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Present Simple

Present Simple Tense

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20 views4 pages

Present Simple

Present Simple Tense

Uploaded by

Monica Susana
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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STARTER A: GRAMMAR

1. PRESENT SIMPLE.

A. FORM:
The present simple is the base form of the verb:
I work in London

But with the third person singular (he, she, it or a noun in singular), we add an -s:
She works in London

- Note: Spelling changes with the third person singular of the present simple:
• Verbs ending in -y : the third person changes the -y to -ies:
fly --> flies, cry --> cries
Exception: if there is a vowel before the -y:
play --> plays, pray --> prays

• Add -es to verbs ending in:-ss, -x, -sh, -ch or -o:


he passes, she catches, he fixes, it pushes, he goes

- Examples:

• He goes to school every morning.


• She understands English.
• It mixes the sand and the water.
• He tries very hard.
• She enjoys playing the piano.

B. WORD ORDER:

- Positive or Affirmative sentences:


Subject + base form of the verb (third person singular add an -s) + complements
- Negative sentences:
For the negative, we add the AUXILIARY VERB do not (or don't) for all subject forms except the third
person, which adds the -s to "do" -- Please carefully note the "s" is added to does not/ doesn't (NOT to
the base form).
Correct: He doesn't work today.
NOT correct: He doesn't works today. (do not add an 's to "work")
Word order: Subject + don’t / doesn’t + base form of the verb + complements
- Questions or Interrogative sentences without or with question words (Wh-questions):

For the interrogative, we add the AUXILIARY VERB do for all subject forms except the third person,
which adds the -s to "do" :
Word order: (Wh-word) + do/does + Subject + base form of the verb + complements + question mark ?

SHORT ANSWERS:
We usually give short answers to "yes/no" questions. To do that we use do/does in positive answers
and the short negative form don’t/doesn’t in negative answers.

Examples:
— Do you like your job? — Yes, I do.
— Does Sam drink beer? — No, he doesn’t.
— Do they go swimming? — Yes, they do.
C. SIGNAL OR KEY WORDS OF THE PRESENT SIMPLE:
1. The signal words to recognise when we must use the present simple are ADVERBS OF FREQUENCY.
We use these adverbs to show how often we do a specific action or activity.
In the chart below we can clearly see the frequency that they show:

2. WORD ORDER OF ADVERBS OF FREQUENCY:


Adverbs of frequency go before the main verb but after verb “to be”:
 They don´ t usually watch TV.
 She never eats sweets.
 They are usually in bed by 11:30
 She´s never eaten Chinese food.
 Have you ever had a really serious illness? (= ever = alguna vez)

 Sometimes, usually, normally, frequently, often and occasionally can also go at the beginning or
end of a sentence:
 Sometimes I walk to work.
 Do you see your parentes often?

 Frequency expressions or adverbs phrases of frequency (every evening, once a week, twice a
week…) normally go at the end a sentence:
 I watch TV every evening.
 I go to the cinema twice a week.

We use “How often…?” to ask about the frequency of a specific action or activity:
 How often do they watch TV? They watch TV every evening.
 How often do you go swimming? I go swimming once a week.

D. USES OF THE PRESENT SIMPLE:


Repeated Events
A common use of the present simple tense is to describe repeated events, or what we also refer to
as habits and routines. It's quite common to use adverbs of frequency (e.g. always, often, usually etc)
and expressions of repeated time (e.g. on Mondays, in the winter, every month) for habitual behaviour.
Examples of repeated events (habits and routines):
 I get up early
 Why don't you eat fish?
 I practice the piano everyday
 I always travel during my holidays
 She works from Mondays to Wednesdays
 Where do they usually meet?
General Facts
We also use the present simple tense for general facts, or things that are always true (or at least true at
the time the fact is given).
Examples of general facts:
 Fresh water freezes at 32 degrees fahrenheit
 She likes the colour pink
 I live in Paris
 Elephants are the only animals that can't jump
 Owning a gun isn't illegal in the US
 2 + 2 equals 4
Talking about the future
We can also use the present simple tense to talk about the future, either the fixed future, using
phrases such as next week, tomorrow, at 5pm, or after time words (e.g. when, before, after) and
after if and unless.
Fixed time:
 The train leaves at 6.45pm
 Shall we go to the cinema tonight?
 My new job starts next week
 She arrives tomorrow
Time words:

 I'll tell you when she makes a decision


 Make sure you've cleaned your teeth before you go to bed
 I'm going to start making dinner after they arrive
If and unless:

 If he passes his exam, he'll be very happy


 I won't help you unless you listen to me
Note: We sometimes use the present simple to talk about the past when we are:
 telling a story:

I was walking down the street the other day when suddenly this man comes up to me
and tells me he has lost his wallet and asks me to lend him some money. Well, he looks a
bit dangerous so I'm not sure what to do and while we are standing there …
 summarising a book, film or play:

Harry Potter goes to Hogwarts School. He has two close friends, Hermione and …
Shakespeare's Hamlet is the Prince of Denmark. One night he sees his father's ghost. The
ghost tells him he has been murdered …

STATE OR STATIVE VERBS:


The present simple tense is used to talk about states, or in other words with stative verbs. This is
because we do not tend to use these verbs with the present continuous tense.
For instance, we can't say "I am having a headache". We say "I have a headache".
Examples of state verbs:

• Existence: I am alive; She exists


• Wants and Likes: I like you; They want a pay rise
• Possession: I have many handbags; John owns a car
• Mental States: I believe in ghosts; I understand
• Senses: I feel unwell; It smells strange
 Appearance: You look tired; She seems ok
(Practice: The present simple, The British Council; adverbs of frequency, The British Council, Adverbs )

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