Bill Situ
English and ESL Instructor
The English language has various continuous tenses. These tenses indicate actions that a continuous, or happening over a length of time. They have a main verb that takes on the -ing form (e.g. working, talking, running, etc). Anytime that the main verb appears in the -ing form, a helping verb is always necessary. It is never grammatical to use a verb with an -ing ending immediately after the subject:
I going to school. (Subject — I)
It raining outside. (Subject — it)
Jack and Carl working at the department store. (Subject — Jack and Carl)
One example of a continuous tense is the present continuous. This tense indicates an action that is presently happening and will continue into the future. The present continuous will always use the present form of be as the helping verb before the -ing verb:
I am going to school. (Am is the conjugated form of be for the subject I)
It is raining outside. (Is is the conjugated form of be for the subject he/she/it)
Jack and Carl are working at the department store. (Are is the conjugated form of be for the subject they)
Remember to always use the proper conjugations of to be in the present tense:
I am
You are
He/she/it is
We are
They are
I going to school. (Subject — I)
It raining outside. (Subject — it)
Jack and Carl working at the department store. (Subject — Jack and Carl)
One example of a continuous tense is the present continuous. This tense indicates an action that is presently happening and will continue into the future. The present continuous will always use the present form of be as the helping verb before the -ing verb:
I am going to school. (Am is the conjugated form of be for the subject I)
It is raining outside. (Is is the conjugated form of be for the subject he/she/it)
Jack and Carl are working at the department store. (Are is the conjugated form of be for the subject they)
Remember to always use the proper conjugations of to be in the present tense:
I am
You are
He/she/it is
We are
They are
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