2.2.13: Simple Present Tense Formation
- Page ID
- 121870
Simple Present Tense Formation
Affirmative Form: Simple Present Tense, General Truth
I
You go all of the time.
We come every morning.
They study on weekdays.
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He goes all of the time.
She comes every morning.
It studies on weekdays.
We come to class from Monday to Thursday from 8:00 to 10:50.
My students do their homework either in the afternoon or in the evening.
My wife washes clothes every Saturday afternoon.
It rains a lot in Seattle every spring.
The sun shines a lot in the summer.
Young boys like to run around and make a lot of noise all of the time.
Negative Form: Simple Present Tense, General Truth
I don’t
You don’t go.
We don’t come.
They don’t study.
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He doesn’t go.
She doesn’t come. Do not put an “s” on the verb in the negative.
It doesn’t study.
My sons don’t come home during the week.
It doesn’t rain a lot in summer.
I don’t like to drive on I-5.
My sister doesn’t speak French.
Boys don’t often sit down quietly when they are young.
My neighbor doesn’t clean his yard at all.
Girls don’t usually cause as much trouble as boys when they are young.
Flying in an airplane doesn’t make me sick.
Interrogative (Question) Form: Simple Present Tense, General Truth
I
Do you go
we come ?
they study
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he go
Does she come ?
it study
Do girls like to go shopping with friends?
Does it rain a lot in Seattle during the spring?
Do teachers have to correct a lot of homework papers?
Does this class begin at 8:00 AM?
Does grammar help students to write better in English?
Do most men like sports?
Questions with Affirmative and Negative Answers
Do cars cost a lot of money to run and take care of?
Yes, cars cost a lot of money to run and take care of.
No, cars don’t cost a lot of money to run and take care of.
Does water help plants in a garden to grow?
Yes, water helps plants in a garden to grow.
No, water doesn’t help plants in a garden to grow.
Do students study at school every day?
Yes, students study at school every day.
No, students don’t study at school every day.
Does the moon appear in the evening?
Yes, the moon appears in the evening.
No, the moon doesn’t appear in the evening.
Forming the Negative with Present Time Verbs
The Present Tense Versus the Present Continuous Tense
Present Tense
I go
You don’t eat
We shop
They write
General Truth:
All of the time, but NOT NOW
He go
She doesn’t eat
It shop No “s” on the verb.
write
Present Continuous Tense
I am not going
He
She is not (isn’t) eating
It Right Now
shopping
We
You are not (aren’t) writing
They
I don’t speak Chinese.
I am not speaking Chinese right now.
He doesn’t go to movies very often.
He isn’t going to a movie right now.
We don’t play with guns.
We aren’t playing with guns now.
She doesn’t help her mother in the house.
She isn’t helping her mother in the house this morning.
They don’t do their homework on Friday nights.
They aren’t doing their homework right now.
Exercise 17: Fill in the blanks with simple present tense verbs, please.
1. Most boys -------------------- (want) to play sports.
2. My son -------------------- (like) to play music.
3. A girl usually -------------------- (help) to do housework.
4. My elder son -------------------- (communicate) with his friends in America by Facebook.
5. Both of my sons -------------------- (love) to eat my wife’s food.
6. Talking on the phone -------------------- (bother) me when I am working.
7. Smoking cigarettes -------------------- (make) a person stink.
8. Old people -------------------- (walk) slowly down the street.
9. My dog -------------------- (enjoy) going for walks with my wife and my sons.
10. My wife -------------------- (wash) the kitchen floor every day.
11. All of you -------------------- (want) to learn English quickly.
12. My wife -------------------- (do) the shopping for fruit and vegetables.
13. A mechanic -------------------- (repair) cars for a living.
14. Students -------------------- (have) to learn irregular verbs.
15. My cat -------------------- (sleep) in the basement.
16. Some friends of mine --------------------- (go) to restaurants every night.
17. Not studying ------------------- (hurt) students’ grades.
18. Cold beer -------------------- (taste) good on a hot day.
19. My younger son --------------------- (write) music at work and at home.
20. Old men -------------------- (enjoy) the company of other old men.
21. A young man -------------------- (live) across the street from me.
22. I usually -------------------- (listen to) music in my office.
Exercise 18: Answer the following questions, please.
1. Where do you come from?
2. Do you have any brothers and sisters?
3. How many days a week does your teacher come to this college?
4. Do you speak English at home?
5. Does it rain a lot in Seattle?
6. Does your teacher have a long beard?
7. What time do you go to bed?
8. Do you want to graduate from SSC?
9. Does your mother speak English well?
10. How long does it take for you to get to college each morning?
11. Do dogs and cats usually like each other?
12. Does your teacher usually dress nicely for class?
13. When does summer vacation start?
14. Does your father have a moustache?
15. When does the weekend for this class start?
Exercise 19: Change the following sentences to the negative, please. Remember to use either “don’t” or “doesn’t” and the base form of the verb.
Examples:
The boys come to class on time. -----------The boys don’t come to class on time.
The girl needs to buy a new book. -------- The girl doesn’t need to buy a new book.
1. My sister tries to take care of my brother-in-law.
2. The dog eats on the back deck at my house.
3. I write all of my exercises for my students.
4. A mechanic usually fixes my car.
5. Some students take their children to school.
6. It rains a lot in Seattle for about ten months a year.
7. I make my student skip lines when doing homework.
8. Young boys reach for their back packs before they leave for school.
9. My car has a broken window.
10. André carries his cell phone everywhere he goes.
11. Students like to write sentences in class.
12. You have to learn a lot of English this quarter.
13. Your teacher likes to give homework.
Exercise 20: Answer the following questions about a typical evening at home, please.
1. About what time do you get home from work or school every day?
2. When do you read?
3. Where do you sit when you are at home?
4. Who sometimes takes a walk with you?
5. Where do you usually take a walk?
6. When do you listen to music?
7. What time do you eat dinner?
8. Whom do you eat dinner with?
9. What do you do after you eat dinner?
10. When do you watch television?
11. Where do you sit when you watch television?
12. Whom do you watch television with?
13. At what time do you usually go to bed?
14. How many hours of sleep do you usually get?
15. What time do you usually get up in the morning?
Exercise 21: Change the following sentences to simple yes/no questions, please.
1. The woman has beautiful brown eyes.
2. She speaks to her friends on the bus.
3. I drink coffee in the morning.
4. My sons live with my wife and me.
5. Some students always do their homework on time.
6. I enjoy teaching English as a second language.
7. The sun shines every day in the summer.
8. A bus driver has a lot of responsibility.
9. We use my handouts in this class.
10. Good students try hard in school.
11. A postman delivers the mail every day.
12. Children like to play computer games.
13. Learning to speak English takes a lot of time.
14. Girls wear prettier clothes than boys.
15. My sister buys toys for her grandchildren.
Exercise 22: Change the following sentences to Yes/No questions and then answer them in the negative, please. You need to write two sentences.
1. The woman has nine big dogs in her back yard.
2. She talks to her friends on the phone.
3. The boy draws pictures in his coloring books.
4. My neighbors make a lot of noise during the weekend.
5. Some students always use pens to do their homework.
6. I enjoy working in my garden all year round.
7. The moon shines brightly every night in the summer.
8. A cab driver has a lot of customers on a good day.
9. We use our ears to listen to people speak.