Questions tagged [continuous-aspect]
Continuous aspect is an imperfective aspect that expresses an ongoing, but not habitual, occurrence of the state or event expressed by the verb.
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Continuous infiniti
I can’t remember seeing the same man as devoted to anything as he is to serving you. When to use to +verb ing form ?
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Chekhov and the omission of “be” verbs with progressive tenses in compound sentences
The following is an excerpt from a translation of Chekhov's story "The Student" published in the Norton Critical Editions. Given the prestige of this publication, one would assume what's printed to be,...
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Can you help with the difference in these past perfect tenses?
Example 1: 'Edison invented the light bulb. He had been working on it for years'.
Example 2: 'Edison invented the light bulb. It had taken him years'.
In example 1, the past perfect continuous makes ...
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List of long-acting verbs
Good evening!
There are some verbs that can be used both in Perfect and Perfect Continuous aspects such as: "work, study, teach, sleep, wait, live" because they express a long-acting action. It is ...
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You keep me hanging on - phrasal verb(s)?
What is actually the phasal verb in a sentence:
You keep me hanging on
"Keep on" or "hang on"? What do we have here? Double phrasal verb? I am trying to figure this out for a while today... This is ...
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How to use / not use 'Always'?
Recently I was informed that 'Always' can be used with continuous verbs but only if it is used on situations with bad implications, such as teenagers are always causing trouble. But what about these ...
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“I am tired and doing my homework.” Is it grammatically correct?
Is the sentence in the title absolutely grammatically correct? I recently had an argument with a fellow student, and he said that the sentence is incorrect. I do not think he is right, because I saw ...
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While + Past Simple + Past Simple vs. While + Past Continues + Past Simple
We can use these two tenses together as below, for example:
While she was walking on a sunny beach, Amy slowly read an
extremely long book about justice.
I was wondering under what conditions we ...
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Why can we use present simple for “I feel fine”?
“I feel fine this morning”, why? He feels fine all morning, it means that this action takes a long time, so we must use present continuous.
I feel fine this morning, but I was very tired last ...
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Why do conditional sentences with “would have had to” have an extra “had” in them?
Well, i was reading about Type Three conditionals. In the main clause we use if + past perfect (had), then in the second clause we use either the "perfect conditional" or the "perfect continuous ...
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How to explain the tenses in these sentences?
So my Japanese student is having trouble understanding why the following tenses are used and I’m not sure how to explain it.
My line manager wants the meeting arranged immediately.
Why does that ...
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Present continuous and present simple
can I use present continuous and present simple in one sentence, like in my writings below?
1."There is no bird singing without a reason so don't tell me you cry for no cause."
2."The moments I don'...
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Mixing simple present and a present participle in the same phrase?
I'm writing an explanation of my duties in a job that I currently have, and I came up with the bullet:
Organize large groups of over 200 people, directing them to activities and allocating seating in ...
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Is it “since 1973, the festival has been running … ” or “since 1973, the festival has been run …” [closed]
I had this in a test. I wrote the first one, "has been running" and got it wrong and the teacher wrote the second one, "has been run". I want to understand who's correct and why.
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I “am flying” or I “will be flying” to Paris later this morning?
Got this sentence in a multiple choice question exam
"I'm going to the airport in a minute. I _____ to Paris later this Morning"
A) will be flying
B) am flying
C) will fly
D) ...
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“I’m afraid that they will call me when I will be doing my homework” Is that correct?
dear stackexchangers, need your help.
As you sure know there is a rule about using Present Simple instead of Future Simple after words "when", "before", "if", etc. But what about my sentence? Can we ...
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1answer
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Using present continuous for tendencies
Can one use present continuous to describe tendencies, such as:
Oh this word? It's not being actively used these days anymore.
This sounds good to me, but I can't find a grammar rule to support ...
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Which one is correct? “I am suffering from fever since yesterday” or “I am suffering from fever from yesterday”?
I am not good in English literature.
From daily use of English language, it seems to me that the second from in:
1 I am suffering from fever from yesterday
is the correct word. But, my friend, a ...
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“is starting on …” Why is it Present?
I have exercise to create sentences in Present Continuous but in one of them is. " The sales is starting on Monday". My question is about time used here, in my opinion this will happens only in future ...
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Sense verbs (see and hear) used in the progressive form (specific contexts) [duplicate]
I have a question about sense verbs used in the progressive form, namely "hearing" and "seeing" in the contexts like the ones presented in the attached images (the underscored fragments). Is there any ...
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Present participle
Is possible to say "bored" in present participle?
How I understand it is past participle.
I want to say "I am seeing, how she is feeling bored at the lesson now." and I want to use present continuous....
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Non progressive verbs. Was seeing, was looking good [duplicate]
Non progressive verbs are not used in continuous, right?
But what about, for example, sentences like:
"Gazing absently over the rooftops, it was a few seconds before Harry realised what he was ...
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present perfect continuous vs. present continuous [duplicate]
how can we differenciate present perfect continuous .
we use it for the actions which started in the past and still continuing but we start doing the exam in present continuous tense.
I am working on ...
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perfect continuous conditional tense doubt
"I just wanted for you to come back home when you would have been ready."
I wonder if the sentence above is correct. I have some doubts about the tense after "when".
Thanks for the help!
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Nothing's getting done today - is it present or future?
Is the sentence "Nothing's getting done today" present continuous?
Why is the verb get ending in "-ing"?
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Is 'Does' correct here?
Some people say. "I does what I want to" is this in any way relative to "I always do what I want to" or it's totally wrong to have it so
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Present Perfect Continuous Tense - Passive Voice - Question Forms [duplicate]
Please tell me how to use the positive question form of passive voice of the tense- Present perfect Continuous Tense?
The Positive Answer form could be as "I have been being taught". (Here, I am the ...
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What’s the difference between “she is worked” and “she has worked”? [closed]
Sometimes she’s means she has but sometimes it means she is. How can I find the difference between these two identical sentences so that I can understand which of the two possible contractions was ...
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The elevator going up/down [duplicate]
I was very surprised when I first heard "this elevator going up". But then I heard it in a bunch of other places, so it is not a mistake. So, why is it not "the elevator is going up/down"?
Thank you!
...
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Why “missing”, but not “needing” or “wanting”?
The following sentence is OK:
The table is missing a leg.
But the next two sentences sound a bit off (to my native ear, at least):
The campaign is needing support.
I am wanting an apple.
...
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4answers
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Is “my horse had been stolen” or “my horse was stolen” better in this sentence?
I'm Mexican and I have had English class since kindergarden, now I'm in eighth grade in middle school.
Some days ago, we had the fourth term English exam, and I was surprised because the teacher had ...
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The “continuous tense”. How can I use this tense with “better than anyone could”? [closed]
I'm not sure what tense this is, but it's for a presentation. It's the best I could come up with while translating it into English.
Meeting deadlines.
Working with bla... bla...
Building ...
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Can the continuous form be combined with the passive voice?
According to the site Study And Exam, passive constructions cannot be used with verb forms such as:
the present perfect continuous construction
the past perfect continuous construction
the future ...
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Using stative verb “want” in progressive
Some days ago I found an interesting question.
As I know we can use some stative verbs in continuos with a difference in meaning. There are two sentences:
We'd been wanting to go to New Zealand ...
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Can I use -ing verbs within a sentence that's in the past tense?
Is this sentence grammatically correct? The dashes are em dashes. This is the last sentence of a paragraph that is in the past tense:
But I continued to work—building, learning, and simply loving ...
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Does “Who sings it?” express the habitual present or the present of immediacy?
Does sings as used in the quoted part refer to the habitual present tense or to the present tense of immediacy?
I like this song. Who sings it?
Suppose I were listening to a song and asked the ...
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Using “by” with the future perfect continuous
Does anyone know if there is any reason why a sentence like:
"By 2020 I will have been working in London for 5 years."
Might be considered incorrect? I realise in everyday life this sentence would ...
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2answers
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Can you ever use the continuous aspect with “usually”?
One English teacher told me that this sentence:
Usually, I am going to school.
is not correct, that the correct version would be to use the simple present:
Usually, I go to school.
Even though ...
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1answer
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passive voice in continuous tense
Could someone please tell me what the passive voice is for the following sentence:
I was trying to study Chinese but I couldn't.
I think it will be:
Chinese was being tried to be studied, but ...
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Should I use the present simple or present continuous here?
Which of these two paragraphs is correct?
The first paragraph:
Secondly, the author gives an example about meerkats. He argues that the sentinel meerkat guards his group while they are eating or ...
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1answer
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-ing in conditionals
I have a question regarding the use of -ing in conditionals. Is it possible to use these. Most sources I found say you should use the simple form in, for instance, the first conditional. Can I make ...
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1answer
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Is “My purse was stolen when I had been shopping” grammatical?
i) My purse was stolen when I was shopping.
ii) My purse was stolen when I had been shopping.
I thought that i) was grammatical and ii) ungrammatical. But yesterday I found the next sentence ...
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1answer
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Past Simple VS Past Continues
They came, four by four, down the vast hall between double rows of columns. The drum beat dully. No voice spoke, no eye watched. Torches carried by black-clad girls burned reddish in the shafts of ...
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Is the use of “be VERB-ing” acceptable in order to suggest a continuous action after “so as to”, “in order to” etc.?
Example sentences are as follows:
"In order for it to be happening it is necessary that the circumstances be right."
"So that it may be happening it is necessary that the circumstances be right."
"...
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Express that something is delivered with something else for a certain amount of time
I want to express that A is delivered together with B for 5 years and that this still goes on.
A is being delivered with B since two years.
The above sentences is obviously wrong.
What about ...
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Past Perfect Progressive
I came across a website that says using a past perfect continuous is a good way to show cause and effect. The writer then shows an example.
He was tired because he had been exercising so hard.
But ...
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Had been working or had worked [duplicate]
I'm trying to figure out what to choose between Past Perfect Simple and Past Perfect Continuous in the following sentence:
Mr Georgiou had been working/had worked for the company for twenty years ...
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1answer
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Present participle with adverbial meaning in a past continuous sentence
I was leaning against a tree on the hill , sitting.
My query is whether or not we should treat "sitting" as present participle with adverbial meaning, or as past-continuous tense.
To clarify , I ...
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“She has” vs. “she had” been trying to give up smoking for years
Which of the following sentences is correct:
Cindy's very pleased with herself. She has finally given up smoking. She's (she has) been trying to give up for years.
Cindy's very pleased with herself. ...
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Verbs whose simple past tense can be used as continuous [closed]
I was wondering whether there are any verbs whose past tense could be used as a continuous verb like "head." Is "head" the only verb whose past tense can be used as a present continuous verb?
I am ...
