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Last time we examined basic and perfect verb tenses. Both of those tenses also have another form, called the progressive or continuous tense. As the name indicates, this tense expresses an action in progress. All progressive tenses use a helping verb with a main verb ending in the suffix ing. The difference between the various progressive tenses lies in the particular helping verb that is used.

• Present progressive tells of an ongoing action in the present. It uses the helper am, are, or is. Here’s an example:

  We are preparing a new ad campaign for the product launch.

• Past progressive conveys an action that occurred over a period of time in the past. It uses the helper was or were, as in this example:

  We were considering a new approach when Ali remembered that law.

• Future progressive expresses an ongoing action that will happen in the future. In this case, the helper is the phrase will be or shall be, as in this example:

  We will be presenting at several conferences in the coming year.

The perfect progressive tenses use the helping verbs has or have been, had been, and will have been to expand upon the perfect tenses that we explained last time. While the present perfect progressive tense is commonly used, you won’t often see the past and future perfect progressive tenses in business writing. Still, it is good to understand how these tenses are employed.

• Present perfect progressive conveys a continuing action that began in the past. Here’s an example:

  We have been collecting data for a full six months now.

• Past perfect progressive expresses a continuing action that took place in the past, as in this example:

  We had been waiting for over forty minutes when the train finally arrived.

• Future perfect progressive tells of a continuing action in the future that will be completed by a particular time, as in this example:

  We will have been working on the site for two decades before it opens to traffic.

As a practice exercise to “perfect” your awareness of these tenses, read a paragraph of text from a few different types of writing and identify the tenses used in each sentence. To “progress” further, try writing a few examples of your own.

—Joyce Lee

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