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PRESENT SIMPLE

Introduction...................................................................................................................................... The present simple in English is used to talk about:

repeated actions or habits in the present;......................................................................................................................................I go to school every day.(Eu vou à escola todos os dias.)

Maria always goes to the cinema on Saturdays.(Maria sempre vai ao cinema aos sábados.)......................................................................................................................................facts that are generally true;......................................................................................................................................Elephants live in Africa and India.(Elefantes vivem na África e na Índia.)

Vegetarians don't eat meat.(Vegetarianos não comem carne.)......................................................................................................................................permanent situations.......................................................................................................................................Maria lives in São Paulo.(Maria mora em São Paulo.)

The children wear blue uniforms.(As crianças usam uniformes azuis.)......................................................................................................................................Affirmative Form...................................................................................................................................... To form the affirmative, after he, she and it, we usually add -s to the verb. Verbs that end in ch, sh, s, x or z take -es. E.g. watches, washes, kisses, fixes, buzzes. For verbs that end in a consonant +y, the y changes to i and -es is added. E.g. carry -> carries, fly ->flies.......................................................................................................................................Negative Form...................................................................................................................................... To form the negative, we need the auxiliary verb do + not and the main verb in the infinitive without to. We use does (do + -es) + not with he, she and it. E.g. I do not work; she does not work. It is more usual to use the contracted forms.Look at the examples below.......................................................................................................................................I don't speak Italian.He doesn't watch TV in the evenings.......................................................................................................................................

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Questions...................................................................................................................................... To form questions we use do or does before the subject.Look at the examples below......................................................................................................................................Do you speak English?Does he live in a big house?......................................................................................................................................Short answers...................................................................................................................................... We use the auxiliary verb do or does in short answersYes, I/you/we/they do.Yes, he/she/it does.

No, I/you/we/they don't.No, he/she/it doesn't.......................................................................................................................................'Do you speak Italian?' 'Yes, I do.' (Not: Yes, I speak. )'Does he live in Rio de Janeiro?' 'Yes, he does.' (Not: Yes, he lives. )...................................................................................................................................... Watch Out!...................................................................................................................................... Don't forget to add the -s or -es to the verb after he, she and it in affirmative sentences:......................................................................................................................................

He go to church every Sunday.He goes to church every Sunday.She walk to school every day.She walks to school every day.

......................................................................................................................................Remember that in negative sentences and questions we never add -s or -es to the main verb:......................................................................................................................................

She doesn't smokes.She doesn't smoke.Does it takes long?Does it take long?

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AFFIRMATIVE

I work

.................................

you work

.................................

he works

.................................

she works

.................................

I wash

.................................

you wash

.................................

he washes

.................................

she washes

.................................

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it works

.................................

we work

.................................

you work

.................................

they work

It washes

.................................

we wash

.................................

you wash

.................................

they wash

NEGATIVE

FULL FORM CONTRACTED FORM

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I do not work

.................................

you do not work

.................................

he does not work

.................................

she does not work

.................................

it does not work

.................................

we do not work

.................................

you do not work

.................................

they do not work

I don't work

.................................

You don't work

.................................

He doesn't work

.................................

She doesn't work

.................................

It doesn't work

.................................

We don't work

.................................

You don't work

.................................

They don't work

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QUESTION FORM

AFFIRMATIVE

I work

.................................

you work

.................................

he works

.................................

she works

.................................

QUESTION

Do I work...?

..................

...............

Do you work...?

..................

...............

Does he work...?

..................

...............

Does she work...?

..................

...............

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it works

.................................

we work

.................................

you work

.................................

they work

Does it work...?

..................

...............

Do we work...?

..................

...............

Do you work...?

..................

...............

Do they work...?

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EXERCISES:

A- Finish the sentences like in the example.

Example: Jane ___________ . (to read a book)

Answer: Jane reads a book.

  1. Johnny and Danny . (to swim in the lake)   2. Tom . (to collect stamps)  3. You . (to sing songs in the bathroom)  4. Julie . (to work in the garden)  5. I . (to sit at home)  6. Tina and Kate . (to open the windows)  7. Adam . (to speak French and German)  8. His sister . (to like lemonade)  9. We . (to listen to music)10. My father . (to clean the car every Saturday)

B- Fill in "a" or "an".

Example: We read _ book.

Answer: We read a book.

  1. Lucy likes dog.  2. Ben has got old bike.   3. Let's sing song.  4. Peter has got aunt in Berlin.  5. Emily needs new desk in her room.  6. He has got exercise book in his school bag.  7. I must find blue pencil.  8. We listen to English CD.

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Forming the simple present tense

There are only two basic forms for the simple present tense; one ends with -s and the other doesn't. Here are the rules, using the example verb "sing":

Subject Verb Form Example

I simple form I sing

You simple form You sing

Hesimple form +

SHe sings

Shesimple form +

SShe sings

Itsimple form +

SIt sings

We simple form We sing

They simple form They sing

In other words, only THIRD PERSON SINGULAR subjects (he, she and it) have to have a verb with -S.

-S or -ES?With most verbs, the third person singular form is created simply by adding -S. However, with some verbs, you need to add -ES or change the ending a little. Here are the rules:

Verb ending in... How to make the 3rd person singular Example

s Add -ES He passes

z Add -ES She dozes

sh Add -ES She wishes

ch Add -ES He watches

consonant + y Change Y to I, then add -ES It flies

[anything else] Add -S He sings

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Simple Present Tense

1A. ExplanationThe simple present tense takes one of two forms depending on the subject.

Subject

I, youThey, WePlural nouns

He, She, ItSingular nounsNon count-nouns

base form

eatgowork

-s form

eatsgoesworks

1B. Examples

Subjects followed by verb in base form :

I like rice.

You look nice.

They think twice.

We throw dice.

Chefs use spice.

The boys ring the doorbell.

Children sing on special occasions.

Some people bring gifts to parties.

Bees sting when they are disturbed.

Subjects with verb in –s form :

She makes toys.

He rakes leaves.

It takes time.

Mom bakes pies.

Water slakes thirst.

Jill loves dates.

Mr. Smith fills crates.

Grandpa washes plates.

The dog jumps gates.

1C. Exercises1. Jerry (come/comes) to school on time.

2. Jerry and Linda (come/comes) to school on time.

3. Ms. Jones (teach/teaches) geography.

4. The cat (sleep/sleeps) on the sofa every day.

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5. Milk (cost/costs) two dollars a quart.

2A. Explanation

Use the simple present tense to indicate:

1. Routine actions

2. Facts

2B. Examples

Routine actions

John brushes his teeth every morning.

Carol usually drives to work.

The teacher grades homework on Fridays.

Facts

Hawaii is in the Pacific Ocean.

Some birds fly south for the winter.

Water consists of hydrogen and oxygen.

Note how the present tense is used in the following paragraph.

Mr. Lee is a bus driver. Every day he gets up at 7:00 a.m. and prepares for his day. He showers, eats his breakfast, and puts on his uniform. His wife drives him to the station where he checks in with his supervisor. Then, he gets on Bus #405 and starts the engine. He pulls out of the parking lot and begins his route. At his first stop, he picks up Mrs. Miller, who lives in a red house on the corner of Main Street and Seventh Avenue. She works at the post office and has to be to work by 9:00. At the next stop, the Bartlett twins get on the bus. They attend class at Bayside Elementary. More children get on at the next three stops, and they ride until the bus reaches their school. Mr. Lee enjoys seeing the kids every day and is happy to see them again in the afternoon when he drives them safely back home.

2C. Exercises1. To practice the present tense, reread the above paragraph, then try to repeat the main ideas in your own words. Be sure to use the -s form of the verb when the subject of a sentence is singular. Have a partner listen to your speech and check for correct usage of verbs.

2. Tell whether the present tense is appropriate in the following sentences.

1. Yesterday I go to Washington D.C. Correct Incorrect

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2. Every day, Mr. Johnson cleans his living room.

3. They usually take the bus to the office.

4. Right now Susan eats her breakfast.

5. Melinda and Harry work in the bank.

Correct

Correct

Correct

Correct

Incorrect

Incorrect

Incorrect

Incorrect

Common Mistakes with the simple present tense

1. Not using the -s form with singular subjects:

Jack likes Chinese food.

Jack like Chinese food.

(Correct)

(Incorrect)

2. Using the simple present tense when another tense is required.

Last night I watched television for two hours.

Last night I watch television for two hours.

(Correct)

(Incorrect)

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Forming the Simple Present Tense

1 I ________ in a bank. (work)

workworksworkes

2 She ________ in Florida. (live)

liveliveslivees

3 It ________ almost every day in Manchester. (rain)

rainrainsraines

4 We ________ to Spain every summer. (fly)

flyflysflies

5 My mother ________ eggs for breakfast every morning. (fry)

fryfrys

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fries

6 The bank ________ at four o'clock. (close)

closeclosiescloses

7 John ________ very hard in class, but I don't think he'll pass the course. (try)

trytrystries

8 Jo is so smart that she ________ every exam without even trying. (pass)

passpassiespasses

9 My life is so boring -- I just ________ TV every night. (watch)

watchwatchieswatches

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10 My best friend ________ to me every week. (write)

writewritieswrites

Forming the Simple Present Tense

Type the correct form of the word in brackets to fill each space

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Mary and I (work) in the same office, but we're completely different. She (like) coffee, but I (like) tea. She (wash) her car every weekend, but I never (clean) mine. She (smile) all the time at work, but I (feel) miserable. I (complain) about the boss all the time, but Mary (think) the boss is a nice person. When I (finish) work, I like to drink beer with my friends, but Mary (study) at night school. The boss (think) Mary is

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perfect, but she (drive) me nuts!

Negatives in the Simple Present Tense

Change each sentence into a negative

1. I like eggs.

2. Mary has an expensive car.

3. The Olympic champion comes from Victoria.

4. Some insects carry serious diseases.

5. This wine costs a lot of money.

Yes/No Questions in the Simple Present TenseExercise: Change each sentence into a yes/no question4. He teaches physics.

5. She drinks coffee

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