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Grammar – Verb tense Review

Simple Present Tense

I. Use

The Simple Present is used to talk about the present, habitual actions and routines, repeated or regular actions,
general truths or facts, Look at the following examples.

1. Habits and routines → He drinks tea in the morning.

They get up at 8 am.

2. General truths → Honey is sweet.

The sun rises in the East.

Adverbs of frequency are often used to indicate routine or repeated activities, so they are often used with the present
simple tense. If a sentence has only one verb, place the adverb of frequency in the middle of the sentence so that it is positioned
after the subject but before the verb. → Tom never flies.

Adverbs of frequency

Never - Hardly ever – Rarely - Seldom - Occasionally - Sometimes - Often - Frequently - Normally - Usually - Always

But the Simple Present tense can also be found in the following cases.

a. The simple present tense is used in exclamatory sentences beginning with here and there to express what is
happening in the present.
→ There goes your husband!
Here comes the bus!

b. The simple present tense is used to talk about future events that are part of a fixed timetable.

→ The train leaves at 6 pm.

The match starts at 9 o’clock.

c. The Simple Present tense is used to introduce quotations

→ Keats says, ‘A thing of beauty is a joy for ever.’

d. The Simple Present tense is also used in clauses of time and condition (contidional type I).
→I will call you when dinner is ready. (NOT I will call you when dinner will be ready.)
→I will go abroad after I finish my studies. (NOT I will go abroad after I will finish my studies.)

e. The Simple Present tense can also be used in broadcast commentaries on sporting events, The simple present
tense is used instead of the present continuous tense to talk about activities in progress.
→Look how he runs with that ball! ( NOT Look how he is running with that ball! )
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II. Structure

+ Subject + *main verb in simple present + complement of the sentence

* When the subject is 3rd person singular, we add -s to the end of the verb in a simple present affirmative
sentence. Look at spelling rules for the third person singular at the end of this page.

- Subject + *don’t / doesn’t + main verb in present + complement of the sentence

*Negative auxiliary → Do not = don’t (contracted form) Does not = doesn’t (contracted form)

?1 Yes/No questions *Do/Does + subject + main verb in infinitive + complement + ?

To be answered with Short answers : Yes, + subject + do/does No, + subject + don’t/doesn´t

*Auxiliary verb → Do /does

?2 Wh-questions Wh-question word + do/does + subject + main verb in infinitive + complement + ?

III. Verb conjugation & spelling

+ AFFIRMATIVE FORM - NEGATIVE FORM ? INTERROGATIVE FORM

S
I 1st I love/watch/go/study I don’t love/watch/go/study Do I love/watch/go/study ?
N 2nd You love/watch/go/study You don’t love/watch/go/study Do you love/watch/go/study ?
G
U
He loves/watches/goes/studies He doesn’t love/watch/go/study Does he love/watch/go/study ?
L
A
3rd She loves/watches/goes/studies She doesn’t love/watch/go/study Does she love/watch/go/study ?
R It loves/watches/goes/studies It doesn’t love/watch/go/study Does it love/watch/go/study ?

P
L 1st We love/watch/go/study We don’t love/watch/go/study Do we love/watch/go/study ?
U 2nd You love/watch/go/study You don’t love/watch/go/study Do you love/watch/go/study ?
R 3rd
A
They love/watch/go/study They don’t love/watch/go/study Do they love/watch/go/study ?
L
The spelling for the verb in the third person singular differs depending on the ending of that verb:

1. For most verbs we add -S in the third person. → Love-loves / play-plays / cut-cuts
2. For verbs that end in -O, -CH, -SH, -SS, -X, or -Z we add -ES in the third person. → Go-goes / watch-watches /
brush-brushes / kiss-kisses / fix-fixes / buzz-buzzes
3. For verbs that end in a consonant + Y, we remove the Y and add -IES.→ Study-studies / cry-cries
*For verbs that end in a vowel + Y, we just add -S. → stay-stays / pray-prays
4. Irregular verb Have. The third person singular is Has. → Have-has
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Practice exercise.

Write sentences in Simple present in the Affirmative, Negative and Interrogative form. Remember to follow the structure
and pay attention to the 3rd person singular (he – she - it). Add complements of your own.

Affirmative: I get up at 8 o’clock in the morning.

Negative: I don’t get up at 8 o´clock in the morning.
Interrogative: Do I get up at 8 o´clock in the morning?

Affirmative: David
Negative:
Interrogative:

Affirmative: The kids

Negative:
Interrogative:

Affirmative: A man
Negative:
Interrogative:

Affirmative: My uncle Jeff and I

Negative:
Interrogative:

Affirmative: You
Negative:
Interrogative:

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Affirmative: My family
Negative:
Interrogative:

Affirmative: That class

Negative:
Interrogative:

Affirmative: The children

Negative:
Interrogative:

Affirmative: Your Aunt Janine

Negative:
Interrogative:

Affirmative: My father and my brother

Negative:
Interrogative:

Affirmative: Their boys

Negative:
Interrogative:

Affirmative: Juliette
Negative:
Interrogative:

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Simple present – affirmative form. Simple present – Affirmative form verbs 'have' and 'be'.
→Complete with the correct form of the verb. →Fill in the correct form of the verbs.
1. We sometimes ____________________ (read) books.
2. Emily ___________________ ( go )to the disco. 1. We ______________________( have) a nice garden.
3. It often _________________ ( rain )on Sundays. 2. She ________________ ( be) six years old.
4. Pete and his sister _______________(wash )the family car.
3. Simon ______________ ( have) two rabbits and five
5. I always ________________ ( hurry ) to the bus stop.
6. I _________________( like) lemonade very much. goldfish.
7. The girls always _________________ ( listen) to pop music. 4. I __________________( be) from Vienna, Austria.
8. Janet never_______________________ ( wear) jeans.
5.They ______________________ ( be) Sandy's parents.
9. Mr Smith ________________ ( teach) Spanish and French.
10. You _________________ ( do) your homework after school.

Simple present - Negative form

→ Make negative sentences.

1. My father makes breakfast. → _________________________________________________________________________________

2. They are eleven. → __________________________________________________________________________________
3. She writes a letter. → ___________________________________________________________________________________
4. I speak Italian. → ___________________________________________________________________________________
5. Danny phones his father on Sundays. → ___________________________________________________________________________

Simple Present – Interrogative form

→ Make questions.
1. you / speak / English → ___________________________________________________________________________________
2. when / he / go / home → ___________________________________________________________________________________
3. they / clean / the bathroom → ___________________________________________________________________________________
4. where / she / ride / her bike → ___________________________________________________________________________________
5. Billy / work / in the supermarket → _______________________________________________________________________________

Simple Present – Signal words and adverbs of frequency

→ Circle the correct answer to each one of the questions.
1. Which is a signal word for simple present? Now Last Monday Often
2. Which is not a signal word for simple present? Never Already Usually
3. Which is a signal word for simple present? Sometimes At the moment Yesterday
4. Which is not a signal word for simple present? Listen! First…then Seldom
5. Which is a signal word for simple present? Last Friday Every Friday Next Friday