Describing Ongoing Activities

How to describe an ongoing activity?

To describe an ongoing activity, simply follow this pattern:

Noun/Noun Phrase + Be + V1(-ing) + Complement

Example:

1. Andre is painting the table.
2. My mother is frying the fish.
3. The mechanics are assembling the car.
4. I am cleaning the window glasses.
5. The children are playing kites happily.

Complement might be a time marker, another noun/noun phrase, or adverb of manner.

For more examples, let us read the following text carefully.

WORKING IN THE WORKSHOP

Today is Wednesday Almost all of the students are in the work shop. They are following their practical lesson. They are busy doing their jobs. Some of them are working on each of their own work-pieces and some others are listening to their instructor.

The instructor is explaining how to do the job correctly. He is going to show them how to operate the machines. He is going 10 demonstrate their operation and he is also going to ask every stu-dent to start the machines by himself.

The students are listening to him attentively. They are learning how to operate the machines. They are going to write down their lesson They are also going to practice operating the machines alone after their instructor finishes giving the lesson to them.

In the workshop both the instructor and the students are doing their respective duties. Their duties are, of course, different. The instructor is here to teach the students while the students are here to learn seriously.

Source: Bahasa Inggris SMK Kelompok Teknologi dan Industri Kelas 1, Humaniora Utama Press, Cetakan ke-4, 1997.