Forming the Present Continuous Tense

To form the verb in the Present Continuous Tense you need

the correct form of to be (am, is, are) and the ing
(Gerund) form of the verb.
Forming questions

(Who)
(What)
(Where)
(Why)

Am

Are

you
we
they

Is

he
she
it

reading a book?
watching TV?
going to the cinema now?
playing basketball?
starting his plan?
standing next to me?
raining now?

Short answer:

Are they watching TV?

Yes, they are. / No, they aren't.
Task 2 - Fill in the gaps with the interrogative form
of the verbs in the brackets.
e.g.: you . (dance) are / dancing
1) _____ Sam _________________ my soup? (eat)
2) _____ you _________________ the fish? (feed)
3) _____ Mum _______________ us ice-cream? (bring)
4) _____ they _________________ the table? (set)
5) _____ it _________________ now? (rain)
6) _____ the boy _________________ his car? (push)
7) _____ Mrs Green ______________ English? (teach)
8) _____ the Bakers _______________ by car? (travel)
9) _____ we _________________ seashells on the
beach? (collect)
10) _____ you _______________ your grandpa? (help)
11) _____ Joan _______________ flowers? (cut)
12) _____ I _________________ the beds? (make)
13) _____ Bob _________________ potatoes? (peel)
14) _____ you ________________ a book? (read)
15) _____ the family _________________ dinner at
home? (have)

Task 1 - Fill in the gaps with the correct form of the

verb (Present Continuous), then rewrite the sentences
into interrogative ones. Look at the example.
e.g.: Paul a hamburger. (eat) is eating, Is Paul eating a

hamburger?

1) They _______________ a big house. (build)

____________________________________________
2) Mrs Taylor _______________ the beds. (make)
____________________________________________
3) We _______________ to the lake. (travel)
____________________________________________
4) Jill _______________ some money. (change)
____________________________________________
5) They _______________ in the garden. (hide)
____________________________________________
6) You _________________ in the park. (walk)
____________________________________________
7) Bill ________________ on the blackboard. (write)
____________________________________________
8) I ________________ my clothes. (put on)
____________________________________________
9) The Lees _________________ their holiday. (plan)
____________________________________________
10) You _______________ on a bus. (sit)
____________________________________________
11) Marty _______________ for the dinner. (pay)
____________________________________________
12) I _______________ now. (cry)
____________________________________________
13) Mr Brown _____________ the car. (wash)
____________________________________________
14) The wind ________________. (blow)
____________________________________________
15) The children _________________ the rope. (skip)
____________________________________________
Task 3 - You can see eight different pictures. Write
interrogative sentences in Present Continuous using these
pictures. You can name the people in the pictures. You can
write more sentences to the pictures. Write the sentences
into your exercise-book. Use the following verbs.

to cry
to smile
to think of
to run
to stand on books
to skate
to hold some cheese
to sit on a tree
to shine
to wear a colourful scarf

Task 4 - Rewrite the sentences into interrogative then give

short answer. Look at the example.
e.g.: Mary is eating. Y Is Mary eating? Yes, she is.
You are sleeping. N Are you sleeping? No, you aren't.
1) Phil is taking the dog for a walk. N
_________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
2) The children are collecting leaves. N
_________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
3) The teacher is showing us a nice picture. Y
_________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
4) Dad is telling a bedtime story. N
_________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
5) Mrs Hill is washing up the the plates. Y
_________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
6) Maggie is getting up now. Y
_________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
7) My uncle is frying some sausages. N
_________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
8) I am making some posters. Y
_________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
9) Pat is hanging from the tree. N
_________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
10) Sarah is looking at the birds. Y
_________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
11) The students are revising for the test. Y
_________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
12) They are riding a horse. N
_________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
13) You are asking the doctor. Y
_________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
14) I am catching the bus to school. N
_________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
15) The guests are coming to visit us. Y
_________________________________________________
_______________________________________________

WARNING! USEFUL INFORMATION

If you ask about the subject of the sentence, you have
to use 3rd personal singular form of the verb.
The word order is the same as in an affirmative
sentence.
e.g.: Who is asking me?
What is coming there?

Task 5 - Ask questions about the underlined parts of the

sentences. (elementary) Look at the example.
e.g. Mary is eating a sandwich. What is she eating?
1) Jim is eating 6 hot dogs.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
2) Anne is reading a book because she has lots of free time.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
3) The children are sleeping now.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
4) They are cooking lunch.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
5) My teacher is asking questions.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
6) Petra is holding a book in her hand.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
7) You are drinking some milk.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
8) Dad is shaving in the bathroom.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
9) The leaves are falling from the tree.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
10) We are swimming in the sea.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
Task 6 - Ask questions about the underlined parts of the
sentences. (intermediate)
1) He is waiting for the train.
_______________________________________________
2) Mum is wearing a red skirt.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
3) Today we are going to school by car.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
4) I am lying in the sand.
_______________________________________________
5) Irene is running fast.
_______________________________________________
6) Dad is buying that one.
_______________________________________________
7) Kevin and Sam are carrying 15 books.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
8) She is flying to New York.
_______________________________________________
9) You are drawing a picture for your mum.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________
10) Mrs Craven is frying a lot of meat.
_______________________________________________
_______________________________________________

1 Why

7 Paul

sleep

run

boxes

many

you

boyfriend

now

8 you

he

5 How

break

my

sit

6 Who

carry

wear

my

to

next

do

in

you

plates

go

now

child

the

socks

2 Where

they

3 What

the

garden

4 Whose

Task 7 - You can see a lot of words above. Your task

is to write interrogative sentences in Present
Continuous. Just follow the arrows and look at the
numbers which show you which words belong to which
sentence.
1) _________________________________________
__________________________________________
2) _________________________________________
__________________________________________
3) _________________________________________
__________________________________________
4) _________________________________________
__________________________________________
5) _________________________________________
__________________________________________
6) _________________________________________
__________________________________________
7) _________________________________________
__________________________________________
8) _________________________________________
__________________________________________

Task 8 - First write a question with the given information.

Then write a full answer with the words in the bracket.
Look at the example.
e.g.: Mary is cooking lunch. WHEN? (now) When is Mary
cooking lunch? Mary is cooking lunch now.
1) I am travelling. WHERE? (to London)
_______________________________________________
______________________________________________
2) You are reading. WHAT? (a magazine)
_______________________________________________
______________________________________________
3) Christine is hoovering. WHAT? (the carpet)
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
4) Bob is wearing socks. WHERE? (at home)
_______________________________________________
______________________________________________
5) We are eating pancakes. HOW MANY? (16)
_______________________________________________
______________________________________________
6) They are watching TV. WHEN? (all day today)
_______________________________________________
______________________________________________
7) The children are going to school. HOW? (by car)
_______________________________________________
______________________________________________
8) Somebody is knocking at the door. WHO? (the postman)
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
9) The teacher is buying these books. WHOSE? (my)
______________________________________________
______________________________________________
10) Something is missing from the soup. WHAT? (the carrot)
______________________________________________
______________________________________________

Task 9 On the basis of the following pieces of information

answer the questions with full sentences.
Amelia Freeman

play the guitar in the town hall

dream of a holiday in the Bahamas

Philip Young

build a tree-house for his kids

wear a T-shirt with a pair of black
jeans

Tyler Horst

watch TV at home
sit on a sofa in the living-room

Darlene Wing

swim in the sea

look for seashells

Kyle Warren

set the table in the kitchen

sing a popular pop song

1) What is Darlene looking for?

__________________________________________
__________________________________________
2) What is Amelia doing in the town hall?
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
3) Who is singing a song?
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
4) Who is in the living-room?
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
5) What is Kyle singing?
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
6) What is Mr Young doing in the garden?
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
7) What is Tyler doing at home?
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
8) Where is Darlene swimming?
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
9) What is Kyle doing in the kitchen?
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
10) What is Ms Freeman dreaming of?
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
11) What is Philip wearing?
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
12) What is Mr Horst doing in the living-room?
__________________________________________
__________________________________________

Task 10 - Where is the mistake? Correct the

mistakes if there is. If the sentence is correct, put a
tick on the lines.
1) Is Mary and Tom reading a letter?
___________________________
2) Where is my mum ironning?
___________________________
3) How are the children dance?
___________________________
4) Why is the burning fire?
___________________________
5) Who are having lunch?
___________________________
6) Am I lieing in your bed?
___________________________
7) How many apples are you putting into the basket?
___________________________
8) Whose is father telling us a story?
___________________________
9) The ducks are swimming in the lake?
___________________________
10) When does Joan getting up?
___________________________
Task 11 Write true sentences using the negative form
of the present continuous about you and your
classmates or family.
1) ________________________________________
________________________________________
2) ________________________________________
________________________________________
3) ________________________________________
________________________________________
4) ________________________________________
________________________________________
5) ________________________________________
________________________________________
6) ________________________________________
________________________________________
7) ________________________________________
________________________________________
8) ________________________________________
________________________________________
9) ________________________________________
________________________________________
10) ________________________________________
________________________________________

SOLUTION
Task 1
1) They are building a big house. Are they building a big
house?
2) Mrs Taylor is making the beds. Is Mrs Taylor making the
beds?
3) We are travelling to the lake. Are we travelling to the
lake?
4) Jill is changing some money. Is Jill changing some money?
5) They are hiding in the garden. Are they hiding in the
garden?
6) You are walking in the park. Are you walking in the park?
7) Bill is writing on the blackboard. Is Bill writing on the
blackboard?
8) I am putting on my clothes. Am I putting on my clothes?
9) The Lees are planning their holiday. Are the Lees
planning their holiday?
10) You are sitting on a bus. Are you sitting on a bus?
11) Marty is paying for the dinner. Is Marty paying for the
dinner?
12) I am crying now. Am I crying now?
13) Mr Brown is washing the car. Is Mr Brown washing the
car?
14) The wind is blowing. Is the wind blowing?
15) The children are skipping the rope. Are the children
skipping the rope?
Task 2
1) Is Sam eating my soup?
2) Are you feeding the fish?
3) Is Mum bringing us ice-cream?
4) Are they setting the table?
5) Is it raining now?
6) Is the boy pushing his car?
7) Is Mrs Green teaching English?
8) Are the Bakers travelling by car?
9) Are we collecting seashells on the beach?
10) Are you helping your grandpa?
11) Is Joan cutting flowers?
12) Am I making the beds?
13) Is Bob peeling potatoes?
14) Are you reading a book?
15) Is the family having dinner at home?
Task 3
Are dad and the baby crying?
Are the children smiling?
Is Phil thinking of Mary?
Is she running?
Is he standing on books?
Is the panda skating?
Is the mouse holding some cheese
Are the children sitting on a tree?
Is it shining?
Is the panda wearing a colourful scarf?

Task 4
1) Is Phil taking the dog for a walk? No, he isn't.
2) Are the children collecting leaves? No, they aren't.
3) Is the teacher showing us a nice picture? Yes, s/he is.
4) Is dad telling a bedtime story? No, he isn't.
5) Is Mrs Hill washing up the the plates? Yes, she is.
6) Is Maggie getting up now? Yes, she is.
7) Is my uncle frying some sausages? No, he isn't.
8) Am I making some posters? Yes, you are.
9) Is Pat hanging from the tree? No, s/he isn't.
10) Is Sarah looking at the birds? Yes, she is.
11) Are the students revising for the test? Yes, they are.
12) Are they riding a horse? No, they aren't.
13) Are you asking the doctor? Yes, I am.
14) Am I catching the bus to school? No, you aren't.
15) Are the guests coming to visit us. Yes, they are.
Task 5
1) How many hot dogs is Jim eating?
2) Why is Anne reading a book?
3) When are the children sleeping?
4) Who is cooking lunch?
5) Whose teacher is asking questions?
6) What is Petra holding in her hand?
7) How much milk are you drinking?
8) What is Dad doing in the bathroom.
9) What is falling from the tree?
10) Where are we swimming?
Task 6
1) What is he waiting for?
2) What colour/What kind of skirt is mum wearing?
3) When are we going to school by car?
4) Where am I lying?
5) How is Irene running?
6) Which one is Dad buying?
7) How many books are Kevin and Sam carrying?
8) Where is she flying (to)?
9) Who(m) are you drawing a picture for?
10) How much meat is Mrs Craven frying?
Task 7
1) Why are you breaking my plates?
2) Where are they going now?
3) What is the child doing in the garden?
4) Whose socks are you wearing?
5) How many boxes is he carrying?
6) Who is sitting next to my boyfriend?
7) Is Paul sleeping now?
8) Are you running?

Task 8
1) WHERE are you / am I travelling? I am / You are travelling to London.
2) WHAT are you reading? I am reading a magazine.
3) WHAT is Christine hoovering? She / Christine is hoovering the carpet.
4) WHERE is Bob wearing socks? He / Bob is wearing socks at home.
5) HOW MANY pancakes are we / you eating? You / We are eating 16 pancakes.
6) WHEN are they watching TV? They are watching TV all day today.
7) HOW are the children going to school? The children are going to school by car.
8) WHO is knocking at the door? The postman is knocking at the door.
9) WHOSE teacher is buying these books? My teacher is buying these books.
10) WHAT is missing from the soup? The carrot is missing from the soup .
Task 9
1) Darlene is looking for seashells.
2) Amelia is playing the guitar in the town hall?
3) Kyle is singing a song.
4) Tyler is in the living-room.
5) Kyle is singing a popular pop song.
6) Mr Young is building a tree-house for his kids?
7) Tyler is watching TV at home.
8) Darlene is swimming in the sea.
9) Kyle is setting the table in the kitchen?
10) Ms Freeman is dreaming of a holiday in the Bahamas?
11) Philip is wearing a T-shirt with a pair of black jeans.
12) Mr Horst is sitting on a sofa in the living-room?

Task 10
1) Are Mary and Tom reading a letter?
2) Where is my mum ironing?
3) How are the children dancing?
4) Why is the fire burning?
5) Who is having lunch?
6) Am I lying in your bed?
7)
8) Whose father is telling us a story?
9)
10) When is Joan getting up?
Task 11
It depends on the ss.