Basics of the Present Continuous. 45 questions on form and expressing actions happening now.
What this test covers
- Forming with am/is/are + -ing
- Actions Happening Now
- -ing Spelling Rules
Answer the 45 questions below. Each answer is checked straight away, with an explanation. Press Submit at the end to get your score and save it to your dashboard. Answers are not kept if you leave before submitting.
All 45 questions with answers
Pick an answer for each question to see if you are right, with the explanation. Submit when you are done; you can submit before answering them all.
-
Q1I ___ playing tennis with my friend right now.
Answer: B. am
With 'I,' we always use 'am' to talk about what is happening now.
-
Q2She ___ reading a book in the library at the moment.
Answer: D. is
For one person like 'she,' 'he,' or 'it,' we use 'is.'
-
Q3They ___ eating lunch in the cafeteria.
Answer: C. are
For groups like 'they' or 'we,' we use 'are.'
-
Q4We ___ not watching TV right now.
Answer: A. are
With 'we,' use 'are.' To say we are not doing something, we say 'are not' or 'aren't.'
-
Q5___ you listening to the teacher?
Answer: C. Are
To ask a question with 'you,' start with 'Are.'
-
Q6He ___ sleeping in his bedroom.
Answer: B. is
Use 'is' for a single person like 'he.'
-
Q7My dog ___ barking in the garden.
Answer: D. is
Because 'my dog' is one animal (it), we use 'is.'
-
Q8The children ___ playing in the park.
Answer: B. are
The word 'children' is plural (more than one), so we use 'are.'
-
Q9What ___ she doing at the moment?
Answer: A. is
In questions about 'she,' 'is' comes before the person.
-
Q10I ___ not working this weekend.
Answer: A. am
For 'I,' use 'am.' To make it negative, add 'not' after 'am.'
-
Q11Choose the correct sentence:
Answer: B. I am studying English now.
The correct form is 'I am' + action-ing. We spell it 'studying.' 'I is' and 'I am study' are both incorrect.
-
Q12Choose the correct sentence:
Answer: C. Are they eating lunch?
To ask a question about 'they,' use 'Are' + 'they' + action-ing. 'Is they' is incorrect because 'they' needs 'are.'
-
Q13My brother ___ running.
Answer: A. is
'My brother' is one person (he), so we use 'is.' We use 'are' for more than one person.
-
Q14She is not ___.
Answer: C. playing
In this tense, the action word must end in '-ing.' This is why 'playing' is the only correct choice.
-
Q15___ you sleeping?
Answer: C. Are
Always start with 'Are' when asking a question with 'you.'
-
Q16Look! It ___ outside.
Answer: C. is raining
The word 'Look!' means something is happening right now. For 'it,' use 'is raining.'
-
Q17Listen! The baby ___.
Answer: D. is crying
The word 'Listen!' tells us an action is happening now. For one baby, use 'is crying.'
-
Q18I ___ a very interesting book right now.
Answer: D. am reading
For 'I,' the correct form is 'am reading.' 'Read' is for habits, and 'am read' is missing the '-ing.'
-
Q19She ___ for her exams this week.
Answer: A. is studying
Use 'is' + '-ing' for things happening around now. For 'she,' the helping word is 'is.'
-
Q20We ___ on a new project these days.
Answer: D. are working
For 'we,' use 'are' + the action-ing word. 'Work' and 'are work' are incorrect here.
-
Q21___ you ___ for the bus?
Answer: C. Are / waiting
For a question with 'you,' the correct pattern is 'Are' at the beginning and '-ing' at the end of the action.
-
Q22He ___ at the moment.
Answer: C. is not working
To make a negative, put 'not' between 'is' and the action-ing word: 'is not working.'
-
Q23The phone ___. Can you answer it?
Answer: D. is ringing
Because the phone is ringing right now, use 'is' + '-ing.' Use 'is' because there is only one phone.
-
Q24Choose the correct sentence:
Answer: B. I am cooking dinner now.
To talk about 'now,' you must use 'am' and '-ing.' 'I cook dinner now' is incorrect because it uses the simple form.
-
Q25Choose the correct sentence:
Answer: A. They are learning English this month.
For 'they,' use 'are' + '-ing.' 'They is' and 'They are learn' are both incorrect.
-
Q26I ___ an apple now.
Answer: B. am eating
With 'I,' you need both 'am' and the '-ing' word. 'Eating' alone is not a full sentence.
-
Q27She ___ at the moment.
Answer: C. is sleeping
For 'she,' use 'is' and the '-ing' form of the action.
-
Q28We ___ to school today.
Answer: C. are not going
To say 'no' for 'we,' use 'are not' followed by the '-ing' word.
-
Q29The cat ___ on the sofa right now.
Answer: A. is sleeping
For one cat, use 'is' + '-ing.' 'Is sleep' is incorrect because it is missing the '-ing' ending.
-
Q30___ they ___ football at the moment?
Answer: C. Are / playing
In questions for 'they,' use 'Are' and '-ing.' 'Is / playing' is wrong because 'they' needs 'are.'
-
Q31She is ___ a cake for her birthday.
Answer: D. making
When a word ends in 'e' (like 'make'), remove the 'e' before adding '-ing.' This makes 'making.'
-
Q32I am ___ a letter to my friend.
Answer: D. writing
When a word ends in 'e' (like 'write'), remove the 'e' before adding '-ing.' The correct spelling is 'writing.'
-
Q33They are ___ at the party.
Answer: A. dancing
When a word ends in 'e' (like 'dance'), remove the 'e' before adding '-ing.' So, 'dancing' is correct.
-
Q34He is ___ in the park.
Answer: A. running
For short words like 'run,' we double the last letter before adding '-ing.' The correct spelling is 'running' with two 'n's.
-
Q35The cat is ___ on the chair.
Answer: D. sitting
For 'sit,' double the 't' before adding '-ing.' The correct spelling is 'sitting.'
-
Q36We are ___ in the pool.
Answer: A. swimming
For 'swim,' we double the 'm' before adding '-ing.' The correct spelling is 'swimming.'
-
Q37He is ___ his lunch.
Answer: A. eating
For 'eat,' just add '-ing.' We do not double the 't' because there are two vowels (ea) before it.
-
Q38The boys are ___ football.
Answer: B. playing
For 'play,' just add '-ing' to get 'playing.' We do not change the 'y.'
-
Q39She is ___ me with my homework.
Answer: A. helping
For 'help,' just add '-ing.' The word 'helpping' with two 'p's is incorrect.
-
Q40Choose the correct sentence:
Answer: D. She is making a cake.
To spell 'making' correctly, we drop the 'e' from 'make.' 'Makeing' is a common spelling mistake.
-
Q41Choose the correct sentence:
Answer: A. He is running fast.
The correct spelling is 'running' with two 'n's. 'Runing' is incorrect.
-
Q42She is ___.
Answer: D. dancing
The correct spelling is 'dancing.' Remember to remove the 'e' from 'dance' before adding '-ing.'
-
Q43They are ___.
Answer: C. swimming
The correct spelling is 'swimming' with two 'm's. 'Swiming' with one 'm' is incorrect.
-
Q44I am ___.
Answer: C. writing
The correct spelling is 'writing' with one 't.' We also remove the 'e' from 'write.'
-
Q45The teacher is ___ on the board.
Answer: D. writing
The correct spelling is 'writing.' Do not use 'writeing' (remove the 'e') or 'writting' (only one 't').
Done? Submit to get your score.
Answer at least one question to submit. Questions you leave out count as skipped.