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Present Continuous Exercises for Practice

The document contains a series of exercises focused on forming sentences in the present continuous tense. It includes tasks for creating affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentences, as well as questions using 'wh-' words. The exercises are designed to help learners practice and reinforce their understanding of the present continuous tense.

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khanhlehoangphuong
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65 views8 pages

Present Continuous Exercises for Practice

The document contains a series of exercises focused on forming sentences in the present continuous tense. It includes tasks for creating affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentences, as well as questions using 'wh-' words. The exercises are designed to help learners practice and reinforce their understanding of the present continuous tense.

Uploaded by

khanhlehoangphuong
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

PRESENT CONTINOUS EXERCISES

Exercise 1: Make the present continuous.


1. (he / walk to school now)
_______________________________________________________________________
2. (I / study at the moment)
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3. (I / not / sleep at this time)
_______________________________________________________________________
4. (you / play badminton tonight)
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5. (we / watch TV right now)
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6. (she / not / work in Spain)
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7. (he / not / wait for the bus)
_______________________________________________________________________
8. (they / read at present)
_______________________________________________________________________
9. (we / not / go to the cinema tonight)
_______________________________________________________________________
10. (you / not / read the newspaper)
_______________________________________________________________________
11. (she / eat chocolate)
_______________________________________________________________________
12. (I / not / live in Paris)
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13. (we / study French)
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14. (they / not / leave now)
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15. (they / live in London)
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16. (he / work in a restaurant now)
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17. (I / not / meet my father at four)
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18. (she / not / drink tea now)
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19. (she / play the guitar at this time)
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20. (we / cook at the moment)
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Exercise 2: Make the present continuous.
1. (they / not / visit their parents)
______________________________________________________________________
2. (he / meet his friend tonight)
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3. (he / not / walk to school now)
______________________________________________________________________
4. (we / not / watch TV at the moment)
______________________________________________________________________
5. (you / not / read a book)
______________________________________________________________________
6. (I / visit Linda tonight)
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7. (she / not / eat dinner now)
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8. (Lucy / not / work in a bookshop this summer)
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9. (they / watch a film at the moment)
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10. (we / buy a new car this month)
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11. (David / have a party tomorrow)
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12. (I / get a bike after my summer)
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13. (you / take a long time)
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14. (I / not / come until later)
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15. (Jill and Susan / walk at the park at this time)
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16. (we / not / listen to the radio)
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17. (they / not / speak to each other)
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18. (he / take a shower at this moment)
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19. (you / get fat)
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20. (I / not / use the computer)
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Exercise 3: Make present continuous questions (yes / no and 'wh-').
1. (what time / you / go to the cinema?)
________________________________________________________________________
2. (why / you / study English in Math class?)
_______________________________________________________________________
3. (when / you / leave?)
_______________________________________________________________________
4. (you / smoke?)
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5. (he / play / tennis later?)
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6. (you / go / shopping at the weekend?)
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7. (you / drink / wine)
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8. (what / you / drink now?)
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9. (what / you / think?)
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10. (she / work / in an office at the moment?)
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11. (they / study / Portuguese?)
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12. (what time / she / come?)
_______________________________________________________________________
13. (where / you / play tennis tonight?)
_______________________________________________________________________
14. (you / meet / your friends on Friday?)
_______________________________________________________________________
15. (you / read / now?)
_______________________________________________________________________
16. (where / you / go now?)
_______________________________________________________________________
17. (what / you / do at the moment?)
_______________________________________________________________________
18. (she / live / in London?)
_______________________________________________________________________
19. (they / study now?)
_______________________________________________________________________
20. (you / eat / cake in the refrigerator?)
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Exercise 4: Make the present continuous ('yes / no' or 'wh' questions).
1. (how long / you / stay in Paris?)
________________________________________________________________________
2. (you / drink / tea ?)
________________________________________________________________________
3. (where / you / stay?)
________________________________________________________________________
4. (why / you / watch TV now?)
________________________________________________________________________
5. (she / work in a bar?)
________________________________________________________________________
6. (what / he / do in the classroom at this time?)
________________________________________________________________________
7. (why / she / call her friend now?)
________________________________________________________________________
8. (I / lose weight?)
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9. (we / work tomorrow?)
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10. (when / you / arrive?)
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11. (he / take dance classes?)
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12. (she / stay in a hotel?)
________________________________________________________________________
13. (how much / he / eat?)
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14. (how long / you / stay in China?)
________________________________________________________________________
15. (she / study in the library now?)
________________________________________________________________________
16. (you / come to visit me this holiday?)
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17. (they / rent a car?)
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18. (when / they / have a barbeque?)
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19. (what / Julie / do tonight?)
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20. (you / feel sleepy?)
________________________________________________________________________
Exercise 5: Make the present continuous. You can use the short form or the longer form. For example,
'she's' or 'she is'.
1. (she / go home after school now)
_________________________________________________________________________
2. (I / read a great book about an adventure)
_________________________________________________________________________
3. (she / not / wash her hair)
_________________________________________________________________________
4. (the cat / chase mice?)
_________________________________________________________________________
5. (she / cry in her bedroom now?)
_________________________________________________________________________
6. (he / not / study Latin)
_________________________________________________________________________
7. (we / drive to London?)
_________________________________________________________________________
8. (they / watch TV?)
_________________________________________________________________________
9. (where / she / go now?)
_________________________________________________________________________
10. (I / not / leave now)
_________________________________________________________________________
11. (you / not / run at the park)
_________________________________________________________________________
12. (why / he / leave?)
_________________________________________________________________________
13. (how / I / travel?)
_________________________________________________________________________
14. (it / not / rain in Vietnam at the moment)
_________________________________________________________________________
15. (when / we / arrive?)
_________________________________________________________________________
16. (where / they / stay?)
_________________________________________________________________________
17. (it / rain in my neighborhood at this time)
_________________________________________________________________________
18. (she / come at six)
_________________________________________________________________________
19. (he / watch a film at the moment
_________________________________________________________________________
20. (we / not / sleep)
_________________________________________________________________________
Exercise 6: Make the present continuous. You can use the short form or the longer form. For example,
'she's' or 'she is'.
1. (we / go to the cinema later)
________________________________________________________________________
2. (they / work in their office now)
________________________________________________________________________
3. (you / not / walk in the park)
________________________________________________________________________
4. (they / learn new things?)
________________________________________________________________________
5. (when / he / start work?)
________________________________________________________________________
6. (why / I / stay at home?)
________________________________________________________________________
7. (it / get dark earlier than usual?)
________________________________________________________________________
8. (we / not / win in the competition)
________________________________________________________________________
9. (they / not / bring a cake)
________________________________________________________________________
10. (the dog / not / play with a ball)
________________________________________________________________________
11. (why / it / rain now?)
________________________________________________________________________
12. (how / she / travel to the new destination?)
________________________________________________________________________
13. (where / you / work?)
________________________________________________________________________
14. (what / we / watch?)
________________________________________________________________________
15. (you / meet your friend at four)
________________________________________________________________________
16. (I / take too much cake?)
________________________________________________________________________
17. (you / think about the problem?)
________________________________________________________________________
18. (we / study this evening)
________________________________________________________________________
19. (Lucy and Steve / play the piano)
________________________________________________________________________
20. (Sarah / not / tell a story)
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Exercise 7: Make the present continuous. You can use the short form or the longer form. For example,
'she's' or 'she is'.
1. (I / be silly?)
_________________________________________________________________________
2. (they / not / read books in the library)
_________________________________________________________________________
3. (I / cook for my family tonight)
_________________________________________________________________________
4. (he / see the doctor tomorrow?)
_________________________________________________________________________
5. (you / eat chocolate?)
_________________________________________________________________________
6. (what / you / do at the moment?)
_________________________________________________________________________
7. (we / make a mistake?)
_________________________________________________________________________
8. (you / come tomorrow)
________________________________________________________________________
9. (it / snow in Australia at this season)
_________________________________________________________________________
10. (John / sleep at the moment)
_________________________________________________________________________
11. (he / not / dance)
_________________________________________________________________________
12. (how / they / get here?)
_________________________________________________________________________
13. (when / it / start?)
_________________________________________________________________________
14. (I / not / speak Chinese at the moment)
_________________________________________________________________________
15. (Jill / drink tea now?)
_________________________________________________________________________
16. (he / pay the bill at the moment?)
_________________________________________________________________________
17. (I / stay with a friend for the weekend)
_________________________________________________________________________
18. (when / John / arrive?)
_________________________________________________________________________
19. (they / come to the party?)
_________________________________________________________________________
20. (we / not / study)
_________________________________________________________________________

Common questions

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The present continuous tense can be used for both ongoing present actions and future planned actions. When used for ongoing actions, it describes what is happening at the current time, for example, 'We are watching TV right now.' For future plans, it indicates a fixed arrangement, such as 'I am meeting my friend tonight,' suggesting that the plan is certain and scheduled .

In informal spoken English, expressions using the present continuous are often more frequent and can include contractions, which create a casual tone, such as 'I'm studying now.' In formal written English, the use of present continuous may be more precise, avoiding contractions, and is often accompanied by more context, such as 'The company is expanding its operations currently' .

'Yes/no' questions in the present continuous tense are structured with the auxiliary verb 'am/is/are' preceding the subject, followed by the verb with '-ing,' such as 'Is she working?' 'Wh-' questions introduce a question word at the beginning, followed by the same auxiliary pattern, for example, 'What is she doing?' This structure difference facilitates seeking specific information beyond mere confirmation .

Present continuous exercises are instrumental for second-language learners as they highlight how ongoing actions correlate to the immediate present, thus differentiating them from simple present or future intentions. These exercises encourage practice through contextual examples and variations, helping learners internalize time frame nuances and the distinction between actions in progress and habitual actions .

The present continuous tense is generally avoided with stative verbs that describe a state rather than an action, such as 'believe,' 'know,' 'like.' These verbs typically do not have an ongoing action to describe, e.g., 'know' in 'I know the answer' is a state of mind, not a change or ongoing process, thus not suitable for present continuous .

The present continuous tense in English is used to describe actions that are happening at the present moment or around the present time but not necessarily at this exact moment. It is formed using the subject + am/is/are + base verb + -ing. For example, 'He is walking to school now' indicates an action taking place in the current timeframe .

Learners often struggle to distinguish when the present continuous implies future scheduling because the structure appears similar to expressing immediate actions. The challenge is understanding that certain contexts inherently convey future intent, e.g., 'We are meeting at 6 PM' implies a planned future event despite its present continuous form. Emphasizing contextual clues, like time mentions, assists in this differentiation .

The present continuous tense is particularly effective in expressing irritation because it emphasizes the ongoing nature of the repeated action, which can highlight the persistence of the behavior causing annoyance. For example, 'You are always leaving the door open' places emphasis on the repeated nature of the action .

Adverbs like 'now' and 'at the moment' play a crucial role in emphasizing the immediacy of the action described by the present continuous tense. These adverbs clarify that the action is occurring simultaneously with the timing of the statement. For example, 'He is working in a restaurant now' highlights the current nature of the action .

In the sentence "They are reading at present," the phrase 'at present' serves to emphasize the immediacy and ongoing nature of the action. It clarifies that the action of reading is not only current but exactly synchronized with the present time frame. Such adverbial phrases help to provide temporal context within ongoing actions .

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