Essential Grammar

Brazilian English Academy

By Leonardo Welpel Teixeira

Essential Grammar

Aula de resolução de exercícios gramaticais para estudantes de inglês básico.

Present Progressive or Continuous

• indicates actions that are in progress at the moment

• e.g. Look! It's raining.

• for temporary activities or situations

• e.g. I'm going out with Alice.

• for arrangements (a plan for how something will happen) we made for the future

• e.g. I'm having a party next Sunday.

⚠️ Attention #1

Some verbs are almost never used in the present progressive.

e.g.: agree, be, belong, believe, care, forget, hear, hate, know, understand, like, love, mean, mind, notice, own, remember, seem, suppose, want, wish, ...

⚠️ Attention #2

Present progressive can be used to express future concerning, a planned event or definite intention

e.g.: Noah is leaving for India at noon.

Sentences Structures

• (+) Subject . Auxiliar Be . Verb + ing . Object

• (-) Subject . Auxiliar Be . Not . Verb + ing . Object

• (?) Auxiliar Be . Subject . Verb + ing . Object ?

• (?) Wh-Question . Auxiliar Be . Subject . Verb + ing . Object ?

⚠️ Attention #3

He/She/It - is

We/they/You - are

I - am

⚠️ Attention #4

Suffix (-ing) spelling rules

• ending with a silent "e" you need to drop the this letter:

e.g.: To dance - dancing

• ending in -ee, -ye and -oe, do not drop the final "e":

e.g.: To free - freeing / To dye - Dyeing / To tiptoe - tiptoeing

• ending with a vowel + "L" you need to double the "L":

e.g.: To travel - Travelling / To equal - Equalling

• ending with a single vowel + consonant, and the stress syllable is at the end of the word you double the final consonant:

e.g.: To admit - Admitting / To refer - Referring

⚠️ Attention #4 (Continuance)

Suffix (-ing) spelling rules

• ending with a vowel + consonant and the stress syllable is not at the end of the word, you do not double the consonant:

e.g.: To inherit - Inheriting / To visit - Visiting

• If the verb has only one syllable and ends with a single vowel+consonant, you need to double the final consonant:

e.g.: To stop - Stopping / To tap - Tapping / To sob - Sobbing

• If the verb and ends with a two vowels+consonant, you should not double the final consonant:

e.g.: To treat - Treating / To pour - Pouring

• ends in "c" you need to add a "k":

e.g.: To panic - Panicking / To mimic - mimicking

Open Ended

Please, be quiet. I ......... . (Work)

Open Ended

- Where is John?

- He is in the kitchen. He ............. . (Cook)

Open Ended

- You .............. on my foot. (Stand)

- Oh! I'm sorry.

Open Ended

Look! Somebody .......... in the river. (Swim)

Open Ended

We're here on holiday. We ....... at the Central Hotel. (Stay)

Open Ended

What are they doing?

Open Ended

What is she doing?

Open Ended

What is he doing?

Open Ended

What are they doing?

Open Ended

Make a question:

(working / Paul / today / ?) 

Open Ended

Make a question:

(what / doing / the children / ?)

Open Ended

Make a question:

(where / going / your friends / ?)

Open Ended

Make a question:

(why / looking / at / me / you / ?)