Some features of the progressive aspect:
| Progressive auxiliary |
be |
| Form |
dependent on previous verb |
| Following verb |
progressive participle (-ing) |
| Comment |
- |
The progressive auxiliary:
There is only one progressive auxiliary. This is the auxiliary be.
The form of the progressive auxiliary:
The progressive auxiliary be has many forms, depending on the auxilary preceding it in the sentence. As mentioned before, the auxiliaries always come in one particular order: modal - perfect - progressive - passive. Since the progressive auxiliary can only be preceded by a modal auxiliary, a perfect auxiliary, or no auxiliary at all, be can take precisely three shapes. It can either be in its tensed form (preceded by no auxiliary at all), in its non-finite form (preceded by a modal), or in its past participle form (preceded by a perfect auxiliary):
| preceded by: |
no auxiliary |
modal |
perfect |
| I |
am |
was |
be |
been |
| you |
are |
were |
be |
been |
| he/she/it |
is |
was |
be |
been |
| we |
are |
were |
be |
been |
| you |
are |
were |
be |
been |
| they |
are |
were |
be |
been |
The form of the following verb:
The verb following a progressive auxiliary always appears in its progressive
participle form. This form is made up from the verb's stem + -ing.
Compare the example sentences already given on the Auxiliaries
page and notice the verbs following the progressive auxiliaries in their
progressive participle form:
| iv. |
He is forgetting. |
progressive |
| vii. |
He will be forgotting. |
modal progressive |
| ix. |
He has been forgetting. |
perfect progressive |
| xi. |
He is being forgotten. |
progressive passive |
| xii. |
He will have been forgetting. |
modal perfect progressive |
| xiv. |
He will be being forgotten. |
modal progressive passive |
| xv. |
He has been being forgotten. |
perfect progressive passive |
| xvi. |
He will have been being forgotten. |
modal perfect progressive passive |
|