Present continuous: happening now

Approximate A1–A2 · editorial content label, not a certified rating.

Use am/is/are plus the ing form for an action happening now or around the current period. Put not after be; move be before the subject in a question. The auxiliary is essential: She is working, rather than she working.

Try the three exercise formats

Examples to compare

  • I am checking the address.
  • Are they waiting outside?
  • We are meeting tomorrow at ten.

Watch the meaning and the limits

Some state verbs commonly use simple forms for a present state: I know the answer. The continuous can also describe an arranged future event when context supplies a future time. These are uses of a form, not a rule that every ing word means now.

Read each example aloud, then change one detail to make a sentence you could use. Continue with focused practice when you want a different set.

Common mistakes and how to fix them

Mistake: They waiting outside.

Use: They are waiting outside.

The continuous construction needs be before the ing form.

Try the pattern

3 choose questions · 2 sentence completions · 2 word gaps. Read the reason after every answer. No timer.

Typed answers stay on this page. This guided set checks the requested construction; it does not judge general writing. Read the accepted answers and reasons.

Use it in your own sentence

Write one sentence about your own routine or situation. Check the subject, verb form and intended meaning against the rule above. A different sentence may need a different form: these exercises accept the reviewed answers for their stated context.

Try the next practice set, or choose another grammar point.

All drill answers and reasons

  1. Listen! The phone ___ ringing.

    Choices: is / does / has

    Accepted: is

    Use is plus ringing for the current action.

  2. They are ___ outside right now.

    Choices: waiting / wait / waited

    Accepted: waiting

    The continuous uses the ing form after are.

  3. ___ she working today?

    Choices: Is / Does / Has

    Accepted: Is

    Move is before she for the continuous question.

  4. Complete the present continuous of read: She ___ now.

    Accepted: is reading / ’s reading

    Use is plus reading with she; she’s is the contracted form.

  5. Complete the present-continuous negative of wait: They ___ outside.

    Accepted: are not waiting / aren’t waiting

    Use are not plus waiting with they.

  6. We are ___ dinner right now. Use the ing form of cook.

    Accepted: cooking

    Are needs the ing form cooking in this continuous construction.

  7. ___ he working today? Use present be.

    Accepted: Is

    He takes is, placed before the subject in this question.

Practice questions

How do the three exercise formats work?

Choose asks you to pick an answer. Complete the sentence asks you to type the missing phrase. Fill in the word asks for one word, or no article where stated. Every checked answer includes a reason.

Which typed answers are accepted?

Use the form and meaning requested in the prompt. Reviewed alternatives and contractions are accepted where they fit. Capital letters, surrounding spaces, straight or curly apostrophes and a final full stop, question mark or exclamation mark do not affect marking. The answer reference lists the accepted forms.

Are my typed answers sent or saved?

Typed answers stay on this page in your browser. They are not sent to the server or saved. If device progress is available, completing a set records only the activity and study points on this device.

Can this check my own writing or certify my level?

No. This is a small guided set with reviewed answers, not a general grammar checker or a level certificate. An unlisted answer does not mean it is always wrong in English. Read the prompt and the explanation for this construction.

Further reference: Cambridge English Grammar Today. The explanations, examples and exercises here are original; each lesson covers a useful pattern rather than every exception.