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Present Simple Tense and Adverbs

The document discusses the present simple tense in English. It explains that the present simple is used to describe routine or habitual actions. It provides examples of affirmative sentences using the pronouns I, you, we, they and he, she, it. It also discusses the use of auxiliary verbs do and does in questions, and don't and doesn't in negatives. Finally, it lists common adverbs of frequency used with the present simple and provides job-related vocabulary examples.

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Tiago Ferreira Mendes
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16 views5 pages

Present Simple Tense and Adverbs

The document discusses the present simple tense in English. It explains that the present simple is used to describe routine or habitual actions. It provides examples of affirmative sentences using the pronouns I, you, we, they and he, she, it. It also discusses the use of auxiliary verbs do and does in questions, and don't and doesn't in negatives. Finally, it lists common adverbs of frequency used with the present simple and provides job-related vocabulary examples.

Uploaded by

Tiago Ferreira Mendes
Copyright
© All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as ODT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Present Simple

I / you / we / they

The Simple Present is used to describe routine, habitual activities. Look the examples:

 I cook dinner everyday.

 You study English.

 We play tennis in the club every Monday.

 They listen to rock n’ roll.

For questions, we need the auxiliary DO, for the pronouns I, YOU, WE, THEY.

Look the examples:

 Do you cook pasta on Sundays?

 Do they dance samba?

 Do we have money?

 Do you watch soap opera?

For negatives, we need the auxiliary DON’T, for the pronouns I, YOU, WE, THEY.

Look the examples:

 We don’t like chocolate.

 I don’t play soccer on Sundays.

 They don’t have a car.

 You don’t work.

He / She / It

Compare these sentences:

 I read two books per week.

 She reads three books per week.

In the Simple Present, the verbs “gains” an s for the pronouns he, she it.

Look more examples:

 He plays the piano very well.

 She dances in the theater every Saturday night.

 It rains a lot in Amazon.

Important: In the interrogatives and negatives the verbs DON’T have ‘s’.
Note: Verbs ending in -y: the third person changes the -y to -ies: fly - flies; cry - cries.

Exception: if there is a vowel before the -y: play - plays; pray - prays

Add -es to verbs ending in: -ss, -x, -sh, -ch: he passes, she catches, he fixes, it pushes

For questions, we need the auxiliary DO, for the pronouns I, YOU, WE, THEY; and DOES, for the
pronouns HE, SHE, IT.

Look the examples:

 Do you cook pasta on Sundays?

 Do they study Spanish in Madrid?

 Does she work in the fashion industry?

 Does he visit his family on Christmas?

For negatives, we need the auxiliary DON’T, for the pronouns I, YOU, WE, THEY; and DOESN’T, for
the pronouns HE, SHE, IT.

Look the examples:

 We don’t like rock n’ roll.

 I don’t play soccer on Sundays.

 He doesn’t watch TV.

 She doesn’t help her family.

Adverbs of Frequency

These adverbs are used to indicate the frequency of our actions. The list below shows the adverbes
in order of frequency.

 Always – sempre

 Usually – normalmente

 Often – frequentemente

 Generally – geralmente

 Sometimes – às vezes

 Rarely – raramente

 Seldom – raras as vezes

 Hardly ever – quase nunca

 Never – nunca

How to use: PERSON + ADVERB + VERB


 John always washes his car.

 I almost always have breakfast.

 Peter usually plays the guitar.

 We frequently go to the theater.

 She often visits her grandmother.

 They sometimes travel to the beach.

 I seldom do my homework.

 They hardly ever come to this restaurant.

 Rose almost never goes out.

 Ashley never tell lies.

NOTE: When the sentence is formed with the verb TO BE, the order of the words change:

PERSON + TO BE + ADVERB

 He is always late.

 I’m usually very slow in the morning.

NOTE 2: The adverb SOMETIMES can also start sentences.

 Sometimes he doesn’t want to watch TV.


VOCABULARY: Job Expressions

Here there are some sentences you can use to describe what you do.

I am in charge of the marketing department.

I have control or I am responsible for the marketing department.

I am responsible for the sales department.

I am in charge of the sales department.

I work as a lawyer.

I am a lawyer by profession.

I work in the tourist industry.

I work in tourism (as a type of work).

I work for a computer company.

I do a job and get paid by a computer company (but I may do the same with other companies too, if I
am a freelance).

I work for Vodafone.

I do a job and earn money from Vodafone (I don’t do the same with other companies and I usually
go to their office to work).

I have a temporary job.

I am employed, but it is not permanent.

I am looking for a steady job.

I am trying to find a permanent job.

I am studying a degree in architecture.

I am studying Architecture at university/college.

An important part of my job is working in a team.

At work it is important to work with other colleagues/co-workers/workmates.

Co-worker/colleague/workmate.

A person who works in the same place as you.

Peter studied science, but his sister chose the arts at secondary school.

Peter studied scientific subjects (such as chemistry, physics, math, biology) but his sister chose
subjects not related to it, like history, languages or philosophy at high school.

I work/I go to university from 9 to 5.


I start working/university at 9 AM and I finish at 5 PM.

I work as a freelance photographer.

I do particular pieces of work for different organizations, rather than working all the time for a single
organization.

Common questions

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Adverb placement can significantly alter a sentence's emphasis or clarity, particularly with the verb 'to be'. In typical structure with other verbs, the adverb precedes the main verb, such as in 'John always washes his car' . However, when 'to be' is the main verb, the adverb follows it, as in 'He is always late' . This placement emphasizes the subject's state or condition, precisely indicating the frequency. Any deviation, like placing the adverb at the sentence's start, can lead to ambiguity or incorrect interpretation without explicitly structured context.

Adverbs of frequency in simple present tense sentences are used to indicate how often an action occurs. Typically, the structure is PERSON + ADVERB + VERB, as in 'John always washes his car' or 'She often visits her grandmother' . When using the verb 'to be', the structure changes to PERSON + TO BE + ADVERB, such as 'He is always late' and 'I’m usually very slow in the morning' . Additionally, the adverb 'sometimes' can initiate a sentence, like in 'Sometimes he doesn’t want to watch TV' .

Understanding verb forms and adverbs in the simple present tense enhances communication by allowing speakers to accurately describe habits, routines, and frequency of activities. Using correct verb conjugations for different pronouns prevents misunderstandings; for example, knowing 'he plays' rather than 'he play' improves clarity . Furthermore, adverbs of frequency such as 'always', 'often', or 'never' help convey the regularity of actions, thereby providing precise temporal context to listeners, as illustrated in sentences like 'She often visits her grandmother' or 'Rose almost never goes out' .

In the third person singular form of verbs in the simple present tense, verbs ending in '-y' change to '-ies', such as 'fly' becoming 'flies', unless preceded by a vowel, in which case it remains '-ys', as in 'play' to 'plays' . Verbs ending in '-ss', '-x', '-sh', '-ch' gain an '-es', as in 'he passes', 'she catches', 'he fixes', and 'it pushes' . These rules help maintain consistent pronunciation and grammatical agreement in sentences.

Starting a sentence with the adverb 'sometimes' can imply a more flexible or nuanced understanding of frequency. For example, 'Sometimes he doesn’t want to watch TV' suggests a conditional or variable aspect to the action, potentially affecting the sentence's overall interpretation by foregrounding the frequency aspect. This can add variability to the statement, emphasizing that the action is not constant and may depend on other factors, thus providing richer descriptive or narrative quality in communication.

In sentences containing the verb 'to be', adverbs of frequency are placed after the verb for proper grammatical structure. For instance, 'He is always late' places 'always' after the verb 'is', and 'I’m usually very slow in the morning' follows the same pattern with 'usually' . This placement helps emphasize the action's frequency in relation to the subject's state or condition, providing clear temporal context for the listener or reader.

Permanent and temporary employment roles differ primarily in job security and duration. Permanent jobs, often indicated by phrases like 'I am looking for a steady job', imply indefinite, ongoing roles where the employee expects long-term tenure . Descriptions like 'I have a temporary job' suggest short-term roles with a finite employment period . The terminology also reflects different commitments: permanent workers are typically employed directly ('I work for Vodafone'), whereas temporary roles may reflect flexibility, such as being a 'freelance photographer' working various short-term contracts .

In the simple present tense, verbs for the pronouns 'I/you/we/they' use the base form without an 's'. For example, 'I cook', 'you study', 'we play', and 'they listen' . For the pronouns 'he/she/it', verbs gain an 's' or 'es' in the third person. For instance, 'he plays', 'she dances', and 'it rains' . Verbs ending in '-y' change to '-ies' as in 'fly' to 'flies', except when there is a vowel before the '-y', such as 'play' to 'plays' .

When creating questions in the simple present tense, the auxiliary 'do' is used for the pronouns 'I, you, we, they', as in 'Do you cook pasta on Sundays?' or 'Do they study Spanish in Madrid?' . For the pronouns 'he, she, it', the auxiliary 'does' is necessary, as seen in 'Does she work in the fashion industry?' and 'Does he visit his family on Christmas?' . This structure ensures proper syntactic form to indicate a question in English grammar.

To form negative sentences in the simple present tense, the auxiliary 'don’t' is used for the pronouns 'I, you, we, they', such as in 'We don’t like chocolate' or 'I don’t play soccer on Sundays' . For the pronouns 'he, she, it', the auxiliary 'doesn’t' is used, as in 'He doesn’t watch TV' or 'She doesn’t help her family' .

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