In Your Words...

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Present Simple Tense

TENSE learning & teaching: Present Simple

    This is the first tense students learn. Lessons on the present simple and other tenses will emphasize basic sentence structures and verbs. This is a very exciting point in ESL coursework because students will be able to convey information and converse with one another through the use of sentences.


Structure

Positive
In the positive form add an 's' to the base form. If the verb ends in -y preceded by a consonant, change the -y to -ies.

I, You, We, They -> eat lunch at noon.
He, She, It -> works well in any situation.

Negative
Conjugate the helping verb 'do' not (don't and doesn't) + the base form of the verb to make negatives.

I, You, We, They -> don't enjoy opera.
He, She, It -> doesn't belong to the club.

Questions
Conjugate the helping verb 'do' (do or does) +  the base form of the verb in question forms.

Do -> I, you, we, they -> work in this town?
Does -> he, she, it -> live in this city?



Usage / Function
1. Repeated Actions





Use the Simple Present to express the idea that an action is repeated or usual. The action can be a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens. It can also be something a person often forgets or usually does not do.



I play tennis.
She does not play tennis.
Does he play tennis?
The train leaves every morning at 8 AM.
The train does not leave at 9 AM.
When does the train usually leave?
She always forgets her purse.
He never forgets his wallet.
Every twelve months, the Earth circles the Sun.
Does the Sun circle the Earth?

2. Facts or Generalizations

  The Simple Present can also indicate the speaker believes that a fact was true before, is true now, and will be true in the future. It is not important if the speaker is correct about the fact. It is also used to make generalizations about people or things.

Cats like milk.
Birds do not like milk.
Do pigs like milk?
California is in America.
California is not in the United Kingdom.
Windows are made of glass.
Windows are not made of wood.
New York is a small city. It is not important that this fact is untrue.

3. Scheduled Events in the Near Future

  Speakers occasionally use Simple Present to talk about scheduled events in the near future. This is most commonly done when talking about public transportation, but it can be used with other scheduled events as well.

The train leaves tonight at 6 PM.
The bus does not arrive at 11 AM, it arrives at 11 PM.
When do we board the plane?
The party starts at 8 o'clock.
When does class begin tomorrow?

4. Now (Non-Continuous Verbs)

 Speakers sometimes use the Simple Present to express the idea that an action is happening or is not happening now. This can only be done with Non-Continuous Verbs and certain Mixed Verbs.

I am here now.
She is not here now.
He needs help right now.
He does not need help now.
He has his passport in his hand.
Do you have your passport with you?



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