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Mastering the Present Continuous Tense is all about capturing actions that are happening right now or in the immediate future. This guide provides a quick refresher, practical examples, and a structured exercise set you can print out for practice. British Council Teens The Quick Formula To form this tense, use: Subject + [am/is/are] + [Verb + -ing] (I'm) eating. He/She/Let is (She's) running. You/We/They are (They're) studying. Practice Exercise: Fill in the Blanks Copy and print the section below to test your skills. Instructions:
Complete the sentences using the correct form of the verb in parentheses. Look! The dog __________ (chase) its tail in the garden. I __________ (not / work) today; I’m taking a rest. Listen! Someone __________ (play) the piano upstairs.
__________ you __________ (watch) this movie, or can I turn it off?
We __________ (plan) a surprise party for Sarah this weekend.
The sun is shining, but the wind __________ (blow) quite hard. Why __________ she __________ (cry)? Is she okay? They __________ (build) a new library downtown this year. Right now, I __________ (write) an email to my boss. The kids __________ (make) a lot of noise in the playroom. Answer Key Check your work against the correct answers: present continuous tense exercises printable
is chasing | 2. am not working | 3. is playing | 4. Are (you) watching | 5. are planning | 6. is blowing | 7. is (she) crying | 8. are building | 9. am writing | 10. are making. Helpful Resources for More Practice Grammarly: For a deep dive into rules and common mistakes British Council: interactive A1-A2 level exercises If you're teaching, try these 15 fun classroom games Present continuous | LearnEnglish Teens
You can copy this text directly into a Word or Google Doc, or paste it into a Canva/PDF template.
Most printable exercises include a dedicated section for these tricky rules:
| Base Verb Ending | Rule | Example | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | -e (silent e) | Remove the -e, add -ing | make → making, write → writing | | CVC (Consonant-Vowel-Consonant) | Double the last consonant | run → running, swim → swimming | | -ie | Change -ie to -y, add -ing | lie → lying, die → dying | | -y (after vowel) | Just add -ing | play → playing, buy → buying | Mastering the Present Continuous Tense is all about
A good present continuous exercise set should consistently reinforce the key formula:
am/is/are + verb(-ing)
| Subject | Verb to be | Verb+ing | Example | |---------|-------------|----------|---------| | I | am | eating | I am eating lunch. | | He/She/It | is | running | She is running fast. | | You/We/They | are | sleeping | They are sleeping now. |
Printables typically focus on four skill areas:
Ensure learners understand this core structure before handing out worksheets: Key Spelling Rules for the -ing Form Most
Subject + To Be (am/is/are) + Verb(-ing) + (Object)
I am reading a book.
She is cooking dinner.
They are playing soccer.
Always provide an answer key on the back of the printable. This encourages autonomous learning. Students check their own work with a red pen, which studies show improves long-term retention.
Many educational websites offer free, high-quality printable present continuous exercises: