Week 4 – English – Grammar

Grammar: What will you be doing in this activity?

In this activity, you will:

1. Learn about the present continuous tense, or the ‘ing’ form of the present tense.
2. Carry out some quizzes to test your understanding of this tense.
3. Use this tense in some sentences yourself.

The Present Continuous Tense

Press play to read and listen: The Present Continuous Tense

This is called the present continuous tense. It is made using the tense of the verb ‘be’ AND a verb with ‘–ing’ on the end. Please read through each section.

Here is the positive form:

Positive form (+)
I	am	reading
You	are	reading
He	is	reading
She	is	reading
We	are	reading
You	are	reading
They	are	reading

Here is the negative form:

Negative form (-)
I	am	not	reading
You	are	not	reading
He	is	not	reading
She	is	not	reading
We	are	not	reading
You	are	not	reading
They	are	not	reading

Here is the question form:

Question form (?)
Am	I	reading?
Are	you	reading?
Is	he	reading?
Is	she	reading?
Are	we	reading?
Are	you	reading?
Are	they	reading?

Time for a discussion:

What book are you reading at the moment? What is it like? Please type your answer in the comments box.

Listening to Grammar

Press play to read and listen: Listening to Grammar

Look at the change in these sentences.

I am going → I’m going

I am messaging → I’m messaging

He is not going → He isn’t going

She is studying → She’s studying

The soldier is talking → The soldier’s talking

They are practicing → They’re practicing

Now play this audio file and read the sentences again. Can you repeat the sentences after you hear them? Press the pause button to give you more time to repeat.

Listening to Grammar

What do you think is happening here?

Look at the image above. What is happening? What are all the people doing? Describe the things that are happening. Do you agree with your classmates’ opinions?

Write your answers in the comments box below

Time to write about yourself

What are you doing at the moment? What are your friends or family doing right now? Write 5 sentences or more in the comments box below to describe what you and your family are doing. For example, here, Mo describes what he is doing.

Hi guys! At the moment, I am very busy. I am reading a book to practise for my English exam. I am learning lots of new words. I am reading the words out loud to improve my pronunciation. While I am doing this, I am texting my friends to make plans for this weekend. Maya is also studying for the exam, so is excited to make fun plans. My sister is beside me. She is watching a Youtube video. She likes cooking, so is watching a chef make a nice meal. We are all very busy!

What are you, your friends and family doing right now?

Now, write something to respond to Mo. You can read what your course mates have written too, and ask each other questions!