1. Spelling the word and forming the sentence: two steps
The Present Continuous helps describe an action happening now. Here, we mainly practise spelling verbs with -ing: write becomes writing, not writeing.
The -ing form is the same with I, she, we, and other subjects. The auxiliary changes: I am, he/she/it is, you/we/they are. In a full Present Continuous sentence, do not leave the -ing form without am, is, or are.
subject + am / is / are + verb with -ing
- subject / S —
- The grammatical subject: who or what the clause is about; the verb agrees with it. In The book was written, the book is the subject, although someone else does the action.
- verb / V —
- A word for an action or state, such as work or be. The pattern determines its form.
- V-ing / -ing —
- The verb form ending in -ing: working, going. Its role depends on the construction.
I am writing a message.
I am writing a message.
Write → writing; am completes the construction.
They are writing a message.
They are writing a message.
The subject is now plural, so are is needed. The spelling of writing has not changed.
2. Usually, simply add -ing
If there is no reason to change the base, add -ing: read → reading, work → working, watch → watching.
Final y stays before -ing: play → playing, study → studying. Do not transfer the spelling pattern of studies here: a different rule applies before -ing.
read + ing → reading; study + ing → studying
We are reading the menu.
We are reading the menu.
Read has two adjacent vowel letters, so d is not doubled.
She is studying at home.
She is studying at home.
Study keeps its y: studying.
He is playing cards.
He is playing cards.
Add -ing to play without changing the base.
3. Usually, drop a final silent e
In make, write, take, use, and dance, final e is not pronounced as a separate sound. It is usually dropped before -ing: making, writing, taking, using, dancing.
Remove only the final e, not other letters. Leave → leaving: the internal ea remains. Do not double a consonant simply because removing e leaves it at the end of the base.
make − e + ing → making
He is making lunch.
He is making lunch.
Make loses its final e; k is not doubled.
I am using your pen.
I am using your pen.
Use → using: one s and no e before ing.
The train is leaving.
The train is leaving.
Leave → leaving: only the final letter is removed.
4. When to double the final consonant
In short, one-syllable words such as run, sit, swim, and stop, one final consonant follows a single short vowel. Double that consonant before -ing: running, sitting, swimming, stopping.
Simply seeing a final consonant is not enough: read → reading has two vowel letters, and work → working has two final consonants. Do not double final w, x, or y: showing, fixing, playing.
For longer words, stress is an important boundary. In beGIN, the last syllable is stressed, so the form is beginning; in Open, the first is stressed, so it is opening. For an unfamiliar word, check the stress and form in a dictionary rather than guessing.
run → running; beGIN → beginning; Open → opening
We are planning a trip.
We are planning a trip.
Plan ends in a single n after a short vowel: planning.
The film is beginning.
The film is beginning.
Begin is stressed on the last syllable; n is doubled.
She is opening the window.
She is opening the window.
The last syllable of open is unstressed: opening has one n.
I am fixing the chair.
I am fixing the chair.
Final x is not doubled, so the form is fixing.
5. Final ie becomes y
In lie, tie, and die, replace the whole final ie with y, then add -ing: lying, tying, dying. This applies to a small group of words, not to every i or e.
Lie, meaning rest in a horizontal position, forms lying. Tie means fasten with a knot, while die means stop living. When talking about a phone, dying can mean its battery is running out. Meaning helps distinguish similar words.
lie − ie + y + ing → lying
The cat is lying on the sofa.
The cat is lying on the sofa.
Lie → lying, not lieing.
I am tying my shoes.
I am tying my shoes.
Tie → tying: ie is replaced by y.
My phone is dying.
My phone is dying.
Die → dying; here it is an everyday description of a phone battery.
6. The rule's limits: e does not always disappear
Keep ee in see → seeing and e in be → being. The presence of e does not automatically mean it should be removed. Being can describe behaviour in a particular situation; it does not replace ordinary am/is/are in every sentence.
Dye means colour fabric or hair and forms dyeing. The e distinguishes it from die → dying. This is a useful example of the rule's limits, not a requirement to learn a long list of exceptions.
Both spellings of travel are standard: travelling in British English and traveling in American English. If no variety of English is specified, both are acceptable.
She is seeing a doctor now.
She is seeing a doctor now.
Seeing means meeting with a doctor here, not simply visual perception; ee remains.
You are being very kind.
You are being very kind.
Being keeps its e; the sentence describes behaviour in this situation.
I am dyeing a shirt.
I am dyeing a shirt.
Use dyeing from dye, not dying from die.
We are travelling by bus.
We are travelling by bus.
Travelling is correct; We are traveling by bus has the same meaning with American spelling.
7. How to check your message
First recover the base verb: writing comes from write, sitting from sit, and lying from lie. Then check the required spelling change. Do not change the verb itself merely to avoid a difficult form.
The spelling of the -ing form does not change in negatives or questions. Also check am/is/are, word order, and meaning: who is doing what, where, and when. In your own answer, natural contractions and paraphrases are possible unless the task requires a particular form.
We are not shopping today.
We are not shopping today.
Not makes the sentence negative; shop still becomes shopping.
Are you writing a list?
Are you writing a list?
Are precedes you; the spelling of writing stays the same.
I'm sitting here and reading.
I'm sitting here and reading.
Am can be shared by two coordinated actions with the same subject. Sitting and reading follow different spelling rules.
Common mistakes
Incorrect:She is danceing in the kitchen.
Correct:She is dancing in the kitchen.
Drop the final silent e in dance before -ing.
Incorrect:We are swiming in the pool.
Correct:We are swimming in the pool.
Swim ends in one consonant after a short vowel; double m.
Incorrect:The cat is lieing on the sofa.
Correct:The cat is lying on the sofa.
Replace final ie in lie with y before -ing.
Incorrect:I writing a message.
Correct:I am writing a message.
Even correctly spelt writing does not replace the auxiliary am in a full sentence.