Continuous Forms

Present Continuous

We use the present continuous for things that are happening at the moment of speaking.

Example- I'm working at the moment.

Please call back as we are eating dinner now.

Another possible use is for definite future arrangements (with a future time word). In this case we have already made a plan and we are pretty sure that the event will happen in the future.

Example- I'm meeting my father tomorrow.

We're going to the beach at the weekend.

Present Continuous

Past Continuous

Present Perfect Continuous

Present Perfect Continuous

The present perfect continuous (also called present perfect progressive) is a verb tense which is used to show that an action started in the past and has continued up to the present moment. The present perfect continuous usually emphasizes duration, or the amount of time that an action has been taking place.

Example- You have been waiting here for two hours.

Have you been waiting here for two hours?

You have not been waiting here for two hours

Past Perfect Continuous

We use the past perfect continuous to show that something started in the past and continued up until another time in the past. "For five minutes" and "for two weeks" are both durations which can be used with the past perfect continuous. Notice that this is related to the present perfect continuous; however, the duration does not continue until now, it stops before something else in the past.

Example-

They had been talking for over an hour before Tony arrived.

She had been working at that company for three years when it went out of business.

How long had you been waiting to get on the bus?

Past Perfect Continuous

Future Continuous

Future Continuous

Future continuous has two different forms: "will be doing " and "be going to be doing."

Example-

You will be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.

Will you be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight?

You will not be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.

Or...

You are going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.

Are you going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight?

You are not going to be waiting for her when her plane arrives tonight.

Participle Clauses

Participle Clauses

Present participle clauses

A present participle clause can express:

An action that happens at the same time as the action in the main clause:

Tom lost his keys (while) walking through the park. (Tom lost his keys while he was walking through the park.)

The participle clause can come first in literary styles:

(While) walking through the park, Tom lost his keys.

An action that happens just before another action:

Opening the envelope, I found two concert tickets. (I opened the envelope and I found two concert tickets.)

An action that is the result of another action:

Moments later a bomb exploded, leaving three people dead and twelve others injured.

A reason for the action in the main clause:

Having nothing left to do, Paula went home. (Since Paula had nothing left to do, she went home.)