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a. Use:
The simple present is used to express general truths such as scientific fact, as in the following sentences:
--> The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
--> The moon circles the earth once every 28 days.
--> New technology makes it easier to learn English.
The simple present is used to indicate a habitual action, event, or condition, as in the following sentences:
The simple present is also used when writing about works of art, as in the following sentences.
--> Lolly Willowes is the protagonist of the novel Townsend published in 1926.
--> The play ends with an epilogue spoken by the fool.
The simple present can also be used to refer to a future event when used in conjunction with an adverb or
adverbial phrase, as in the following sentences.
Some verbs change their spelling when s is added in the third person singular.
a. Verbs ending in y
The English letters a, e, i, o and u are generally referred to as vowels. The other English letters are generally
referred to as consonants.
When a verb ends in y immediately preceded by a consonant, the y is changed to ie before the ending s is
added. In each of the following examples, the consonant immediately preceding the final y is underlined.
However, when a verb ends in y immediately preceded by a vowel, the y is not changed before the ending s is
added. In each of the following examples, the vowel immediately preceding the final y is underlined.
b. Verbs ending in o
When a verb ends in o, the letter e is added before the s ending. For example:
A syllable is a unit of pronunciation, usually consisting of a vowel sound which may or may not be accompanied
by consonants.
When a verb ends in a sibilant sound such as ch, s, sh, x or z, the es ending of the third person singular is
pronounced as a separate syllable. The reason for this is that these sounds are so similar to the sound of the es
ending, that the ending must be pronounced as a separate syllable in order to be heard clearly.
In each of the following examples the bare infinitive consists of one syllable, whereas the form of the verb used
in the third person singular consists of two syllables.
Similarly, when s is added to verbs ending in ce, ge, se or ze, the final es is usually pronounced as a separate
syllable. In each of the following examples the bare infinitive consists of one syllable, whereas the form of the
verb used in the third person singular consists
of two syllables.
4. The auxiliary Do
With the exception of the verb to be, verbs in modern English use the auxiliary do to form questions and
negative statements in the Simple Present.
The Simple Present of the verb to do is conjugated as follows:
I do
you do
he does
she does
it does
we do
they do
Auxiliaries are verbs which are combined with other verbs to form various tenses. It should be noted that
when an auxiliary is combined with another verb, it is the auxiliary which must agree with the subject, while the
form of the other verb remains invariable.
When the auxiliary do is combined with another verb, the other verb always has the form of the bare infinitive.
a. Questions
In order to form a question in the Simple Present of any verb other than the verb to be, the Simple Present of
the auxiliary do is added before the subject, and the bare infinitive of the verb is placed after the subject. For
example:
b. Negative statements
In order to form a negative statement, the Simple Present of the auxiliary do followed by the word not is
placed before the bare
infinitive of the verb. For example:
c. Negative questions
To form a negative question, the Simple Present of the auxiliary do is placed before the subject, and the word
not followed by the bare infinitive is placed after the subject. However, when contractions are used, the
contracted form of not follows immediately after the Simple Present of the auxiliary do. For example: