The progressive tense, also known as the continuous tense, is used to show that an action is ongoing or was ongoing at a particular time. It helps us describe actions in progress.

Structure:

• Subject + am/is/are + verb-ing (Present Progressive)
• Subject + was/were + verb-ing (Past Progressive)

Examples:

• Present Progressive: I am playing tennis.
• Past Progressive: I was playing tennis.

See how the progressive tense shows that the action is ongoing?

The progressive tense helps us:

• Describe actions happening right now.
• Talk about actions that were ongoing at a specific time in the past.
• Provide background information in stories.

Example:

• Without Progressive Tense: She read a book.
• With Progressive Tense: She was reading a book.

Which sentence gives a clearer picture of the ongoing action? Yes, the one with the progressive tense!

To form the progressive tense, use the appropriate form of the verb “to be” (am, is, are, was, were) followed by the main verb with an “-ing” ending.

Examples:

• I am watching TV.
• She is cooking dinner.
• They are playing soccer.
• He was reading a book.
• We were walking to school.

Understanding when actions are happening can help you use the progressive tense correctly.

Present Progressive	Past Progressive
I am watching the movie.	I was watching the movie.
She is drawing a picture.	She was drawing a picture.
They are building a sandcastle.	They were building a sandcastle.

In the present progressive, actions are happening now. In the past progressive, actions were happening at a specific time in the past.

Fill in the blanks by choosing the correct form of the progressive tense.

1. Right now, I __________ (play) with my friends.
2. Yesterday at 5 PM, she __________ (cook) dinner.
3. They __________ (build) a new treehouse last weekend.
4. We __________ (watch) a funny cartoon when the phone rang.
5. He __________ (read) a book while waiting for the bus.

1. I am playing with my friends.
2. Yesterday at 5 PM, she was cooking dinner.
3. They were building a new treehouse last weekend.
4. We were watching a funny cartoon when the phone rang.
5. He was reading a book while waiting for the bus.