There are three different continuous tenses in English, which describe actions that are in progress at a specific time. These include the present continuous tense, the past continuous tense, and the future continuous tense.

1. The present continuous tense is used to describe actions that are happening now, or around now. It is formed by using the present participle (-ing) of the verb along with the auxiliary verb "to be" in the present tense (am, is, are). For example: "I am talking to you now."
2. The past continuous tense is used to describe actions that were happening at a specific time in the past. It is formed by using the present participle (-ing) of the verb along with the auxiliary verb "to be" in the past tense (was, were). For example: "I was cooking dinner at 6 o'clock."
3. The future continuous tense is used to describe actions that will be happening at a specific time in the future. It is formed by using the present participle (-ing) of the verb along with the auxiliary verb "to be" in the future tense (will be). For example: "I will be studying for my exam at this time tomorrow

How To Form the Continuous Tenses?

To form the continuous tenses in English, you use the present participle of the verb along with the appropriate form of the auxiliary verb "to be."

Here are the basic structures for each of the continuous tenses:

• Present Continuous: "to be" + present participle (-ing)

  • Subject + "am/is/are" + present participle (-ing) verb
  • Examples: "I am eating breakfast," "She is singing a song," "They are playing football."

• Past Continuous: "to be" + present participle (-ing)

  • Subject + "was/were" + present participle (-ing) verb
  • Examples: "I was studying for the exam," "She was watching TV," "They were talking on the phone."

• Future Continuous: "to be" + present participle (-ing)

  • Subject + "will be" + present participle (-ing) verb
  • Examples: "I will be taking the train," "She will be doing her homework," "They will be having dinner."

It is important to note that, it's more common to use "going to" to describe Future event instead of Future Continuous, for example: "I am going to watch a movie tonight."

Examples 

here are six examples of sentences using each of the continuous tenses:

Present Continuous:

1. I am typing a report right now.
2. He is walking to the store.
3. They are reading a book together.
4. She is practicing the piano.
5. The children are playing outside.
6. We are having a meeting at this moment.

Past Continuous:

1. I was studying for my exam when you called.
2. He was mowing the lawn when it started raining.
3. They were watching a movie when I arrived.
4. She was cooking dinner when the power went out.
5. The children were building a fort when the dog knocked it down.
6. We were discussing the project when the boss walked in.

Future Continuous:

1. I will be taking the train to work tomorrow morning.
2. He will be studying for his exam all night.
3. They will be having a picnic in the park.
4. She will be dancing at the party later.
5. The children will be playing at the beach all day.
6. We will be working on the presentation until it's finished.

Quiz : Continues Tenses 

here's a quiz to test your understanding of continuous tenses:

1. The dog ______________ (bark) loudly when the mailman came to the door. (past continuous)
2. I ______________ (not/study) for my test today because I didn't have time. (past simple)
3. The baby ______________ (sleep) peacefully when I left the room. (past continuous)
4. They ______________ (not/plan) to go to the concert tonight. (future simple)
5. I ______________ (write) a letter to my friend right now. (present continuous)
6. We ______________ (not/watch) TV tonight because we have a lot of homework to do. (future simple)

Answers:

1. was barking
2. did not study
3. was sleeping
4. are not planning
5. am writing
6. will not watch

Before You Leave : Continues Tenses Memory Card 

here are some key rules and structures for forming the continuous tenses in English:

• Present Continuous: "to be" + present participle (-ing)

  • Subject + "am/is/are" + present participle (-ing) verb
  • Used to describe actions that are happening now or around now

• Past Continuous: "to be" + present participle (-ing)

  • Subject + "was/were" + present participle (-ing) verb
  • Used to describe actions that were happening at a specific time in the past

• Future Continuous: "to be" + present participle (-ing)

  • Subject + "will be" + present participle (-ing) verb