Simple Present Tense

This page is sponsored by: English Course London

Simple Present Tense

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1A. Explanation
The simple present tense takes one of two forms depending on the subject.
Subject base form -s
I, you eat form
They, We go
Plural nouns work

He, She, It
Singular nouns eats
Non count-nouns goes
works

1B. Examples
Subjects with verb in ?s
Subjects followed by verb in base form:
form:
I like rice.
She makes toys.
You look nice.
He rakes leaves.
They think twice.
It takes time.
We throw dice.
Mom bakes pies.
Chefs use spice.
Water slakes thirst.
The boys ring the doorbell.
Jill loves dates.
Children sing on special occasions.
Mr. Smith fills crates.
Some people bring gifts to parties.
Grandpa washes plates.
Bees sting when they are disturbed.
The dog jumps gates.

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
Facts
Routine actions
Hawaii is in the Pacific Ocean.
John brushes his teeth every morning.
Some birds fly south for the winter.
Carol usually drives to work.
Water consists of hydrogen and
The teacher grades homework on Fridays.
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 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.
Incorre
ct
Incorre
1. Yesterday I go to Washington D.C. Correct
ct
2. Every day, Mr. Johnson cleans his living room. Correct
Incorre
3. They usually take the bus to the office. Correct
ct
4. Right now Susan eats her breakfast. Correct
Incorre
5. Melinda and Harry work in the bank. Correct
ct
Incorre
ct
Common Mistakes with the simple present tense
1. Not using the -s form with singular subjects:
(Correct)
Jack likes Chinese food.
(Incorrec
Jack like Chinese food.
t)
2. Using the simple present tense when another tense is required.
(Correct)
Last night I watched television for two hours.
(Incorrec
Last night I watch television for two hours.
t)

For Conversation practice:

Speaking Situations: Simple Sentences
For an example of simple present tense in context, see
Writing: Sample Present Tense
Simple Present Tense

This page is sponsored by: English Course London

Simple Present Tense

Click for Audio

1A. Explanation
The simple present tense takes one of two forms depending on the subject.
Subject base form -s
I, you eat form
They, We go
Plural nouns work

He, She, It
Singular nouns eats
Non count-nouns goes
works

1B. Examples
Subjects with verb in ?s
Subjects followed by verb in base form:
form:
I like rice.
She makes toys.
You look nice.
He rakes leaves.
They think twice.
It takes time.
We throw dice.
Mom bakes pies.
Chefs use spice.
Water slakes thirst.
The boys ring the doorbell.
Jill loves dates.
Children sing on special occasions.
Mr. Smith fills crates.
Some people bring gifts to parties.
Grandpa washes plates.
Bees sting when they are disturbed.
The dog jumps gates.
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
Facts
Routine actions
Hawaii is in the Pacific Ocean.
John brushes his teeth every morning.
Some birds fly south for the winter.
Carol usually drives to work.
Water consists of hydrogen and
The teacher grades homework on Fridays.
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 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.
Incorre
ct
Incorre
1. Yesterday I go to Washington D.C. Correct
ct
2. Every day, Mr. Johnson cleans his living room. Correct
Incorre
3. They usually take the bus to the office. Correct
ct
4. Right now Susan eats her breakfast. Correct
Incorre
5. Melinda and Harry work in the bank. Correct
ct
Incorre
ct
Common Mistakes with the simple present tense
1. Not using the -s form with singular subjects:
(Correct)
Jack likes Chinese food.
(Incorrec
Jack like Chinese food.
t)
2. Using the simple present tense when another tense is required.
(Correct)
Last night I watched television for two hours.
(Incorrec
Last night I watch television for two hours.
t)

For Conversation practice:

Speaking Situations: Simple Sentences
For an example of simple present tense in context, see
Writing: Sample Present Tense
Nouns - Count/Noncount and Irregular
Plurals
Objective: to review count and noncount nouns and irregular plural forms

Time: 25 minutes

Directions: Print this page. Copy the words below on to colored paper or cardstock. Cut
up the words. Each group receives one "deck" of cards. Students take turns choosing
words. The student must make a sentence using the word in a plural form; if the word is
non-count, the student should use a quantifier to make a sentence. If the student answers
correctly, he/she keeps the card. At the end, award a small prize to the student with the
most cards.

Coffee Deer Cactus

Fog Species Wife

Truth Iron Luck

Advice Soccer Cards

Violence Octopus Woman

Knife Thesis Millennium

Tooth Appendix Child

Mouse Crisis Life

Criterion Dwarf Radius

Goose Person Analysis

Cancer Beef Gold

Sand Smoke Medicine

Oil Writing Sugar

 Rice Thunder Lightning

Rain Dust Biology

Time Literature Clothing

News Entertainment Furniture

Ideas for Using Scrambled Sentences

The No Prep Alternative--Print the page with the scrambled sentences, use sentences
from your class's grammar book, or make up your own. Write the words for one
sentence on the board in mixed-up order. I usually use a single column format, with all
the nouns together, pronouns together, etc. Students work individually to arrange the
words into a grammatically correct sentence. When they think they've got it, they cal
you over to check. You can set a time limit to provide a little more structure. When the
time is up, they can compare their answers with a partner or you can ask one or two
students to write their sentences on the board.

Scrambled Sentences in Envelopes--This is my personal favorite. (I'm not sure where

the idea came from, but I didn't make it up.) It's a fast paced fun game that really gets
students thinking about grammatical form and syntax. It requires some preparation on
your part, but if you keep the envelopes you can recycle them over and over again.

Preparation: Cut each sentence into words or groups of words. Put one the cards for
one or two complete sentences into one envelope. You want a total of six or seven
envelopes, all with different sentences. Each envelope should be numbered.

In-class: Divide the class into three or four teams. Have each team choose a team name.
Write these names on the board. Under each name, write the numbers of the envelopes.
Here's where the fun begins. Begin by giving each team one envelope. When they think
they've got the right answer, they call you over to check. If it's correct, circle the
number of that envelope on the board (under their team name) and give them a new
envelope. The first team to correctly arrange the words in all the envelopes wins. Award
a small prize to the winning team.