Page 60 - English Grammar - 8

To make a negative sentence, we add not after is, am or are + present participle form of the
main verb. For example:

They are not leaving the town until next month.
O
To form an interrogative sentence, we start the question with is, am or are before the subject
followed by the present participle form of the main verb. For example:
Am I travelling with you tomorrow?
O

Practice Time 1

A. Fill in the blanks with the present continuous form of the verbs given in brackets.
1. The dog is happy. It _______________ its tail. (wag)
2. He _______________ for the exams right now. (prepare–negative)

3. _______________ you _______________ to the fair with us? (come-interrogative)
4. My sister _______________ at home these days. (stay)
5. I _______________ at the church today evening. (sing)

B. Rewrite the following sentences in the present continuous tense.

1. He was searching for his wallet.
__________________________________________________________________________

2. The wind was blowing fiercely.
__________________________________________________________________________

3. The cat was chasing the mouse.
__________________________________________________________________________

4. Julia was doing her homework at 8 p.m.
__________________________________________________________________________
Continuous Tenses
Past Continuous Tense

The past continuous tense is used:
to indicate an action that was going on in the past. For example:

The girl was dancing alone.
O
to say that something happened while an action was going on. For example:

It was 8 o’clock when I was writing the letter.
O
Formation of Sentences in Past Continuous Tense

To make a positive sentence, we add the helping verbs was or were before the present
participle form of the main verb. For example:
The lion was waiting when the zebra crossed his path.
O
To make a negative sentence, we add was not or were not before the present participle form
of the main verb. For example:

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