SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
● SPELLING of the 3rd person singular:
• most verbs add the suffix –s:
▪ work – works / speak – speaks / drive – drives / buy – buys / run – runs
• verbs ending in -o, -(s)s, -x, -ch, -sh and -(z)z add the suffix -es:
▪ do – does / go – goes
▪ pass – passes / miss – misses
▪ mix – mixes / fax – faxes
▪ catch – catches / watch – watches
▪ push – pushes / crush – crushes
▪ buzz – buzzes
• if the verb ends in consonant + y, y is dropped and the suffix -ies is added:
▪ reply – ………………..……… / hurry – ……………………..…… / study – ………….…………..
COMPARE:
▪ buy – buys / say – says / obey – obeys
● USE of the Simple Present Tense:
1. to refer to permanent truths or laws of nature; statements that are always true:
▪ Winter follows autumn.
▪ The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
……………………………………………………..
2. to refer to permanent situations or states; events, actions and situations which are true in the
present period of time and which may continue indefinitely:
▪ My father works in a bank.
▪ She speaks four languages.
……………………………………………………..
3. to describe habitual actions, things that happen repeatedly:
▪ I get up early.
▪ He’s a photographer. He takes a lot of photos.
…………………………………………………….
We can be more precise about such actions by using the simple present with adverbs of
frequency, such as always, never, often, sometimes:
▪ I sometimes stay up till midnight.
▪ I often speak live to the camera.
or with adverbial phrases such as every day, twice a week, etc.:
▪ She visits her parents every day.
4. in demonstrations and instructions (this use is an alternative to the imperative mood):
▪ First (you) boil some water. Then (you) pour the water into the pot.
▪ You open the cover and take out the jammed piece of paper.
…………………………………………………….
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SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
5. in sports commentaries, to refer to events in the present:
▪ Smith serves the ball but Jones misses it.
▪ Rey passes to Kennedy and the ball hits the post.
…………………………………………………….
6. to refer to events in the future, often with relation to timetables, programmes or events in the
calendar:
▪ The concert begins at 7.30 and ends at 9.30.
▪ The new term starts next week.
…………………………………………………….
7. in dramatic narratives and summaries of plays, stories etc., to refer to events in the past:
▪ Then the robber waves his gun and everyone gets on the floor.
▪ In Act I, Hamlet meets the ghost of his father.
…………………………………………………….
8. in newspaper headlines, to refer to events in the past:
▪ HEAVY SNOW STOPS TRAFFIC
▪ PEACE TALKS FAIL
…………………………………………………….
• Typical adverbs and adverbial phrases used with the Simple Present Tense:
▪ usually, sometimes, always, rarely, never, often, in the morning / evening / afternoon, at night, on
Mondays, etc.
▪ every day / month / week / year, once / twice / three times a day / week, etc.
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SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE / PRESENT CONTINUOUS TENSE
Ex. I. Complete these sentences using the verbs in brackets. Use the present simple or present
continuous:
1. Rodriguez …………………… to Messi who ……………………. just over the bar. Barcelona
………………………… much more in this half… (pass – shoot – attack)
2. A man ……………………. home late one night after the office Christmas party. His wife
………………………… for him, and she …………..………. to him… (arrive – wait – say)
3. I went to a concert yesterday in the Town Hall. In the middle of it, while the orchestra
……………..………. this man suddenly ………………..……….. on his seat and …………………
to conduct them. (play – stand – start)
Source: Hewings M., Advanced Grammar in Use
Ex. II. Underline the correct tense, Present Simple or Present Continuous, in the following
sentences:
1. I’m sleeping / sleep on Niko’s sofa until I find a place of my own.
2. I’m only working / only work there for a couple of months because I’m going abroad in the
summer.
3. If you aren’t listening / don’t listen to the radio, why don’t you switch it off?
4. His only bad habit is that he talks / is talking too loudly.
5. So in the first scene we see / are seeing him getting up and then he goes out / is going out and
meets / is meeting a strange woman.
6. You make / are making goulash using meat, vegetables and paprika.
7. I never do anything I feel / am feeling is against my principles.
8. He appears / is appearing to be very friendly but I don’t know him very well.
9. There’s nobody at the door; you just hear / are just hearing things.
10. I’m thinking of doing a postgraduate degree – what do you think / are you thinking? Is it a good
idea?
Source: Prodromou L., Grammar and Vocabulary for First Certificate
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