The present progressive, also called the present continuous, is a very common verb tense in English. It is natural in speaking since a lot of conversations start with “What are you doing?” It’s also useful when talking about sports and actions. Since the Lesson of the Week this week is our coloring activity about Baseball, I thought it would be a good time to review this grammar tense. The method below is one I’ve often used with my students for presenting the present progressive. Next week, I’ll blog about comparing the simple present and the present progressive. Being able to use each one in the correct context is the ultimate test of your students’ understanding.

1. Form

BE + -ING Verb

Remind students that the BE verb must be conjugated according to the subject (I am, you are, he/she/it/third person singular count nouns/non-count nouns is, we are, you (pl.) are, they/third person plural count nouns are). (more…)