Essential Grammar in Use. Unit 3. I am doing (Present continuous)

 A. 

👩 I`m eating.

• She`s eating.
• She isn`t reading.

⛆

• It`s raining.
• The sun isn`t shining.

👬 We`re running.

• They`re running.
• They aren`t walking.

The present continuous is:

am/is/are + doing/eating/writing etc.

• I`m working. I`m not watching TV.
• Maria is reading a newspaper.
• She isn`t eating. (or She`s not eating.)
• The bus is coming.
• We`re having dinner.
• You`re not listening to me. (or You aren`t listening...)
• The children are doing their homework.

B. am/is/are + -ing = something is happening now:

I`m working

she`s wearing a hat

they`re playing football

I`m not waching TV

• Please be quiet. I`m working. (= I`m working now)
• Look, there`s Sarah. She`s wearing a brown coat. (= she is wearing it now)
• The weather is nice. It`s not raining.
• "Where are the children?" "They`re playing in the park."
• (on the phone) We`re having dinner now. Can I call you later?
• You can turn off the television. I`m not watching it.

Spelling (→Appendix 5):

come → coming   write → writing   dance → dancing

run → running   sit → sitting   swim → swimming

lie → lying

Verbs that end in -e (make/write/drive etc.) → -eing:

make → making

write → writing

come → coming

dance → dancing

Verbs that end in -ie →-ying:

lie → lying

die → dying

tie → tying

Exercises

3.1 What are these people doing? Use these verbs to complete the sentences:

eat   have   lie   play   sit   wait

1. She`s eating an apple.
2. He`s waiting.
3. They`re playing.
4. He`s lying on the floor.
5. They`re having breakfast.
6. She`s sitting on the table.

3.2 Complete the sentences. Use the verbs:

build   cook   go   have   stand   stay   swim   work

1. Please be quiet. I`m working.
2. "Where`s John?" "He`s in the kitchen. He`s cooking.
3. "You`re standing on my foot." "Oh, I`m sorry."
4. Look! Somebody`s swimming in the river.
5. We`re here on holiday. We`re staying at the Central Hotel.
6. "Where`s Sue?" "She`s having a shower."
7. They`re building a new hotel in the city centre at the moment.
8. I`m going now. Goodbye.

3.3 Look at the picture. Write sentences about Jane. Use She`s -ing or She isn`t -ing.

1. (have dinner) Jane isn`t having dinner.
2. (watch TV) She`s watching TV.
3. (sit on the floor) She`s sitting on the floor.
4. (read a book) She isn`t reading a book.
5. (play the piano) She isn`t playing the piano.
6. (laugh) She`s laughing.
7. (wear a hat) She`s wearing a hat.
8. (drink coffee) She isn`t drinking coffee.

3.4 What`s happening now? Write true sentences.

1. (I / wash / my hair) I`m not washing my hair.
2. (it / snow) It isn`t snowing.
3. (I / sit / on a chair) I`m not sitting on a chair.
4. (I / eat) I`m eating.
5. (it / rain) It isn`t raining.
6. (I / lean / English) I`m leaning English.
7. (I / listen / to music) I`m not listening to music.
8. (the sun / shine) The sun isn`t shining.
9. (I / wear / shoes) I`m not wearing shoes.
10. (I / read / a newspaper) I`m not reading a newspaper.

Supplementary Exercises

6. How do you spell it? Write the continuous form (-ing) of these verbs in the correct list.

arrive   begin   come   cry   dance   decide   die   dig   forget   have   help   laugh   listen  lie   live   make   play   put   rob   start   stop   swim   tie   wear   win   work   write

• +-ing - crying, helping, laughing, listening, playing, starting, wearing, working.
• n → nn, t → tt, etc. - beginnin, forgetting, putting, robbing, stopping, swimming, winning.
• e → ing - arriving, coming, dancing, deciding, having, living, making, writing.
• ie → ying - dying, lying, tying.

7. Complete the postcard with the correct form of the Present Continuous (is/are + -ing).
Sometimes the verbs is negative (isn`t/ aren`t + -ing).

Well, here we are in Jamaica and the sun is shining (shine). I`m lying (lie) on the beach and watching (watch) people in the sea. Most of them swimming (swim) - they are standing (stand) in the water and are watching (watch) the little fish around their feet. A group of people are playing (play) volleyball. on the beach, the sun is very hot, so Julia isn`t lying (lie) with me on the beach - she`s sitting (sit) under a tree. She is wearing (wear) a big sun hat and is eating (eat) a piece of watermelon. It`s a great life! See you in ten days.

Love, Josie.

8. Look at the picture and the description. Correct the mistakes in the description.

Angie is reading a book. The boys Ben and Eric, are playing with a ball. They are both wearing sunglasses. Steve is cooking chicken. He`s laughing because the smoke is getting in his eyes. Jo is standing with her father and is listening to music on her smartphone. She is eating  an orange. Barney, the dog, is lying on the grass asleep.

1. Angie isn`t reading a book. She`s reading a newspaper.
2. Ben and Eric aren`t playing with a ball. They are playing computer games.
3. They aren`t wearing sunglasses. They`re wearing hats.
4. Steve isn`t cooking chicken. He`s cooking fish.
5. He isn`t laughing. He`s crying.
6. Jo isn`t standing with her father. She`s lying on the grass.
7. She isn`t eating an orange. She`s eating a banana.
8. Barney isn`t lying on the grass asleep. He`s playing with a ball.

9. You are talking to your friends, Olivia, on the phone. Ask questions to find out what she and her family are doing.

• Where are you?
  In the sitting room.

1. What are you doing?
   I`m talking to you!
2. Where are you sitting?
   On the floor.
3. Why are you laughing?
   Because there`s funny man on TV.
4. What are you watching?
   A comedy programme.
5. Are you enjoying it?
   Yes, I am, but I`m listening to you too.

• Where`s Pete?
  In the kitchen.

1. Is he cooking dinner?
   No, he`s talking to someono.
2. Who is he talking to?
   His friends, James.

• And where are your parents?
  In the kitchen too.

1. Are they talking to James?
   No, they`re making dinner.
2. What are they making?
   My mum is cooking fish and my dad is cutting the bread.