Form of the Present
The progressive is formed
with the present of ''be + the -ing form''.
I am > I'm >
You are > You're > waiting.
He is > He's > writing.
She is > She's > running.
It is > It's > beginning.
We are > We're > lying.
You are > You're > lying.
They are > They're > lying.
Spelling: how to add '-ing' to
We can add -ing to
most verbs without changing the spelling of their base forms. Other
examples: beat/beating, carry/carrying, catch/catching, drink/drinking,
If a verb ends in -e,
omit the -e and add -ing. Other examples: come/coming,
have/having, make/making, ride/riding, use/using. This rule does not apply
to verbs ending in double e: agree/agreeing, see/seeing; or to age/ageing
A verb that is spelt with a
single vowel followed by a single consonant doubles its final consonant.
Other examples: hit/hitting, let/letting, put/putting, run/running,
Compare: e.g. beat/beating
which is not spelt with a single vowel and which therefore does not double
its final consonant.
With two-syllable verbs,
the final consonant is normally doubled when the last syllable is
stressed. Other examples: for'get/forgetting, pre'fer/preferring,
up'set/upsetting. Compare: 'benefit/benefiting, 'differ/differing and
'profit/profiting which are stressed on their first syllables and do not
double their final consonants. Note 'label/labelling,
'quarrel/quarrelling, 'signal/signalling and 'travel/travelling (BrE)
which are exceptions to this rule. Compare: labeling, quarreling,
signaling, traveling (AmE): -ic at the end of a verb changes to -ick
when we add -ing: panic/panicking, picnic/picknicking,
Other examples: die/dying,
Uses of the Present Progressive
Actions in progress at the moment of
We use the Present
Progressive to describe actions or events which are in progress at the
moment of speaking. To emphasize this, we often use adverbials like now,
at the moment, just, etc.:
Someone's knocking at
the door. Can you answer it?
What are you doing? -
I'm just tying up my shoe-laces.
He's working at the
moment, so he can't come to the telephone.
Actions in progress are
seen as uncompleted:
We can emphasize the idea
of duration with still:
The Present Progressive can
be used to describe actions and situations which may not have been
happening long, or which are thought of as being in progress for a limited
Such situations may not be
happening at the moment of speaking:
Temporary events may be in
progress at the moment of speaking:
We also use the Present
Progressive to describe current trends:
Planned actions: future
We use the Present
Progressive to refer to activities and events planned for the future. We
generally need an adverbial unless the meaning is clear from the context:
This use of the Present
Progressive is also commonly associated with future arrival and departure
and occurs with verbs like arrive, come, go, leave, etc. to
describe travel arrangements:
The adverbial and the
context prevent confusion with the present progressive to describe an
action which is in progress at the time of speaking:
The adverbs always
(in the sense of 'frequently'), constantly, continually, forever,
perpetually and repeatedly can be used with progressive forms
to describe continually-repeated actions:
Some stative verbs can have
progressive forms with always, etc.:
Sometimes there can be
implied complaint or annoyance in this use of the progressive when it
refers to something that happens too often: