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Simple Present Tense Guide

This document provides a comprehensive overview of the simple present tense in English grammar, including its forms (affirmative, negative, and question), usage, and examples. It also includes practice exercises for filling in blanks, forming negative sentences, and asking questions. The document emphasizes the use of frequency adverbs and general statements of fact.

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6 views5 pages

Simple Present Tense Guide

This document provides a comprehensive overview of the simple present tense in English grammar, including its forms (affirmative, negative, and question), usage, and examples. It also includes practice exercises for filling in blanks, forming negative sentences, and asking questions. The document emphasizes the use of frequency adverbs and general statements of fact.

Uploaded by

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

Basic Grammar 1.

5
TENSES – SIMPLE PRESENT

FORM

AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE QUESTION


I work I work I work...?
We like We do not we
Do
You do You (don’t) like you like…?
They have They they
works do do…?
He He he
likes does not
She She Does she
does (doesn’t) have have…?
It It it
has

Affirmative Form: Except for the verb be, make the simple present with the subject followed by the
base form of the verb. For third-person-singular forms (he, she, it, Bob, the cat,
etc) the verb always ends in -s.

Examples: Sarah lives in Paris.


We like oranges.

Negative Form: We add not to do or does before the base form of the verb.

Examples: Jack does not live in Paris. He doesn’t live in Paris.


They do not like oranges. They don’t like oranges.

Question Form: We put do or does (the auxiliary verb) at the beginning of the question, before
the subject and the base form of the verb.

Examples: QUESTIONS SHORT ANSWERS


Does Sarah live in Peru? Yes, she does. / No, she doesn’t.
Do you like oranges? Yes, we do. / No, we don’t.

WH-Questions:

• To ask about the subject, we do not need an auxiliary verb. We always put the main verb in simple
s-form:

WH-WORD + VERB (S-FORM) + COMPLEMENT + ?

Examples: QUESTIONS ANSWERS


Who lives in Peru? Sarah lives in Peru. / Sarah does.
Who likes oranges? We like oranges. / We do.

B 1.5 – TENSES – Simple Present ONLINE 1


Basic Grammar 1.5
• To ask about the complement, we use an auxiliary before the subject:

Wh-WORD + DO / DOES + SUBJECT + VERB (SIMPLE FORM)

Examples: QUESTIONS ANSWERS


Where does Sarah live? She lives in Peru.
What do you like? We like oranges.

USE

1. To talk about things that happen regularly, use the simple present.

Ex: I often watch TV.


We go to school every day.

We often use these frequency adverbs with the simple present:

always
usually
often
sometimes
never

Ex: Helen always does her homework.


The children often play squash.
They never go to the park alone.

Other frequency adverbs include words like every, once, twice, etc.

Every day
Once a week
Twice a month, etc.

Ex: We have classes every day.


They travel abroad once a year.
She goes to the beach twice a week.

2. We also use the simple present to express general statements of fact or truths:

Ex: Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius.


Henry doesn’t like coffee.
I have three children.

B 1.5 – TENSES – Simple Present ONLINE 2


Basic Grammar 1.5
PRACTICE: SIMPLE PRESENT

I. Fill in the blanks with the simple present of the verb in brackets.
1. Fiona (swim) ...... swims ...... in the pool on Sundays.
2. Dave (be)..................... my friend.
3. She (take) ..................... a shower every morning.
4. They (clean) .......................... the garage once a week.
5. Alice (live) ............................ in Spain.
6. Becky (do)............................. the laundry on Friday morning.
7. Pamela usually (study) ......................... at night.
8. They (watch) ............................. cartoons every weekend.
9. The workers usually (have)....................... lunch in the café at noon.
10. Sally (go)................. to the mountains on holidays.

II. Complete the sentences with the words and put them
in the correct order.
have have have finish get leave take watch go arrive

1. I usually……………….. at the office around 8:30. ............


2. I………………. to bed at 11p.m. ............
3. I ……….get………. up at seven o’clock. .....1.....
4. In the evening, I……………….. dinner. ............
5. I……………….. a shower at 7:15a.m. ............
6. I……………….. lunch at 1:30. ............
7. I……………….. work at 6:30. ............
8. I……………….. breakfast at 7:30. ............
9. I……………….. TV until 10:30p.m. ............
10. Then, I……………….. home at 8:00a.m. ............

III. Write the negative form

1. I drink coffee every morning. .... I don’t drink coffee every morning .... .
2. They do their homework every day. .........................................................
3. Albert has a big house. ..............................................................................
4. It snows here in the winter. .......................................................................
5. We work on weekends. ..............................................................................
6. Sophia knows Peter. ....................................................................................

B 1.5 – TENSES – Simple Present ONLINE 3


Basic Grammar 1.5
IV. Ask the appropriate questions. Use the cues in parentheses.
1. ...... Do your kids like rock music?...... (your kids / like rock music)

Yes, they do. They love rock music.


2. ...............................................................? (Veronica / work near here)
No, she doesn’t. She works downtown.
3. ...............................................................? (you / have children)
Yes, we do. We have a boy and a girl.
4. ...............................................................? (Benny / study languages)
Yes, he does. He studies Italian and Portuguese.
5. ...............................................................? (you / speak German)
No, I don’t, but I speak a little French.

V. Match the questions and the answers.


1. Where does he live? ............ a. I eat lunch at noon.
2. Do they work in a bank? ............ b. No, she doesn’t.
3. Does she play tennis? ............ c. No, they don’t. They have one.
4. Do they have three sons? .....1..... d. He lives in Canada.
5. What time is it? ............ e. Around 6.30 a.m.
6. Do you have a motorcycle? ............ f. Jack does.
7. What time do you get up? ............ g. Yes, I do.
8. Does he like fruit? ............ h. Yes, they do.
9. What time do you eat lunch? ............ i. No, he doesn’t.
10. Who knows the answer? ............ j. It’s 10 o’clock.

VI. Write questions for the answers in bold.


1. ......... What time does Julia arrive home?............ (Julia)
She arrives home at 8:30 p.m.
2. …..................................................................? (Bruce)
He goes to work by bus.
3. ......................................................................? (those boys)
They practice every other day.
4. ......................................................................? (you)
I come from England.
5. ......................................................................? (Sandra)
She lives in the country.

B 1.5 – TENSES – Simple Present ONLINE 4


Basic Grammar 1.5
ANSWERS: Practice B 1.5

Exercise I: Exercise IV:

1. swims 1. Do your kids like rock music?


2. is 2. Does Veronica work near here?
3. takes 3. Do you have children?
4. clean 4. Does Benny study languages?
5. lives 5. Do you speak German?
6. does
7. studies
8. watch
9. have
10. goes

Exercise II: Exercise V:

1. arrive (5) 1. d
2. go (10) 2. h
3. get (1) 3. b
4. have (8) 4. c
5. take (2) 5. j
6. have (6) 6. g
7. finish (7) 7. e
8. have (3) 8. i
9. watch (9) 9. a
10. leave (4) 10. f

Exercise III: Exercise VI:

1. I don’t drink coffee every morning. 1. What time does Julia arrive home?
2. They don’t do their homework every day. 2. How does Bruce go to work?
3. Albert doesn’t have a big house. 3. How often do those boys practice?
4. It doesn’t snow here in the winter. 4. Where do you come from?
5. We don’t work on weekends. 5. Where does Sandra live?
6. Sophia doesn’t know Peter.

B 1.5 – TENSES – Simple Present ONLINE 5

Common questions

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When constructing a WH-question about an action's frequency, the order is 'WH-WORD + DO/DOES + SUBJECT + VERB (SIMPLE FORM) + COMPLEMENT.' An example is 'How often do those boys practice?' Here, the focus is on the frequency of the action 'practice' conducted by 'those boys' .

The combination of frequency adverbs and simple present tense verbs effectively conveys habitual behavior by indicating the regularity of actions. For instance, 'Pamela usually studies at night' illustrates her frequent nocturnal study habits, while 'The workers usually have lunch in the café at noon' highlights a common lunchtime custom. This synergy between tense and adverbial phrases provides clarity on recurring behaviors .

Auxiliary verbs 'do' and 'does' are significant in forming negative sentences in the simple present tense as they allow the main verb to stay in its base form. This is achieved by placing 'do not' or 'does not' before the base form. For example, 'Jack does not live in Paris' or 'They do not like oranges' illustrate the structure .

Using 'does' in negative sentences with third-person singular subjects is necessary to maintain the base form of the main verb while indicating negation. Without it, the sentence would lose grammatical correctness. For example, 'She does not like oranges' is correct, as the auxiliary 'does' supports the main verb in its base form 'like,' while 'She not likes oranges' would be incorrect. 'Does' eliminates the need for the -s ending in the main verb .

When forming questions about complements in the simple present tense, you use 'Wh-WORD + DO/DOES + SUBJECT + VERB (SIMPLE FORM).' For example, 'Where does Sarah live?' In contrast, when asking about the subject, the structure is 'WH-WORD + VERB (S-FORM) + COMPLEMENT,' such as 'Who lives in Peru?' with no auxiliary. This difference highlights whether the question targets the subject or the complement .

For third-person singular subjects (he, she, it), the simple present tense is formed by adding -s or -es to the base form of the verb. For example, 'He works,' 'She likes,' and 'It does not' follow this rule .

WH-questions are structured differently based on whether they address the subject or the complement. For subjects, the main verb in the -s form follows the WH-word directly without auxiliary verbs, e.g., 'Who lives in Peru?' For complements, an auxiliary verb ('do' or 'does') precedes the subject, as in 'Where does Sarah live?' The difference ensures clarity in what part of the sentence is being queried .

In forming yes-no questions in the simple present tense, placing the auxiliary verb ('do' or 'does') before the subject changes the declarative sentence into a question. For instance, 'You like oranges' becomes 'Do you like oranges?' and 'He lives in Canada' turns into 'Does he live in Canada?' This inversion is essential for correct question formation .

The simple present tense is impactful for general statements of fact as it expresses universal truths or factual events that are consistently valid. Examples include 'Water boils at 100 degrees Celsius' and 'I have three children,' indicating immutable truths and ongoing states .

Frequency adverbs help in conveying regular actions or habits by indicating how often an action occurs. Words like 'always,' 'usually,' 'often,' 'sometimes,' 'never,' and expressions like 'every day,' 'once a week,' are used with the simple present to emphasize regularity. For example, 'The children often play squash' and 'We have classes every day' .

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