continuous

  • The ‘continuous‘ ( also known as ‘progressive’) aspect expresses an incomplete action or state at a specific time.
  • It is not habitual.
  • It is a verb phrase/construction that contains a form of: ‘BE’ + verb-ING

to be being

C2, continuous, infinitive, PASSIVES, perfect, VERBS

There is no entry in the English Grammar Profile for the continuous infinitive passive.  Therefore, we say this is a C2 grammar structure. A search in NOW corpus for: * to be being * 1 BELIEVED TO BE BEING HELD 18 The following example has past passive + infinitive + continuous passive: The driver of the lorry was believed to be being held by police.

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past perfect continuous passive

C2, continuous, PASSIVES, PAST, perfect

Because there is no past perfect continuous passive in the English Grammar Profile, we can say it is C2. A search in NOW corpus shows that this grammar is extremely rare. 1   HAD BEEN BEING TREATED 10 The woman had left the Ulster Hospital, Dundonald, where she had been being treated. belfastlive.co.uk 2   HAD BEEN BEING ABUSED 7 3   ‘D BEEN BEING ABUSED 7 4   HAD

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ing forms

continuous, gerund, non-finite

On this website, ing forms are best located in our posts by searching for the tag: VVG A search in the iWeb corpus for _VVG gives the most common ing forms as follows: 1 USING 9077632 2 GOING 8570578 3 MAKING 4986719 4 LOOKING 4903064 5 WORKING 4440144 6 GETTING 4427697 7 TAKING 3186185 8

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NOT ONLY + present perfect continuous (inversion) + BUT

ADVERBS, C2, continuous, FOCUS, inversion, PAST, perfect, PRESENT

Adverb expressions such as ‘not only’, ‘not just’, and ‘not simply’ emphasize that something is true, but it is not the whole truth.  These co-ordinate clauses. In the English Grammar Profile, C2 point 92 in the category of PAST is defined: present perfect continuous, invert the subject and affirmative auxiliary verb with ‘not only … but’

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I am asking | wanting (polite)

C2, continuous, polite, PRESENT, request

C2 English Grammar Profile point 38 in the category of PRESENT/continuous is defined as: POLITENESS: with verbs that are not usually used in this form to make statements and requests sound less direct. EXAMPLES: I am asking us to use our power to choose. I am asking us to level up. TED We are asking businesses not to produce and consumers not to go out and consume. TED An iWeb search for I|We am|are asking|wanting *

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BECAUSE + past continuous

B1, continuous, PAST, reason

In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 37 in the category of PAST/continuous  is defined: give a reason for something, often with ‘because’ PELIC STUDENT EXAMPLE: I could not focus on my reading at all, after a while because I was sweating hard. Chinese male, level 5, writing class An iWeb search for: because * _VBD _VVG 1 BECAUSE I WAS TRYING 1574 I only got you those bloody business cards  because I was trying to be cute. listen

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past continuous negative

B1, continuous, NEGATIVE

In the English Grammar Profile, B1 point 39 in the category of PAST is simply defined as: past continuous NEGATIVE TLC STUDENT SPEAKING TEST example: (discussing saving money as a child) I was saving. I was not eating chocolates. I was just spending my money on my studies. male India B1 An iWeb search: _VBD _XX _VVG 1 WASN’T GOING 29202 2 WAS NOT GOING 16267 3

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had been + VERBing

B1, background, continuous, PAST, perfect

Point 27 in the category of PAST is defined as: past perfect continuous: an action or event which began before a point in the past and was still continuing up to that point, often with ‘for’ or ‘since’, to give background information. Point 32 in the PAST is defined as: past perfect continuous: background action

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past perfect continuous in a relative clause

B2, background, CLAUSES, continuous, PAST, perfect, relative

In the English Grammar Profile, B2 point 78 in the category of PAST is defined as: past perfect continuous in relative clauses to give background information. For example: I was scrolling on social media,  and I saw a friend who had been sharing positive news stories. TED A search in iWeb corpus for: who|that|which had been _vvg gives us the most common continuous verbs found in past perfect continuous relative

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past perfect continuous + adverb ‘had already been doing’

ADVERBS, B2, continuous, PAST, perfect

B2 English Grammar Profile point 76 in the category of PAST is: past perfect continuous WITH ADVERBS in the normal mid position For example: I had just been doing some reading. listen An iWeb search for: had _rr been _vvg 1 HAD ALREADY BEEN WORKING 359 2 HAD ALREADY BEEN USING 210 3 HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN USING 122 4 HAD ALSO

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