Progressive Tenses

Participle Review

• We learned Friday that participles will (usually) require helping verbs.

• We also learned that the present participle always ends in an –ing.

• What is the present participle for scout? Parse? Testify?

Progressive Forms

• The present progressive form of a verb names an action or condition that is continuing in the present.– My father is fishing on Lake Jordan right now.– Cecilia and Drew are studying for their calculus

final. • Is fishing and are studying are the present

progressive tenses.

Present Progressive (cont.)

• The present progressive form of a verb consists of the present participle of the main verb and a form of be, such as am, are, or is.

Present Progressive Form

Singular Plural

I am swimming. We are swimming.

You are swimming. You are swimming.

He, she, or it is swimming. They are swimming.

Past Progressive

• The past progressive form names an action that was continuing at some point in the past. – We were watching a movie about World War II. – Julius was taking notes during the whole lecture.

• Were watching and was taking are the past progressive tenses of the verbs in each sentence.

Past Progressive (cont.)

• The past progressive form of a verb consists of the present participle and the helping verb was or were.

Past Progressive Form

Singular Plural

I was swimming. We were swimming.

You were swimming. You were swimming.

He, she, or it was swimming. They were swimming.

Practice

• Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb in PRESENT PROGRESSIVE TENSE.– I (play) ____ ____ the piano now.– You (play) ___ ___ the guitar now.– We (play) ___ ___ the violins now. – They (play) ___ ___ harps now.– He (play) ___ ___ the trumpet now.– She (play) ___ ___ the flute now.– It (play) ___ ___ the drums now.

More Practice

• Fill in the spaces with the correct form of the verb in PAST PROGRESSIVE TENSE.– I (bike) ___ ___ to school last semester.– He (make) ___ ___ a model airplane.– We (care) ___ ___ for the sick children in March.– You (take) ___ ___ too much time.– It (become) ___ ___ colder that evening.– She (look) ___ ___ at the sign.– They (shine) ___ ___ the car for the parade.