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2007-07-31 00:13:07 · 2 answers · asked by Lawliet L. 1 in Education & Reference Words & Wordplay

2 answers

A progressive tense is used when we want to describe a continuous action. This is why progressive tenses are sometimes called continuous tenses.

I am eating now (present progressive)
He was reading when the phone rang. (past progressive)
He is tired because he has been running. (present perfect progressive)
Her eyes were red because she had been crying. (past perfect progressive)

There are lots of sites out there with explanations e.g. http://www.english-the-easy-way.com/
http://www.ego4u.com/
http://www.english4today.com/englishgrammar/grammar/index.cfm

Good luck.

2007-07-31 00:38:42 · answer #1 · answered by sunnyday 2 · 0 0

It just means some action is happening. You can see it as part of a lot of tenses.

I was eating a hamburger when my vegetarian girlfriend walked in.
I am eating a vegeburger now.
I will be eating vegetables all the time if I marry my girlfriend.

I had been eating vegetables before I got married.
I have been eating vegetables recently.
By the time I am 60, I will have been eating vegetables for many years.

Progressive aspect needs a "be" verb in some form. Don't confuse it with a gerund, which looks like an -ing verb, but acts like a noun.

Have fun!

2007-07-31 07:29:44 · answer #2 · answered by Insanity 5 · 0 0

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