Present Continuous Tense – English Grammar Exercises for A1
You are on vacation! You are sitting on a bus, relaxing at the beach, or walking around a new city. You are texting in your family group chat to give them a “live broadcast” of what you and the people around you are doing right at this exact moment.
Choose the best option to complete each text message.
1 Hi family! We are finally on our way. I ______ by the window on the bus.
(a) sit
(b) sitting
(c) am sitting
2 The weather is absolutely perfect here. The sun ______ brightly!
(a) is shining
(b) shines
(c) is shineing
3 We are at the beach right now, and we ______ a wonderful time.
(a) have
(b) are having
(c) are have
4 I am so relaxed. I ______ about work or school today!
(a) am not thinking
(b) don’t think
(c) not thinking
5 Look at this photo. Mom and Dad ______ coffee at a cute little cafe.
(a) is drinking
(b) drink
(c) are drinking
6 “Hey guys, ______ your holiday?” “Yes, we love it!”
(a) Are you enjoying
(b) Do you enjoy
(c) You are enjoying
7 I am at the souvenir shop, and I ______ some postcards for you all.
(a) get
(b) am geting
(c) am getting
8 Exciting news! Our train ______ the station right now. Next stop, Rome!
(a) is leaveing
(b) is leaving
(c) leaves
9 We want to know about you guys back home. What ______ right now?
(a) do you do
(b) are you doing
(c) you are doing
10 Just a quick update: We ______ at a big hotel. We rented a small, cozy cabin instead.
(a) aren’t staying
(b) don’t stay
(c) isn’t staying
11 I can hear the waves. I ______ on the warm sand right now.
(a) am lieing
(b) lie
(c) am lying
12 Oh no, look at those dark clouds! It ______ to rain.
(a) is starting
(b) starts
(c) is start
13 Check out this video! My little sister ______ in the hotel pool.
(a) is swiming
(b) swims
(c) is swimming
14 We are at the museum. The tour guide ______ us some ancient statues.
(a) is showing
(b) shows
(c) are showing
15 This place is so beautiful. Everyone in our tour group ______ lots of pictures!
(a) are taking
(b) is taking
(c) takes
16 My friends and I ______ bicycles to explore the island this afternoon.
(a) are renting
(b) is renting
(c) rent
17 Look out the window! We ______ over the snowy mountains now.
(a) fly
(b) are flieing
(c) are flying
18 I normally hate long bus rides, but I ______ this trip so much!
(a) am enjoying
(b) enjoy
(c) am enjoing
19 Guess what? Who ______ next to me on the plane? A famous actor!
(a) sits
(b) is sitting
(c) are sitting
20 It is so quiet and peaceful in this forest. Nobody ______ loudly.
(a) is talking
(b) are talking
(c) talks
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (c) am sitting
- Why it’s correct: “I” takes “am” + V-ing. It gives a live update of exactly what you are doing right now.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is Present Simple (routine). (b) is missing the auxiliary verb “am”.
2 (a) is shining
- Why it’s correct: “The sun” (it) takes “is”. “Shine” drops the silent “e” to become “shining”.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is Present Simple. (c) is a spelling error because it keeps the silent “e”.
3 (b) are having
- Why it’s correct: “We” takes “are” + V-ing.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is Present Simple. (c) is missing the “-ing” suffix.
4 (a) am not thinking
- Why it’s correct: The negative form for “I” is “am not” + V-ing.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is the Present Simple negative. (c) is missing the “be” verb “am”.
5 (c) are drinking
- Why it’s correct: “Mom and Dad” is plural (they), taking “are” + V-ing.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) uses the singular “is”. (b) is Present Simple.
6 (a) Are you enjoying
- Why it’s correct: Yes/No question: Be + subject + V-ing (Are + you + enjoying?).
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is a Present Simple question. (c) uses statement word order instead of question word order.
7 (c) am getting
- Why it’s correct: “Get” is a short CVC (Consonant-Vowel-Consonant) word, so you must double the “t” (getting).
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is Present Simple. (b) is a spelling error because it forgets to double the “t”.
8 (b) is leaving
- Why it’s correct: “Our train” (it) takes “is”. “Leave” drops the silent “e” to become “leaving”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is a spelling error (leaveing). (c) is Present Simple.
9 (b) are you doing
- Why it’s correct: WH-question: WH-word + be + subject + V-ing.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is Present Simple, which asks about general habits or jobs, not current actions. (c) uses statement word order.
10 (a) aren’t staying
- Why it’s correct: The negative for “We” is “are not” (aren’t) + V-ing.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is Present Simple. (c) uses the singular “isn’t”.
11 (c) am lying
- Why it’s correct: For verbs ending in “ie” (like lie), you change the “ie” to “y” before adding “-ing” (lying).
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is a spelling error (lieing). (b) is Present Simple.
12 (a) is starting
- Why it’s correct: “It” takes “is” + V-ing to describe the weather happening right now.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is Present Simple. (c) is missing the “-ing” suffix.
13 (c) is swimming
- Why it’s correct: “Swim” is a CVC word, requiring a double “m” (swimming).
- Why the others are wrong: (a) forgets to double the “m” (swiming). (b) is Present Simple.
14 (a) is showing
- Why it’s correct: “The tour guide” is singular (he/she), taking “is” + V-ing.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is Present Simple. (c) uses the plural “are”.
15 (b) is taking
- Why it’s correct: The pronoun “Everyone” is grammatically singular, taking “is”. “Take” drops the silent “e”.
- Why the others are wrong: (a) uses “are”, which is a common mistake for learners treating “everyone” as plural. (c) is Present Simple.
16 (a) are renting
- Why it’s correct: “My friends and I” means “we” (plural). Therefore, you must use “are” + V-ing.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) uses “is”, failing to recognize the compound plural subject. (c) is Present Simple.
17 (c) are flying
- Why it’s correct: For verbs ending in “y” (like fly, play, enjoy), you simply add “-ing” directly without changing anything (flying).
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is Present Simple. (b) incorrectly changes the “y” to “ie”.
18 (a) am enjoying
- Why it’s correct: “I” + am + enjoying. This contrasts a general feeling (I normally hate) with a live, current feeling (I am enjoying).
- Why the others are wrong: (b) is Present Simple. (c) is a spelling error, forgetting the “y”.
19 (b) is sitting
- Why it’s correct: The question word “Who” acts as a singular subject, taking “is”. “Sit” doubles the “t” (sitting).
- Why the others are wrong: (a) is Present Simple. (c) uses the plural “are”.
20 (a) is talking
- Why it’s correct: Just like “everyone”, the pronoun “Nobody” acts as a singular subject and takes “is”.
- Why the others are wrong: (b) uses the plural “are”. (c) is Present Simple.
GRAMMAR POINTS TO REMEMBER
- Grammar Function (Live Broadcasting): When you send a message, post a photo online, or make a video call, use the Present Continuous to describe the scene. It acts like a camera, showing your friends exactly what you are doing, seeing, and feeling right at that second.
- The “Camera Lens” Rule: * If you take a picture of it happening: Use Present Continuous (I am drinking coffee.)
- If it is a general fact or routine: Use Present Simple (I drink coffee every morning.)
- Spelling the “-ing” Form:
- Keep the ‘y’: fly → flying, enjoy → enjoying.
- Change ‘ie’ to ‘y’: lie → lying, die → dying.
- Double the letter (CVC): get → getting, sit → sitting, swim → swimming.
- Tricky Subjects: Words like Everyone, Everybody, and Nobody are always singular. Treat them like “he/she/it” and use “is“.