuous for something that you are not doing right now?
1-A) I study math at school.
1-B) I am studying math at school.
Can I use 1-B when I am not studying math at the moment I am speaking? In my understanding, I use 1-B if the math course is temporary ...
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Use of simple present and present continuous in subtitles for background sound
I was watching a movie with subtitles and I found many instances where it used two different tense for referring background sounds.
For example: Sirens wail;
motor whirring; engine revving; phone ...
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Why does the present continuous form of "mimic" become "mimicking"?
In most cases, the present continuous tense of a verb is appending "ing" to the end of the verb, like "playing" for "play", but why does "mimic" become "...
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Present Simple or Present Continuous for end result?
There have been a lot of discussion concerning the difference between the Present Simple and the Present Continuous for actions but I'm eager to know if there is a difference when speaking about an ...
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I ___(to read) your book. It's fantastic. I'll finish it tonight
I have passed the English grammar test. I'm B1 and can't complain about that. But I have a major questions about verb tenses anyway.
I ______ your book. It's fantastic. I'll finish it tonight.
have ...
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Difference between continuous and simple
If I ask someone "How do your parents punish you this year", am I asking him what his parents do when they catch him doing bad, but only this year?
Whereas in "How are your parents ...
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Janet is going on a vacation. (is this progressive or future?)
Janet is going on a vacation.
I saw this sentence on internet. Is Janet now, at this moment, going on a vacation? Or, does Janet have a plan to go on a vacation very soon?
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I was getting ready & I was joking
Could you explain why in bold is necessary to use Past Continuous, not Past Simple. Because of "to get ready" and "to joke" are always processes or why?
Sorry I’m late. My phone ...
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"I don't hear you clearly" vs. "I'm not hearing you clearly" in context
Would you please tell me if there is any difference in meaning between I don't hear you clearly and I'm not hearing you clearly in the context below?
Would you please speak into the phone as I don't ...
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present simple and continuous tense
My teacher said the second sentences below is wrong, but it looks grammatically correct to me. Help!
I’m spending this weekend near the coast. I go there nearly every weekend.
I spend this weekend ...
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