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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Could I use Present continuous
I arrived in a hotel and the receptionist asked me if I would take the breakfast tomorrow in this hotel. He said "Will you take the breakfast" and told me that I could give my answer once I had made ...
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"I was locked in an elevator for five hours" vs. "I have been locked for five hours"
In a hypothetical situation, I was in a lift and suddenly it stopped and I got stuck in it for five hours.
So in this situation what would I say?
"I was locked in it for five hours."
OR
...
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He has been in the bathroom for two hours vs. Is in the bathroom for two hours
Which one is correct if I want to mention that he has taken two hours and hasn't come out yet?
"He is in the bathroom for two hours."
"He has been in the bathroom for two hours."
"It has been two ...
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What is the difference - 'is doing' vs 'does'?
Could you please explain what is the difference between the followings and when one of them should be used instead of the another?
My brother is doing a degree at university so I don't see him very
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which tense to use for emphasis?
If someone asks me : what have you been doing this afternoon and I want to say that I have been reading the newspaper, emphasizing the activity, how I have been occupying myself, not the result, even ...
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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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I am having vs I have
I'm finally learning English grammar, and I'm having an issue with understanding the difference between:
Now I have much more fun learning English than I had before the course.
and
Now ...
Sebastian
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How to use the verb "to hope for" in the right tense for something that hasn’t happened yet?
I am sending formal mail to a German company so I was wondering whether the following sentence is ok to use in that correspondence?
We are hoping for the best results.
Does this sentence make any ...
Yigig
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What's the difference in meaning between “challenge” + infinitives(to V.) vs. gerund(V. ing)
I have a problem in comparing these two sentences.
DDP challenges protecting inventor's ideas.
DDP challenges to protect inventor's ideas.
Translation in my book says (1) means DDP opposes ...
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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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Am I using these tense correctly? [closed]
I saw this in business letter :
We are doing business with you since the year 2000 to date.
our branch has sold through the partner X since its creation more than 10 unites and we are proud of it as ...
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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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What kind of fish (will you use/are you using/do you use)?
If I see my friend preparing her/his fish for cooking, and I wonder what kind of fish it is, what is the suitable sentence to ask her/him?
(a) What kind of fish will you use?
(b) What kind of ...
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is the present perfect continuous possible in this case?
I would like to know if the continuous can be used in this case: over a million people have been visiting the tower of pisa in the past year.
thanks
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Present participle of 'feel' and change in meaning
"I feel lucky"
"I am feeling lucky."
Do both sentences convey same meaning?I have read that emotive verbs are not used in participle form on account of their meaning?
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The baby is crying all the time or has been crying all the time?
Where are you? the baby has been crying all the time.
or
Where are you? the baby is crying all the time.
which one is correct?
and also, is it correct to say:
Babies are crying all the time;...
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Correct use of "is having"
"He is having a cell phone" - is wrong.
Instead we use:
"He has a cell phone".
However, both A and B below are correct:
A) "We are having a class"
B) "We have a class"
Why?
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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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Present progressive to express future
which one is correct?
As soon as we get the files (or messages), we will send them to you by email.
or
As soon as we get the files (or messages), we are sending them to you by email.
I have ...
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Is done by me vs has done by me
The majority of the work is done by me.
The majority of the work has done by me.
In general conversation if I want to say someone that I did the major work in the project.
Which of the above ...
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Using Gerund when it looks like Present Continuous
The problem is getting anybody to admit that.
It's Present Simple + Gerund.
The problem is getting worse.
It's Present Continuous.
Did I make a mistake? Or is it a well-known ambiguity?
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What's the difference between "present perfect" and "present continuous" constructions when used for expressing repeated actions?
Is there any difference between the present continuous and present perfect tense in each of the following sentence pairs when both tenses express repeated actions?
For example,
He is always ...
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Are you coming tonight? vs Will you come tonight?
What is the difference between the following sentences?
Are you coming tonight?
Will you come tonight?
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"If you explained what you ___ trying to achieve, I would ..."
I've written the next sentence
If you explained what you are trying to achieve, I would recommend a kind of workaround.
and it has raised doubts about the tense I should have used in the ...
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Decided and arranged: "He is being..." vs. "He will be in the office on Monday morning."
According to my "Cambridge - English Grammar in Use" app, Present Continuous ("I am doing") is used for "things" which are "already decided and arranged". The examples are:
He's playing tennis on ...
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I like it when it snows/it's snowing
Which one is the right choice in the sentence?
I like it when it snows/is snowing.
If both are correct and the tense depends on the context what is the difference?
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I am demanding the death penalty for the defendant
A situation in the courtroom. The prosecutor is delivering his final speech. Which sentence is correct?
1. I am demanding the death penalty for the defendant.
2. I demand the death penalty for the ...
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Don't go Vs. I'am not going
Please look at the statement which I know is ok.
I'm not going anywhere without you!
The second one I am not sure about is:
I don't go anywhere without you!
Are they both correct?
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"Everybody Have a Good Time" - an ungrammatical song title/text?
There is a song with the title/text "Everybody Have a Good Time".
In the refrain the text goes like:
Everybody have a good time
Everybody have a crush, alright
Everybody have a good time
...
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Sitting and do nothing
Is it correct and grammatical to say:
I am sitting on a chair now and do nothing.
Or better:
I am sitting on a chair and doing nothing.
?
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A present continuous usage
Here are the usages of the present continuous.
And here is the sentence:
Dan is sleeping in the living room while we redecorate his bedroom.
It is clear that it is a temporary situation that he is ...
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Is the keyword "now" optional in the present continuous tense?
what is the difference between these two sentences?
I am playing cricket
I am playing cricket now
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Present continuous "I'm giving you ..." for a gift
In the first version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory's movie (1971) there is a moment at the end where Willy Wonka, Charly and his grandfather are in the elevator. Once the elevator is very high ...
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Periods around now - Present Continuous
How can time periods so long be "periods around now". I'm studying English Grammar in Use, and in the first unit, says:
You can use present continuous with today/this week/this year
etc.(...
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Present Continuous or Present Simple in clauses of time and condition? Or both?
When I'm not working, I walk to the park.
When I don't work, I walk to
the park.
Are the present continuous and present simple forms interchangeable in this sentence? If not, are there any ...
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What's the grammar behind "[Noun/pronoun] + [be] + [gerund]"
I'm wondering what's the grammar behind phrases like:
We be eating
She be sleeping
etc
What are the grammar backgrounds for phrases in such form? Can there be any other use cases of such grammar ...
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Present continues and present simple, case verb(look)?
I hear you're having your house repainted !!!
How does it look ?
How is it looking ?
Grammar's rule is :
We use present continues when we want to emphasis the station is temporary.
but the two ...
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Present Continuous with 'need'
Wood Chickens "Skunk Ape" 7"
First things first - really did love the Dead Milkmen during my formative High School years. The title track on this rubs that Milkmen vibe, pretty damn ...
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Nowadays he teaches physics because the teacher of physics has been absenting himself for a month
Nowadays he teaches physics because the teacher of physics has been absenting himself for a month.
This is an error spotting question asked in my exam, I see two possible ways to correct it but don't ...
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We are going to movies at eight tomorrow. Is this possible?
I (non-native speaker) am studying about present tenses for the future.
We can use present simple or present continuous for the future events. So I wonder...
My train leaves at 11. (I think this is ...
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I recommend or I'm recomending you something
Which is correct? When to use present simple and when present continuous. When I recommend / recommending something someone on StackExchange, which tense would be better and why?
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Is "telling" in this example sentence a gerund?
Below is the 4th meaning and example sentence for the verb "tell", from Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary.
[intransitive] (informal) to let somebody know a secret
e.g.) 'Who are you ...
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Why does the answer key say "the world is changing" instead of "the world changes"?
The world (change). Nothing never stays the same.
The key answer: the world (is changing).
Why can't we say: the world changes? Isn't it a fact? I mean it should be in present simple (world changes)...
Moussa A. Fayyad
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"since" and the present progressive?
I am wondering about the use of a since-phrase and the present progressive like the following:
How is he bearing up since the accident?
Normally, the since-phrase triggers the perfect aspect. Why is ...
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Present continuous for an event already decided
Imagine my friend and me are swapping houses simultaneously next week:I am going to his house and he is going to mine, I'd like to know when he is going to arrive at my home.
Can I say "When are ...
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What is the difference between 'The carpet lies on the floor.' and 'The carpet is lying on the floor.'?
There are two sentences,
The carpet lies on the floor.
The carpet is lying on the floor.
What is the difference between the two sentences?
And under what situation should we use 'present ...
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"...many patients are seeking out transplants in other countries" -- what if "seek out" were used?
I was reading an article on HowStuffWorks and came across this:
The shortage of donated organs in the United States is so severe that many patients are seeking out transplants in other countries. ...
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simple present - shouldn't they be continuous/progressive present tenses because most are temporary?
James rubs his neck while speaking.
James looks out the window while thinking.
James thinks about a conundrum.
James walks to his destination.
These all are in third person simple ...
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"Ask Jim if he's staying tonight" or "Ask Jim if he stays tonight"
I know we can use present simple when talking about the future, especially after subordinate clauses.
On the other hand, I also know that we can use present progressive to talk about future events, ...
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"When {you're signing up|sign up}, you choose your native language and country..."
I recently posted an entry on Lang-8 where I wrote about their new app, HiNative. Here is a sentence from that entry:
When you're signing up, you choose your native language and country and your ...
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