Simple Present and Present Continuous tenses – a study guide

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Simple Present
The Simple Present or Present Simple is the most used tense in English and uses the base form of the verb (except
for the verb be). The only change from the base is the addition of s/es/ies for third person singular (he, she, it) in
affirmative sentences.

How do we make the Present Simple tense?

There are two basic structures for the Present Simple:

1. Affirmative sentences

Subject = Sujeito
subject + main verb Main Verb = verbo principal
Auxiliary verb = verbo auxiliar

Present Simple

Examples:

A) I like soccer.
B) You like soccer.
C) He likes soccer.
D) She likes soccer.
E) It likes soccer.
F) We like soccer.
G) They like soccer.

2. Negative and interrogative sentences

 subject + auxiliary do/does + main verb

conjugated in Present Simple

do, does base

Look at these examples with the main verb like:

subject auxiliary verb main verb

+ I, you, we, they like coffee.

He, she, it likes coffee.

- I, you, we, they do not like coffee.

He, she, it does not like coffee.

? Do I, you, we, they like coffee?

Does he, she, it like coffee?

From the above table, notice the following points:

For affirmative sentences:

 • There is no auxiliary verb.
• We conjugate the main verb by adding s/es/ies to the third person singular (He/She/It).

For negative and interrogative sentences:

• The auxiliary verb (do) is conjugated in the Present Simple: do, does
• The main verb is invariable in base form: base (in the example, always “like”)
• For negative sentences, we insert not between the auxiliary verb and the main verb.
• For question sentences, we exchange the subject and the auxiliary verb.
o They do not like coffee.
o Do they like coffee?
o She does not like coffee.
o Does she like coffee?

Present Simple with main verb be (verb “to be”)

The structure of the Present Simple with the main verb be is:

subject + main verb be

conjugated in Present Simple

am, are, is

Examples:

A) I am Brazilian.
B) You are Brazilian.
C) He is Brazilian.
D) She is Brazilian.
E) It is Brazilian.
F) We are Brazilian.
G) They are Brazilian.

Look at these examples with the main verb be:

 subject main verb be

+ I am French.

You, we, they are French.

He, she, it is French.

- I am not old.

You, we, they are not old.

He, she, it is not old.

? Am I late?

Are you, we, they late?

Is he, she, it late?

From the above table, notice the following points:

• There is no auxiliary verb for affirmatives, interrogatives and negatives with the verb be.
• The main verb (be) is conjugated in the Present Simple: am, are, is
• For negative sentences, we insert not after the main verb.
• For interrogative sentences, we exchange the subject and the main verb.
o Affirmative: I am Brazilian.
o Negative: You are not Brazilian.
o Interrogative: Is he Brazilian?

How do we spell the Simple Present tense?

For most verbs we add -s to the base form to make the she, he, it (third person singular) form:

come → comes order → orders travel → travels

eat → eats record → records walk → walks

move → moves

For other verbs, the spelling changes are:

verb she, he, it

When the verb ends in -ch, -ss, -sh, -x or -zz, we add -es. watch watches

miss misses

wash washes

mix mixes

buzz buzzes

When the verb ends in a consonant + -y we change y to i and add -es. hurry hurries

study studies

reply replies

But when the verb ends in a vowel + -y we just add -s. pay pays
 enjoy enjoys

Have, go, do and be are irregular. have has

go goes

do does

be is

Exercises:

1) Take the quiz on the following webpage: Present Simple Quiz or scan the QR Code to access it.

https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verb-tenses_present-simple_quiz.htm

You have to score 100%. Take notes of any doubts you can´t figure out yourself and ask the teacher.

2) Do all the exercises on pages 116, 117, 122, 123, 126 and 127 of your book (Wilder World Starter).
3) Do all the exercises on pages 108, 110 and 137 of your book (Wilder Word 1)
• Ask the teacher for help if you need.
Present Continuous
We often use the Present Continuous or Present Progressive tense in English. It is very different from the Present
Simple tense, both in structure and in use.

How do we make the Present Continuous tense?

The structure of the Present Continuous tense is:

subject + to be + main verb

conjugated in Present Simple

am, are, is present participle (-ing)

The auxiliary verb (be) is conjugated in the Present Simple: am, are, is

The main verb is invariable in present participle form: -ing

For negative sentences we insert not between the auxiliary verb and the main verb.

For question sentences, we exchange the subject and the auxiliary verb.

Look at these example sentences with the Present Continuous tense:

subject To be main verb

+ I am speaking to you.

+ You are reading this.

 subject To be main verb

- She is not staying in London.

- We are not playing football.

? Is he watching TV?

? Are they waiting for John?

How do we use the Present Continuous tense?

We use the Present Continuous to talk about:

• Actions happening now.

o You are studying now.
o You are not studying now.
o Are you studying now?

How do we spell the Present Continuous tense?

We make the Present Continuous tense by adding -ing to the base verb. Normally it's simple: we just add -ing. But
sometimes we have to change the word a little. Perhaps we double the last letter, or we drop a letter. Here are the
rules to help you know how to spell the Present Continuous tense.

Basic rule Just add -ing to

the base verb:

work → working
 play → playing

assist → assisting

see → seeing

be → being

Exception If the base verb ends in consonant + stressed

vowel + consonant, double the last letter:

s t o p

consonant stressed consonant

vowel

vowels = a, e, i, o, u

stop → stopping
Example

run → running

begin → beginning
 Note that this exception does not apply when
Exception the last syllable of the base verb is not
stressed:

Example open → opening

Exception If the base verb ends in ie, change the ie to y:

lie → lying

Example

die → dying

Exception If the base verb ends in vowel + consonant +

e, omit the e:

come → coming

Example

mistake → mistaking
Exercises:

1) Take the quiz on the following webpage: Present Continuous Quiz or scan the QR Code to access it.

https://www.englishclub.com/grammar/verb-tenses_present-continuous_quiz.htm

You have to score 100%. Take notes of any doubts you can´t figure out yourself and ask the teacher.

2) Do all the exercises on pages 96, 97,99 and 129 of your book (Wilder World Starter).
3) Do all the exercises on pages 34, 39 and 108 of your book (Wilder Word 1)
• Ask the teacher for help if you need.