Mastering Present Continuous Tense Quiz

Which of the following sentences correctly uses the present continuous tense to describe a daily activity?

• She is reading a book every night.

• She reads a book every night.

• She is reading a book right now.

• She read a book every night.

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'She is reading a book right now.' because it uses the present continuous tense to describe an action happening at the moment, while the other options describe habitual actions or past events.

Identify the common mistake in the following sentence: "He is go to the store."

• He is going to the store.

• He goes to the store.

• He went to the store.

• He is gone to the store.

Answer explanation

The mistake in the sentence is the incorrect form of the verb. The correct form is 'He is going to the store,' which uses the present continuous tense to indicate an action that is happening now.

Which of the following sentences incorrectly uses the present continuous tense?

• They are playing soccer in the park.

• She is cooking dinner right now.

• He is always forgetting his keys.

• I am studying for my exams every day.

Answer explanation

The sentence 'I am studying for my exams every day' incorrectly uses the present continuous tense. This tense is for actions happening now, while 'every day' indicates a habitual action, which should use the simple present.

Which sentence correctly describes a habitual action?

• She is always losing her keys.

• She loses her keys every day.

• She is losing her keys right now.

• She lost her keys yesterday.

Answer explanation

The sentence 'She loses her keys every day.' correctly describes a habitual action, indicating a regular occurrence. The other options refer to specific instances or ongoing actions, not habits.

Which of the following sentences contains an error in the use of the present continuous tense?

• I am eating breakfast right now.

• They are watching a movie at the moment.

• He is playing the guitar every weekend.

• She is talking on the phone.

Answer explanation

The sentence 'He is playing the guitar every weekend.' is incorrect because the present continuous tense is used for actions happening now, not for habitual actions. The correct form should be 'He plays the guitar every weekend.'.

In the context of TOEFL, which sentence correctly uses the present continuous tense?

• The students are taking the test every month.

• The students take the test every month.

• The students are taking the test right now.

• The students took the test last month.

Answer explanation

The correct choice is 'The students are taking the test right now.' because it uses the present continuous tense, indicating an action currently in progress. The other options either use simple present or past tense.

Which of the following sentences is an example of a habitual action?

• I am going to the gym now.

• I go to the gym every day.

• I went to the gym yesterday.

• I am going to the gym every day.

Answer explanation

The sentence "I go to the gym every day" indicates a regular, repeated action, making it an example of a habitual action. The other options describe actions that are either happening now or occurred in the past.

Identify the error in the following sentence: "She is always complain about her job."

• She is always complaining about her job.

• She always complains about her job.

• She is always complained about her job.

• She always complain about her job.

Answer explanation

The error in the sentence is the use of 'complain' instead of 'complaining'. The correct form is 'She is always complaining about her job.' which uses the present continuous tense to indicate an ongoing action.

Which of the following sentences correctly uses the present continuous tense to describe an action happening right now?

• He is usually playing basketball on weekends.

• He plays basketball on weekends.

• He is playing basketball right now.

• He played basketball last weekend.

Answer explanation

The correct choice, 'He is playing basketball right now,' uses the present continuous tense to indicate an action occurring at this moment. The other options describe habitual actions or past events.

Which sentence contains a common mistake in the use of the present continuous tense?

• I am writing an essay at the moment.

• She is always interrupting me.

• They are go to the market.

• We are having dinner now.

Answer explanation

The sentence 'They are go to the market.' contains a mistake because 'go' should be in the gerund form 'going' to correctly use the present continuous tense. The correct form is 'They are going to the market.'