Section 3:The Simple

Present
By: Areej Dawoud
Examples
1. I play tennis every day.
2. The sun rises from the east.
3. The train leaves at 6 PM.
4. They like apples.

 The simple present is a verb. It has only two forms:

 the simple form without an –s (sleep).
 the simple form + s (sleeps) with third person
singular subjects.
Forming the simple present
Subject Verb Subject Verb
I He
You Work She Works

We It

They
Usages of the simple present
 USE 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.

 E.g. She walks to school.

Usages of the simple present
 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 used to make
generalizations about people or things.

 E.g. Cats like milk.

Usages of the simple present
 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.

 E.g. The party starts at 8 o’clock.

Adverbs of frequency
 Examples

1. I always brush my teeth before I go to bed.

2. Ann usually has toast for breakfast.
3. Mr. Smith often goes to the park with his dog.
4. We sometimes see Susan down at the shops.
5. They rarely smoke cigars.
6. He never works on the weekend.
Adverbs of frequency
Adverbs of frequency
 Adverbs of frequency tell us how many times something
happens.
 Always = every day
 Usually = happens most days
 Often = many times
 Sometimes= at particular occasions but not all the time
 Rarely = it is not common
 Never = not at any time or not on any occasion

 Adverbs of frequency come between the subject and the

main verb.
Subject Adv. Of Simple
frequency present

I always do my
home
work
Adverbs of frequency with to
be
 Examples
 Tom is usually very friendly.
 Ramon and Frank are often hungry.
 Ted is rarely late.

 We put adverbs of frequency after the verb

to be (is / are). subject Simple Adverb of
present frequency
to be
Peter is always nice
spelling of final -s & -es 3.4
Verb Spelling Examples Pronunciation
The verb ends in He likes coffee..
the sounds /f/, +s It sleeps. /s/
/k/, /p/, /t/
ends in the He swims.
sounds /b/, /d/, s+ She reads. /z/
/g/, /l/, /m/, /n/,
/r/, /v/ or in a
vowel
ends in /ch/, She watches TV.
/sh/, /s/, /x/, /z/. es+ It finishes at 10 /iz/
p.m.

ends con. + y Drop y, add -ies He worries a lot. /z/

ends in a vowel+ y +s She stays at /z/

home.
Irregular verbs 3.5

I have a job. He has a problem.

She
It
I do the work. He does the work.
She
It
I go to work. He goes outside.
She
It
)have (got) & has (got 3.6
 We use have (got) & has (got):
 For things we possess or own. I have got a car.
 To describe people, places, animals, and things.
She has (got) black hair.
 For our families and people we know. I have (got) a
son.
 With some expressions like the following: have got
(a cold, the flu, temperature, headache, toothache, a
problem)
)have (got) & has (got 3.6
Singular

I, you have (got)

He, she, it has (got) a book

Plural

You, we, they )have (got books.

The simple present: yes / 3.8
no
 We use do or does to make questions in the
simple present. We always use the base form
after do and does.
do/does subject Base v. Affirm. Neg.

Do I, we, you, Work? Yes, No, they

they I do. don’t
You do. We don’t

Does He, she, it Work? Yes, he No, it

does doesn’t
The simple present:wh-
questions
 Where does he live?
 What do they do?

We put question words (what, where, when,

why, who,…) before do or does.

 Frequency adverbs comes after the subject in

the question.
 When do you usually get up?
The present continuous 4.1
 We form the present continuous with the
present of verb to be (am, is, are) and the base
verb + ing.

subject To be Base v. + ing

I am
He, she, it is working

They, we, are

you
The spelling of verbs 4.2
ending in -ing
Verb ending Rule example

Consonant + e Drop the e, add dance, come dancing

-ing coming

1 vowel + Double the con., sit fitting

consonant add –ing
Do not double show showing
Verbs end in w, the con. fix fixing
x, y say saying
2 vowels + 1 Do not double, eat eating
con. add -ing sleep sleeping

All other verbs Add -ing talk talking

read reading
The present continuous 4.3
negative
 To form the negative of the present
continuous, we use not after the verb to be
and the verb with –ing.
 He is not working.
 You are not sleeping.
The present continuous: 4.4
yes/ no questions
To be subject Base v. + ing

Am I

Is he, she, it Working?

Are you, we, they

The present continuous: 4.5
wh- questions
 Where, What, Why, When, How, Who
 I am drinking tea.
 What am I drinking?
Verbs not used in the 4.6
present continuous
 Non action verbs (describe a state or
condition):
 Believe hate have hear
know like remember think
see smell taste think
understand want
 Julia has a car.

 Julia is having a cup of tea.

Conclusion
1. The simple present has two forms.
2. Adverbs of frequency usually come with the
simple present between the subject and the
verb.
3. Adverbs of frequency come after verb to be.
To practice more
 www.englischhilfen.de/en/exercises/adverbs_of_
frequency.htm

 www.english-zone.com/verbs/freq-adv01.html

 http://esl.about.com/library/grammar/blgr_adverbs_
frequency.htm
Thank you