continuous tenses

Both tenses have a continuous form. These continuous tenses are formed with the verb be and the –ing form of the verb:

We use continuous aspect:

• for something happening before and after a given time.

He’s getting on the train. [before and after the moment of speaking]
It was quarter past ten. We were watching the news on television.

• for something continuing before and after another action:

Mother will be cooking the dinner when we get home.
We were waiting for the bus when it started to rain.

• for something continuing for some time:

Everybody will be waiting for us.
They had been working hard all day.

• for something happening again and again:

They’ve been doing that every day this week.
The children were always shouting.
He will be practising the piano every night.

• for something temporary:

We are renting an apartment until our house is ready..
He was working in a garage during the vacation.

• for something new:

We have moved from Birmingham. We’re living in Manchester now.
He had left university and was working in his father’s business.

• to describe something changing or developing:

Everything has been getting more difficult.
He was growing more bad-tempered every day.