SIMPLE PRESENT,

AFFIRMATIVE AND NEGATIVE

SIMPLE PRESENT, AFFIRMATIVE AND NEGATIVE

USES OF THE SIMPLE PRESENT

1. The simple present is used to talk about things that happen regularly (usually, always,
every day, etc)

Example:

Colin plays football every Tuesday. These things happen all

the time (every Tuesday
I wake up at 10:00 a.m. on Sundays. and on Sundays)

2. The simple present is used with adverbs of frequency to express something that
often happens.

Example:

•• In Spain, people always go to the Running of the Bulls.

•• In France, people often kiss on both cheeks.

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 Frequency adverbs indicate how frequently something happens. These are:

Always Sometimes

Usually
5 Rarely / Seldom

Often
6 Never

IMPORTANT: Adverbs of frequency usually go before the main verb, but they go after
the verb “to be”

•• They never come late. (main verb)

•• They are never late. (to be)

Non-action verbs usually describe states or situations (not actions). They are used to:

•• Express emotions
•• Describe mental states
•• Show possession
•• Describe senses and perceptions

3. Use the simple present with most non-action verbs.

Example:

•• Mary feels homesick. (emotions)

•• Cesar has two brothers. (possession)
•• I believe in God. (mental states)
•• Dina seems tired. (perceptions)
•• The food smells good. (non-action)
•• She's smelling the food to see of she wants some. (action)

ATTENTION!!! Some verbs that describe senses and perceptions

such as taste, smell, feel and look, can have both, a non-action

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and an action meaning.
DAILY ROUTINES
There are certain things you do every day regardless of the date. These are called daily
routines. These can happen at your house, at your work or everywhere you go on a
daily basis.

FIGURE 1: DAILY ROUTINES

I get up I take a shower I get dressed I have breakfast

I go to work I start work at 9 I have lunch I finish work

I arrive home I have dinner I watch T.V. I go to bed

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 Examples:

•• I get up at 7a.m. every day.

•• I have eggs for breakfast every Tuesday.
•• I always have lunch at noon.

DAILY ROUTINES
Since daily routines are things that happen regularly, they are always written by using
the simple present.

Frequency adverbs are also very useful when talking about daily routines, as they help
us define the frequency of the routine we are talking about.

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AFFIRMATIVE
SENTENCE STRUCTURE
To create a simple present sentence in English, we follow this pattern:

Subject + verb + complement

Subject is the person, thing or animal we are referring to.

Verb is the action the subject Is doing.

Complement is the rest of the Information that completes what you need to say.

Example:

Luis runs every morning.

Luis runs every morning

Subject Verb Complement

Now, it is important to notice that verbs have different conjugations according to the
person they are accompanying.

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 For third person singular, we add an "s" to the end of the verb. These are:

He, she, it (animals and things)

Example:

•• Randall likes to watch movies every Sunday.

•• Mary plays the guitar at a club on Fridays.
•• The dog eats his food at the table.

For plural persons and I, we leave the verb as it is. These are:

•• you, we
•• you, they
•• I

Examples:

•• You like hamburgers a lot.

•• We play the piano together.
•• You dance very well.
•• They smell the flowers.

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NEGATIVE SENTENCES
The sentence structure for the negative form will change depending on the verb:

•• Regular verbs without an auxiliary

•• Auxiliary verbs

The negative form is created by adding "not" to an auxiliary verb. When there is not an
auxiliary verb, we use "do" as an auxiliary.

a. PRESENT TENSE – REGULAR VERBS (WITHOUT AN AUXILIARY)

The sentence structure for the negative form with regular verbs is the following:

Subject + do/does + not + verb + complement

In present tense, we will need to add "do" or "does" depending on the person:

I, you, we, they Do

Example:

I like bananas. I do not like bananas

he, she, it Does

Example:

She loves to cook. She does not love to cook.

Remember that when using “does”, the verb loses the “s” we had in the present time.

Loves = love

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 b. PRESENT TENSE – AUXILIARY VERBS
The sentence structure for the negative form with auxiliary verbs is the following:

Subject + aux verb + not + complement

Examples:

She is a doctor. She is not a doctor.

He is at the grocery store. He is not at the grocery store.

They have bought a sweater They have not bought a sweater

for Christmas. for Christmas.

I will go to the mountains I will not go to the mountains

next month. next month.

Auxiliary verbs:

•• Have
•• Can
•• Will
•• Be
You can tell if the verb is acting as an auxiliary when it is followed by another verb.

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c. PAST TENSE – REGULAR VERBS (WITHOUT AN AUXILIARY)

The past tense is different for the negative form. When there is not an auxiliary in the
sentence, we use "Did" as an auxiliary. The structure for the negative form with regular
verbs in the past tense is the following:

Subject + did + not + verb (base form) + complement

Example:

He played the guitar all He did not play the guitar all
night long. night long.

They looked very anxious when They did not look very anxious when
they arrived. they arrived.

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 d. PAST TENSE – AUXILIARY VERBS
The structure for the negative form with auxiliary verbs is the following:

Subject + aux verb + not + complement

Examples:

Susan was very tired after the flight. Susan was not very tired after the flight.

We were too happy to see him. We were not too happy to see him.

She had had a heart attack when She had not had a heart attack when
she was younger. she was younger.

You could lose your way in the dark. You could not lose your way in the dark.

Some auxiliaries change when used in the past form:

•• Will (only indicates future)

•• Could (used as the past tense of “can”)

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 NEGATIVE QUESTIONS
There are no negative questions, all questions made from a sentence in negative form
are asked in affirmative form. The negative is done in the answer.

Examples:

I am not a teacher. Are you a teacher? No, I am not.

She does not play the piano very well. Does she play the pianovery well? No, she does not.

Not isn’t the only word that can make a clause negative. There are some other negative
words too. Examples: never, hardly, seldom, rarely, etc

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 YES/NO QUESTIONS
When you want to ask a question from an affirmative sentence, there are two ways
of doing It.

1. Sentences with the verb "to be"

If a sentence includes the verb "to be", you need to move the verb to the beginning
of the sentence and add the question mark.

Example:

She is a student. Is she a student?

2. Sentences with the rest of the verbs

If a sentence Includes any verb different than the verb "to be", you need to use
the auxiliary "Do/Does" In order to turn it into a question. There are two possible
scenarios here:

THIRD PERSON SINGULAR

use "Does" and take the "s" from the verb

PLURAL AND I
use "Do"

The auxiliary will alwayss be placed at the beginning of the question.

Marco works very late. Does Marco work very late?

(the verb does not have an "s" anymore.)

Susan and Carol want a cake. Do Susan and Carol want a cake?
(the verb remains the same)

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SHORT ANSWERS
There are some simple questions for which we can provide a short answer. There are
two possible ways of providing short answers:

1. Sentences with the verb "to be" follow this structure:

Yes/No + subject + verb

Examples:

Is Mary a doctor? Yes, she is.

No, she is not / isn't.

Is the cat outside? Yes, it is.

No, It is not / isn't.

Yes, I am.
Are you a teacher?
No, I am not.

Yes, they are.

Are they studying?
No, they are not / aren't.

2. Sentences with the rest of the verbs follow this structure:

Yes/No + subject + auxiliary

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 Remember that auxiliaries change based on the person of the sentence:

THIRD PERSON SINGULAR

use "Does”

PLURAL AND I
use "Do"

Examples:

Do you like pizza? Yes, I do.

No, I do not / don’t.

Does she play the guitar? Yes, she does.

No, she does not / doesn’t.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

English Grammar. (n.d.). Negative verb forms. (2016, January 3rd) Retrieved from: http://
www.englishgrammar.org/negative-verb-forms/

Fuchs, M. Bonner, M. Westheimer, M. (2006). Focus on Grammar. An integrated skills

approach (3 rd E). New York: Pearson Education.

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