The Simple Past And Present Tense Of Verbs Focus On Grammar

INSTRUCTIONAL MODULE IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHING

By: Quennie N. Quiobe

Title: Using the Simple Past and Present Tense of Verbs

Overview:
Perhaps one of the most common dilemmas of students is the confusion
between using the simple past and simple present tenses of verbs both in the
oral and written communication. Such confusion leads to the frail development
of the communicative abilities of students. Thus, this instructional module will
help students absolutely comprehend the rules governing the use of the simple
past and simple present tenses of verbs, along with the situations in which
such tenses of verbs are used.

Objectives
After completing this module, you should be able to:

a) distinguish verbs in simple past and simple present

tenses.
b) construct sentences using simple past and simple
present tenses of verbs appropriately.

You will surely learn so many things on this module (“,) Read now.

Instructions to the Learners:

1. Take the pretest before working or answering the module.
2. Perform the activities as suggested.
3. Answer all the exercises found in the module.
4. Check your answers against the Key to Correction or see
your teacher for proper guidance.
5. Take the posttest.

Prerequisite Skills:
1. The simple present tense is constructed this way: subject + auxiliary
verb + main verb or subject + main verb.
Look at these examples:
I live in New York.
The Moon goes round the Earth.
John drives a taxi.
He does not drive a bus.
We meet every Thursday.
We do not work at night.

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The Simple Past And Present Tense Of Verbs Focus On Grammar

2. To make the past simple tense, we use: past form only or auxiliary did +
base form
Look at these examples:

I lived in that house when I was young.

He didn't like the movie.
What did you eat for dinner?
John drove to London on Monday.
Mary did not go to work yesterday.
Jeminah was at work yesterday.

PRETEST
Complete the following sentences by indicating the correct form of
verb in the space provided.
1. Hikari _____________ classes the whole day. (attend)
2. He ____________ to Tokyo University. (go)
3. The students ____________ excited for the school festival. (be)
4. Every student ____________ a journal or a diary. (keep)
5. Lilia _____________ of becoming a famous painter. (dream)
6. Yuji _____________ in every fencing competition. (participate)
7. The UAAP ___________ every first week of July. (start)
8. Jin and China always ______________ on cosplay competitions. (join)
9. It ______________ hard yesterday. (rain)
10. The teacher ____________ the class early. (dismiss)
11. One student ______________ her bag in class. (leave)
12. Shiro ____________ his wallet. (lose)
13. The tsunami really _______________ problems. (bring)
14. Romeo _____________ Juliet in the party. (meet)
15. King Arthur ____________ many battles. (win)

If you are finished answering the Pretest,

approach your teacher for the correct answer.

You are about to start with the learning activities.

Enjoy learning! 

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The Simple Past And Present Tense Of Verbs Focus On Grammar

Learning Activities

I. Simple Present
To form the Present Simple Tense we use the verb's base form (go,
work, speak, study). In 3rd person singular (he, she, it), the base form of the
verb takes -s/es. (Auxiliary verbs "be," "do," "have", which can also be used
as main verbs, are exceptions.)
Study the discussion below, it explains the uses of the simple present
tenses of verbs. The examples provide corresponding explanation why it is
in the simple present tense.

A. USE #1 Repeated Actions

Use the Simple Present 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. It can also be
something a person often forgets or usually does not do.

Examples:
I play the violin. (a hobby)
Sakura plays tennis. (a hobby)
The train leaves every morning at 8 AM. (a daily event)
When does the train usually leave? (a daily event—in question form)
Arthur always brings his sword. (a habit)
Every twelve months, the Earth circles the Sun. (scheduled event)

B. USE # 2 Facts or Generalizations

The Simple Present can also indicate the speaker believes that a
fact was true before, is true now, and will be true in the future. It is not
important if the speaker is correct about the fact. It is also used to make
generalizations about people or things.

Examples:
Cats like milk.
The Earth is spherical.
Tokyo is in Japan.
The sun rises in the east.
Water freezes at 0°C (32°F).
The sky is blue.

C. USE # 3 Scheduled Events in the Near Future

Speakers occasionally use Simple Present to talk about scheduled
events in the near future. This is most commonly done when talking
about public transportation, but it can be used with other scheduled
events as well.

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The Simple Past And Present Tense Of Verbs Focus On Grammar

Examples:
We arrive in Rome at 6 p.m.
The train leaves in five minutes.
The course starts next Thursday.
The party starts at 8 o'clock.
The bus does not arrive at 11 AM, it arrives at 11 PM.
When do we board the plane? (question form)

D. USE 4 Now (Non-Continuous Verbs)

Speakers sometimes use the Simple Present to express the idea
that an action is happening or is not happening now. This can only be
done with Non-Continuous Verbs and certain Mixed Verbs.

Examples:
I am here now.
She is not here now.
He needs help right now.
He does not need help now.
He has his passport in his hand.
Do you have your passport with you?

EXERCISE 1
Complete the following sentences by picking out the correct form of
the verb from the parentheses.

1. Rubeilyn ___ four languages. (speak, speaks)

2. Danica is a teacher. She ___ in Korea. (teach, teaches)
3. When the kettle ___, will you make some tea? (boil, boils)
4. I always ___ the window at night because it is cold. (close, closes)
5. Those costumes ___ too much. (cost, costs)
6. The food in Japan is expensive. It ___ a lot to live there. (cost, costs)
7. His job is great because he ___ a lot of people. (meet, meets)
8. My watch is broken and it ___ to be fixed again. (need, needs)
9. I ___ to watch animes. (love, loves)
10. I always ___ cosplay conventions. (attend, attends)
11. They never ___ tea in the morning. (drink, drinks)
12. We both ___ Mai Nakahara’s songs in the KTV. (sing, sings)
13. The earth ___ round the sun, doesn't it? (go, goes)
14. Sweet Incantations Café ___ at 5:30 pm. (close, closes)
15. Apple Pages ___ more than a thousand paperbacks now. (has, have)

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The Simple Past And Present Tense Of Verbs Focus On Grammar

II. Simple Past Tense

The past simple tense of the most english verbs (regular verbs) is
formed by adding "-ed"/"-d" to their base form. (If the verb ends in "-e",
we add "-d" to form the past simple.)
There are also some verbs called irregular verbs that have special
past tense forms.
To understand thoroughly how to use the simple past tense of
verbs, study the following discussion. Simple past tenses of verbs are
also used to express specific situations.

A. USE # 1 Completed Action in the Past

Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and
finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not
actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in
mind.
Examples:
I watched a movie yesterday.
I didn't see the play last Monday.
Last year, I travelled to Japan.
We arrived at 9:00 o'clock.
This morning I went to the supermarket.
Alec bought his little sister a book by Carly Philips.

B. USE # 2 A Series of Completed Actions

We use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the
past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on.

Examples:
 I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a
nice place to swim.
 The Gazette Band arrived from the airport at 8:00,
checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met their fans
at 10:00.

C. USE # 3 Duration in Past

The Simple Past can be used with a duration which starts and
stops in the past. A duration is a longer action often indicated by
expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes, all day, all year, etc.

Examples:
I lived in Brazil for two years.
Shauna studied Japanese for five years.
They sat at the beach all day.
They did not stay at the party the entire time.
We talked on the phone for thirty minutes.
The Rose Princess slept for fifty years.

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The Simple Past And Present Tense Of Verbs Focus On Grammar

D. USE # 4 Habits in the Past

The Simple Past can also be used to describe a habit which
stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as "used to." To make
it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often add expressions such
as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was
younger, etc.

Examples:
I studied Niponggo when I was a child.
He played the violin.
Did you play a musical instrument when you were a kid?
She worked at the movie theater after school.
They never went to school, they always skipped class.
Shana owned a car when she was in junior high school.

E. USE 5 Past Facts or Generalizations

The Simple Past can also be used to describe past facts or
generalizations which are no longer true. As in USE # 4 above, this use
of the Simple Past is quite similar to the expression "used to."

Examples:
She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing.
He didn't like tomatoes before.
Did you live in Texas when you were a kid?
People paid much more to make cell phone calls in the past.

EXERCISE 2
Fill in the blanks with the simple past or past continuous form of the
verbs. This is worth 15 points.

A: Hi, Mary. I _____________ (see/neg.) you at school last Monday.

B: Hello, Bob. I _____________ (come/neg.) on Monday. I wasn't feeling
well, so I ________ (decide) to go to the doctor.
A: Oh! ______ (be) it serious?
B: No, the doctor __________ (examine) me and __________ (tell) me I
had the flu. He ____________ (prescribe) some medicine and told me
to go home and rest.
A: Did you stay home all day last Monday?
B: No, only in the morning. I __________ (have) to work in the
afternoon, and guess what?
A: What?

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The Simple Past And Present Tense Of Verbs Focus On Grammar

B: When a friend ________ (drive) me home, he ________ (crash) his

car. He didn’t see the red light.
A: _______ anyone got hurt?
B: Thank God, nobody ________ (do) .
A: I'm happy to hear that. Well, Mary, I have to rush now. While I
_______ (listen) to your story, I _________ (remember) that my wife
__________ (ask) me to go to the mechanic to get our car. See you
later. Take care.
B: You too. Bye.

Note:
After answering the exercises in each learning
activity, see your teacher for the correct answers.

Here’s the meaning of your score.

If you are able to get 20 points and above, you are ready
for the posttest. Please flip the page and start answering it now.
If you scored 15 or 14 points, you may take the posttest now, but
it’s better if you review first the item exercises that you answered
incorrectly.
If you scored only 13 points and below, I suggest that, you go
over the module again and take your time understanding the
concepts being discussed once more.
You may ask your teacher for guidance.

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The Simple Past And Present Tense Of Verbs Focus On Grammar

POST TEST
Fill in the blanks of the following sentences by using the simple past or
simple present tense of the verb in the parentheses.
1. The sky _____ blue. (be)
2. I always __________ after I eat. (brush)
3. Bob ___________ TV every night. (watch)
4. Sara ________ 5 days a week. (work)
5. I _______ the train coming. (hear)
6. I _________ smoke. (smell)
7. My plane _________ at 8:30 tomorrow. (leave)
8. I ________ to work yesterday morning. (go)
9. After Bob _______ dinner, he drove to CEC. (eat)
10. The students __________ in class before the teacher. (arrive)
11. I used to _______ horses when I was a kid. (ride)
12. The car ___________ at 9.30am yesterday. (explode)
13. She __________ to the door. (go)
14. We did not _________ the telephone. (hear)
15. Did you _______ that car? (see)

If you are done answering the post-

test, consult your teacher for the
correct answers.

-Good Work!-

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The Simple Past And Present Tense Of Verbs Focus On Grammar

KEY TO CORRECTION

PRETEST
1. attends 6. participates 11. left
2. goes 7. starts 12. lost
3. are 8. join 13. brought
4. keeps 9. rained 14. met
5. dreams 10. dismissed 15. won

EXERCISE 1
1. speaks 6. costs 11. drink
2. teaches 7. meets 12. sing
3. boils 8. needs 13. goes
4. close 9. love 14. closes
5. cost 10. attend 15. has

EXERCISE 2
1. didn’t see 6. told 11. did
2. didn’t come 7. prescribed 12. did
3. decided 8. had 13. was listening
4. was 9. drove 14. remembered
5. examined 10. crashed 15. asked

POST TEST
1. is 6. smell 11. ride
2. brush 7. leaves 12. exploded
3. watches 8. went 13. went
4. works 9. ate 14. hear
5. hear 10. arrived 15. see

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