Lesson 4

I am Working in a bank now

Intan meets Vivi in a department store, and they talk about what their college friends are doing.

Intan: Vivi Andini!

Vivi: Intan Savitri. I can’tbelieve it. How are you?

Intan: I am fine. I am working in a bank now. What are you doing?

Vivi: I am teaching now at Poltek Pratama Mulia.

Intan: How about Indri? What is she doing?

Vivi: I am not sure. I think she is going to school.

Intan: Do you remember Amy Mufidah Aini?

Vivi: Yes, of course.

Intan: Her husband is working in the same bank as me.

Vivi: O, I see. Hey what about Ayu?

Intan: Ayu is not working. She and her husband is building a new house in Tawangmangu.

If you take a look at the dialogs above, you read that all of the verbs are in the form of verb+ing (I am working in a bank now). This form is what we call Present Continuos Tense.

The present continuous tense is mainly used for an activity that started in the past and is still going on now – at the moment of speaking. For this tense, the verb be is used together with the –ingform of the main verb. For examples:

  • Intan is working in a bank.
  • Vivi is teaching at Poltek Pratama Mulia
  • Amy is not working.
  • Indri is going to school.

The Pattern should be:

S + be + Verb-ing

Now look at the diagram below!

Figure

The Present Continuous Tense expresses the activities began a short time before and are expected to end a short time after the moment of speaking

There are two types of Present Continuous Tense used in this lesson:

  1. ThePresent Continuous Tense is used to expresses the activities that are in actual progress at the moment of speaking; the activity started in the moment before the moment of speaking and is expected to end a short after the moment of speaking.

Examples:Intan is listening to the radio.

Vivi is studying computer.

Amy is frying some eggs

  1. The Present Continuous Tense expresses the activity that began a relatively long time before and that will probably end a relatively long time after, the moment of speaking.

Examples :He is working for a publishing company.

I am having a lot of troubles this semester.

They are talking a leisurely trip around the world this year.

  1. The Present Continuous Tense expresses the activity that will take place in future time. Adverbs indicating future time (tomorrow, next June etc) often modify the verbs.

Examples :Where are you going next summer?I am going to Europe.

What are you going tonight?I am visiting my friend.

When are you having final test?I am having it next week.

Look at the figure below to clarify number 3

The symbol X indicating the future activity could be placed anywhere on the line extending from the moment of speaking into the future.

Examples :

Mr. Dill is lecturing on foreign policy next Sunday.

Mrs. Astor is giving a party for foreign students next week.

We are leaving for Solo in two weeks.

I am starting on a diet the day after tomorrow.

Activity 1 Recognizing the Present Continuous Tense.

It is ten o’clock in the morning. A young man is sitting on a bench. He is reading a weekly magazine. Next to him is an elderly woman; maybe she is his mother. She is just staring at nothing. Nearby, a young mother is trying to control her two small daughters. The children are yelling and screaming for candy.

Activity 2 Using the Present Continuous Tense

At the dentist’s

It is 05.30 p.m. A boy and a girl (wait) in the dentist’s office. They (sit) close together and they (hold) hands. The girl looks unhappy. She (rub) her cheek all the time. The boy (watch) a program on TV, but he (not pay) attention to it. He is nervous. Which one of them (suffer) from a toothache?

Activity 3 Using the Present Continuous Tense

Intan Savitri is going to take a trip to New York, Tell about her schedules using the present continuous tense.

  1. Leave Jakarta on June 28.
  2. Fly on Garuda Airways
  3. Stop in Chicago for an hour.
  4. Change plans in Chicago.
  5. Fly to New York on United Airlines.
  6. Arrive in New York at 6.38 p.m.
  7. Stay in New York for two weeks
  8. Return to Solo on August 28.
  9. Fly directly to Solo.
  10. Fly on TWA
  11. Arrive in Solo at 9.20 p.m.

Reference

Agus Dwi Priyanto, S.S., EnglishforAll. Pratama Mulia Computer Course. Surakarta.

Fletcher, Mark. 1994. MakingPoliteEnglish. English Experience. London

Frank, Marcella. 1972. Modern English, A Practical Reference Guide. New York: New York University.

Interchange 1

Tillit, Bruce, et. all. 1985. SpeakingNaturally. Cambride: Cambride University Press

Yayasan LIA. 1996a. AllaboutPeople. Jakarta. PT. Siwibakti Darma.

Yayasan LIA. 1999. All That I Want to Know. Jakarta. PT. Siwibakti Darma.

English for General III-4“I am working in a bank now”page 1