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

Subject base form -s form I, you eat eats They, We go goes Plural nouns work works He, She, It Singular nouns Non count-nouns 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. 1C. Exercises 1. 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. 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 Facts John brushes his teeth every morning. Hawaii is in the Pacific Ocean. Carol usually drives to work. Some birds fly south for the winter. The teacher grades homework on Fridays. 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. Exercises 1. 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 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.

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 2. Every day, Mr. Johnson cleans his living room. Correct Incorrect 3. They usually take the bus to the office. Correct Incorrect 4. Right now Susan eats her breakfast. Correct Incorrect 5. Melinda and Harry work in the bank. Correct Incorrect Common Mistakes with the simple present tense 1. Not using the -s form with singular subjects: Jack likes Chinese food. (Correct) Jack like Chinese food. (Incorrect) 2. Using the simple present tense when another tense is required. Last night I watched television for two hours. (Correct) Last night I watch television for two hours. (Incorrect) For Conversation practice: Speaking Situations: Simple Sentences For an example of simple present tense in context, see Writing: Sample Present Tense See also: Present Simple Verbs (from The Internet TESL Journal) Simple Present (from Englishpage.com) If you have questions or comments about this page, please contact us. Be sure to include the title of this page in the Subject line of your e-mail.

The simple present tense describes actions that occur daily or on a regular basis.

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. Examples:

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?

USE 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. Examples:

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.

USE 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. Examples:

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?

USE 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. Examples:

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? ADVERB PLACEMENT The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc. Examples:

You only speak English. Do you only speak English?

Simple Past FORM [VERB+ed] or irregular verbs Examples: You called Debbie. Did you call Debbie? You did not call Debbie. Complete List of Simple Past Forms USE 1 Completed Action in the Past

Use the Simple Past to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind. Examples:

I saw a movie yesterday. I didn't see a play yesterday. Last year, I traveled to Japan. Last year, I didn't travel to Korea. Did you have dinner last night? She washed her car. He didn't wash his car.

USE 2 A Series of Completed Actions

We use the Simple Past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on. Examples:

I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim. He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the others at 10:00. Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs? USE 3 Duration in Past

The Simple Past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. A duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes, all day, all year, etc. Examples:

I lived in Brazil for two years. Shauna studied Japanese for five years. They sat at the beach all day. They did not stay at the party the entire time. We talked on the phone for thirty minutes. A: How long did you wait for them? B: We waited for one hour.

USE 4 Habits in the Past

The Simple Past can also be used to describe a habit which stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as "used to." To make it clear that we are talking about a habit, we often add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, when I was younger, etc. Examples:

I studied French when I was a child. He played the violin. He didn't play the piano. Did you play a musical instrument when you were a kid? She worked at the movie theater after school. They never went to school, they always skipped class.

USE 5 Past Facts or Generalizations

The Simple Past can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations which are no longer true. As in USE 4 above, this use of the Simple Past is quite similar to the expression "used to." Examples:

She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing. He didn't like tomatoes before. Did you live in Texas when you were a kid? People paid much more to make cell phone calls in the past. IMPORTANT When-Clauses Happen First Clauses are groups of words which have meaning but are often not complete sentences. Some clauses begin with the word "when" such as "when I dropped my pen..." or "when class began..." These clauses are called when-clauses, and they are very important. The examples below contain when-clauses. Examples:

When I paid her one dollar, she answered my question. She answered my question when I paid her one dollar. When-clauses are important because they always happen first when both clauses are in the Simple Past. Both of the examples above mean the same thing: first, I paid her one dollar, and then, she answered my question. It is not important whether "when I paid her one dollar" is at the beginning of the sentence or at the end of the sentence. However, the example below has a different meaning. First, she answered my question, and then, I paid her one dollar. Example:

I paid her one dollar when she answered my question.

ADVERB PLACEMENT The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc. Examples:

You just called Debbie. Did you just call Debbie? ACTIVE / PASSIVE Examples:

Tom repaired the car. ACTIVE The car was repaired by Tom. PASSIVE 1. She ___ four languages. a. speak b. speaks
Answer

2. Jane is a teacher. She ___ French. a. teach b. teaches

Answer

3. When the kettle ___, will you make some tea? a. boil b. boils
Answer

4. I always ___ the window at night because it is cold. a. close b. closes

Answer

5. Those shoes ___ too much. a. cost b. costs

Answer

6. The food in Japan is expensive. It ___ a lot to live there. a. cost b. costs
Answer

7. His job is great because he ___ a lot of people. a. meet b. meets

Answer

8. He always ___ his car on Sundays. a. wash b. washes

Answer

9. My watch is broken and it ___ to be fixed again. a. need b. needs

Answer

10. I ___ to watch movies. a. love b. loves

Answer

11. I ___ to the cinema at least once a week. a. go b. goes

Answer

12. They never ___ tea in the morning. a. drink b. drinks

Answer

13. We both ___ to the radio in the morning. a. listen b. listens

Answer

14. He ___ a big wedding. a. want b. wants

Answer

15. George ___ too much so he's getting fat. a. eat b. eats
Answer

16. The earth ___ round the sun, doesn't it? a. go b. goes
Answer

17. The shops in England ___ at 9:00 in the morning. a. open b. opens
Answer

18. The post office ___ at 5:30 pm. a. close b. closes

Answer

19. Jackie ___ two children now. a. has b. have

Answer

20. Mr. Smith ___ too much. He always has a cigarette in his mouth. a. smoke b. smokes
Answer

21. When the phone ___, please answer it. a. ring b. rings
Answer

Teaching Simple Present Tense Verbs to Kids is Fun English Language Acronyms/Mnemonics for Kids Even Joshua Foer, a 2006 U.S.A memory champion, believes that mnemonic devices, abbreviations, initialisms and acronyms are some of the best memorization techniques to recall and remember almost anything. Mnemonics and acronyms can be applied in almost all kinds of human interests such as science, arts and spirituality to name a few. Learning English grammar, sentence structures and vocabulary through mnemonics is not an exception. SPARO is one such acronym word for kids to learn the rules of simple present tense verbs in English. Learning verbs becomes easy with SPARO acronym that stands for Simple Present Always true, Repeatedly, Often

Use of simple present tense verbs in English is when sentences talk about:

things that are always true things that happen repeatedly.

A list of examples of simple present tense verbs in a sentence that talks about things that are Always true:

John wears nice clothes. (always) The boy thinks you are wonderful (always) English grammar books cost a lot (always) Terry sings very well (always) Our cats never catch mice. (always) All those buses go the station (always)

A list of examples of simple present tense verbs (indicated in blue fonts) in a sentence that talks about things that happens Repeatedly:

I work every Sunday (repeated) I meet my English teacher every year (repeated) I usually walk across this business unit (repeated) My business involves calling customers twice a week (repeated) I call my manager once a day. (repeated) Often I give corporate presentations to amateur sales professionals (repeated) I attend business communication skills training workshop twice a week. (repeated)

Another Hint to Remember the Rules of Simple Present Tense Verbs-How Often Simple present verbs are also used with words that tell how often something is happening. The list of common words can be recalled using another mnemonic-A ONES' OUT: always, once a day, never, every year, sometimes, often, usually, twice a day Examples of simple present tense verbs that contain A ONES' OUT (indicated in red fonts) words:

My manager always remembers my birthday. I never question my boss. I visit the corporate office every year. I sometimes watch comedy movies. My English teacher often helps me in completing grammar exercises. I usually organize my office desk on Mondays. I send business meeting requests twice a day.

Simple common verb list for kids using KIDS MALFUNCTION mnemonic phrase:

Know Is Do Say Make Ask

Leave Find Use Need Come Take Imagine Observe Notice

Both teaching and learning English as a language becomes every easy once creative learning skills are applied, especially while studying grammar rules, basic sentence structures and usage of language. Acronym words like SPARO and mnemonic phrases like KIDS MALFUNCTION are some fun ways to teach verbs to kids. Jennifer: He works as a policeman. Mark: Do you usually have dinner together? Jennifer: Yes, we do. Mark: How often does your husband exercise? Jennifer: He sometimes exercises four times a week. But, he usually exercises only twice a week. Mark: Where do you like going on holiday? Jennifer: We rarely go on holiday. However, we like going to the mountains if we can. Mark: What type of books do you read? Jennifer: I often read horror stories. Mark: Thank you very much for answering my questions. Jennifer: You're welcome! Take a look at the following conjugation chart. Notice from the above dialogue and following chart that the present simple is often used to describe what we do every day. We use verbs of frequency (always, sometimes, usually, etc.) which indicate a habit. How to Teach the Present Simple Tense When teaching the Present Simple the ultimate goal is to make sure your students understand that its used to describe routines, habits, daily activities, and general truths. Also important is the contrast between the Present Simple and the Present Progressive. This series of steps will guide you towards teaching the Present Simple and covers function, conjugation, and form. How To Proceed 1. 1 Introduce an action Pick up a newspaper and pretend to read it. Ask your students what you're doing. Theyll say, Youre reading a newspaper. T: What newspaper am I reading? S: Youre reading The New York Times.

2. 2 Introduce Present Simple - First person singular Tell your students, I read The New York Times every day. Make a list of the things you do every day as a routine:
o

I have breakfast at 7. o I go to work at 9. o I have lunch at 12. o I go home at 5. I watch TV before dinner.

Make sure your students understand that you do this on a daily or weekly basis; these are habitual actions. Go around the class and have students tell you what they do everyday or what some of their habits are. They should give more examples in the first person singular. 3. 3 Introduce Present Simple Second person singular Say: I read the New York Times. Sarah, you read USA Today. Go around the class giving examples like, I go to work at 9. You go to school. Face each of your students and state a general truth: T: John, you live in Queens. John (to teacher): You live in Queens, too. T: Sally, you have a dog. Sally (to teacher): You have a cat. Split your students up into pairs and have them give each other statements in the second person singular. 4. 4 Introduce Present Simple Third person singular Say: I read the New York Times. Sarah reads USA Today. Make sure students notice that youve added the s for the third person singular. Give more examples with other students, and introduce the irregular verbs: John goes to work at 8. Sally has lunch at 1. Students provide more examples from the information previously shared by their classmates. 5. 5 Do the same for the plural persons Ask who lives in Queens and ask them to stand up. Then point to yourself and those standing and say: We live in Queens. Ask who lives in the Bronx and ask them to stand up. Address those who are standing and say: You live in the Bronx. Point to your group and say, We live in Queens. Ask who lives in Manhattan and point to that group and say: They live in Manhattan. 6. 6 Introduce Present Simple Negative Make a statement in the affirmative, then make one in negative with dont. T: I live in Queens, I dont live in the Bronx. Ask students to do the same presenting first an affirmative, then a negative. Practice all persons except the third person singular.

7. 7 Introduce Present Simple Negative (third person singular) Make a statement about a student, then make one in negative form using doesnt. T: Alex reads the New York Times. He doesn't read USA Today. Ask students to do the same by using the information previously shared by their classmates. 8. 8 Introduce Present Simple Questions Make a statement about yourself. Then ask a student a question to introduce do. T: I walk to school. John, do you walk to school? Walk around the classroom asking students questions and teaching them to answer, Yes, I do or No, I don't. Do the same for all persons except third person singular. 9. 9 Introduce Present Simple Questions (third person singular) Contrast students habits. Make a statement about one, then ask about another student: T: John walks to school. Does Sarah walk to school? Walk around the classroom asking questions with does, and teach students to answer Yes, he does No, he doesnt. 10. 10 Expand and practice: Present Simple Excercises. Practice all persons and forms. Ask open-ended questions. Introduce more verbs. Where do you live? Where does she work? How many languages do you speak? Nows also a great time consolidate everything that theyve learned about the Present Simple; this is a great worksheet that will help them focus on form. Obviously, you don't have to follow all of these steps in one single lesson; you can spread them over the course of a week to make sure your students have plenty of time to practice the Present Simple exercises in all its forms. There are literally hundreds of Present Simple worksheets and lessons plans available at BusyTeacher.org that you can use for in-class activities or give to your students for homework for extended practice. Be sure to check them out! by BUSYTEACHER_admin, 15553 views

Present Tense Example Sentences Repeating actions or habits: Bill jogs every day. Bill never jogs. Does Bill jogon Sunday? Jane works hard. Jane doesn't workhard at all! Jim builds houses for a living. What does Jim dofor a living? They playbasketball every Sunday. At what time do you usually eatdinner?

Facts or things which are true at all times: London is in England. London isnot in France. You can't live without water. Can you livewithout water? Sarah is a good girl. When does it startsnowing? I speakFrench. I don't speakJapanese. Conditions (not actions) taking place at this moment: Iagree. Tom thinksit's a good idea. They havea lot of money. They don't haveany money.

Do they havesome money? I feel so tired. You arebrilliant! They don't needhis help.

Usage of the Present Simple

The present simple is used:

To talk about things which are always or usually true o "I drink five or six cups of tea a day o "God lives." o "The Earth orbits the sun." o "I like reading." o "Water freezes at zero degrees celsius To give instructions or commands o "Put the coffee in the cupboard." o "Turn left at the corner." o "Come here." In narrative (sometimes): o "The President meets with his advisors." This usage of the present simple is common in newspapers. o "He tackles Beck, takes the ball and passes it to Todd." This usage of the present simple is common in sports commentaries when the action is taking place very quickly. To describe senses and feelings o "I see you." o "I feel good." The present simple is used here to describe more sudden feelings. The present continuous would be used to describe a state that continues over time.

If you want to brush up on your own grammar, I recommend considering some of the products available on diagramming sentences A final point. Don't labor formal presentations of grammar. Be concise and to the point. I added more examples above than I would actually use in a class. A formal presentation will please some students, but most of the learning actually comes when the students actively listen and speak in the interesting activities you prepare for their class.

ACTUAL PLAN :WARM- UP AND MOTIVATIONT- Good morning class. How are you today?S-T-Do you have your books and notebooks ready?S-.T- Ok. Lets learn some more English. Do

you like learning English?S-.T- Where is Ahmet?I can not see him.S-.T- Is everyone else here?S..STATE THE GENERAL AIM OF THE LESSONT- Good. Today, we wil learn present tense and we will do activities about present tense now.But first, Lets remember what we did a few weeks ago. (Simple Present Tense)

AI study very hard and Tom studies very hard, too. BThe teacher is not in the classroom and the students are very noisy.

 be(Root Verb)

(at the time of speaking) It is very hot today. Dogs bark at strangers.

todaythis + time (this week, this year, )nowright now at presentetc. Drilling Square 1I teach English in a junior high school. 2I study English every day. 3I pass by the post office every morning. 4I read and write both English and Chinese every day. 5I have two sisters and one brother. 6I go to school and come home on a bicycle every day. 7I wash my hands before I eat something. 8I don't know her very well. 9I always try my best when I am told to do something. 10On weekdays I always get up at 600 . Then I do my bed, brush my teeth, wash my face, and get everything ready in half an hour. At 630 I have my breakfast with my parents and sisters and leave for school at 650.

 be, begin, belong, cook, cry, do, feel, go, have, help, keep , make, mean, rain, understand 1My father 1______ to work by bus every morning . 22______ you 3______ what 4______? 3The summer vacation usually 5 ______ on July 1 in most schools. 4We often 6______ swimming in summer. 5A baby 7______ when it 8______ hungry. 6Everyone 9______ happy and 10 ______ a good time during the Chinese New Year. 7In autumn it 11______ not 12______ very often in this part of the country. 8The two little cats 13______ to my aunt, She 14______ them as her pets. 9In my family, my mother always 15______ the meals and my father 16 ______ the dishes. But when they 17______ very busy, I often 18______ them in the kitchen. 10My bicycle often 19______ some strange noises, I wonder if something 20 ______ wrong with it.
1. James ----------------- (work) in a super market. 2. My mother ------------------ (get) up at 5 am. 3. The earth ------------------ (move) around the sun. 4. I ------------------- (play) cricket every evening. 5. His train ------------------ (arrive) at 9 pm. 6. Heat --------------------- (expand) bodies. 7. Water -------------------- (boil) at 100 degree Celsius. 8. He ------------------- (live) in North America.

9. My head ------------------- (ache). 10. I ---------------- (go) for a walk every evening. Answers 1. James works in a super market. 2. My mother gets up at 5 am. 3. The earth moves around the sun. 4. I play cricket every evening. 5. His train arrives at 9 pm. 6. Heat expands bodies. 7. Water boils at 100 degree Celsius. 8. He lives in North America. 9. My head aches. 10. I go for a walk every evening.

Fill in the blanks with appropriate simple present tense form of the verb given in the brackets. 1. James with his left hand. (write) 2. My father for a walk every morning. (go) 3. How fiercely the wind -! (blow) 4. There the dinner bell. (go) 5. Here the villain of the piece. (come) 6. Heat bodies. (expand) 7. The sun in the east. (rise) 8. I flowers very much. (like) 9. Birds in the sky. (fly) 10. James his mother very much. (love) Answers 1. James writes with his left hand. 2. My father goes for a walk every morning. 3. How fiercely the wind blows!

4. There goes the dinner bell. 5. Here comes the villain of the piece! 6. He expands bodies. 7. The sun rises in the east. 8. I like flowers very much. 9. Birds fly in the sky. 10. James loves his mother very much.

Exercises:
Put the words in brackets in the correct form of the simple present. e.g : John (work) in a restaurant.John works in a restaurant.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

The sun (rise) in the east. My parents (like ) slow music very much. I always (drive) to work. Nancy (do ). Judo. Leila (drink ) four cups of coffee a day.

Circle the correct answer

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Sue / I like jogging in the morning. Alan / I usually writes reports in his job. Bill / Sara and Sue always cleans her room. Tony / we visit this museum regularly. I / Leila watches soap opera.

Circle the correct answer

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Do / does Leila like swimming? Where do / does Alice and Alan live? What time do / does the sun rise? Do / does the Smiths go to this restaurant? What do / does you think of the new manager?

Put these sentences into the negative form

1.

The sun rises in the east. It.in the west

2.

They speak Spanish in Spain. They Chinese in Spain.

3.

Vegetarians eat fruits and vegetables. Vegetariansmeat.

4.

They drive on the left in Britain. They on the right.

Simple Present 1 What's the best word to complete the sentence?

Click on the correct answer. Show one at a time

1. My mother ________ eggs for breakfast every morning. A. ? fry B. ? frys C. ? fries

2. The bank ________ at four o'clock. A. ? close B. ? closies C. ? closes

3. It ________ almost every day in Manchester. A. ? rain B. ? rains

C. ? raines

4. I ________ in a bank. A. ? work B. ? works C. ? workes

5. She ________ in Florida. A. ? live B. ? lives C. ? livees

6. My best friend ________ to me every week. A. ? write B. ? writies C. ? writes

7. John ________ very hard in class, but I don't think he'll pass the course. A. ? try B. ? trys C. ? tries

8. My life is so boring -- I just ________ TV every night. A. ? watch B. ? watchies

C. ? watches

9. We ________ to Spain every summer. A. ? fly B. ? flys C. ? flies

10. Jo is so smart that she ________ every exam without even trying. A. ? pass B. ? passies C. ? passes