TENSES: PRESENT & PAST CONTINUOUS TENSES

​What is VERB TO BE?

• ​There are 2 forms of verb to be (v.t.b):

1. ​present form ( is/ are/ am)

2. ​past form (was/ were)

• ​Verb to be is usually used for Simple tense and Continuous tense.

​Simple present/past tenses:

1. ​Adilla is unhappy with her exam result.

2. ​Rahul was an engineer at Petronas a few year ago.

3. ​Jane and Fifi are very excited to hear the good news.

4. ​They were angry with Ghani because he ruined their school project.

5. ​I am a year 5 student at SK Tanjung Arang.

6. ​I was happy with my sister's achievement.

We used Present Continuous Tense to talk about:

1. ​action happening now. (present)

2. ​action in the future. (future)

​The structure (formula) for this tense is:

​Subject + v.t.b (is/are/am) + Verb-ing (present participle) + Object

• ​Erna is talking to Fifi right now.

• ​Erna is not (isn't) talking to Fifi right now.

• Spongebob and Patrick are watching their favourite TV show at this moment.

• Spongebob and Patrick are not (aren't) watching their favourite TV show at this moment.

• ​I am expecting the train to arrive soon.

• ​I am not expecting the train to arrive soon.

• ​Past continuous tense expresses action at a particular moment in the past.

• ​The action started before that moment but has not finished at that moment.

​FOR EXAMPLE:

​Yesterday, I watched a film on TV. The film started at 7pm and finished at 9pm.

​

​So, when we used Past continuous tense;

​

[Subject + vtb (was/were) + Verb-ing + Object​]

​(Positive statement)

​

[​Vtb (was/were) + Subject + verb-ing + Object]

​(Question sentence)

• I was working at 10pm yesterday.

• I was not (wasn't) working at 11pm yesterday.

• -Was I working at 10pm yesterday?​

• ​They were playing football at 9am this morning.

• ​they were not (weren't) playing football at 8am this morning.

• ​-Were they playing football this morning?

• ​She was cooking when I phoned her.

• ​she was not (wasn't) cooking when I phoned her.

• ​-Wasn't she cooking when I phoned her?