Page 30 - Success Plus English Language and Literature Class 10

Success Plus English Language and Literature

to state a universal • The earth revolves The present continuous tense is used in the
or general truth round the sun. following cases:
• The President of India Uses Examples
lives in New Delhi.
for an action that is • They are walking to
to state a fact which • She is the fastest going on at the time school.
is true at present runner in the world. of speaking • I am reading a
• Peter lives abroad. novel.

in imperative • Switch off the light. for an action that is • She is learning a
or exclamatory • Here is the door! going on during the new language these
sentences, or when present period of time days.
giving instructions but not necessarily at • I am studying for
in commentaries on • The ball strikes the present moment my entrance exams.
sports events and on the wicket and the to refer to gradual • The river is
public ceremonies stumps fall. processes of change gradually eroding

We often use adverbs like usually, sometimes, the land.
never, always, often, every day, etc. in sentences • They are settling
in the simple present tense. down in their
home.
Harpreet often travels to Chennai.
My uncle visits us every day. for an action that • We are visiting our
is planned and will cousins tomorrow.
take place in the near • She is flying to
Present Continuous Tense future Guwahati this

The present continuous tense is formed by using evening.
the present tense of the verb be (the auxiliary
or helping verb) with the -ing form of the main Some verbs are not normally used in the
verb: is/am/are + verb + ing. continuous form. These include verbs that
describe:
I am walking to the park. • a state of being – be
You are speaking at the event.
She is driving the car. • perception – see, smell, hear, recognise,
appear
To form the negative, we add not after the
helping verb. • possession – have, own, possess, contain

I am not doing my homework. • an emotional state – love, want, prefer,
They are not playing. wish, desire
• a mental process (verbs of thinking) –
The interrogative is formed by placing the think, suppose, believe, feel, remember,
helping verb (is/am/are) at the beginning of the
sentence. The noun or pronoun (subject) comes realise, suspect
between the auxiliary verb and the -ing form of She has a pencil. (She is having a pencil.)
the main verb. She doesn’t wish to talk to you. (She isn’t
wishing to talk to you.)
You are going there today. ~ Are you going
there today?
I am acting in a play. ~ Am I acting in a play?

110