THE PRESENT TENSE

PRESENT TENSE OF BE

AFFIRMATIVE CONTRACTION NEGATIVE

I AM I´M I´M NOT

YOU ARE YOU´RE YOU AREN´T/YOU’RE NOT
HE IS HE´S HE ISN´T/HE’S NOT
SHE IS SHE´S SHE ISN´T/SHE’S NOT
IT IS IT´S IT ISN´T/IT’S NOT
WE ARE WE´RE WE AREN´T/WE’RE NOT
YOU ARE YOU´RE YOU AREN´T/YOU’RE NOT
THEY ARE THEY´RE THEY AREN´T/THEY’RE NOT

INTERROGATIVE

AM I?
ARE YOU?
IS HE?
IS SHE?
IS IT?
ARE WE?
ARE YOU?
ARE THEY?

NOTE: HE – SHE – IT (THIRD PERSON SINGULAR)

EXAMPLES

 I AM FROM COLOMBIA.
 YOU ARE A STUDENT.
 HE IS A TEACHER.
 SHE IS BEAUTIFUL.
 IT IS A BOOK.
 WE ARE SINGERS.
 YOU ARE SMART.
 THEY ARE LATE.
 ARE YOU A TEACHER? YES, I AM A TEACHER.
 IS HE A STUDENT? NO, HE ISN´T A STUDENT. HE IS A TEACHER.
 ARE THEY GOOD STUDENTS? YES, THEY ARE GOOD STUDENTS.

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 THE INDEFINITE ARTICLE

The indefinite article has two forms, a and an. We use them
before singular count nouns.

My sister has a truck.

She has an old car too.

1. Use a before a word that begins with a consonant sound.

I ate a sandwich for lunch.

2. Use an before a word that begins with a vowel sound.

My brother drives an orange car.

Sally is attending a university in Montreal.

THE WORD UNIVERSITY BEGINS WITH THE CONSONANT

/Y/ - NOT WITH A VOWEL SOUND.

EXAMPLE

 A student.
 An article.
 A friend.
 An idea.
 A boy.
 An umbrella.
 A university

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 EXERCISES

1. Circle the correct words or word parts.

PAM: Hi. I (’m / ´s) Pam.

MARY: Hello. We (´s / ´re) Mary and Ellen Johnson.
PAM: Oh, you (´re / n´t) twins!
MARY: No, we (´re not / isn’t) twins. But we (´m / ´re) sisters.
PAM: But you (´s / ´re) exactly alike!
ELLEN: No, I (´m / ´s) nineteen years old, but Mary (isn’t / aren’t) even eighteen yet.
PAM: Oh. Well, I (´m / are) glad to meet you!
PAM: Mary and Ellen, this (is / He’s) Carlos.
MARY: Hi, Carlos.
ELLEN: Hello, Carlos.
CARLOS: Hello. (to Pam) They (´m / ´re) twins!

2. Complete the sentences with the correct form of the verb be.

A. ______John a teacher?
B. My sister______a good student.
C. The teacher______not here yet.
D. Carlos and Ron______late.
E. The snack bar______open.
F. Mary and Ellen______not twins.
G. My friends______smart.
H. My name______John.
I. ______ you from Venezuela?
J. No, I______not from Venezuela. I______ from Colombia.

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 THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

The present tense, describes activities and states which are generally and universally true.
Example: The teacher explains the lesson.

The simple present tense usually uses the simple form of a verb. For a third person singular
subject (He-She-It), the verb ends in (S)

TO CLEAN TO WORK TO LIKE TO WALK

I clean I work I like I walk
You clean You work You like You walk
He cleans He works He likes He walks
She cleans She works She likes She walks
It cleans It works It likes It walks
We clean We work We like We walk
You clean You work You like You walk
They clean They work They like They walk

TO DANCE TO KISS TO PLAY TO STUDY

I dance I kiss I play I study
You dance You kiss You play You study
He dances He kisses He plays He studies
She dances She kisses She plays She studies
It dances It kisses It plays It studies
We dance We kiss We play We study
You dance You kiss You play You study
They dance They kiss They play They study

NOTE
 Verbs of one syllable that end in o, the ending es is added.
TO GO HE GOES

 Verbs that end in y preceded by a consonant, the y is changed to i, and the ending es
is added.

TO FLY SHE FLIES

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 Verbs that end in s, sh, ch, or x, the ending es is added.

TO MISS HE MISSES
TO WASH SHE WASHES
TO TEACH IT TEACHES
TO FIX HE FIXES

 Verbs that end in ge, ce, or se, the ending s is added.

TO CHANGE HE CHANGES
TO PRODUCE SHE PRODUCES
TO USE IT USES

EXAMPLE
TO GO GOES
TO DO DOES
TO STUDY STUDIES
TO TRY TRIES
TO CRY CRIES
TO FLY FLIES
TO REPLY REPLIES
TO PAY PAYS
TO BUY BUYS
TO SAY SAYS
TO MISS MISSES
TO PASS PASSES
TO EXPRESS EXPRESSES
TO NOTICE NOTICES
TO PRONOUNCE PRONOUNCES
TO CLOSE CLOSES
TO USE USES
TO CATCH CATCHES

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 EXERCISES

Use the correct form of the simple present tense of the verb.

 He______from Colombia. (come)

 ______you from New York? (be)
 Mary______to class early. (go)
 The teacher______the unit 5. (explain)
 He______the words. (understand)
 The teachers______North Americans. (be)
 Pamela______the university. (like)
 Alice______many books. (have)
 The lesson______very important. (be)
 Mr. Perez______the house. (rent)
 Carol______on Garden Street. (live)
 My mother_______to buy a car. (need)
 I_____to the radio every night. (listen)
 We______to speak English. (want)
 The students______to learn English. (want)

HOW TO MAKE QUESTIONS IN THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

The helping verb DO/DOES is used in the present tense for questions and
negatives.

DO is used for all subjects except third person singular. (I-You-We-They).

DOES is used only for third person singular. (He-She-It).

AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE INTERROGATIVE

I DO I DON´T DO I?
YOU DO YOU DON´T DO YOU?
HE DOES HE DOESN´T DOES HE?
SHE DOES SHE DOESN´T DOES SHE?
IT DOES IT DOESN´T DOES IT?
WE DO WE DON´T DO WE?
YOU DO YOU DON´T DO YOU?
THEY DO THEY DON´T DO THEY?

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 EXAMPLES

 They like the English class.

Do they like the English class? (Interrogative)
Yes, they like the English class. (Affirmative)
No, they don’t like the English class. (Negative)

 Carlos wants to eat now.

Does he want to eat now? (Interrogative)
Yes, he wants to eat now. (Affirmative)
No, he doesn’t want to eat now. (Negative)

EXERCISES

Change these sentences to questions.

A. They know English.

________________________________________________________________?

B. They listen to the radio in the evening.

________________________________________________________________?

C. Alice goes to the store with him.

________________________________________________________________?

D. Mrs. Brown has many things to buy.

________________________________________________________________?

E. Herb lives on Clark Street.

________________________________________________________________?

F. The house has a nice green lawn.

________________________________________________________________?

G. He speaks Spanish very well.

________________________________________________________________?

H. The Browns have a new car.

________________________________________________________________?

I. My mother puts the tomatoes in the sun.

________________________________________________________________?

J. They go to Miami on business.

________________________________________________________________?

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 THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE

The present continuous tense describes present time. It is used for actions which are
happening in the present, and for a period of time which includes the present. It consists
of a form of the verb be before the ing form of a verb.

BE + VERB + ING
Example: SHE IS STUDYING ENGLISH

The present continuous tense, uses combinations to mark the common time: this week, this
month, this year, these days, today, now, at the moment, and tonight.

AFFIRMATIVE CONTRACTION NEGATIVE

I AM EATING I´M EATING I´M NOT EATING

YOU ARE PLAYING YOU´RE PLAYING YOU AREN´T PLAYING
HE IS STUDYING HE´S STUDYING HE ISN´T STUDYING
SHE IS COOKING SHE´S COOKING SHE ISN´T COOKING
IT IS TALKING IT´S TALKING IT ISN´T TAKING
WE ARE SINGING WE´RE SINGING WE AREN´T SINGING
YOU ARE CRYING YOU´RE CRYING YOU AREN´T CRYING
THEY ARE WORKING THEY´RE WORKING THEY AREN´T WORKING

INTERROGATIVE

AM I EATING?
ARE YOU PLAYING?
IS HE STUDYING?
IS SHE COOKING?
IS IT TALKING?
ARE WE SINGING?
ARE YOU CRYING?
ARE THEY WORKING?

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 NOTE

In English, a certain group of verbs can not take any continuous tense. These are verbs
which describe mental states or mental activity or conditions of things.

BELIEVE PREFER WANT UNDERSTAND OWN

HATE REALISE SEEM DEPEND NEED
HEAR SUPPOSE CONTAIN LOVE BELONG
KNOW MEAN LIKE REMEMBER

HAVE (meaning to own; some exceptions are idioms with have. These idioms are use
in continuous tenses: to have fun, to have a party, to have a good time, to have
a bad time, to have trouble)

THINK (meaning to believe. Think about has a different meaning and can take
continuous tenses)

These are some of the verbs in present continuous

TO DANCE DANCING
TO STUDY STUDYING
TO PRONOUNCE PRONOUNCING
TO MISS MISSING
TO WATCH WATCHING
TO WALK WALKING
TO ASK ASKING
TO LEARN LEARNING
TO PASS PASSING
TO EXPRESS EXPRESSING
TO LISTEN LISTENING
TO LIVE LIVING
TO CLOSE CLOSING
TO USE USING
TO ARRIVE ARRIVING
TO CHANGE CHANGING
TO SPEAK SPEAKING
TO TALK TALKING
TO SEND SENDING

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 TO SLEEP SLEEPING
TO SWIM SWIMMING
TO TAKE TAKING
TO BREAK BREAKING
TO BUY BUYING
TO DO DOING
TO GIVE GIVING

SPECIAL RULES

 If the simple form ends in silent e after a consonant, drop the e and add ing.

Example: TO SNEEZE SNEEZING

 If the simple form ends in ie, change the ie to y and add ing.

Example: TO DIE DYING

TO UNTIE UNTYING

 If the simple form has one syllable and ends in one consonant after one vowel, double
the last consonant (except x) an add ing.

Example: TO GET GETTING

TO RUN RUNNING

NOTE: The letters w and y at the end of a word are

vowels, not consonants.

Example: TO ROW ROWING

TO PLAY PLAYING

 If the simple form ends in an accented (stressed) syllable, follow the rule above for
one final consonant after one vowel.

Example: TO BEGÍN BEGINNING

NOTE: If the last syllable is not accented, just add ing.

Example: TO HÁPPEN HAPPENING

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 In all other cases, add ing to the simple form.

Example: TO WALK WALKING

TO EAT EATING
TO CARRY CARRYING

EXAMPLES

 They are studying to pass the test.

Are they studying to pass the test? (Interrogative)
Yes, they are studying to pass the test. (Affirmative)
No, they are not studying to pass the test. (Negative)

 The bear is eating our food.

Is the bear eating our food? (Interrogative)
Yes, the bear is eating our food. (Affirmative)
No, the bear is not eating our food. (Negative)

EXERCISES

Use present continuous tense and complete the sentences.

 Miguel_______gifts (buy)
 The little boys_______ (play)
 The little girl and her mother_______a walk (take)
 They_______at toys (look)
 The Teenage girls_______for the test (study)
 The woman_______home (go)
 The teenage boy_______to music (listen)
 The old man_______the newspaper (read)
 My sister_______a letter now (send)
 The doorbell_______now (ring)

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 THE PAST TENSE

THE PAST TENSE OF BE

AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE INTERROGATIVE

I WAS I WASN´T WAS I?

YOU WERE YOU WEREN´T WERE YOU?
HE WAS HE WASN´T WAS HE?
SHE WAS SHE WASN´T WAS SHE?
IT WAS IT WASN´T WAS IT?
WE WERE WE WEREN´T WERE WE?
YOU WERE YOU WEREN´T WERE YOU?
THEY WERE THEY WEREN´T WERE THEY?

EXAMPLES

 I WAS AN ENGLISH TEACHER

 YOU WERE A GOOD STUDENT.
 HE WAS AN AEROBICS INSTRUCTOR.
 SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL QUEEN.
 IT WAS A NICE ISLAND.
 WE WERE FAMOUS SINGERS.
 YOU WERE SMART GIRLS.
 THEY WERE LATE.
 WERE YOU A STUDENT? YES, I WAS A STUDENT.
 WAS HE A PILOT? NO, HE WASN´T A PILOT.
 WERE THEY GOOD STUDENTS? YES, THEY WERE GOOD STUDENTS.

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 THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE

The most basic use of the past tense is to describe one completed action in the past.
Example: The fire started at 9:00 pm.

The simple past tense uses combinations to mark the common time: yesterday, yesterday
morning, yesterday afternoon, yesterday evening, last night, last month,
last year, two days ago, two weeks ago, three years ago, in 1998, on
Monday, at 5:30.

TO CLEAN TO WORK TO FIX TO WALK

I cleaned I worked I fixed I walked
You cleaned You worked You fixed You walked
He cleaned He worked He fixed He walked
She cleaned She worked She fixed She walked
It cleaned It worked It fixed It walked
We cleaned We worked We fixed We walked
You cleaned You worked You fixed You walked
They cleaned They worked They fixed They walked

TO DANCE TO START TO PLAY TO STUDY

I danced I started I played I studied
You danced You started You played You studied
He danced He started He played He studied
She danced She started She played She studied
It danced It started It played It studied
We danced We started We played We studied
You danced You started You played You studied
They danced They started They played They studied

REGULAR VERBS: If a verb is regular, the past simple and past

participle end in ed.

NOTE

 In the simple past tense of regular verbs, the regular ending is ed; it is added to the
simple form of the verb. If the verb ends in e, only d is added.

TO WALK WALKED
TO DANCE DANCED

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 When the simple form of the verb ends in a single consonant preceded by a single
vowel and the stress is on the last syllable, the consonant is doubled before a suffix
beginning with a vowel.

TO STOP STOPPED

 When the simple form of the verb ends in y preceded by a consonant, the y changes to i
before ed.

TO STUDY STUDIED

EXAMPLE
TO DANCE DANCED
TO NOTICE NOTICED
TO STUDY STUDIED
TO PRONOUNCE PRONOUNCED
TO MISS MISSED
TO OMIT OMITTED
TO WATCH WATCHED
TO WALK WALKED
TO ASK ASKED
TO FINISH FINISHED
TO LEARN LEARNED
TO PASS PASSED
TO EXPRESS EXPRESSED
TO LISTEN LISTENED
TO LIVE LIVED
TO CLOSE CLOSED
TO USE USED
TO ARRIVE ARRIVED
TO CHANGE CHANGED
TO ORDER ORDERED
TO ANSWER ANSWERED

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EXERCISES

Give the past tense of the verbs in parentheses.

 He______hard yesterday. (work)

 We______to the radio for an hour. (listen)
 Mary______a great deal of English last year. (learn)
 The teacher______the unit 5. (explain)
 He______as far as the church with them. (walk)
 The teachers______to go to the factory. (decide)
 Pamela______the University. (like)
 Alice______us to her house. (invite)
 The guys______very well. (play)
 Mr. Perez______the house. (rent)
 Carol______on Garden Street two years ago. (live)
 My mother_______to buy a car. (need)
 I_____to the radio yesterday night. (listen)
 We______to speak English. (want)
 The students______to learn English. (want)

HOW TO MAKE QUESTIONS IN THE SIMPLE PAST TENSE

The helping verb DID is used in the past tense for questions and negatives.

DID is used for all subjects. (I-You-He-She-It-We-They).

AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE INTERROGATIVE

I DID I DIDN´T DID I?

YOU DID YOU DIDN´T DID YOU?
HE DID HE DIDN´T DID HE?
SHE DID SHE DIDN´T DID SHE?
IT DID IT DIDN´T DID IT?
WE DID WE DIDN´T DID WE?
YOU DID YOU DIDN´T DID YOU?
THEY DID THEY DIDN´T DID THEY?

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EXAMPLES

 They liked the last English class.

Did they like the last English class? (Interrogative)
Yes, they liked the last English class. (Affirmative)
No, they didn’t like the last English class. (Negative)

 Carlos studied English two years ago.

Did he study English two years ago? (Interrogative)
Yes, he studied English two years ago. (Affirmative)
No, he didn’t study English two years ago. (Negative)

EXERCISES

Change these sentences to questions.

1. They learned English.

________________________________________________________________?

2. They listened to the radio yesterday morning.

________________________________________________________________?

3. Alice danced with him.

________________________________________________________________?

4. Mrs. Brown received a letter this morning.

________________________________________________________________?

5. Herb lived on Clark Street.

________________________________________________________________?

6. They signed the contract two weeks ago.

________________________________________________________________?

7. He missed the bus this morning.

________________________________________________________________?

8. The Browns followed the instructions.

________________________________________________________________?

9. My mother rented her house.

________________________________________________________________?

10. They answered all the questions.

________________________________________________________________?

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NOTE
Some common verbs have an irregular past tense and are therefore called irregular verbs.

IRREGULAR VERBS: When the past simple and past participle don’t
end in ed, the verb is irregular.

 With some irregular verbs, all three forms (infinitive, past simple and past participle)
are the same. For example, HIT-HIT-HIT.
 With other irregular verbs, the past simple is the same as the past participle, but
different from the infinitive. For example, TELL-TOLD-TOLD.
 With other irregular verbs, all three forms are different.
For Example, BREAK-BROKE-BROKEN.

The following verbs can be regular or irregular:

Burn……Burned or Burnt Smell……Smelled or Smelt

Dream……Dreamed or Dreamt Spell……Spelled or Spelt
Lean……Leaned or Leant Spill……Spilled or Spilt
Learn……Learned or Learnt Spoil……Spoiled or Spoilt

LIST OF IRREGULAR VERBS

INFINITIVE PAST SIMPLE PAST PARTICIPLE

Be Was/Were Been
Beat Beat Beaten
Become Became Become
Begin Began Begun
Bend Bent Bent
Bet Bet Bet
Bite Bit Bitten
Blow Blew Blown
Break Broke Broken
Bring Brought Brought
Broadcast Broadcast Broadcast
Build Built Built
Burst Burst Burst
Buy Bought Bought
Catch Caught Caught
Choose Chose Chosen
Come Came Come
Cost Cost Cost
Creep Crept Crept
Cut Cut Cut

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INFINITIVE PAST SIMPLE PAST PARTICIPLE

Deal Dealt Dealt

Dig Dug Dug
Do Did Done
Draw Drew Drawn
Drink Drank Drunk
Drive Drove Driven
Eat Ate Eaten
Fall Fell Fallen
Feed Fed Fed
Feel Felt Felt
Fight Fought Fought
Find Found Found
Flee Fled Fled
Fly Flew Flown
Forbid Forbade Forbidden
Forget Forgot Forgotten
Forgive Forgave Forgiven
Freeze Froze Frozen
Get Got Got
Give Gave Given
Go Went Gone
Grow Grew Grown
Hang Hung Hung
Have Had Had
Hear Heard Heard
Hide Hid Hidden
Hit Hit Hit
Hold Held Held
Hurt Hurt Hurt
Keep Kept Kept
Kneel Knelt Knelt
Know Knew Known
Lay Laid Laid
Lead Led Led
Leave Left Left
Lend Lent Lent
Let Let Let
Lie Lay Lain
Light Lit Lit
Lose Lost Lost
Make Made Made
Mean Meant Meant
Meet Met Met
Pay Paid Paid
Put Put Put
Read Read Read
Ride Rode Ridden
Ring Rang Rung

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INFINITIVE PAST SIMPLE PAST PARTICIPLE

Rise Rose Risen

Run Ran Run
Say Said Said
See Saw Seen
Seek Sought Sought
Sell Sold Sold
Send Sent Sent
Set Set Set
Sew Sewed Sewn/Sewed
Shake Shook Shaken
Shine Shone Shone
Shoot Shot Shot
Show Showed Shown/Showed
Shrink Shrank Shrunk
Shut Shut Shut
Sing Sang Sung
Sink Sank Sunk
Sit Sat Sat
Sleep Slept Slept
Slide Slid Slid
Speak Spoke Spoken
Spend Spent Spent
Spit Spat Spat
Split Split Split
Spread Spread Spread
Spring Sprang Sprung
Stand Stood Stood
Steal Stole Stolen
Stick Stuck Stuck
Sting Stung Stung
Stink Stank Stunk
Strike Struck Struck
Swear Swore Sworn
Sweep Swept Swept
Swim Swam Swum
Swing Swung Swung
Take Took Taken
Teach Taught Taught
Tear Tore Torn
Tell Told Told
Think Thought Thought
Throw Threw Thrown
Understand Understood Understood
Wake Woke Woken
Wear Wore Worn
Weep Wept Wept
Win Won Won

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EXERCISES

Answer these sentences in affirmative form.

1. Did you take a train?

Yes, ____________________________________________________________

2. Did he give you his seat?

Yes, ____________________________________________________________

3. How much money did you lend him?

4. Did they go last night?

Yes, ____________________________________________________________

5. Did she forget her book?

Yes, ____________________________________________________________

6. Did he tell you the truth?

Yes, ____________________________________________________________

7. Did you send the package?

Yes, ____________________________________________________________

8. Did he pay for the tickets?

Yes, ____________________________________________________________

9. Did you win the prize?

Yes, ____________________________________________________________

10. Did the English class begin on time?

Yes, ____________________________________________________________

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THE AUXILIARY VERB CAN

CAN expresses ability, mental or physical. We can use CAN, to say that something is
possible or that somebody has the ability to do something.

We use CAN + INFINITIVE

Example: I can study English.

AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE INTERROGATIVE

I CAN I CAN´T CAN I?

YOU CAN YOU CAN´T CAN YOU?
HE CAN HE CAN´T CAN HE?
SHE CAN SHE CAN´T CAN SHE?
IT CAN IT CAN´T CAN IT?
WE CAN WE CAN´T CAN WE?
YOU CAN YOU CAN´T CAN YOU?
THEY CAN THEY CAN´T CAN THEY?

NOTE: CAN is used in all subjects (I-You-He-She-It-We-You-They)

CAN has only two forms. Can (present) and Could (past)

CAN has no present perfect, so sometimes is necessary to use be able to.

CAN has no infinitive.

EXAMPLES

 They can see the lake from our bedroom window.

Can they see the lake from our bedroom window? (Interrogative)
Yes, they can see the lake from our bedroom window. (Affirmative)
No, they can’t see the lake from our bedroom window. (Negative)

 Herb can speak any foreign languages.

Can he speak any foreign languages? (Interrogative)
Yes, he can speak any foreign languages. (Affirmative)
No, he can’t speak any foreign languages. (Negative)

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COULD
Sometimes COULD is the past tense of CAN.

AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE INTERROGATIVE

I COULD I COULDN´T COULD I?

YOU COULD YOU COULDN´T COULD YOU?
HE COULD HE COULDN´T COULD HE?
SHE COULD SHE COULDN´T COULD SHE?
IT COULD IT COULDN´T COULD IT?
WE COULD WE COULDN´T COULD WE?
YOU COULD YOU COULDN´T COULD YOU?
THEY COULD THEY COULDN´T COULD THEY?

EXAMPLES

 My grandfather could swim.

Could he swim? (Interrogative)
Yes, he could swim. (Affirmative)
No, he couldn’t swim. (Negative)

 Herb and Ron could smell burning.

Could they smell burning? (Interrogative)
Yes, they could smell burning. (Affirmative)
No, they couldn’t smell burning. (Negative)

EXERCISES

Complete the sentences with can / can’t / could /couldn’t + one of these
verbs:

Come Eat Hear Run Sleep Wait

 I’m afraid I_________to your party next week.

 When John was 20, he was fast runner. He__________100 metres in 11 seconds.
 Are you in a hurry? No, I have got plenty of time. I__________.
 I was feeling sick yesterday. I__________anything.
 Can you speak up a bit? I__________you very well.
 You look tired. Yes, I__________last night.
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DO AND MAKE

DO as a principal verb, is often confused with MAKE, because both verbs are the same in
Spanish.

TO INDICATE A GENERAL ACTIVITY.

 What are you doing now?

 What did you do yesterday?
 The maid did everything that I told her to do.
 What can I do for you?

WITH CERTAINS NOUNS.

 She always does her work carefully.

 Did you do your homework for today?
 Mr. Brown does his own housework.
 I have to do my English lesson now.
 The maid does the dishes after each meal.
 He did a lot of business last month.
 I’m going downtown to do some errands.
 Can you do me a favor?

The verb MAKE is used with several common meanings.

Make usually means perform, create, form, produce, construct, or manufacture.

 He is going to make a speech tonight.

 Let’s make a fire in the fireplace.
 I always make a list of the things I have to do.
 She made herself a new dress.
 He made a diagram to show us the way to go.
 The best belts are made in Italy.
 They are making plans for an expensive trip.
 She didn’t make many mistakes in her English test.
 JAIRO TADEO RAMIREZ FONSECA
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LIST OF SOME WORDS WITH DO AND MAKE

DO MAKE
Work Speech
Homework Fire
Housework Sandwiches
Lesson Dress
The dishes Diagram
Business Plans
Errands Mistakes
Favor Money
Difference
Effort
The bed
Friends

EXERCISES

Answer these questions, using the correct form of the verbs Do or Make.

 Do you do an effort or make an effort? ________________________________

 Do you do your work or make your work? ______________________________
 Do you do an errand or make an errand? _______________________________
 Do you do a list or make a list? ______________________________________
 Do you do a speech or make a speech? ________________________________
 Do you do a mistake or make a mistake? _______________________________
 Do you do a favor or make a favor? ___________________________________
 Do you do the dishes or make the dishes? ______________________________
 JAIRO TADEO RAMIREZ FONSECA
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