Module I (Present Tenses)

PART I

The Present Simple Tense

Richard Taylor and Sarah Perkins work in the same office.

• What time do they start work?

• Sarah arrives at work at 9 o'clock but Richard doesn't get to the office until 10 o'clock.

 We form the Present Simple with the subject (i.e. the subject pronoun or noun) and the main verb. We usually add an -s to the third person singular in the affirmative. In the interrogative and negative forms, we use the auxiliary verb do/don't with I, you, we, they and does/doesn't with he, she and it. We do not add an -s to the main verb when it appears with does/doesn't.

S_o/s + V_s/o ...

They listen to the radio in the morning.

Charles takes a shower every morning.

S +

do does

not Vo …

I do not understand the rule.

His mother does not work here.

Do Does

(not) S + Vo …?

Do you like classical music?

Does Mary live near the station?

Don't you fix your radio yourself?

Doesn't John have dinner at two?

?	do does	(not) S + Vo …?
W

Where do you live?

What sport does your brother go in for?

Why don't you ask Peter for advice?

Why doesn't he study Spanish?

WhoWhat

Vs...?

Who What

does not Vo …?

Who lives in this house?

What animals live in the ocean?

Who doesn't drive a car?

What birds don't fly?

Spelling Rules

• Most verbs take -s in the third person singular.

e.g. / read - he reads

• Verbs ending in -ss, -sh, -ch, -x and -o, take -es.

e.g. / kiss - he kisses, I brush - he brushes, I teach - he teaches, I fix - he fixes, I go - he goes

• Verbs ending in a consonant + y, drop the -y and take -ies.

e.g. I try - he tries, I fly - he flies

• Verbs ending in a vowel + y, simply take -s.

e.g. buy - he buys

Pronunciation

In the present simple the suffix of the third person singular is pronounced:

• /s/ when the verb ends in a /k/, /p/, /t/ or /f/, sound.

e.g. laughs, drinks, sleeps, hates

• /iz/ when the verb ends in a /s/, /z/, / dʒ/, / tʃ/ or /ʃ/ sound.

e.g. misses, wishes, matches, arranges, rises

• /z/ when the verb ends in any other sound.

e.g. dreams, stays, begins, stands, saves

Use

The Present Simple is used for:

• a single present action.

e.g. I don’t understand you.

• permanent states.

e.g. Mary likes ice-cream.

• repeated actions or daily routines (often with adverbs of frequency such as: always, never, usually, etc.).

e.g. Mr Gibson is a businessman. He lives in New York, (permanent state)

He usually starts work at 9 am. (daily routine)

He often stays at the office until late in the evening, (daily routine)

• general truths or laws of nature.

e.g. The moon moves round the earth.

• programmes or timetables (trains, buses, etc.).

e.g. The bus leaves in ten minutes.

• to tell the story as if it took place before the listeners eyes.

e.g. Immagine yesterday I saw a real car-crash! I was crossing the street when suddenly a yellow jaguar rushes out of the corner and crashes into a moving in opposite directionn car. It was terrible!