Verbs - Continuous

Table of contents 

1. What are Verbs - Continuous lessons?
2. Target students
3. Key features
4. Lesson Details & Links
   
   

What are Verbs - Continuous lessons?

Verbs – Continuous is a comprehensive series of lessons focused on helping learners master the
use of continuous verb tenses across a variety of time frames. The series builds students'
confidence in forming and using continuous structures to describe actions in progress, ongoing
activities, interruptions, and planned future events. Lessons are rooted in real-world scenarios
that promote fluency, accuracy, and effective communication.

Teachers can use the lessons flexibly—whether introducing a tense for the first time, reinforcing
previously learned material, or addressing specific learner challenges. The structure supports
progressive learning while also allowing for standalone use based on learners' needs.
The series covers:

1. Present Continuous – Positive, Negative, and Question Forms (e.g., “She is cooking dinner,”
   “We aren’t watching TV,” “What are they doing?”)
2. Past Continuous – Positive, Negative, and Question Forms (e.g., “I was reading a book,” “He
   wasn’t sleeping,” “Were you working last night?”)
3. Future Continuous – Using will be + verb-ing (e.g., “This time tomorrow, I’ll be flying to New
   York”)
4. Be Going To + Verb-ing – for Planned Future Actions (e.g., “We’re going to be staying at a
   hotel”)
5. Present Perfect Continuous – Actions That Started in the Past and Continue to the Present
   (e.g., “They have been studying all afternoon”)
6. Using Continuous Tenses for Scene Setting, Interrupted Actions, and Background
   Information (e.g., “I was walking through the park when it started to rain”)
7. Contrast and Review of Continuous Forms Across Tenses - Helping learners distinguish
   between present, past, future, and perfect continuous in context
   
   

Target students

As general English lessons focused on essential grammar points, Verbs – Continuous is suitable for
a wide range of learners at the upper beginner (CEFR A2, WIDA Emerging) to upper intermediate
(CEFR B2, WIDA Expanding) levels. Whether your students are just beginning to learn continuous
verb forms or are ready to deepen their understanding of more complex structures, this series
offers engaging contexts, scaffolded activities, and ample practice opportunities.

Each lesson encourages communication through writing and speaking, giving students practical
ways to apply the grammar to everyday life, storytelling, and personal expression.

Key features

All Verbs - Continuous lessons feature:

1. Easy-to-follow explanations: Language points are introduced in a logical and easy-to-understand way with numerous relevant examples, meaning students can quickly understand the target language rules.
2. Extensive practice: Throughout the lessons, students have regular opportunities to practice the target language, developing both accuracy and fluency.
3. Productive activities: Lessons include relevant writing and speaking tasks, allowing
   students to apply the target language in meaningful contexts.

Lesson Details & Links

The lesson name (with link) and objectives are listed below for a quick overview of each lesson. Click a lesson name to launch it directly from this article. To see a spreadsheet of all Off2Class lessons, click here.