# UNDERSTANDING PRESENT CONTINUOUS AND PAST CONTINUOUS TENSE IN MIDWIFERY CONTEXTS - Link: https://muhammadiyahciko.or.id/understanding-present-continuous-and-past-continuous-tense-in-midwifery-contexts/ - Published: 2026-04-16T05:19:13+07:00 - Author: Arofah Firdaus ## Introduction In midwifery practice, effective communication is the key to successful patient care. Healthcare providers, including midwives, often need to describe events that are happening right now or were in progress in the past while attending to patients. Two grammatical structures that are highly relevant are the _Present Continuous Tense_ and the _Past Continuous Tense_. This article discusses both tenses systematically, complete with midwifery-related examples and structured exercises. --- ## A. Present Continuous Tense ### 1. Definition The Present Continuous Tense is used to express: * Actions happening at the moment of speaking. * Temporary situations or actions. * Definite future plans (in a scheduled context). ### 2. Formula Sentence Type Formula Example Positive S + to be (am/is/are) + V-ing + O _The baby is crying loudly._ Negative S + to be + not + V-ing + O _The patient is not feeling well._ Interrogative To be + S + V-ing + O? _Is the midwife checking the fetal heart rate?_ **Note:** * _Am_ is used with subject _I_ * _Is_ is used with _he, she, it_ * _Are_ is used with _you, we, they_ ### 3. Examples in Midwifery Contexts > **Example 1** > _The midwife is monitoring the progress of labor._ > **Example 2** > _The pregnant woman is feeling nauseous this morning._ > **Example 3** > _We are preparing the delivery room for the patient._ > **Example 4** > _Is the client taking iron supplements regularly?_ ### 4. Time Signals * _Now_ * _Right now_ * _At the moment_ * _Today / This week / This month_ (for temporary situations) * _Look! / Listen!_ (to draw attention) --- ## B. Past Continuous Tense ### 1. Definition The Past Continuous Tense is used to express: * An action that was in progress at a specific time in the past. * Two or more actions happening simultaneously in the past. * An action that was in progress when another action interrupted it. ### 2. Formula Sentence Type Formula Example Positive S + was/were + V-ing + O _The nurse was assisting the delivery._ Negative S + was/were + not + V-ing + O _The patient was not responding to the treatment._ Interrogative Was/were + S + V-ing + O? _Were they waiting for the doctor?_ **Note:** * _Was_ is used with _I, he, she, it_ * _Were_ is used with _you, we, they_ ### 3. Examples in Midwifery Contexts > **Example 1** > _The mother was pushing when the baby’s head appeared._ > **Example 2** > _While the midwife was explaining the birth plan, the husband was > taking notes._ > **Example 3** > _The baby was not sleeping well last night._ > **Example 4** > _Was the obstetrician performing a C-section at 8 a.m. yesterday?_ ### 4. Time Signals * _At this time yesterday / last night_ * _At 7 p.m. last Monday_ * _When_ + Simple Past (interrupting event) * _While_ (during the time that) --- ## Brief Comparison Aspect Present Continuous Past Continuous Time Present (now) Past (then) To be am, is, are was, were Example _She is checking the baby’s temperature.__She was checking the baby’s temperature when the phone rang._ --- ## Exercises ### A. Choose the correct answer (Present Continuous) 1. The midwife **_** the mother’s blood pressure right now. a. checkb. checksc. is checkingd. are checking 2. Listen! The newborn **_**. a. is cryingb. are cryingc. cryd. cries 3. The students of midwifery **_** a simulation in the lab at the moment. a. is doingb. am doingc. are doingd. doing ### B. Fill in the blanks with the correct Past Continuous form 4. At 9 p.m. last night, the mother **_** (rest) in the ward. 5. The baby **_** (not / sleep) when the nurse came in. 6. **_\_ the health worker \__** (prepare) the vaccine when the electricity went out? ### C. Translate into English (midwifery context) 7. Pasien sedang mengeluh sakit perut bagian bawah sekarang. 8. Kemarin sore jam 3, bidan sedang memeriksa kontraksi pasien. 9. Ketika suami pasien tiba, tim medis sedang mencoba menghentikan perdarahan. --- ## Answer Key **A.** 1. c (is checking) 2. a (is crying) 3. c (are doing) **B.** 4. was resting Mastery of the Present Continuous and Past Continuous Tenses helps midwifery students describe patient conditions accurately according to the time of the event. Regular practice using clinical contexts will strengthen the professional English skills needed in daily practice. 5. was not sleeping / wasn’t sleeping 6. Was, preparing **C.** 7. _The patient is complaining of lower abdominal pain now._ 8. _Yesterday at 3 p.m., the midwife was checking the patient’s contractions._ 9. _When the patient’s husband arrived, the medical team was trying to stop the bleeding._ --- ## Conclusion **Keep learning and practicing your English!** --- _References_ Azar, B. S. (2017). _Understanding and Using English Grammar_. Pearson. Murphy, R. (2019). _English Grammar in Use_. Cambridge University Press.