English/Parts of Speech/Verbs/Tenses/Continuous Tenses


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There are 3 main continuous tenses in English: present continuous, past continuous and future continuous.

  • Present continuous - this tense is used to talk about actions which are being done. In the sentence, "He is playing the game.", "is playing" is in the Present Continuous tense.
  • Past continuous - this tense is used to talk about completed (or finished) past events which were being done continuously in the past. In the sentence, "They were winning the match",
  • Future continuous - this tense is used to talk about offers, predictions and promises that will be done continuously in the future. This is done by using the word "will" or "shall" with "be" and the participle of the verb. In the sentence, "He will be getting the book.", "will be getting" is in the Future continuous tense.