This interactive worksheet helps English learners practice forming present continuous tense sentences through relatable everyday activities and scenarios.
English grammar worksheet "What Are You Doing?" with 25 fill-in-the-blank present continuous tense exercises and colorful student illustrations
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Show Answer Key & Explanations
Step-by-step solution for: Present continuous worksheet
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Show Answer Key & Explanations
Step-by-step solution for: Present continuous worksheet
Let’s go through each sentence one by one. We need to choose the correct verb form — either present simple or present continuous — based on what the sentence is talking about.
Remember:
- Use present simple for habits, routines, facts, or things that happen regularly.
- Use present continuous for actions happening right now, at this moment, or around now (even if not exactly this second).
Also, look for time clues like:
- “at the moment”, “now”, “right now” → use present continuous
- “every day”, “usually”, “often”, “on Saturdays” → use present simple
---
1. I ______ television. (to watch)
→ No time clue? But usually we say “I am watching TV” if it’s happening now. Since no habit word, assume current action → am watching
2. Jack ______ his homework. (to do)
→ Again, likely happening now → is doing
3. Andrea and Rita ______ fun. (to have)
→ Probably having fun right now → are having
4. Richard ______ to school. (to walk)
→ Could be routine? But no “every day”. If it’s today’s action → is walking
*(But wait — sometimes “walks to school” is a habit. Let’s check context. The title is “What are you doing?” — so probably all are about NOW. So → is walking)*
5. Paul ______ here. (to come)
→ Coming here now → is coming
6. The hairdresser ______ David’s hair. (to cut)
→ Right now, in the salon → is cutting
7. John ______ his lunch. (to eat)
→ Eating now → is eating
8. I ______ a letter to my friend. (to write)
→ Writing now → am writing
9. The bus ______ in this house. (to come)
→ Wait — buses don’t come *in* houses. Maybe typo? Should be “to this house”? Assuming it means arriving now → is coming
10. We ______ in this house. (to live)
→ Living somewhere is a state, not temporary → use present simple → live
11. He ______ cold. (to feel)
→ Feeling cold now → feels OR is feeling? Both can work, but “feel” as a sense verb often uses simple present. However, if emphasizing current sensation → “is feeling” is okay. But standard grammar: “He feels cold.” → feels
Wait — let’s double-check: In many textbooks, for sensations like feel, see, hear, they prefer simple present unless emphasizing change. So → feels
12. Mark and Anna ______ football. (to play)
→ Playing now → are playing
13. The dog ______ very fast. (to run)
→ Running now → is running
14. I ______ on a comfortable chair. (to sit)
→ Sitting now → am sitting
15. We ______ now. (to feed)
→ Feeding now → are feeding
16. They ______ to the radio. (to listen)
→ Listening now → are listening
17. The driver ______ the car. (to stop)
→ Stopping now → is stopping
18. My baby sister ______ now. (to sleep)
→ Sleeping now → is sleeping
19. Alice ______ chicken soup at the moment. (to cook)
→ “At the moment” = now → is cooking
20. My grand father ______ newspaper. (to read)
→ Reading now? Or habit? No time clue. But since most others are present continuous, and no “every day”, assume now → is reading
21. Dave and Ann ______ in Germany. (to speak)
→ Speaking German? Or speaking while in Germany? Likely meaning they are currently speaking (maybe on phone?) → are speaking
*(If it meant “they speak German”, it would be simple present — but no object. So probably “are speaking” as in conversing now.)*
22. It ______ outside. (to snow)
→ Snowing now → is snowing
23. My dad ______ the car at the moment. (to wash)
→ “At the moment” → is washing
24. It’s seven o’clock. I ______ the bed. (to get)
→ Getting up now → am getting
25. My dog ______ in the box now. (to sleep)
→ “Now” → is sleeping
---
Wait — let’s recheck #11: “He ___ cold.”
In many ESL exercises, for feelings like “feel”, “look”, “seem”, they use simple present even for now. Example: “You look tired.” Not “You are looking tired.” So → feels
#4: “Richard ___ to school.”
If it’s his usual way, it’s “walks”. But the worksheet title is “What are you doing?” — implying current actions. Also, other sentences have “now”, “at the moment”. So likely all are present continuous except where it’s a permanent state (#10: live).
#20: “My grandfather ___ newspaper.”
Should be “reads the newspaper” (habit) or “is reading the newspaper” (now). Since no article (“the”), maybe it’s “reads newspapers” as habit? But it says “newspaper” singular. Hmm. In context of the worksheet, probably “is reading”.
Actually, looking again — #20 says “newspaper” without “the” — might be a mistake. But in exercise, we’ll go with “is reading” to match pattern.
Similarly, #21: “Dave and Ann ___ in Germany.” — if it’s “speak German”, it should be “speak German”. But it says “in Germany” — so maybe they are speaking (talking) while in Germany? That doesn’t make much sense. Perhaps it’s “are speaking German” — but it doesn’t say “German”. Wait, the verb is “to speak” — so “are speaking” what? Maybe it’s incomplete. But in context, likely “are speaking” as in having a conversation now.
To stay consistent with the theme “What are you doing?”, we’ll use present continuous for all except #10 (live) and #11 (feel).
Final decision:
1. am watching
2. is doing
3. are having
4. is walking
5. is coming
6. is cutting
7. is eating
8. am writing
9. is coming
10. live
11. feels
12. are playing
13. is running
14. am sitting
15. are feeding
16. are listening
17. is stopping
18. is sleeping
19. is cooking
20. is reading
21. are speaking
22. is snowing
23. is washing
24. am getting
25. is sleeping
Note: For #9, “The bus is coming in this house” is odd — probably typo, should be “to this house”. We’ll keep “is coming”.
For #11, “He feels cold” is more natural than “He is feeling cold” in standard usage.
For #20, “is reading” assumes he’s reading now.
For #21, “are speaking” assumes they are talking now.
All others fit present continuous for current actions.
Final Answer:
1. am watching
2. is doing
3. are having
4. is walking
5. is coming
6. is cutting
7. is eating
8. am writing
9. is coming
10. live
11. feels
12. are playing
13. is running
14. am sitting
15. are feeding
16. are listening
17. is stopping
18. is sleeping
19. is cooking
20. is reading
21. are speaking
22. is snowing
23. is washing
24. am getting
25. is sleeping
Remember:
- Use present simple for habits, routines, facts, or things that happen regularly.
- Use present continuous for actions happening right now, at this moment, or around now (even if not exactly this second).
Also, look for time clues like:
- “at the moment”, “now”, “right now” → use present continuous
- “every day”, “usually”, “often”, “on Saturdays” → use present simple
---
1. I ______ television. (to watch)
→ No time clue? But usually we say “I am watching TV” if it’s happening now. Since no habit word, assume current action → am watching
2. Jack ______ his homework. (to do)
→ Again, likely happening now → is doing
3. Andrea and Rita ______ fun. (to have)
→ Probably having fun right now → are having
4. Richard ______ to school. (to walk)
→ Could be routine? But no “every day”. If it’s today’s action → is walking
*(But wait — sometimes “walks to school” is a habit. Let’s check context. The title is “What are you doing?” — so probably all are about NOW. So → is walking)*
5. Paul ______ here. (to come)
→ Coming here now → is coming
6. The hairdresser ______ David’s hair. (to cut)
→ Right now, in the salon → is cutting
7. John ______ his lunch. (to eat)
→ Eating now → is eating
8. I ______ a letter to my friend. (to write)
→ Writing now → am writing
9. The bus ______ in this house. (to come)
→ Wait — buses don’t come *in* houses. Maybe typo? Should be “to this house”? Assuming it means arriving now → is coming
10. We ______ in this house. (to live)
→ Living somewhere is a state, not temporary → use present simple → live
11. He ______ cold. (to feel)
→ Feeling cold now → feels OR is feeling? Both can work, but “feel” as a sense verb often uses simple present. However, if emphasizing current sensation → “is feeling” is okay. But standard grammar: “He feels cold.” → feels
Wait — let’s double-check: In many textbooks, for sensations like feel, see, hear, they prefer simple present unless emphasizing change. So → feels
12. Mark and Anna ______ football. (to play)
→ Playing now → are playing
13. The dog ______ very fast. (to run)
→ Running now → is running
14. I ______ on a comfortable chair. (to sit)
→ Sitting now → am sitting
15. We ______ now. (to feed)
→ Feeding now → are feeding
16. They ______ to the radio. (to listen)
→ Listening now → are listening
17. The driver ______ the car. (to stop)
→ Stopping now → is stopping
18. My baby sister ______ now. (to sleep)
→ Sleeping now → is sleeping
19. Alice ______ chicken soup at the moment. (to cook)
→ “At the moment” = now → is cooking
20. My grand father ______ newspaper. (to read)
→ Reading now? Or habit? No time clue. But since most others are present continuous, and no “every day”, assume now → is reading
21. Dave and Ann ______ in Germany. (to speak)
→ Speaking German? Or speaking while in Germany? Likely meaning they are currently speaking (maybe on phone?) → are speaking
*(If it meant “they speak German”, it would be simple present — but no object. So probably “are speaking” as in conversing now.)*
22. It ______ outside. (to snow)
→ Snowing now → is snowing
23. My dad ______ the car at the moment. (to wash)
→ “At the moment” → is washing
24. It’s seven o’clock. I ______ the bed. (to get)
→ Getting up now → am getting
25. My dog ______ in the box now. (to sleep)
→ “Now” → is sleeping
---
Wait — let’s recheck #11: “He ___ cold.”
In many ESL exercises, for feelings like “feel”, “look”, “seem”, they use simple present even for now. Example: “You look tired.” Not “You are looking tired.” So → feels
#4: “Richard ___ to school.”
If it’s his usual way, it’s “walks”. But the worksheet title is “What are you doing?” — implying current actions. Also, other sentences have “now”, “at the moment”. So likely all are present continuous except where it’s a permanent state (#10: live).
#20: “My grandfather ___ newspaper.”
Should be “reads the newspaper” (habit) or “is reading the newspaper” (now). Since no article (“the”), maybe it’s “reads newspapers” as habit? But it says “newspaper” singular. Hmm. In context of the worksheet, probably “is reading”.
Actually, looking again — #20 says “newspaper” without “the” — might be a mistake. But in exercise, we’ll go with “is reading” to match pattern.
Similarly, #21: “Dave and Ann ___ in Germany.” — if it’s “speak German”, it should be “speak German”. But it says “in Germany” — so maybe they are speaking (talking) while in Germany? That doesn’t make much sense. Perhaps it’s “are speaking German” — but it doesn’t say “German”. Wait, the verb is “to speak” — so “are speaking” what? Maybe it’s incomplete. But in context, likely “are speaking” as in having a conversation now.
To stay consistent with the theme “What are you doing?”, we’ll use present continuous for all except #10 (live) and #11 (feel).
Final decision:
1. am watching
2. is doing
3. are having
4. is walking
5. is coming
6. is cutting
7. is eating
8. am writing
9. is coming
10. live
11. feels
12. are playing
13. is running
14. am sitting
15. are feeding
16. are listening
17. is stopping
18. is sleeping
19. is cooking
20. is reading
21. are speaking
22. is snowing
23. is washing
24. am getting
25. is sleeping
Note: For #9, “The bus is coming in this house” is odd — probably typo, should be “to this house”. We’ll keep “is coming”.
For #11, “He feels cold” is more natural than “He is feeling cold” in standard usage.
For #20, “is reading” assumes he’s reading now.
For #21, “are speaking” assumes they are talking now.
All others fit present continuous for current actions.
Final Answer:
1. am watching
2. is doing
3. are having
4. is walking
5. is coming
6. is cutting
7. is eating
8. am writing
9. is coming
10. live
11. feels
12. are playing
13. is running
14. am sitting
15. are feeding
16. are listening
17. is stopping
18. is sleeping
19. is cooking
20. is reading
21. are speaking
22. is snowing
23. is washing
24. am getting
25. is sleeping
Parent Tip: Review the logic above to help your child master the concept of continuous worksheet.
