Print this if you can. Paper is better for this one.

Handwriting gets better with a pencil, and a finished sheet can go on the fridge. If there is no printer in the house, the same sheet works on screen · it is the same questions, marked as you go.

Do it on screen instead

Present continuous: happening right now

Work down the parts in order. Read the rule first, and stop when you have had enough — this is a long sheet.

I can — I can use am, is or are with verb + ing.

NameDate

Learn it — two parts, always

The present continuous tells what is happening right now, and it always has two parts: am, is or are, then the verb with -ing. Both must be there. Not she playing, not she is play, but she is playing.

RuleWhenExample
amwith II am eating.
iswith he, she, it or one nameSara is eating.
arewith you, we or theyThey are eating.

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Present continuous: happening right now

Page 2 of 13 · LOOK AND FIND

Part A — Look and find

Write am, is or are.

Word box

amisare
  1. 1.I reading.
  2. 2.He running.
  3. 3.They playing.
  4. 4.She singing.
  5. 5.We working.
  6. 6.The cat sleeping.
  7. 7.You listening.
  8. 8.Ali and Sara talking.

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Present continuous: happening right now

Page 3 of 13 · WRITE IT

Part B — Write it

Write both parts.

Word box

am readingis drawingare playingis swimmingare eatingis sleeping
  1. 1.I a book. (read)
  2. 2.She a picture. (draw)
  3. 3.They football. (play)
  4. 4.He in the pool. (swim)
  5. 5.We lunch. (eat)
  6. 6.The baby. (sleep)

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Present continuous: happening right now

Page 4 of 13 · KEEP GOING

Part C — Keep going

Make each one negative, using the short form.

  1. 1. She is dancing.
  2. 2. They are running.
  3. 3. I am watching TV.
  4. 4. The dog is barking.
  5. 5. We are waiting.
  6. 6. He is cooking.

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Present continuous: happening right now

Page 5 of 13 · USE IT

Part D — Use it

Finish each short answer.

Word box

she isthey aren'tI amit isn'the iswe aren't
  1. 1.Is she singing? Yes,.
  2. 2.Are they eating? No,.
  3. 3.Are you listening? Yes,.
  4. 4.Is it raining? No,.
  5. 5.Is he working? Yes,.
  6. 6.Are we winning? No,.

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Present continuous: happening right now

Page 6 of 13 · ALL THREE FORMS

Part E — All three forms

One form is given. Write the other two.

  1. 1. I am reading. → negative, then question
  2. 2. He isn't running. → affirmative, then question
  3. 3. Are they playing? → affirmative, then negative
  4. 4. She is cooking. → negative, then question
  5. 5. We aren't waiting. → affirmative, then question

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Present continuous: happening right now

Page 7 of 13 · WHOLE SENTENCES

Part F — Whole sentences

Turn each sentence into a question.

  1. 1. He is writing.
  2. 2. They are swimming.
  3. 3. You are waiting.
  4. 4. She is cooking dinner.
  5. 5. The baby is crying.

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Present continuous: happening right now

Page 8 of 13 · FIND THE MISTAKE

Part G — Find the mistake

Each sentence has one mistake. Write the whole sentence out correctly.

  1. 1. She is play in the garden.
  2. 2. They is running fast.
  3. 3. I am not swim now.
  4. 4. Is he swiming?
  5. 5. We isn't waiting.
  6. 6. He are sleeping.

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Present continuous: happening right now

Page 9 of 13 · MIXED PRACTICE

Part H — Mixed practice

These come from everything on this sheet. Write the missing word.

Word box

amareisrunningI
  1. 1.I eating.
  2. 2.They playing.
  3. 3.She is. (run)
  4. 4.We not ready.
  5. 5. he working?
  6. 6.Yes, am.
  7. 7.It raining.
  8. 8.You listening.

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Present continuous: happening right now

Page 10 of 13 · THE READING

Part I — The reading

Right Now in My House

It is six o'clock on a Tuesday evening and everybody in my family is doing something different.

My mother is cooking dinner. I can hear the oil in the pan and I can smell garlic, which means it is going to be a good one. She is also talking on the phone to my aunt, holding it against her shoulder while she stirs, which our father says is a skill nobody appreciates.

My father is reading the newspaper at the table. He is not really reading it. He has been on the same page for eleven minutes and his eyes are closed. He says he is resting them.

My little sister is drawing on the floor. She is using every colour in the box at the same time and she is pressing very hard. She is making a picture of our family, and in it we all have extremely large heads.

I am sitting at the table doing my homework. Or I am trying to. Our cat, Mimi, is sleeping on my exercise book, and she is completely refusing to move. She is not even pretending to be awake.

So I am not writing very much at the moment. I am watching the clock, and I am waiting for Mimi to get bored.

She is not getting bored. She is winning.

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Page 11 of 13 · COMPREHENSION

Part J — Comprehension

Look back at Part I. Answer each one in a full sentence.

  1. 1. What time and day is it?
  2. 2. What is the mother doing?
  3. 3. How do we know dinner will be good?
  4. 4. Why is the father not really reading?

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Present continuous: happening right now

Page 12 of 13 · COMPREHENSION CONTINUED

Part K — Comprehension continued

Look back at Part I. Answer each one in a full sentence.

  1. 1. Describe the little sister's picture.
  2. 2. Why can't the writer do the homework?
  3. 3. What is the writer waiting for?
  4. 4. What does the last line mean?

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Present continuous: happening right now

Page 13 of 13 · YOUR TURN

Part L — Your turn

Nobody marks this part. Write it your own way.

Look around you. Write five sentences about what people are doing now.

Mime an action and let somebody guess it with You are ...

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