Continuous tense

continuous tense (also progressive tense), (grammar) phrase consisting of part of be and a verb ending in -ing which expresses an action that continues over a period of time, as in `I am/was writing', `They are/were singing' 进行时态（由be的一种形式和以-ing结尾的动词构成的词组, 表示持续一段时间的动作, 如 `I am/was writing', `They are/were singing'.