Loioer Seco ndnry Grnmtnnr

T.J N !T
SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

A Simple Present Tense is used to express the idea that an action is repeated or usual. The
action can be a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often
happens.

The Simple Present Tense can also be used to:

(a) Apply to a permanent situation or somethingthat aperson often forgets or usually does
not do.
e.g. I play the piano.
The school bell rings every moming at7 .45 a.m.
She always forgets to lock the gate at night.
We celebrate our grandmother's birthday yearly.

(b) Indicate a fact is true or is used to make generalisations about people or things
e.g. Birds eat woflns.
Penang is in Malaysia.
Tyres are made of rubber.

(c) Talk about scheduled events in the near future.

e.g. The plane departs tonight at 11.30 p.m.
What time does the concert start this Sunday?

Exercise 1

Choose the correct answer in the simple present tense

1. All students a school badge and name tag on their uniforms

(1) wearing (2) have worn
(3) wear (4) wears ( )

2. The audience loudly at the end of the spectacular performance.

-
(1) applauding (2) applaud
Fa (3) applauds (4) is applauded ( )
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(2) is stealing
(4) steal ( )
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4. Kelvin his shin bones and ln paln

(1) fracture....scream (2) has fractured....screamed
(3) fractured....screaming (4) fractures .. . .screams ()

5 Here the postman. He always our mail at

4 p.m
(1) comes .. . .delivers (2) comes....deliver
(3) came....delivers (4) is coming....delivers (

6. This weekly flight Japan in the morning and

down in Singapore in the evening
(1) departed....touched (.2) departs . .. .touched
(3) departs....touches (4) has departed....has touched ()

7. Reckless driving accidents and lives

(1) causes....destroys (2) caused...destroy
(3) causes....destroyed (4) will cause....destroyed ()

8. The bully whoever to give in to his demands

(1) punched...refused (.2) punches...refuses
(3) punches...refuse (4) is punched...is refusing ( )

9. Annabel her hair monthly and it before each

Christmas.
(1) trims...highlight (2) trimmed...highlighted
(3) trims...highlights (4) trims...highlighting ()

10. The bus company a new express service but on its maiden trip, not
a single passenger on it.
(1) introduced....travel (2) introduces....travels
(3) has introduced....travel (4) introduce....travel ( )

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Exercise 2

Fill in the blanks with the simple present tense of the verbs in the brackets.

I The principal (give) a speech at the school assembly every

Monday.

2. Suzanne (dislike) drinking her grandmother's herbal soup

3. Let's buy the invitation cards from this shop as they (be) cheaper.

4. My absent-minded grandpa frequently (forget) to feed his pets.

5 The precocious boy (promise) to behave himself at his friend's

birthday party.

6 The immigrant (squat) on the bench and (spit)

on the ground.

7. Naughty Malcolm (wriggle) out of his father's grasp and

(escape) punishment

8. Mrs Damsel (sell) delicious mufflns which she

(bake) in her shop every morning

9. The socialite's diamond bracelet (glitter) brightly in the ballroom

and (capture) everyone's attention

10. The social worker (weep) with pity when she

(notice) the injuries that have been inflicted on the children in the orphanage.

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Exercise 3

Circle all the yerbs and rewrite the entire passage in the simple present tense.

A farmer's son unwittingly trod on a serpent's tail. The angry serpent sank its fangs
into the boy who soon died of its venom. The farmer flew into a rage, grabbed hold of his
axe and went after the serpent. When the farmer flnally caught up with the serpent, he sliced
off its tail. The vengeful serpent returned to the farm and stung the farmer's livestock which
caused him severe loss. Although the farmer still grieved for his son, he thought it best to
make amends with the serpent to prevent further disaster.

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Exercise 4

Complete the passage with the simple present tense of the verbs in the brackets.

Hong Kong is a territory located on China's south coast and (1)

(border) Guangdong province in the norlh and (2) (face) the South China

Sea in the east, west and south. With a population of 6.9 million people, it is one of the most

densely populated areas in the world. Hong Kong is a special administrative region and is not

considered as part of mainland China. Hong Kong has a high degree of autonomy, is largely

self-governing and (3) (maintain) a highly capitalist economy. Its identity

as a cosmopolitan centre where east (4) (meet) west is reflected in its

cuisine cinema, music and traditions. The population is predominantly Chinese but residents

and expatriates ofother ethnicities (5) (form) a small but significant part

of society. Hong Kong has a highly developed transportation network wh ere over 90Vo of daily

travels are on public transport. The city's rapid transit system, MTR (6)

(serve) 3.4 million people a day. A tramway system (7) (cover) the

northern parts of Hong Kong Island while public light buses (8) (run) the

length and breadth of Hong Kong. In addition, the Star Ferry service (9)

(operate) four lines across Victoria Harbour and the Peak Tram (10)

(provide) vertical rail transport between Central and Victoria Peak by steeply ascending the

side of a mountain.

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Exercise 5

rdentify five sentences with the wrong tenses by putting a cross (X) in the box.

1 . Sue works as a sales promoter in the day and drives a taxi at night

2. The lifeguard dive into the pool to save the drowning boy.

3. Grandma compiles all her recipes into a cookery book.

4. My best friend and I are talking to each other daily.

5. Her incessant chatting drives me nutsl

6. Father sent his car fbr routine servicing every six months.

7. The two dogs circling each other warily.

8. We celebrate all the major f'estivals in Singapore.

9. Jeremy feel nervous about the coming examinations.

10. The yuppie couple travels to Europe thrice a year.

Rewrite the above five sentences identified by (X) above in the simple present tense of
the verb.

2.

--) .

4.

5.

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Exercise 6

Fill in the blanks with a suitable word from the list using the correct verb form.

close smoke rarn wash strive

spend complain drive boil travel

1. Thebank early at 2 p.^. on Saturdays.

2. Manchester is such a wet city that it almost every day

3. Mother an egg for each of us every morning without fail.

4. Paul very hard but unfortunately I think he will not make it.

5. Ignatius two packets of cigarettes a day due to his stressful job.

6. Thunder slower than the speed of lightning though it is louder

7 . As I do not have a social life,I my time watching TV at home.

8 Mr Yaacob insists that his maid his car every night, no matter how
late it is.

9. The disgruntled employees about their boss every day but to no

avail.

10. The pounding music from the pub next door everyone nuts

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[J N IT
SIMPLE PAST TENSE

A Simple Past Tense can be used in the following contexts:

(a) A completed action in the past - to express the idea that an action started and finished at
a specific time in the past.

Examoles:
I met my friend jusl now.
Did you sleep early last night?
The school bus broke down this morning.

(b) A series of completed actions - to list a series of completed actions in the past

Examoles:
She finished work, ate dinner, bought groceries and went home.
He reached the airport, checked in his luggage and collected his boarding pass
Did you go to the post office, pay the bills and also buy stamps2

(c) A duration in the past - used with a duration (three months. ten minutes, all day, etg
which started ancl stopped in the past.

Examoles:
I studied in New York for three years.
We played badminton for half an hour.
The actors spent the whole afternoon rehearsing.

(d) A habit in the past - used to describe a habit which stopped in the past.
Examoles:
I joined the Science Club when I was in primary school.
The maid was frequently punished by her lady boss.
The old television set broke down many times until we flnally had it repaired.

(e) A past fact or generalisation - used to describe a past fact or generalisation which is 1o
Ionger true.
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Exunoles': :^e

He was rveak in Literature but nor,v he tops the class in this subject. :H

Electricity cost less in the olden days.

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Exercise 1

Write the most suitable answer for each bracket.

1 Timmy up the undesirable smoking habit when he was only

thirteen
(1) pick (2) picked
(3) picks (4) picking ()
2. Andy and his friends the suspect to his hideout in the jungle and
called the police.
(1) trailed (2) trail
(3) trails (4) trailing ()
J Yesterday the baby her first step to the delight of her parents.
(1) take (z), takes
(3) took (4), taking ( )

4. The sulky brat herself on the sofa and refused to lift a flnger to
help.
(1) plonk (2) plonked
(3) plonks (4) plonking ()
5 anvone out the secret?
(1) Do....leak (2) Did....leak
(3) Does....leak (4) Did....leaked ()
6 When practising for the Big Match, Beckham his back.
(1) injured (2) rnJure
(3) injures (4) injuring ()
7 Mr Bala all his goals last year and has set higher targets for this
yea.r.
(1) achieve (2) achieved
(3) achieves (4) achieving )

8. The mischievous boys were punished when their prank

(1) backflre (2) backflring
(3) backflres (4) backfired )

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9 Emily left in a huffbecause everyone not
any attention to her.
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(1) do....pay (2) does....pay
(3) did....pay (4) did....paying ()
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10. Mr Amarjeet was arrested after the flower pot which he from his
flat a passer-by's skul I .
(1) throw....crack (2) lhrorvs....crlcks
(3) threr,v....cracked (1) threrv....crack

Exercise 2
-
Fill in the simple past tense of the verbs.

Present Tense Past Tense Present Tense Past Tense

l. rise l l. cast

2. capture 12. bear

3. hug 13. put

1. suspend 14. collate

-5. cull 15. delve

6. seek 16. lose

1. exercise 17. raid

B. insert 18. read

9. greet 19. cascade

10. amend 20. apologise

Exercise 3

Rewrite each sentence by changing the verb in italic boldto simple past tense.

e.g. I enjoy eating the nasi lemak at Holland Village.

I ezjoJed eating the nasi lemak at Holland Village.

1. We choreograph anew dance item for the performance :"""'

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2. The judge adjourns the hearing to two o'clock sharp

3. The concert at Esplanade starts late and the concertgoers complnin loudly

4. The students assemble at the parade square when the bell rings

5. The efficient secretary screens all the calls forherboss before she putsthem through

6. My brother hears a noise downstairs and he ventures forth to investigate

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1 . My heart sizks when I receive my report book and the red marks jump out at me I

8. As the bee stings Alan's finger, he yelps in pain and cries for his mother.

9 . Madam Susila cuts the fresh flowers from her garden and places them in a vase

10. The boys arrange the tools neatly and tidy up the workshop before they leave

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Exercise 4

Complete the passage by using the given words in simple past tense.

arflve acknowledge land live offer

rear graduate collect SCTVE attend

When my uncle was young, he (1) on a poultry farm in

Indonesia. His parents (2) chickens and ducks and after feeding them

every morning, he (3) their fresh eggs for sale at the market. When

he was eighteen, he (4) in Singapore and (5)

a job as a coffee stall helper. My uncle (6) night school and

(7) with a degree in Law. He (8) his pupilage

at an established law firm and after years of hard work, his efforts paid off when the flrm

finally (9) his contributions and (10) him a

junior partnership

Exercise 5

Answer each question in complete sentence in simple past tense.

e.g. What did you eat for lunch just now? (fish ponidge)
I are flsh porridge for lunch just now.

1. Which sports did your brother sign up for? (udo)

2. How did the popular Korean drama serial end? (in tragedy) i6

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3. What did you buy at the computer fair? (scanner and printer)

4. Why did everyone dash out of the offlce building? (fire alarm went offl

5. When did Mr Lee receive the mysterious parcel? (late afternoon)

6. What time did the car bomb explode? (right after lunch)

7 . Did anyone get hurt by the massive explosion downtown? (flve passers-by)

8. Which stall did Noni buy the prawn noodles from? (stall number 5)

9. How many books did Mr Sanjeet ask us to read for our book reviews? (three)

10. Who did the teacher select as class monitor and prefect respectively? (Jerry ancl
Hakim)

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Exercise 6

Fill in the cloze passage with suitable words.

Yesterday,whenl( 1 thesupermarket,I

that I had forgotten to bring my shopping list so I could not remember everything that I

(3) to buy. I (4) my basket with some items

and (5) up at the cashier. After I (6) out of the

supermarket,I (7) that the cashier had given me the wrong change

To make matters worse, one of the plastic carriers (8) way and my
-
groceries (9) with a loud thud on the ground. The jar of marmalade

( l0) - (11)
into pieces and my watermelon

onto the road. Avoiding the oncoming trafflc, I quickly (12) the

watermelon and (13) the long trek home. Halfway through, the sky

(14) up and I was thoroughly (15) What a

day!

Exercise 7

Change the simple past statements into negative statements.

e.g. Iboughtahandbag.
I did not bult ahandbag.

1. Annabel invited Selena to the gala dinner

2. They arrived in style in a limousine

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3. They rubbed shoulders with many famous celebrities

4. They had a great time at the function.

5. Selena thanked Annabel for the enjoyable evening.

6. Mr and Mrs Evans signed up for the tour package to Istanbul

7. The tour agency gave them attractive discounts

8. It upgraded them to business class seats on Turkish Airlines

9. Mr and Mrs Evans bought new suitcases for their trip

10. They counted down to the departure date

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TJNIT
SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE

A Simpte Future Tense is used to:

,/ make predictions and forecasts
,/ make decisions
,/ talk about actions which we cannot control
,/ announce events that have already been planned for
,/ refer to something which we decide to do at the time of speaking

The Simple Future Tense has two different forms - will and be going to.

SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE WITH }Y'I.[ AND SHALL

To form the Simple Future Tense, the modal verbs will or shall are used with the base form
of a verb.

Although the simple future tense can be formed using Shall forl and We,itis more cofirmon
to use WilI for all nouns and pronouns.

Examoles:
You will create a lasting impression in that outflt
I shall love you till the end of the world!
We will be given the instructions in due course.
Joseph will take a cab home after his tiring shift.
We shall not perform at the concert hall tonight.
Kelly will not explain everything to you later.

SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE WITH BE GOING TO

The Simple Future Tense is also formed with the use of a form of go + the infinitive of the
verb.

Examoles:
I am going to meet my ex-classmates later,
Who is going to bake the birthday cake?
They are going to drive to Thailand.
Aren't they going to sell their house? br

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 LotLt e r Sec o t rlartl C r ot ru n nr

Exercise 1

Fitl in the blanks with the simple future tense using Wil/.

1. The Boys Brigade (distribute) Christmas gifts to needy families

2.t (pick) up the groceries on my way home. It is no trouble at all

J The boys (endeavour) to reach the cinema earlier to buy the movie
tickets.
l

4. How can the meteorologist predict it (snow) tomorrow in

Singapore?

5 Although that gullible boy (believe) anything you tell him, do not
take advantage of him.

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6. Unless Mariah walks faster, she (miss) the last train home i

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7. Can you guess how many of us (score) distinctions in our papers?
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8 Though not immediate, your wife (forgive) you eventually if you

admit your mistakes.

9 The celebrity couple (attend) the glitzy function and lend their star
presence to the event.

10.Thedeve1oper-(complete)thehousingprojectbynextyearprovided
the economic outlook remains positive.

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Exercise 2

Choose an appropriate answer to each statement.

I will ask my Swedish friend to show her around.

In that case, I will make you a nice bowl of noodles.
It's alright. I will fax the documents for him.
I will remind him that his actions are dangerous.
Yes, we will invite the media and our industry partners to the event.
In that case, I will give you a piggy back ride home.
Don't get up. I will see what that person wants.
I will send this parcel at the post offlce after my lunch.
The ship will depart on Friday and call at Phuket and Langkawi.
I think I will go to the gym, followed by a swim.

1. Mr Smith does not know how to operate the fax machine

2. I am so exhausted. I cannot walk another single step.

3. Someone is knocking on the door. He sounds impatient.

4. My stomach is rumbling. I haven't had a single bite the whole day

5. Your brother is driving too recklessly. This can cause road accidents.

6. My sister wants to visit Sweden but she doesn,t know anyone there tsF

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7 . Marilyn, it is lunch-time now. What are you doing with that big parcel?

8. What is the new itinerary for this cruise package?

9. What is your exercise regime for tomorrow?

10. Are we going ahead with the product launch for the new shampoo?

Exercise 3

Unscramble the words in the brackets and use Will to complete the sentences in simple
future tense.

e.g. What are his plans for next year?

He
(business a Batam start new in)
He will start a new business in Batam
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.
1. We have a plane to catch but there isn't any cab in sight

Don't worry. my dad

(you give there a of lift all)

2. Why does Kelly want to work during the school holidays?

This
(some her enable to work experience gain)
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No -
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(ask to a our form colleagues we team)
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 Lott er Seco t dary G rnnr mt r

4. Do you think it is alright if I borrow Kelly's magazine for a while?

Go ahead, she
(you not as mind return afier as that long i0

5. Why do you need to buy a Christmas present for Isabel?

This
(a show treasure friend her I that as)

6. These models do not know what they are here for.

They-
(of the French the parade winter designers collections)

7. The children are getting restless because it is lunch time.

Fret not, I
(freshly-baked my scones serve them strawberry)

8 What shall I do? I need to dash to an appointment but I am waiting for an imponant
call

That's alright, I
(to comes secretary through my when transf'er cail to ask you it the)

9 lt is a great concern that the population of some wilcllife animals are dwindling
rapidly.

The Animals Conservation Society

(extinction on a to embark save from programme them)

10. Mrs Indran needs to visit her seriously-ill father in India.

Who _.--
(her take in absence care of children her young)
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Exercise 4

underline the simple present tense or simple future tense where appropriate.

1 In the event that it (rains / will rain) tomorrow, we (change / will change) our excursion
plans.

2 After Harry (graduates / will graduate), he (goes / will go) on a world tour before he
(starts / will start) his job search.

-) Mr and Mrs Tan (celebrate / will celebrate) their baby's first birthday at a hotel. They
(send / will send) out the invitations soon.

4 When my Australian cousins (arrive / will arrive) tonight, they (bring / will bring) my
favourite eucalyptus sweets.

5 In the event Jason (reaches / will reach) the cinema before us, he (stands / will stand) in
queue flrst.

6. After Michael (leaves / will leave) his offlce, he (picks / will pick) up his daughter at the
childcare cenffe

7 If Sarah (arrives / will arrive) at McDonalds before 11 a.m., she (orders / will order) the
breakfast set for me.

8 Should mother (know / will know) about this incident, we (never escape / will never
escape) punishment.

9 You don't have to give me an answer now. I (wait / will wait) for your reply no matter
how long you (rake / will take).

10. I hope Beth (remembers / will remember) to collect the cake later or mother (scolds /
will scold) her for being absent-minded again.

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Exercise 5

Complete the statements with suitable phrases from the box.

are not going to leave is going to faint

is going to prepare are not going to spend
am goiltg to wear am going to cancel
is going to guard are going to request
is not going to parlicipate is not going to divulge

1. Mother because she has just seen a huge rat

scampering across the kitchen floor.

2 I my lucky blue suede shoes for the dance

competition

3. The children _ their term break at a holiday camp this

year for a change

4. Our team in the inter-school sports relay as we have

not trained hard fbr it.

5 Angus the recipe for his world-famous steak to

anyone.

6. The spinster the heirloom she inherited from her

late parents zealously.

1. Who your meals while your mother is visiting her

relatives in China?

8 After the recent break-in, the Tans their front door

unlatched even for a second.
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9 I my subscription to the periodical as it is not very
useful
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