Present Continuous: Negative Sentences Exercises

To make a negative present continuous sentence, add not between the form of "be" and the -ing verb: "She is not working today." There are two short forms you can use with "is": "She isn't working" or "She's not working" — both mean the same thing. With "are," the pattern is the same: "They aren't listening" or "They're not listening." With "I," the only short form is "I'm not": "I'm not feeling well." The form "amn't" does not exist in standard British English.

Many learners mix up the negative forms of different tenses. In the present continuous, you never need "do" or "does" — those belong to the present simple: "She doesn't work" (present simple) versus "She isn't working" (present continuous). If you see "do not" or "does not" with an -ing verb, something is wrong. Another common mistake is putting "not" in the wrong place: "She not is working" should be "She is not working." Keep the order clear: subject + am/is/are + not + verb-ing. This simple pattern works for every negative present continuous sentence.