Simple Present Tense 2d2210

Simple present tense

Simple Present FORM [VERB] + s/es

notes: singular + verb + s plural + verb + no s

Examples: 

You speak English.



Do you speak English?



You do not speak English.

Complete List of Simple Present Forms

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. 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. 1



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. 2

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 withNon-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 port in his hand.



Do you have your port with you?



The simple present tense is used to discuss permanant situations, and the frequency of events.

To have

Short form

Other Verbs (to work)

I have

I've

I work

3

he has

he's

He works

she has

she's

She works

it has

it's

It works

you have

you've

you work

we have

we've

we work

they have

they've

they work

Statements

Statements

Short answer

Short answer

+

-

+

-

I work.

I don't work.

Do I work?

Yes, I do.

No, I don't.

He works.

He doesn't work.

Does he work?

Yes, he does.

No, he doesn't.

She works.

She doesn't work.

Does she work?

Yes, she does.

No, she doesn't.

It works.

It doesn't work.

Does it work?

Yes, it does.

No, it doesn't.

You work.

You don't work.

Do you work?

Yes you do.

No, you don't.

We work.

We don't work.

Do we work?

Yes we do.

No, we don't.

They work.

They don't work.

Do they work?

Yes they do.

No, they don't.

Questions



Regular or permanent situations



When something happens regularly or is a permanent situation we usually use the simple present tense. When using the simple present the verb (with the exception of the auxiliary verbs) remains in the dictionary form (verb + s with he/she/it).



- See more at: http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/tensesimpres.html#sthash.Juvk1KKG.dpuf

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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

5

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 6

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. 7



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.



The simple past tense is used to talk about finished actions that happened at a specific time in the past. You state when it happened using atime adverb.



You form the simple past of a verb by adding -ed onto the end of a regular verb but, irregular verb forms have to be learnt. There are several examples of irregular verbs in our Picture It section.

To be Statements +

To be Statements -

Questions ?

I was.

I wasn't.

Was I?

He was.

He wasn't.

Was he?

She was.

She wasn't.

Was she? 8

It was.

It wasn't.

Was it?

You were.

You weren't.

Were you?

We were.

We weren't.

Were we?

They were.

They weren't.

Were they?

Regular Verb (to work) Statements +

Regular Verb (to work) Statements -

Short Question answer s +

Short answer -

I worked.

I didn't work.

Did I work? Yes, I did.

No, I didn't.

He worked.

He didn't work.

Did he work?

Yes, he did.

No, he didn't.

She worked.

She didn't work.

Did she work?

Yes, she did.

No, she didn't.

It worked.

It didn't work.

Did it work?

Yes, it did.

No, it didn't.

You worked.

You didn't work.

Did you work?

Yes you did.

No, you didn't.

We worked.

We didn't work.

Did we work?

Yes we did.

No, we didn't.

They worked.

They didn't work.

Did they work?

Yes they did.

No, they didn't.

 

Simple Past Timeline 



When you mention a time in the past:-

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

For example:



"Last year I took my exams."



"I got married in 1992."



It can be used to describe events that happened over a period of time in the past but not now.



For example:



"I lived in South Africa for two years."



The simple past tense is also used to talk about habitual or repeated actions that took place in the past.



For example:



"When I was a child we always went to the seaside on bank holidays."



It can sometimes be confusing.



For example:



"She had a baby last year." (She hasn't lost the baby, but here you are talking about the actual process of giving birth.)



The Tenses - See more at: http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/tensesimpast.html#sthash.YTAdFGfK.dpuf

A vs. An USE 1 The article A is used before singular, countable nouns which begin with consonant sounds. Examples: 

He is a teacher.



She doesn't own a car. 10



I saw a bear at the zoo.

USE 2 The article AN is used before singular, countable nouns which begin with vowel sounds. Examples: 

He is an actor.



She didn't get an invitation.



I saw an eagle at the zoo.

USE 3 that A(AN) means "one" or "a single". You cannot use A(AN) with plural nouns. Examples: 

I saw a bears in Yellowstone National Park. Not Correct



I saw bears in Yellowstone National Park. Correct

USE 4 If there is an adjective or an adverb-adjective combination before the noun, A(AN) should agree with the first sound in the adjective or the adverb-adjective combination. Examples: 

He is an excellent teacher.



I saw a really beautiful eagle at the zoo.

USE 5 Use A before words such as "European" or "university" which sound like they start with a consonant even if the first letter is a vowel. Also use Abefore letters and numbers which sound like they begin with a consonant, such as "U", "J", "1" or "9". 11

, it is the sound not the spelling which is important. For example, "1" is spelled O-N-E; however, it is pronounced "won" like it starts with a "W". Examples: 

She has a euro. Sounds like "yu-ro".



That number is a "1". Sounds like "won".

USE 6 Use AN before words such as "hour" which sound like they start with a vowel even if the first letter is a consonant. Also use AN before letters and numbers which sound like they begin with a vowel, such as "F" or "8". , it is the sound not the spelling which is important. For example, "F" is pronounced "eff" like it starts with an "E". Examples: 

I only have an hour for lunch. Sounds like "au-er".



Does his name begin with an "F"? Sounds like "eff".

USE 7 Some words such as "herb" or "hospital" are more complicated because they are pronounced differently in different English accents. In most American accents, the "h" in "herb" is silent, so Americans usually say "an herb". In many British accents, the "h" in "herb" is pronounced, so many British say "a herb". In some British accents, the "h" in hospital is silent, so some British will say "an hospital" instead of "a hospital".

USE 8 In English, some nouns are considered uncountable such as: information, air, advice, salt and fun. We do not use A(AN) with these uncountable nouns. (Learn more about countable and uncountable nouns.) Examples: 12



She gives a good advice. Not Correct



She gives good advice. Correct

A(An) vs. The USE 9 A and AN are called indefinite articles. "Indefinite" means "not specific". Use A(AN) when you are talking about a thing in general, NOT a specific thing. Examples: 

I need a phone. Not a specific phone, any phone



Mark wants a bicycle. Not a particular bicycle, a bicycle in general



Do you have a driver's license? In general

Use A(AN) when talking about a thing which is new, unknown, or introduced to a listener for the first time. Also use A(AN) when you are asking about the existence of something. Examples: 

I have a car. The car is being introduced for the first time.



Tom is a teacher. This is new information to the listener.



Is there a dictionary in your backpack? Asking about the existence of the dictionary

Similarly, use A(AN) to introduce what type of thing we are talking about. Examples: 

That is an excellent book. Describing the kind of book



Do you live in a big house? Asking about the kind of house



I ate a thick, juicy steak. Describing the kind of steak

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: You cannot use A(AN) with plural nouns because A(AN) means "one" or "a single". Examples: 

I saw a bears in Yellowstone National Park. Not Correct



I saw bears in Yellowstone National Park. Correct

USE 10 THE is called a definite article. "Definite" means "specific". Use THE when talking about something which is already known to the listener or which has been previously mentioned, introduced, or discussed. Examples: 

I have a cat. The cat is black.



There is a book in my backpack. The book is very heavy.



Do you know where I left the car keys? The listener knows which specific car keys you are talking about.



Do you own a car? Is the car blue? You assume they do have a car after asking about it in the first sentence.



Nobody lives on the Moon. The Moon is known to everyone.

IMPORTANT: You can use THE with both singular nouns and plural nouns. Examples: 

I saw the bear in Yellowstone National Park. Correct



I saw the bears in Yellowstone National Park. Correct

USE 11 Many clauses and phrases make the noun known to the listener by telling the listener which person or thing we are talking about. Let's look at an example sentence: Can you give me the book on the table.

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We use THE in this sentence because the phrase "on the table" tells the listener which book we are referring to. We are not talking about other books, we are talking about a specific book that the listener can see or already knows about. Learning to recognize such identifying clauses and phrases will help you use THE correctly. Examples: 

Did you read the book which I gave you?



He didn't like the movie that you suggested.



He loved the dessert with chocolate and cherries.



The phone on my desk belongs to Ken.



Did you know the man who was talking to Leonie?

HOWEVER: Not all clauses and phrases make the noun known to the listener. Some are simply descriptive. They add extra information, but they do not tell the listener which specific thing we are talking about. Examples: 

He bought the house with a big backyard. This combination tells the listener which specific house he bought.



He bought a house with a big backyard. This combination tells the listener what kind of house he bought, but not the specific house he bought.

The definite and indefinite articles a/an/the are all determiners. You use a specific determiner when people know exactly which thing(s) or person/people you are talking about. Determiners include:

the articles : a / an / the 15

demonstratives : this / that / these / those possessives (aka possessive adjectives): my / your /his / her / its / our / your / their

For example:"The dog barked at the boy." "These apples are rotten." "Their bus was late." "Have you seen my keys?" You use general determiners to talk about how much stuff or how many people or things you are talking about. More general determiners are quantifiers:

a few a little all another any

both each either enough every

few fewer less little many more most much

neither no other several some

For example:"Have you got any English books I could borrow?" "There is enough food to feed everyone." "I don't teach online every day." Numbers act as determiners too, they show how many things or people there are: 1, 2, 3... For example:"I teach online for 3 days a week."

Either and Neither Either and neither are used in sentences concerning a possible choice between two items.

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Either can mean one or the other (of two) or each of two. For example:I've got tea and coffee, so you can have either. (One or the other) The room has a door at either end. (Both) Neither means not the first one and not the second one. For example:Neither of the students were listening.

Adverb Adverbs can tell you where, when, how, why and to what extent something happens. There are several different classes of adverb (see above). They are often formed from adjectives or nouns be adding the suffix -ly. For example: Quick becomes quickly, sudden becomes suddenly, intelligent becomes intelligently. To form an adverb from adjectives ending in -y change the y to i before adding the -ly. For example: angry becomes angrily, busy becomes busily. To form an adverb from adjectives ending in -e drop the -e before adding the -ly. For example: feeble becomes feebly, true becomes truly. Some adjectives ending in -ly need no changes. For example: heavenly. However there are exceptions. For example: sly becomes slyly, shy becomes shyly.

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Some adverbs do not end in -ly. For example: fast, hard, straight. Adjective

Example

Adverb

Example

Pretty

Serious

Fast

She was a pretty

He was a serious

girl.

boy.

Prettily

Seriously

Fast

Quietly

The bird sang

The policeman

Schumacher

The woman spoke

prettily.

spoke seriously.

drives fast.

quietly.

It was a fast car.

Quiet They were quiet children.

Adverbs can modify adjectives An adjective can be modified by an adverb, which precedes the adjective. For example:That's really nice.

Adverbs can modify adverbs Some adverbs can modify others. As with adjectives, the adverb precedes the one it is modifying. For example:She did it really well.

Adverbs can modify nouns Adverbs can modify nouns to indicate time or place. For example:The concert tomorrow. The room upstairs.

Adverbs can modify noun phrases Some adverbs of degree such as quite, rather, so, such ... can modify noun phrases. 18

For example:We had quite a good time. They're such good friends.

Adverbs can modify determiners, numerals and pronouns Adverbs such as almost, nearly, hardly, about, etc., can be used: For example:Nearly everyone, who was invited, came to the party.

Adverbs can modify sentences Some adverbs modify a whole sentence, not just a part of one. For example:Luckily the car stopped in time. In this sentence luckily modifies the whole sentence, it shows that it was good luck that the car stopped in time. - See more at: http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/adverbtext.html#sthash.BXXhZIF2.dpuf

Prepositions are a class of words that indicate relationships between nouns, pronouns and other words in a sentence. Most often they come before a noun. The good news is that they never change their form, regardless of the case, gender etc. of the word they are referring to. Prepositions are classified as simple or compound. Simple prepositions are single word prepositions - across, after, at, before, between, by, during, from, in, into, of, on, to, under, with and without are all single word prepositions. For example:

The book is on the table.

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Compound prepositions are more than one word - in between and because of - are prepositions made up of two words - in front of, on behalf of - are prepositions made up of three words. For example:

The book is in between War and Peace and The Lord of the Rings.



The book is in front of the clock.

- See more at: http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/prepositiontext.html#sthash.eM42brJ4.dpuf Prepositions are used to show movement to or from a place. For example:to, through, across We use to to show movement with the aim of a specific destination. For example:I moved to in 1998. He's gone to the shops. We use through to show movement from one side of an enclosed space to the other. For example: The train went through the tunnel. We use across to show movement from one side of a surface or line to another. For example: She swam across the river.

MORE PREPOSITIONS OF MOVEMENT She ran... across

the road. (from one side to the other)

along

the road. (The length of the road.)

around

the playground.

away from the policeman. back to

the shop.

down

the hill. 20

into

the room.

of

the stage.

onto (on to)

the platform.

out of

the theatre.

over

the bridge. (from one side of an open space to the other)

past

the opening.

round

the track.

through

the tunnel.

to

the door.

towards

the bus stop.

under

the shelter.

up

the hill.

At and in can also be used as prepositions of movement, but they're used to show the purpose of the movement. For example: I threw the paper in the bin. Let's have dinner at my place. When used after some verbs, the preposition at also shows the target of an action: The bowler was sent off for throwing the ball at the umpire, instead of to the batsman. !Note - a lot of sites say that around and round are the same, but there can be a difference, especially in BrE. If someone says "they were running around", it implies the movement is erratic. For example: Children tend to run around at school. In BrE when we use "round" we imply a more definite purpose and a more circular movement. For example: The athlete ran round the track. - See more at: http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/prepositionmovement.html#sthash.ULk3M4tY.dpuf

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Prepositions can be used to show where something is located.

THE PREPOSITIONS AT, ON, AND IN We use at to show a specific place, location or position. For example: Someone is at the door. They are waiting at the bus stop. I used to live at 51 Portland Street. The owls are waiting at the bus stop. We use on to show position on a horizontal or vertical surface. For example: The cat sat on the mat. The picture is hanging on the wall. The satellite dish is on the roof. The owl is standing on the box. We also use on to show position on streets, roads, etc. For example: I used to live on Portland Street. We use in to show that something is enclosed or surrounded. For example: The dog is in the garden. She is in the taxi. They live in a flat. The owl is sleeping in the box. We also use in to show position within a general area (towns, counties, states, countries, and continents). For example: I used to live in Nottingham, but now I live in .

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- See more at: http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/prepositionplace.html#sthash.wb0dB4W2.dpuf

PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE AFTER She slammed the door

after

her.

They ran

after

the thief.

I enjoy being

among

my friends.

I found my handbag

among

my luggage.

The secretary was sitting

at

her desk.

The man was standing

at

the taxi stand.

The car park is

behind

the building.

He never won a race, he was always

behind

the others.

The prisoner sat

between

the two policemen.

I held the pen

between

my thumb and fingers.

The pen was

in

the drawer.

He lives

in

South Africa.

The teacher stands

in front of

the class.

The car was parked

in front of

the garage.

In my English lesson I always sit

next to/ beside/by

my friend.

The bank is

next to/ beside/by

the hotel.

AMONG

AT

BEHIND

BETWEEN

IN

IN FRONT OF

NEXT TO / BESIDE / BY

ON 23

The painting was hanging

on

the wall.

The boy was sitting

on

the chair.

The sign hanging

over/above

the door read 'No smoking'.

I put the tablecoth

over

the table.

I enjoy watching the planes fly

above

me.

OVER/ABOVE

UNDER / BELOW The temperature outside was

under/belo 0. w

The woman was sheltering

under

a tree.

When flying I enjoy watching the clouds

below

me.

- See more at: http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/prepositionplace.html#sthash.wb0dB4W2.d puf Watch out! We say in a car / taxi, but on a boat, train, bus etc. Why? Because. If it helps: When you get in a car or a taxi, you climb in and sit straight down, but you have to get onto public transport and then walk to your seat / carriage etc. - See more at: http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/prepositionplace.html#sthash.wb0dB4W2.d puf Prepositions can also be used to show when something happened. THE PREPOSITIONS AT, ON, AND IN We use at for specific times. For example:I start work at 7.00 a.m. I don't work at night. We use on for specific days and dates .

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For example: My birthday is on Monday. We're having a party on 7th September. We also use on for some special days. For example: On Christmas day. We use in for nonspecific times during a day, a month, a season, or a year. For example: In summer it's too hot to work. I started this web site in 1999. She woke up in the night. MORE PREPOSITIONS OF TIME

Point in Time at

6 o'clock Midnight

on

Saturday April 10th Christmas Day

by

the end of July (indicates a deadline=at the latest)

till / until / up March to (indicates an end point) since

April 10th March (indicates a beginning point in time)

Length of Time in

July the autumn the morning the middle of ……. 25

at

night the weekend

during

the meeting the lesson

for

two days twelve months

throughout

August the project

More English Grammar - See more at: http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/prepositiontime.html#sthash.fXntFf09.dpuf COMPLETE LIST A-Z OF IRREGULAR VERBS

Base Form

Past Simple Form

Past Participle Form

arise

arose

arisen

awake

awoke

awoken

be

was /were

been

beat

beat

beaten

become

became

become

begin

began

begun

bend

bent

bent

bet

bet

bet

bid

bid

bid

bite

bit

bitten

26

blow

blew

blown

break

broke

broken

bring

brought

brought

broadcast

broadcast

broadcast

build

built

built

burst

burst

burst

buy

bought

bought

catch

caught

caught

choose

chose

chosen

come

came

come

cost

cost

cost

creep

crept

crept

cut

cut

cut

deal

dealt

dealt

dig

dug

dug

do

did

done

draw

drew

drawn

27

drink

drank

drunk

drive

drove

driven

eat

ate

eaten

fall

fell

fallen

feed

fed

fed

feel

felt

felt

fight

fought

fought

find

found

found

flee

fled

fled

fly

flew

flown

forbid

forbade

forbidden

forget

forgot

forgotten

forgive

forgave

forgiven

freeze

froze

frozen

get

got

got

give

gave

given

go

went

gone

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grow

grew

grown

hang

hung

hung

have

had

had

hear

heard

heard

hide

hid

hidden

hit

hit

hit

hold

held

held

hurt

hurt

hurt

interweave

interwove

interwoven

keep

kept

kept

kneel

knelt

knelt

know

knew

known

lay

laid

laid

lead

led

led

leave

left

left

lend

lent

lent

let

let

let

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lie

lay

lain

light

lit

lit

lose

lost

lost

make

made

made

mean

meant

meant

meet

met

met

mistake

mistook

mistaken

offset

offset

offset

pay

paid

paid

put

put

put

quit

quit

quit

read

read*

read*

ride

rode

ridden

ring

rang

rung

rise

rose

risen

run

ran

run

say

said

said

30

see

saw

seen

seek

sought

sought

sell

sold

sold

send

sent

sent

set

set

set

sew

sewed

sewn

shake

shook

shaken

shine

shone

shone

shoot

shot

shot

show

showed

shown

shrink

shrank

shrunk

shut

shut

shut

sing

sang

sung

sink

sank

sunk

sit

sat

sat

sleep

slept

slept

slide

slid

slid

31

speak

spoke

spoken

spend

spent

spent

spit

spat

spat

split

split

split

spread

spread

spread

spring

sprang

sprung

stand

stood

stood

steal

stole

stolen

stick

stuck

stuck

sting

stung

stung

stink

stank

stunk

strike

struck

struck

swear

swore

sworn

sweep

swept

swept

swim

swam

swum

swing

swung

swung

take

took

taken

32

teach

taught

taught

tear

tore

torn

tell

told

told

think

thought

thought

throw

threw

thrown

understand

understood

understood

undo

undid

undone

wake

woke

woken

wear

wore

worn

weave

wove

woven

weep

wept

wept

win

won*

won*

write

wrote

written

- See more at: http://www.learnenglish.de/grammar/irregularverbs.html#sthash.6R2piMf7.dpuf

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