Present Continuous Tense – English Grammar Exercises for A1
You are catching up with an old friend at a coffee shop. You are talking about temporary habits, hobbies, or situations that you are doing these days (this week, this month).
Choose the correct option to complete each sentence.
1 I usually read romantic novels, but I ______ a great science fiction book this week.
(a) read
(b) am reading
(c) reading
2 I normally drink tea in the morning, but this month I ______ coffee.
(a) am drinking
(b) is drinking
(c) drink
3 My sister is visiting me. She ______ with me for a few days.
(a) stays
(b) are staying
(c) is staying
4 We ______ Spanish at a local language center this term.
(a) is learning
(b) learn
(c) are learning
5 I ______ really hard for my final exams these days.
(a) am studying
(b) am study
(c) study
6 My car is broken, so I ______ the bus to work this week.
(a) am takeing
(b) take
(c) am taking
7 So, tell me, what ______ these days?
(a) are you doing
(b) you are doing
(c) do you do
8 I ______ much TV this week because I am very busy with my new job.
(a) don’t watch
(b) am not watching
(c) not watching
9 ______ guitar lessons this month? I see a guitar in your room!
(a) You are taking
(b) Do you take
(c) Are you taking
10 Tom usually works in a bank, but he ______ in a cafe right now to get some extra money.
(a) works
(b) is working
(c) is work
11 We ______ at a hotel until our new house is ready next week.
(a) staying
(b) stay
(c) are staying
12 My smartphone is broken, so I ______ my mom’s old phone.
(a) am using
(b) am useing
(c) use
13 ______ a lot of overtime this month to save money for her holiday?
(a) Is she working
(b) Does she work
(c) She is working
14 I normally walk to work, but it’s raining this week so I ______ my car.
(a) drive
(b) am driving
(c) driveing
15 Normally I go to bed early, but I ______ up late this week to finish a big project.
(a) stay
(b) am stay
(c) am staying
16 My brother usually plays football, but he ______ tennis this season.
(a) is playing
(b) is plaing
(c) plays
17 I don’t usually eat fast food, but I ______ a lot of pizzas this week because I have no time to cook.
(a) eating
(b) am eating
(c) eat
18 We ______ to find a new apartment this month, but it’s very difficult.
(a) are trying
(b) try
(c) are trieing
19 Why ______ a thick jacket today? It’s very hot outside!
(a) do you wear
(b) are you wearing
(c) are you wear
20 I ______ a lot of emails right now because my boss is on holiday.
(a) am writeing
(b) write
(c) am writing
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (b) am reading
- Why it’s correct: The subject “I” takes “am” + V-ing. It describes a temporary action happening “this week.”
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is Present Simple, which is incorrect because this isn’t a permanent habit (Common mistake). (c) is missing the “be” verb (Basic grammar error).
2 (a) am drinking
- Why it’s correct: Describes a temporary habit for “this month.” The structure is “I” + am + V-ing.
- Why the others are wrong: (c) is Present Simple, ignoring the temporary context. (b) uses “is,” which is incorrect for the subject “I.”
3 (c) is staying
- Why it’s correct: “She” takes “is” + V-ing. Staying “for a few days” is a temporary situation.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is Present Simple. (b) uses “are,” which is for plural subjects, not “she.”
4 (c) are learning
- Why it’s correct: “We” takes “are” + V-ing. Learning Spanish “this term” is a temporary activity.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is Present Simple. (a) incorrectly uses “is” with the plural subject “We.”
5 (a) am studying
- Why it’s correct: “I” + am + V-ing.
- Why the others are wrong: (c) is Present Simple. (b) forgets to add the “-ing” suffix to “study.”
6 (c) am taking
- Why it’s correct: Taking the bus is a temporary fix because the car is broken. The verb “take” drops the silent “e” before adding “-ing” (taking).
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is Present Simple. (a) has incorrect spelling because it keeps the silent “e” (takeing).
7 (a) are you doing
- Why it’s correct: Wh-question structure: Wh-word + be + S + V-ing.
- Why the others are wrong: (c) is Present Simple (do you do), which asks about someone’s permanent job, not recent temporary activities. (b) uses statement word order instead of question word order.
8 (b) am not watching
- Why it’s correct: Negative structure: S + am/is/are + not + V-ing.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is Present Simple. (c) is missing the “be” verb “am.”
9 (c) Are you taking
- Why it’s correct: Yes/No question structure: Be + S + V-ing?
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is Present Simple. (a) uses statement word order.
10 (b) is working
- Why it’s correct: Contrasts a permanent job (works in a bank) with a temporary one (is working in a cafe).
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is Present Simple. (c) misses the “-ing” suffix on “work.”
11 (c) are staying
- Why it’s correct: Staying at a hotel is temporary until the house is ready.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is Present Simple. (a) is missing the “be” verb “are.”
12 (a) am using
- Why it’s correct: Using the old phone is temporary. The verb “use” drops the “e” before adding “-ing” (using).
- Why the others are wrong: (c) is Present Simple. (b) has incorrect spelling (useing).
13 (a) Is she working
- Why it’s correct: Yes/No question with the subject “She” requires “Is” at the beginning.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is Present Simple. (c) uses statement word order instead of question word order.
14 (b) am driving
- Why it’s correct: Contrasts the normal habit (walk) with the temporary action (driving) due to the rain.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is Present Simple. (c) is misspelled; it incorrectly keeps the silent “e” (driveing).
15 (c) am staying
- Why it’s correct: A temporary break from the normal routine (staying up late this week).
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is Present Simple. (b) is missing the “-ing” suffix.
16 (a) is playing
- Why it’s correct: Playing tennis is temporary just for “this season.”
- Why the others are wrong: (c) is Present Simple. (b) is misspelled; “play” just takes “-ing” directly (playing).
17 (b) am eating
- Why it’s correct: A temporary change in diet because of a busy week.
- Why the others are wrong: (c) is Present Simple. (a) is missing the “be” verb “am.”
18 (a) are trying
- Why it’s correct: The effort to find an apartment is an ongoing, temporary process “this month.”
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is Present Simple. (c) is misspelled; “try” just takes “-ing” directly without changing the “y” to “ie”.
19 (b) are you wearing
- Why it’s correct: Asks about a temporary, unusual situation happening today (wearing a thick jacket in hot weather).
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is Present Simple. (c) forgets the “-ing” suffix.
20 (c) am writing
- Why it’s correct: Writing a lot of emails is a temporary situation happening only while the boss is away. “Write” drops the “e” to become “writing.”
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is Present Simple. (a) is misspelled (writeing).
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- Grammar Function (Temporary Situations): We often think the Present Continuous is only for things happening “right now.” However, a very common use is to describe temporary actions or habits (happening these days, this week, this month) that are different from your normal, permanent routine.
Example: “I normally drink tea (permanent), but this week I am drinking coffee (temporary).” - Core Structure (Form):
- Positive: Subject + am/is/are + V-ing
- Negative: Subject + am/is/are + not + V-ing
- Question: Am/Is/Are + Subject + V-ing?
- Spelling Rules for “-ing” (A1 Level Focus):
- Most verbs: Just add “-ing” directly (read → reading, play → playing, try → trying).
- Verbs ending in a silent “e”: Drop the “e” before adding “-ing” (take → taking, use → using, write → writing). Note: A1 learners frequently make the mistake of keeping the “e” (e.g., makeing, useing).