The Present, Past and Future Continuous

Continuous
Present continuous
Past continuous
Future continuous

Present continuous
is composed of two parts—the present tense of the verb to be (am; is ; are)
+
the present participle of the main verb (V-ing).

Every student is running.
be+
V-ing
Present Continuous expresses the action which is happening at the moment of speech. E.g.

Present Continuous
They are talking to each other.
be + V-ing
He is singing..
I am playing a computer..
The sun is shining.

Present Continuous
has also the meaning of futurity when the action is planned beforehand.
e.g. Alex and Rose are getting married next month; they have invited all guests.
be + V-ing

Past continuous
is composed of two parts :
the past tense of the verb to be (was / were)
and
the base of the main verb +ing (V-ing).

Every student was running yesterday in
the afternoon.
was/were+
V-ing
Past Continuous expresses the action which was happening at a specific time in the past. E.g.

Past continuous
They were talking to each other yesterday.
be + V-ing
He was singing yesterday.
I was playing a computer yesterday.
The sun was shining yesterday.

Future continuous
is made up of two elements :
the simple future of the verb ‘to be’ –will be
+
the present participle of the verb-Ving.

Every student will be running tomorrow in
the afternoon.
Will be
+
V-ing
Future Continuous expresses the action which will be happening at a specific time in the future.

Future continuous
They will be talking to each other tomorrow.
will be + V-ing
He will be singing tomorrow.
I will be playing a computer tomorrow.
The sun will be shining tomorrow.

The following verbs are not used in Continuous tenses
The verbs that express feeling: like, love, hate, want, need, prefer
The verbs that express mental activity: know, realize, suppose, mean, understand, believe, remember, think (in the meaning of believe)
The verbs that express possession: have, possess, obtain, belong, fit, contain, consist, seem, be
The verbs that express sense of perception: see, hear, smell, taste

Choose the correct tense for the following sentences:
1. I was studying all night for that history test.
A. Present Continuous
B. Past Continuous
C. Future Continuous
2. The doctor is examining the patient.
A. Present Continuous
B. Past Continuous
C. Future Continuous
3. I will be going on vacation next week
A. Present Continuous
B. Past Continuous
C. Future Continuous

Choose the correct tense for the following sentences:
4. My sister is watching TV right now
A. Present Continuous
B. Past Continuous
C. Future Continuous
5. I will be working until 5 p.m. tomorrow
A. Present Continuous
B. Past Continuous
C. Future Continuous
6. At midnight, we were still driving through the desert
A. Present Continuous
B. Past Continuous
C. Future Continuous

Choose the correct tense for the following sentences:
7. He was constantly talking
A. Present Continuous
B. Past Continuous
C. Future Continuous
8. Tonight, we will be eating dinner at 8:00 p.m.
A. Present Continuous
B. Past Continuous
C. Future Continuous
9. The students are reading their books.
A. Present Continuous
B. Past Continuous
C. Future Continuous

Choose the correct tense for the following sentences:
10. He will be doing homework at the library tonight.
A. Present Continuous
B. Past Continuous
C. Future Continuous
11. Have you read the book yet?
A. Present Continuous
B. Past Continuous
C. Future Continuous
12. Will you be waiting for her when the plane arrives?
A. Present Continuous
B. Past Continuous
C. Future Continuous