To form questions in the present continuous, switch the order of the subject and the verb:
I am ~ing ==> Am I ~ing?
You are ~ing ==> Are you ~ing?
He / she / it is ~ing ==> Is he / she / it ~ing?
We are ~ing ==> Are we ~ing?
You are ~ing ==> Are you ~ing?
They are ~ing ==> Are they ~ing?
Examples:
- Am I kidding?
- – Yes (. I’m just pulling your leg [= teasing you]).
- Are you sleeping, Brother John?
- – No (, I’m not).
- – No (, I’m lying awake, thinking).
- Is it still snowing?
- – No (, it isn’t // it’s not).
- – No (, it’s raining).
- Are we leaving yet?
- – Yes (. Please get your coat on).
- Are they eating dinner?
- – No (, they aren’t // they’re not).
- – No (, they’ve finished eating).
Wh-questions can also use ~ing form: Wh- + (be) + S + ~ing?
- Who is having a party? (“Who” is the subject for who-questions, and so don’t need another subject.)
- What is he doing?
- Where is she going?
- When is Sally coming to pick up the book?
- Why are you yelling at me?
- How are they going to move that piano?
Exercises.
Put together the following words in the proper order to form a present continuous question. Don’t forget to use the correct form of the verb “be.”
1. be fight have a snowball they ?
2. any be buy for magazines ride she the train ?
3. bake be cookies today we ?
4. be feel sick you ?
5. be dream I ?
6. be do teacher the tomorrow what ?
7. be cold get it out ?
8. be do how you ?
9. and be down jump they up why ?
10. ball be game Mike next play in week’s ?
11. be my phone ring ?
12. be choir concert in school sing Steve the when ?
13. be lie who ?
14. be tell the truth who ?
15. be boil soup the yet ?
16. be go on vacation where you ?
17. be crazy go I ?
18. baby be sleep still the ?
19. be loudly snore so who ?
20. be still TV watch you ?