多益閱讀文法 - Present, Past, and Future Continuous Tense
In this lesson, we'll explore the continuous tense in English. The continuous tenses include present continuous, past continuous, and future continuous. Each is used to express continuous actions at different points in time. The duration of these actions can vary greatly - from a few minutes or hours to years. Our goal is to help you understand when to use these tenses in everyday conversations. By the end of this lesson, we hope you will have a better grasp of using the present, past, and future continuous tenses, boosting your confidence in English grammar.
目錄
Present Continuous
|
Key Points |
|
The Present Continuous Formula: am/is/are + present
participle
The present continuous tense is used to express the
following situations:
(3) future events that have been planned |
I
am putting on sunscreen. Jessie
is putting on
makeup.
John is putting on a
sweater. Ryan
is putting on his
sneakers.
I'm just
leaving work. I'll be
home in an hour.
My nose is tickling,
I think I'm going to sneeze.
|
She
is lacing up
her shoes. |
I am not
feeling
well. |
✦ Expressing a repeated action happening around the present moment
My sister
is learning to drive.
I am living with my
sister.
I am still
working for the same
company.
There is something wrong with my car, so I
am walking to work
these days.
A: What's keeping you
busy these days?
B: I
am taking evening
classes to learn
Chinese now.
✦ Talking about future events that have been planned
Like the present simple tense, the present continuous tense can also be used to express future events that have been planned. The time frame of this usage is usually the future not far from now. For example:
When are you
starting your new job?
I am going on a
business trip to Kaohsiung tomorrow.
We are having an
early meeting tomorrow morning.
I am having an
appointment with Dr. Lee next Monday.
I am having lunch
with Joe next Monday.
We're eating at Joe's
Cafe tonight. We've already booked the table.
We are throwing Emily
a surprise birthday party tomorrow.
The last flight
is leaving at 10 p. m.
The train
is arriving at 10 p.
m. tonight.
Hurry up, the train
is leaving in five
minutes.
✦ Expressing current gradual changes and trends
The present progressive tense can express the changing trend of "gradually."
More and more people
are becoming
vegetarians.
Housing prices
are rising in
Taiwan.
More and more teenagers
are becoming addicted
to violent video games.
The problem of wealth inequality
is getting
worse.
Past Continuous
|
Key Points |
|
The Past Continuous Formula: was/were + present
participle The context of past continuous tense is basically similar to that of present continuous tense, the difference is that past continuous tense focuses on the past. The past continuous tense is mainly used to express the following situations:
(1) actions or events that were in progress at some time
in the past |
We were taking a hot
spring bath an hour
ago.
Last night at 7 pm I
was watching the
baseball playoff game at the stadium.
I was working at 10
pm last night.
The last time I saw him, he
was shopping at the
mall.
This time last week, we
were taking a walk on
the beach in Hawaii.
Yesterday at this time, I
was hiking on the
Elephant Mountain hiking trails.
We can also use “when/while” adverb clauses. For example:
I
was taking a shower
when my dad called.
When my dad called, I
was taking a shower.
I
was taking a bath when
the phone rang.
Paul
was waiting for us
when we got off the plane.
She was baking a cake
when she realized she was out of sugar.
When we
were cooking dinner,
the power went out.
While I
was writing the email,
my laptop suddenly crashed.
While I
was listening to music
on You Tube, the Internet got cut off.
In addition, we can also use the past continuous tense in both the main clause and the adverb clause to express "when ~, ~ is in progress", for example:
Were you
listening while he
was talking?
I
wasn’t paying attention
while the professor
was giving a lecture.
(wasn’t = was not)
While the teacher was asking for volunteers, I was pretending to be asleep.
✦ Talking about ongoing actions that were in progress at a certain time period in the past
I was looking for a
job earlier this year.
She was living with
her roommates last summer.
David was working two
jobs last winter.
I didn't have a car last year, so I
was biking to work
every day.
✦ Talking about future events that had been planned at some point in the past
Last night, I told my mom I
was meeting my
boyfriend later.
Yesterday, James said he
was going on a
business trip to Kaohsiung on Friday.
This morning, Anita said that she
was having dinner with
her family at Luke's Cafe tonight.
Last week, I was told they
were throwing Alex a
going away party this Friday.
✦ Talking about gradual changes and trends in the past
Future Continuous
|
Key Points |
|
The Present Continuous Formula: will be + present
participle
The future continuous is mainly used to express the
following situations: We also use the future continuous tense to ask for information about the future, and the tone is more polite. |
I
will be playing tennis
at 10 a. m. tomorrow.
What will you
be doing at 7 p. m.
tonight?
Kids
won’t be studying at
home tonight.
(won’t = will not be)
They will be out of
town to visit their grandfather.
By this time tomorrow, I
will be sitting on a
beach, enjoying the
sun and the sound of the waves.
What will you
be doing when I get
home?
She will not
be sleeping when you
call her.
We'll be having
dinner when the film starts.
Take your umbrella. It
will be raining when
you return.
When used with “still”, the future continuous means that something is "happening now" and that we expect it to continue until some point in the future. Example sentences:
In an hour I'll still
be ironing my
clothes.
If you don't take medicine now, Tomorrow you'll still
be suffering from your
cold.
Ten years from now, I
will still
be working on
improving my language skills.
Unfortunately, sea levels
will still
be rising in 20
years.
✦ Talking about ongoing actions that will be in progress at a certain time period in the future
I
will be looking for a
new job next month.
When he is in Australia, he
will be staying with
his friends.
Emma
will be starting
school in September.
I want to go away on Saturday, but I
will be working all
weekend.
✦ Talking about future events that have been planned
The future continuous tense can also be used to express "planned future events", for example: vacations, meeting with friends, meetings, etc. These are all situations related to personal arrangements and future plans. This usage is similar to the present continuous tense.
He will be having an
interview at 3 p. m. tomorrow.
My sister
will be moving to
London next week.
I will be having a
tooth extraction tomorrow afternoon.
I will be taking a
three-month
vacation starting next
month.
Our company
will be relocating to
a larger office in the city next month.
✦ Using the future continuous tense to ask for information about the future, and the tone is more polite
Will you be bringing your friend to the pub tonight?
Will you be driving
past the post office later?
Will you be coming to work
tomorrow?
Will you be attending
the conference next month? I would love to meet him in person.
Will they be bringing their own equipment, or will we have to provide it for them?