Present Continuous · Exercises
C1Advanced practice
Two-meaning verbs, the passive and subtle contrasts.
Play
- Practice10 exercises at your own pace
- Time Attack60 seconds, as many as you can
- Survival3 lives, harder as you go
- Tense SortDrag sentences into their tense — 60 seconds
- Timelines10 sentences to match to their timelines
- C1 Boss12 hits before you lose 3 lives
- Irregular MatchPair verbs with their past forms — 60 seconds
Want to mix tenses, go endless or pick exercise types? Set up your own session.
What you’ll practise at C1
- Negatives: isn’t / aren’t / ’m not
- Questions: Are you…?
- Present simple or continuous?
- State verbs (know, want, think…)
- Future arrangements (I’m meeting…)
- Temporary situations and trends
- Annoying habits: always + -ing
- Passive: is being done
- Timelines: what the tense means
Need a refresher? Learn the present continuous: rules, tables and audio examples.
Sample exercises
A taste of what’s inside. In practice mode every exercise is freshly generated.
Choose the correct form.
This soup _____ (taste) delicious.
Show answer
This soup tastes delicious.
Verbs like taste, smell, weigh and cost describe a quality (a state) → present simple.
Is this sentence correct?
My older brother is preferring tea.
Show answer
My older brother prefers tea.
“is preferring” should be “prefers”. “prefer” is a state verb: use the present simple (prefers), not the continuous.
Write the verb in the present continuous passive.
The match _____ (show) live on TV today.
Show answer
The match is being shown live on TV today.
Present continuous passive: am / is / are + being + past participle (an action in progress; who does it isn’t important).
What does this sentence talk about?
He is seeing the dentist on Monday.
Show answer
He is seeing the dentist on Monday.
“on Monday” is in the future, so this is an arranged plan. Use the present continuous for fixed plans and arrangements in the future (often with a time: tonight, on Friday, next week).
Write the verb in the present simple or present continuous.
You _____ (sing) in the shower at this very moment.
Show answer
You are singing in the shower at this very moment.
“at this very moment” shows the action is in progress now → present continuous (am / is / are + -ing).
Write the verb in the present continuous.
The city _____ (grow) very fast.
Show answer
The city is growing very fast.
Use the present continuous for changing situations and trends (getting warmer, going up).