present continuous questions (range)

Present continuous is best given a CEFR level by lexical VERBing in the English Vocabulary Profile.  The English Grammar Profile has many levels that are mostly based on range.  There is also a point at C1 for rhetorical questions with present continuous.

B2 point 45 in the category of  FUTURE with present continuous is defined as

the present continuous with a wide range of common verbs to ask about future plans.

B1 point 28 is the same except:

an increasing range (future plans)

A2 point 5:

a limited range (future plans)


Some of the listed verbs in the examples for B2 are: planning|starting|finishing|providing

But we can also assume to some degree that B1 and above verbs that are in verb-ing structure qualify.

This is a very hard structure to search up for a number of reasons.  In particular, the discourse/use must refer to future plans, so we will only be able to look for formal features temporarily.  As a result, we must try a few ways in.

On iWeb a search for

. _vb _p _vvg ?

1 . ARE YOU KIDDING ? 246
2 . ARE YOU LISTENING ? 101
3 . IS IT WORKING ? 72

gives us only a few results.  None of those seem to suggest plans.

As we attempt to search further iWeb only allows one wild card.  In the top 50 we get some possible planning verbs, at B1:
applying, going for, thinking of.

_vb _p _vvg * ?

Obviously many of these Ngrams could be questions about plans, but here we remove those that look quite obviously not about plans.

33 ARE YOU GOING TO ? 152

 

Whitehouse.gov
Remarks by President Trump Before Marine One Departure
Are you going to plan to do the same thing with Antifa and leftist organizations that you say cause trouble?

34 WERE YOU LOOKING FOR ? 148

35 ARE YOU APPLYING FOR ? 136

 

  Business Insider
6 tough job interview questions that force a candidate to be brutally honest – Business Insider
What other jobs are you applying for? LinkedIn phone job search. It shows you what interests them.
Oct 15, 2019

39 ARE YOU GOING FOR ? 127

  HarpersBazaarArabia
5 Tips On Selecting The Perfect Wedding Day Jewellery
Are you planning to make a fashion statement when you walk down the aisle or are you going for a more subdued look?

 

55 ARE YOU GOING WITH ? 82

66 ARE YOU VOTING FOR ? 68

 

WOAI
Results for Texas Primary Runoff Election
But, who are you voting for? There are six GOP runoff races and 12 races on the democratic side.

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