English for Biology, Biology Dept.

FMIPA the University of Bengkulu Page 1 of 8

THE PRESENT TENSE

In English, it is very easy to use nouns correctly. A noun generally has only one form
and the plural is generally formed by adding 's'.

But the verbs are more difficult.

In English, unlike most other languages, the present tense has three different forms
and is used to express several different concepts.
It is very important to understand the variations in the uses of the present tense.

1. SIMPLE PRESENT

I think, you think, he,she, it thinks, we think, you think, they think.

2. CONTINUOUS PRESENT

I am thinking, you are thinking, he/she is thinking, we are thinking, you are thinking,
they are thinking

3a. INTERROGATIVE
3.b. NEGATIVE FORM
(asking questions)
Do I think? I don't think.
Do you think? You don't think.
Does she think? She doesn't think.

3.c. EMPHATIC FORM

I do think that I am right .

You do think that I am right, don't you?
She really does think that the English class is at three o’clock.
English for Biology, Biology Dept. FMIPA the University of Bengkulu Page 2 of 8

SIMPLE PRESENT

I think you think he,she, it thinks, we think, you think, they think.

The simple present is very simple in form, and that is why many learners think that
verbs in English are easy.
Indeed, what could be easier to learn than this ?
In this form of the verb, only the 3rd person singular changes in any way, and it adds
only 's' to the main stem.
Thus:

I, we, you, he, she,

think thinks
they it

There are hardly any exceptions

The verb 'to be' is an exception.

I am we are
you are you are
he, she, it is they are

Some verbs take 'es' in the 3rd person singular.

I do s/he it does
I go s/he goes
I fish s/he fishes
English for Biology, Biology Dept. FMIPA the University of Bengkulu Page 3 of 8

2. THE PRESENT TENSE

THE PRESENT CONTINUOUS

In English, there is a second form of the present tense. It is used to show that an action
is taking place now, at this moment in time.
It is formed by using the verb'to be' and adding 'ing' to the main stem of the verb.

She is feeding the fish. (now)

He is walking to the farm. (now)

Notice the total difference in meaning between the two forms.

She feeds the fish. (This means that she does it every day, but is probably not
doing it at this moment.)
She is feeding the fish. (This means that she is doing it exactly at this moment, but it
does not mean that she does it every day.)

Spelling of the present continuous 'ing' forms

Regular
look looking They are looking at the fish scales.
open opening She is opening the sack of fish food.

Verbs ending in 'e'

take taking You are taking a long time to open the sack of
food.
give giving
write writing
prepare preparing
examine examining

Verbs ending in one consonant

get getting The technician is getting the equipment ready for
the blood samples.
stop stopping

Verbs ending in 'ie'

lie lying The fish is lying on the table. (one fish)
die dying The fish are dying from lack of oxygen. (several
fish)
English for Biology, Biology Dept. FMIPA the University of Bengkulu Page 4 of 8

Asking questions and making negative statements

We also ask questions and make negative statements, in the present continuous.
When we ask questions in the present continuous, we change the word order.

What are you doing? I am not preparing the sample yet because I am
looking in the lab for a test tube.

What is the fish doing? The fish is swimming in the water.

Where is the technician He is not going to the laboratory. He is going to

going? make a telephone call.
English for Biology, Biology Dept. FMIPA the University of Bengkulu Page 5 of 8

THE PAST TENSE

Past tenses in English have several distinctive grammatical structures and functions.
The first thing for you to note is that these are irregular and they are described as
strong verbs and weak verbs, as far as the form of the simple past tense and past
participle are concerned. That is, the vowel of the stem of the verb changes
completely, just like German.
The weak verbs are very easy to learn and to use because there is very little that
changes. The ending "ed" is added to the main stem, to form the simple past and also
to form the past participle.
The parts to be learnt are usually given in this way:

Infinitive: past simple past participle

to consider considered considered

Here is an example from the work done in class.

Reguler Simple present Simple past Past participle

I move I moved I have moved
you moved, etc. you have moved, etc.

I talk I talked I have talked

Irregular
Infinitive: to sing I sing I sang I have sung
I swim I swam I have swum
I drink I drank I have drunk

Not all strong verbs change in this way. Unfortunately, you really have to learn them
by heart and practise using them.
English for Biology, Biology Dept. FMIPA the University of Bengkulu Page 6 of 8

THE PAST TENSE

SIMPLE PAST
Negative form Question? Interrogative
I worked
I did not work Did I work?
you worked
You did not work Did you work?
He went to class
He did not go to class. Did he go to class?
yesterday.

PRESENT PERFECT - formed by the auxiliary have + past participle

I have worked for two years on that experiment

You have worked
s/he has worked

Negative form
I have not worked for two years, but for 18 months.

Question
Have you worked as long as that?
English for Biology, Biology Dept. FMIPA the University of Bengkulu Page 7 of 8

Exercise 1

Please, fill in the gaps with the appropriate verbs. There is a list of verbs below to
help you in your task. When you have finished, you should give the completed work
to the lecturer..

Just one week before Christmas 1994, the Institute of Marine Biology of Crete
............ the first ever 1000 metre trawl in the Aegean Sea. The trawl .............. up
several unexpected fishes, including a small pregnant shark who .......... birth to four
baby sharks on the deck of the research vessel PHILIA. Unfortunately, the tiny
sharks....... not ..............
All in all, thirteen species of fish were .......... at a depth of 1000 metres.
Six months later, the Institute of Marine Biology of Crete .............. another
underwater expedition. This time, a small manned submersible............. This major
scientific expedition .......... to record the diversity of environments in the Aegean sea.
The manned submersible, ......... the JAGO, is very small but is capable of carrying
two people.
Before each dive, the pilot ......... a series of checks. Then the submersible was gently
lowered into the sea. The actual descent, to 300 metres or so, usually ........... about 15-
20 minutes.
Most of the dives ............ about 4 to 5 hours. The submersible expedition was the first
ever to be organised by Greek marine biologists. 25 dives .............. The sites explored
were the north coast of Crete, and several different locations around the islands of
Santorini, Milos, Alonnisos and Skopelos. The scientists ............ and ............ a giant
mola mola, a sunfish, which .................... at 55 metres depth off the northeast coast of
Crete.
They also .............. the ritual courtship dance of two ribbon fish, which ............ place
at a depth of 60 metres, just off the south west coast of the island of Skopelos.
Now in 1999 the National Centre for Marine Research in Athens .................. a similar
submersible, in order to carry out future explorations of the wonders of the Aegean.

aim, bring, take, cruise, call, survive, carry out, record, last, use,
find, purchase, film, perform, do, give
English for Biology, Biology Dept. FMIPA the University of Bengkulu Page 8 of 8

Exercise 2

Choose the form of the past tense in the following paragraph.

SPONTANEOUS GENERATION

Aristotle ........................ (believe) that frogs and snakes ...................... (generate)

spontaneously from mud, and insects from decayed meat. This theory ........ (hold) by
many people including the great scientist Isaac Newton.
Then in 1668, the Italian scientist Francesco Redi, ......................... (perform) an
experiment which ......................... (discredit) this theory. He ........................ (put)
meat in three jars. The first jar ....................... (leave) open, the second .................
(cover) with cloth, and the third .................... (cover) with paper. When the meat
....................... (decay), flies ...................... (attract) by the smell of the meat and
................ (lay) eggs on the meat in the open jar and on the cloth cover of the second
jar. No eggs ................... (find) in the meat or on the paper covering of the third jar.
The experiment ................... (demonstrate) that living things come only from other
living things.
Since then, Louis Pasteur and other scientists ............... (carry out) other experiments
to disprove the theory of spontaneous generation.