Continuous Form

On this page:
Why do we use a continuous form?
How do we make a continuous form?
Examples of continuous forms.
Other uses of the continuous form.

Why do we use a continuous form?
Many English sentences use the simple form of a verb.
1A. She ate dinner at 6p.m.
This sentence says that the action ate happened at the time of 6 p.m.
She ate
↕
6 p.m.

Eating dinner takes longer than one minute, and so at 6 p.m. is not really true. If we want to say that eating started before 6 p.m. and ended after 6p.m., we use a continuous form.

How do we make a continuous form?
Example 1A. She ate dinner at 6p.m.
To make a continuous form, we change the verb ate.

A continuous form uses some form of be and then a present participle (the —ing form of a verb). As usual, we put the tense on the first part of the verb: because ate is the past tense of eat, we need the past tense of be, which is were for a (plural), or was for a (singular). Because she is singular, we use was.
She was

Then, we add the —ing form of the verb eat, which is eating.
She was eating

When we put this into the sentence, the time is different. A continuous form tells us that the verb starts before and finishes after the time.
1B: She was eating dinner at 6 p.m.
eating eating eating
↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓↓
6 p.m.
Now, the sentence says that, at 6 p.m., she was “in the process” of eating dinner, which she started before 6 and finished after 6.

Example 2A: He plays golf.
This sentence says that he usually plays golf, but it does not tell us what is happening now. If we want to say what is happening now, we need a continuous form.

To make the continuous form, we change the verb play.

Because plays is the present tense of play, we need the present tense of be, which is am if the subject is I, are for you or we or they, and is for he or she or it. Because the subject is he, we use is.
He is

Then, we add the —ing form of the verb play, which is playing.
He is playing

When we put this into the sentence, it means “now”.
2B: He is playing golf.
We do not need to say He is playing golf now, because is playing already says now.

Example 3A: I will do my homework at 7 p.m. Do not call me then.
Doing homework (usually) takes longer than one minute, and so at 7 p.m. is not really true. If we mean that 7 is in the middle of my homework time, we need a continuous form.

To make the continuous form, we change the verb do.

Because will do is the future tense of do, we need the future tense of be, which is will be.
I will be

Then, we add the —ing form of the verb do, which is doing.
I will be doing

3B: I will be doing my homework at 7 p.m. Do not call me then.
This sentence says that I will start my homework before 7, and I will finish it after 7, so do not call me in the middle of my homework.

For other uses of the continuous form, see Continuous Form: Advanced Uses.