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Use the Present Simple tense (“I go”, “He goes” etc) to talk about facts, things that are
always true, or for routines and habits.
For example:
I play tennis
You play tennis
He / She plays tennis
We play tennis
They play tennis
Add es for verbs that end -ss, -sh, -ch, -tch:
I kiss / He kisses
I wish / She wishes
I match / It matches
I march / She marches
I study / She studies (the y changes to ies for verbs that end in ‘consonant + y’)
In the present simple of all verbs (except the verb to be and other modal verbs) you
need an auxiliary to form negatives and questions. The auxiliary is do / does (for
questions) and don’t / doesn’t for negatives.
For example:
I don’t live here
You don’t live here
She doesn’t live here
We don’t live here
They don’t live here
In all the above, live is the infinitive form.
Questions
To form the question, use do / does as the auxiliary. Use do for I, you, we, they; and
does for he, she, it.
The verb that comes after the subject is the infinitive form.
Short answers
You can answer a “do you” type question with a short answer. Use the auxiliary do /
don’t; or does / doesn’t in your reply – NOT the infinitive.
Common errors
Be careful to avoid these common errors.
Affirmative
He live in London. (Correct: He lives in London.)
He does live in London. (Correct: He lives in London)
Question
He does live in London? (Correct: Does he live in London?)
Does live he in London? (Correct: Does he live in London?)
Negative
He don’t live in London. (Correct: He doesn’t live in London.)
He doesn’t lives in London. (Correct: He doesn’t live in London.)
1. __ he live here?
Do
Does
Don't
2. No, he __
doesn't
doesn't lives
don't
Do
Does
Doesn't
4. Yes, I __
do
does
likes
don't
doesn't
do
doesn't
don't
Do
Does
Doesn't
Do
Does
Don't
9. Yes, it __
does
does rain
rains
do
does
don't
English Nouns
Nouns in English can be singular (one only) or plural (more than one); countable (a
noun that we can count, i.e. that we can make plural) or uncountable (a noun that it is
impossible to count).
Some nouns are always plural, such as trousers, clothes, and scissors.
Regular nouns
For most nouns, you can add s to the singular noun to make it plural.
One dog = Two dogs
One cat = Two cats
One book = Two books
This is also true for most nouns ending in a vowel.
Spelling differences
When a noun ends in -s, -ss, -sh, -ch, -tch, x, z add -es to make it plural.
1. vowel + y = add s
One key = Two keys
One boy = Two boys
2. consonant + y = change the y to i and add es
One study = Two studies
One baby = Two babies
For some words, you can have either the anglicised plural spelling, or the Latin / Greek
plural spelling:
Irregular nouns
Some nouns have irregular plural endings.
One man = Two men
One woman = Two women
One child = Two children
One person = Two people
One ox = Two oxen
One mouse = Two mice
One tooth = Two teeth
One foot = Two feet
Countable nouns
Countable nouns are nouns that you can count. This means you can have a singular
and plural form.
Uncountable nouns
Uncountable nouns are nouns that you cannot count. This means that there is no plural
form. Uncountable nouns are usually:
coffee (uncountable)
“Coffee is a popular drink.”
a coffee / two coffees (countable)
“I’d like a coffee and two teas, please.”
paper (uncountable)
“We produce paper in our factory.”
a paper (countable)
“The Guardian is a paper from the UK.”
wood (substance)
“The desk is made from wood.”
a wood (lots of trees)
“I live near a wood.”
childs
children
sons
2. Where are all the __ today?
bus
buses
busses
3. English __ often like football.
mans
men
mens
4. London has many interesting __
church
churchs
churches
5. Please pass me the __
scissor
scissors
scissorses
6. There are two __ in the town: Park Wood and Church Wood.
wood
woodes
woods
7. I'd like three __ and a coke, please.
coffee
coffees
coffes
8. Her __ are white.
tooths
teeth
teeths
9. We need to buy some __
potato
potatoes
potatos
10. The __ work in a big company.
secretaries
secretaryes
secretarys
Pronouns
Pronouns replace nouns. You can use them to avoid repetition.
For example:
Subject pronouns are pronouns that replace the nouns which are the subject of the
verb.
Object pronouns are pronouns that replace the nouns which are the object of the verb.
Subject pronouns
Subject pronouns are the subject of the verb.
I
you
he
she
it
we
they
For example:
I —– me
You —- you
He —- him
She — her
It —- it
We —- us
They —- them
Possessive adjectives
Possessive adjectives say who owns something. Because they are adjectives, they
don’t have a plural (or feminine / masculine) form. They link to the person who owns /
has something: not the object.
I — my
You — your
He — his
She — her
It — its
We — our
They — their
Possessive pronouns
Possessive pronouns show who is the owner of an object, and replace the object.
For example:
my — mine
your — yours
his — his
her — hers
our — ours
their — theirs