2.8.1: The Continuous Tenses in English (Active Voice)

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Don Bissonnette
South Seattle Community College

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The Continuous Tenses in English (Active Voice)

Present Continuous Tense
I         am
He       is       studying       now.
She       is      eating           right now.
It          is sleeping        as I speak.
We       are
You      are
They     are

The present continuous is used in situations that are in progress as the speaker is speaking. It emphasizes the action of the verb at this time.

Past Continuous Tense

I          was
He      was
She      was
It         was
                      studying when I got home from work.
                      eating             when the doorbell rang.
                      sleeping       when John came home.

We       were
You      were
They    were

`The past continuous is used when two actions occurred in the past at the same time. One action was in progress when another action interrupted it. It can also be used alone to emphasize the action of the verb.

Future Continuous Tense with Will and other Modals and Quasi-Modal Verbs

I          will
He might
She should          be          studying           tonight.
It         ought to        be          eating later on this evening.
We       must             be          sleeping       next week.
You   may
They    have to

The future continuous with will and other modals stresses the on-going action of the modal in the future time.

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

I         have             been
We have             been
You    have             been
They    have   been     studying since 10:00 o’clock.
                            been     eating           all day long.
He has             been sleeping for three hours.
She      has           been
It        has           been

The present perfect continuous says that an action began in the past, continues to the present, and may continue to the future. It stresses that the action of the verb is in progress and not finished as the speaker is speaking.

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

I          had been
He      had been
She   had been       studying but stopped before his father came home.
It         had been       eating           and then decided to go for a walk.
We       had been       sleeping so didn’t feel like going out later in the evening.
You      had been
They     had been

The past perfect continuous tense is used when two actions occurred at different times in the past. It emphasizes the first action had been in progress just before the second action began. It says that the first action began and finished before the second began.

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

I          will have      been
You      will have      been
We       will have      been
They     will have      been     studying       for two hours before she gets home.
He       will have      been     eating          with my friends before I join my family.
She       will have     been     sleeping in the living room before going out (or
It        will have      been before she goes out).

The future perfect continuous tense is used when an action in the future will be in progress before something else happens in the future.