ITTT 004

Unit 4
Present tenses

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Unit 4 Present tenses
The Present Tenses The Tense System

The tense system is probably the area of the English

language that causes students (and often teachers)
the greatest amount of difficulty.

Linguists can create a very solid argument that only

two tenses exist, i.e. the present and the past, but as
teachers of EFL we have to take a slightly different
approach. The course books, and most reference
materials that we use, will state twelve tenses.
Compare this to just one tense in many Asian
languages and three in most Slavic languages and you
can see where there is plenty of scope for confusion.

We maintain that it is more practical for an EFL teacher

to consider that there are three different times in
English (tense means time); the past, the present and
the future. Each of these times has four aspects;
simple, continuous, perfect and perfect continuous.
This gives us tenses such as present simple, past
continuous, future perfect etc. Twelve in all.

It is vital that any EFL teacher has a sound knowledge

of this system and is not intimidated by it.

In the course units that cover tenses and other

grammar points, we will cover the following areas:

n Form. This shows affirmative (positive), negative and question examples of the tense or grammar point. The form also
includes the grammatical construction and fundamental rules regarding how the tense or grammar point is made. This
is useful when identifying tenses or when outlining student grammar errors.
n Usages. How and under what circumstances the tense or grammar point is used. Bear in mind that many tenses can
be used in different ways and therefore have several usages, and occasionally some usages can overlap from one
tense to another. We give example sentences for each usage, for clarification.
n Typical student errors. Some errors are predictable, so it’s useful for a teacher to formulate correction strategies and
examples in advance.
n Activate stage teaching ideas. Activities which will encourage communicative use of the tense or grammar point
during the Activate stage of a lesson.

In this unit we will look at the four present tenses; the present simple, present continuous (sometimes called the present
progressive), present perfect and present perfect continuous.

Take time to digest the material contained in this unit before completing the task sheet on pages 13 to 17.

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Unit 4 Present tenses
Present simple

Form

Affirmative: (subject + base form [+s/es])

I work We work
You work You work
He/she/it works They work

Negative: (subject + aux. verb 'do' + not + base form)

(Note that don't and doesn't often appear as do not and does not in written text)

I don’t work We don’t work

You don’t work You don’t work
He/she/it doesn’t work They don’t work

Question: (aux. verb 'do' + subject + base form)

Do I work? Do we work?
Do you work? Do you work?
Does he/she/it work? Do they work?

Now study these examples of third person singular (he/she/it) forms and think about the
rules for forming them
watches does bats preys
mixes tries looks goes
thinks takes tosses trespasses
lays thrashes means preaches
fakes pries drinks writes
sits chops has amazes
fishes swims waits dresses

How to form the third person singular

Most verbs

n Add s to the base form of the verb – sits

n Verbs ending in a consonant plus y, change y to i and add es – i.e tries
n Verbs ending in o, s ,z, x, ch, and sh, add es – e.g. washes (+ extra syllable when pronounced)
n Note in the negative form, the auxiliary verb doesn't has the s so the main verb doesn't need
an s – e.g. She doesn't work. The same applies with does in questions.

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Unit 4 Present tenses
Usages, with example sentences:

Habitual or routine actions

n He goes fishing every week.

Permanent situations and facts

n The sun sets in the west.

Commentaries
n Beckham passes to Fowler who shoots and scores.

Directions and instructions

n First you go left, then you go straight on.

Newspaper headlines
n Stock market falls to all time low.

Present stories
n So I open the door and what do I see but a policeman in a pink uniform.

Historical sequence
n 1945: The Second World War ends.
n 1969: The first man lands on the moon.

Typical mistakes/errors

Here are some examples of the most common problems that students have with the
present simple. Correct them and make note of the error or mistake.

n She walk to school everyday.

n He no(t) like to watch TV.
n Where lives your father?
n She go often to Paris.
n She doesn't likes football.
n I'm play golf most weekends.

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Unit 4 Present tenses
Sample activate stage teaching ideas
n Find someone who...activities in which students have to interview one another in order to
complete forms.
n Questionnaires whereby students ask each other questions about their habitual actions.
n A day in the life of...students are provided with visual prompts and must then construct the
daily life of somebody.
n Guess my profession: a student chooses a profession. The other students have a limited
number of questions (twenty perhaps) in which to find out what the profession is. For
example, “Do you wear a uniform?”
n Information-gap activities in which two students are provided with diagrams or maps with
different information. One student then gives the other directions to a particular location.

Present Continuous

Form The present continuous (also known as the present progressive) tense is made with the
present simple tense of the auxiliary verb to be and the present participle (verb plus ing –
working) of the main verb.

Affirmative: (subject + aux. verb 'be' + verb+ing)

Negative: (subject + aux. verb 'be' + not + verb+ing)

Question: (aux. verb 'be' + subject + verb+ing)

REGULAR FORM
PERSON AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE QUESTION
I I am learning I am not learning Am I learning?
You You are learning You are not learning Are you learning?
He/she/it He is learning He is not learning Is he learning?
We We are learning We are not learning Are we learning?
They They are learning They are not learning Are they learning?

CONTRACTED FORM
PERSON AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE QUESTION
I I'm learning I'm not learning No contracted form
You You're learning You aren't learning No contracted form
He/she/it She's learning She isn't learning No contracted form
We We're learning We aren't learning No contracted form
They They're learning They aren't learning No contracted form

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Unit 4 Present tenses
Pronunciation
The main point relates to contracted forms: beginners can have difficulty with these and may
resort to using long forms instead; drilling and constant reminders are often necessary.

Non-progressive verbs
Most non-action verbs are not normally used in the continuous forms, we usually use the
simple form instead. Following are some of the most common:

Like, love, hate, understand, want, believe, hear, own, owe, seem, appear, wish, mean,
remember.

Non-progressive verbs can be roughly divided into the following groups:

n verbs of the senses (involuntary)

n verbs expressing feelings and emotions
n verbs of mental activity
n verbs of possession

There are exceptions and some verbs have different meanings depending on whether they are
used in the simple or continuous tense, e.g. She thinks you are right. (meaning = has the
opinion that); She's thinking about it. (meaning = considering)

Usages

Listed below are some of the main usages of the present continuous, with example sentences.

1.To talk about an action that is in progress at the time of speaking

n Please be quiet. I'm watching TV.
2.To talk about a temporary action that is not necessarily in progress at the time of
speaking
n I am reading a good book at the moment.

3.To emphasize very frequent actions (often with always)

n She is always biting her nails.

4.Background events in a present story

n So I'm standing there when a policeman comes in.

5.To describe developing situations

n It's getting dark.

6.To refer to a regular action around a point of time

n He's usually working at this time.

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Unit 4 Present tenses
Typical student errors/mistakes

Make a note of the nature of each of the following errors/mistakes:

n He watching T.V.
n We are have a meeting.
n Do you not coming to the cinema?
n I'm working hard every day.
n I'm believing in God.

Activate stage teaching ideas

Developing situations

n Graphs, charts, or tables: A good way to get students to use the present continuous is to
provide them with different information in the form of graphs, charts, or tables; they can then
describe any changes which are occurring (e.g. rises in crime rates, unemployment, etc.).

Actions in progress

n Mime: This is an excellent way of demonstrating actions; this could be a game whereby
students have to guess what the action is. This is best done competitively, in teams.
n Pictures of actions: An idea for an information-gap activity is to give students different
pictures (of various actions) and have them discover which is the same by asking their
partner about their pictures, or spot the difference type activities.
n Pictionary®: Students try to guess which present continuous sentence someone is drawing
on the board, e.g. a picture of “The man is eating octopus”. Students can either draw very
slowly to make guessing more difficult, or it can be a race to draw an identifiable picture as
quickly as possible. This can be reversed, where students race to draw a picture of a present
continuous sentence they hear or read, e.g. “Two men are playing the violin”, with points
awarded for the first one that matches the description and/or the best picture.
n Present continuous brainstorming: In pairs or groups, students compete to say or write as
many things that are going on in the classroom. A short time limit encourages language
production and quickens the pace. Assuming everyone in the classroom has equal access to
window with an external view, this activity can be adapted for what is happening outside. A
third option is what is happening in a picture, e.g. Where’s Wally/Waldo.
n Noises: Without facing each other (so back-to-back if in pairs, or one student at the back of
the class rather than at the front if full group), students make noises (e.g. “You are snoring”),
do impressions of other sounds (“You are sawing”) or make noises with objects in the
classroom (“You are opening and closing the desk drawer”).
n Picture dictation: In pairs, students describe pictures containing a number of different
actions to each other, and try to draw them from the description. The person describing the
picture should be able to see what his or her partner is drawing, so that modifications can be
suggested if necessary, such as “No, the man is kicking with his left foot, not his right foot”.
Only the present continuous should be used throughout the activity.
n Time zones: A student secretly chooses a country and describes what (most/some/a few)
people in that country are doing now until someone guesses where it is. A map with time
zones can help here. Note that in some countries the students may not be aware of time
zones elsewhere, so this should be ascertained beforehand.

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Unit 4 Present tenses
Present Perfect The present perfect relates the past to the present and although commonly used by a native speaker,
presents some difficulties to the English language learner.

Form I/you/we/they have or he/she/it has, plus the past participle

(with regular verbs the past participle is verb plus ed – worked. There are however many
irregular verbs such as write – written)

Affirmative: (subject + aux. verb 'have' + past participle)

Negative: (subject + aux. verb 'have' + not + past participle)

Question: (aux. verb 'have' + subject + past participle)

AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE QUESTION

I have written I haven't written Have I written?

Usages

1st When we talk about finished actions/states that happened at an indefinite time. It
refers to general experience without specific detail.
n I have eaten octopus.

2nd When we are thinking about completed past actions carried out in an unfinished
time period at the time of speaking.
n It has rained a lot today. (i.e. the rain has stopped but it is still today.)
n I have eaten eight cakes this afternoon.

3rd When we talk about something which began in the past and is still true now, at the
time of speaking. We don't know if this is likely to continue or not.
n We have lived in Paris for five years.

n She has been a vegetarian since 1988. (i.e. When did she become vegetarian? – 1988. Is

she still vegetarian now? - Yes.)

4th When we describe past actions with present results.

n Oh no! I've left my purse at home.
n Can you help me? I've lost one of my contact lenses. (Lost in the past and still lost now).

Note: The following contractions are normally used in speech (see the examples in the 4th
usage above and in the examples on the following page):

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Unit 4 Present tenses
Long form becomes Contracted form
I have I’ve
You have You’ve
We have We’ve
They have They’ve
He has He’s
She has She’s
It has It’s

Since or for with the present perfect

We've lived here for five years.

I haven't slept for 48 hours.
They've been at home since 8 o'clock.
She has been a doctor since September.

The rule with for or since:

We use for with periods of time. (e.g. a week, six months)

We use since with points of time. (e.g. Monday, 1984) to really mean 'from'.

Gone or been (past participles)

He's been to Turkey.

He's gone to Turkey.

The rule with been or gone:

He's been means the trip is finished.

He's gone means he is still on his trip.

Irregular past participles

As we have already mentioned this verb tense requires the past participle. Unfortunately for
English language students many of these past participles are irregular (not formed according
to a set pattern). With regular past participles the verb will end in 'ed', for example, worked,
cooked, watched etc. Irregular verbs have no such pattern and have to be learnt from memory.
Most dictionaries, course books and grammar reference materials will have complete tables of
irregular verbs.

On the next page we list just some of the most common verbs that have irregular past
participles.

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Unit 4 Present tenses
Verb Past participle Verb Past participle
be been eat eaten
have had drink drunk
fall fallen feel felt
hit hit put put
sit sat see seen
leave left lose lost
go gone do done
read read write written
speak spoken give given
say said tell told
understand understood think thought
teach taught bring brought
come come sell sold
get got wake woken
take taken swim swum

Please remember there are many others. This is just a list of some of the most common.
See unit 2 for many more examples.

Typical student errors/mistakes

Think about:

n What kind of errors or mistakes they are

n Why they have been made
n How you would go about correcting them.

n I am a secretary for five years.

n I have seen him yesterday.
n She's liked him since six months.
n When have you bought your car?

Sample Activate stage teaching ideas

Find someone who...

n has kissed a foreigner, has been on television, has written a poem

n Students mingle, asking questions until they have found people who have done the things on
their list. This can lead into a discussion involving the present perfect and past simple.
n A: Andre has been on television

n B: Really! When were you on television, Andre?

n C: I was on a quiz show last year.

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Unit 4 Present tenses
What have you done today?

n Student mimes some actions and the others guess what they are using: affirmatives or
questions.
e.g. You've washed your hair/Have you washed your hair?
You’ve changed a lightbulb/Have you changed a lightbulb?

Change the room

n Three people leave the room while the others change it in five different ways (e.g. move
the dustbin). The absent students then return and try and guess what has been done.
(e.g. Have you moved the desk?)

Song U2 – 'I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For'

Role-play – Job interview

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Unit 4 Present tenses
Present Perfect Continuous This tense relates past activities to the present. It implies that either the activity is
likely to continue in the future, or that the activity was in progress for some length of
time, or both.

Form

Affirmative: (subject + aux. verb 'have' + been + verb+ing)

Negative: (subject + aux. verb 'have' + not + been + verb+ing)

Question: (aux. verb 'have' + subject + been + verb+ing)

AFFIRMATIVE NEGATIVE QUESTION

I have been dancing. I haven't been dancing. Have I been dancing?

Usages

1st To communicate an incomplete and ongoing activity, when we want to say how
long it has continued.
n I've been dieting for the last twenty years. (and am likely to continue doing so)
2nd To describe a recently finished, uninterrupted activity which has a present result.
nI'm tired because I've been chopping logs all day.
(i.e. the work lasted some time and was intensive)

Typical student errors/mistakes

Using verbs that don't take the continuous form. (e.g. like, prefer, believe)
I've been knowing her for three months.

Comparison of present perfect with present perfect continuous.

With the present perfect continuous, the emphasis is on the action/activity, NOT the
result/completed action.

What have you been doing today?

I've been cleaning the car.
What have you done today?
I've cleaned the car.

Note that we do not use the present perfect continuous to communicate the number of things
we have done; for this we use the present perfect.

I've written six letters since breakfast.

I've been writing letters since breakfast.
I've marked twenty tests since lunchtime.
I've been marking tests since lunchtime.

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Unit 4 Present tenses
Sample activate stage teaching ideas

1. A student takes a piece of paper with a past activity and a result written on it.

n You've been chopping onions. You're crying.

n You've been playing football. You're dirty.
n You've been washing your dog. You're wet.
n You've been chasing a bank robber. You're sweaty.
The student tells the others the result and they have to guess the activity.
n E.g. A: I'm crying. B: Have you been watching a sad film?

2. Students survey the class to find out who has been doing something the longest. They should
write the surveys themselves!

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Unit 4 Present tenses

Task sheet
Check your knowledge before attempting the unit test.

Please note that this task sheet is solely for checking

that you have understood the course unit content. You
do not need to submit this task sheet – just use it to
check you have understood the major points.

Task 1 – Complete the chart below with the present simple tense, using the verb ‘go’:

PERSON POSITIVE QUESTION NEGATIVE

I
you
he/she/it

we
you
they

Task 2 – Identify the following tenses, and give reasons for the identification:

a) I have never met anybody famous.

b) John is having a shower at the moment.

c) I go shopping at least twice a week.

d) I have been working here for 10 years.

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Unit 4 Present tenses

Task 3– State as many usages as possible of the present tenses with an example sentence for each (not a sentence from
the unit!). One of the usages for the present simple, with an example sentence, has been done for you.
Bear in mind that there are more:

a) Present simple

1. Facts, e.g. “The sun sets in the west.”

b) Present continuous

c) Present perfect

d) Present perfect continuous

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Unit 4 Present tenses

Task 4 – State how the tenses below are formed grammatically.

Explain positive, negative and question forms:

a) Present simple

b) Present continuous

c) Present perfect

d) Present perfect continuous

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Unit 4 Present tenses

Task 5 – Consider the following student errors. After each error, state:
i) What the mistake is.
ii) Why you think it has been made.
iii) How you would explain and correct the mistake with a student.

a) I am a secretary for five years.

i)

ii)

iii)

b) I have eat breakfast.

I)

ii)

iii)

c) She’s liked him since six months.

i)

ii)

iii)

d) When you start work?

i)

ii)

iii)

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Unit 4 Present tenses

e) I’ve been knowing her for three months.

I)

ii)

iii)

Task 6 – Give at least 2 teaching ideas (suitable for the Activate stage of a lesson) for the tenses below and give examples
of sentences that you would expect your students to produce:

a) Present simple

b) Present continuous

c) Present perfect

d) Present perfect continuous

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