§ 1. The Formation of the Present Indefinite

1. We form the Present Indefinite from the Infinitive without the particle TO (the Bare Infinitive). In the 3^rd person singular we add the ending -S/-ES to the Infinitive.

T O INFINITIVE (+S/ES)

E.g. I write letters every day.

She often reads books.

The verb TO BE has its own full and short affirmative forms in the Present Indefinite (am/is/are; ‘m/’s/’re) and does not take the ending -S in the 3^rd person singular.

E.g. I am/’m a student.

He is/’s at school now.

They are/’re ready.

Full affirmative forms	Short affirmative forms
I am ready.	I’m ready.
He (she, it) is ready.	He (she, it)’s ready.
We (you, they) are ready.	We (you, they)’re ready.

SPELLING RULES

• Most English verbs in the 3^rd person singular take the ending -S according to the general rule.

E.g. to read – reads

to write – writes

• We add the ending -ES to:

(a) the infinitives which end in sibilants represented in spelling by S, SS, SH, CH, TCH, X, Z, ZZ;

E.g. to gas – gases	to watch – watches
to pass – passes	to mix – mixes
to wash – washes	to buzz – buzzes
to teach – teaches

(b) the infinitives which end in -Y preceded by a consonant; a final -Y changes into -I;

E.g. to study – studies

BUT we add the ending -S and do not change -Y into -I if it comes after a vowel.

E.g. to play – plays

(c) the infinitives which end in -O.

E.g. to do – does

to go – goes

2. In negative sentences we place the auxiliary verb TO DO (do/does) and the negative particle NOT after the subject. In informal English we use short negative forms.

E.g. I do not/don’t write letters every day.

She does not/doesn’t often read books.

Full negative forms	Short negative forms
I (we, you, they) do not work. He (she, it) does not work.	I (we, you, they) don’t work. He (she, it) doesn’t work.

In sentences with the verb TO BE (am/is/are) used as a predicate or a link verb we place the negative particle NOT after it and do not use any auxiliary verbs. In informal English we use short negative forms.

E.g. I am not/’m not a student.

He is not/isn’t at school now.

They are not/aren’t ready.

Full negative forms	Short negative forms
I am not ready. He (she, it) is not ready. We (you, they) are not ready.	I’m not ready. He (she, it) isn’t ready. We (you, they) aren’t ready.

NOTE 1. In informal English you can come across a non-standard short negative form AIN’T for the verbs TO BE (both main and auxiliary) and TO HAVE (auxiliary). Bear in mind that AIN’T is a stigmatized form both in British and American English and is normally avoided by educated speakers, though it can be used informally in speech in certain contexts (in poetry, in joking, in public speeches to convey a folksy tone).

E.g. He isn’t angry.	He ain’t angry.
I’m not telling.	I ain’t telling.
They haven’t done it.	They ain’t done it.

3. In interrogative sentences (questions) we place the auxiliary verb TO DO (do/does) before the subject.

E.g. Do I write letters every day?

Does she often read books?

In sentences with the verb TO BE (am/is/are) used as a predicate or a link verb we place this verb before the subject and do not use any auxiliary verbs.

E.g. Am I a student?

Is he at school now?

Are they ready?

4. In negative-interrogative sentences (negative questions) we place the auxiliary verb TO DO (do/does) before the subject and the negative particle NOT after the subject. In informal English we place short negative forms before the subject.

E.g. Do I not/Don’t I write letters every day?

Does she not/Doesn’t she often read books?

Full negative-interrogative forms	Short negative-interrogative forms
Do I (we, you, they) not work? Does he (she, it) not work?	Don’t I (we, you, they) work? Doesn’t he (she, it) work?

In sentences with the verb TO BE (am/is/are) used as a predicate or a link verb we place this verb before the subject and the negative particle NOT after the subject. In informal English we place short negative forms before the subject.

NOTE 2. There is no corresponding short negative form for AM NOT in questions in modern standard English. Instead we use AREN’T (especially in BrE).

E.g. Am I not/Aren’t I a student?

Is he not/Isn’t he at school?

Are they not/Aren’t they ready?

Full negative-interrogative forms	Short negative-interrogative forms
Am I not ready? Is he (she, it) not ready? Are we (you, they) not ready?	Aren’t I ready? Isn’t he (she, it) ready? Aren’t we (you, they) ready?

NOTE 3. The auxiliary verb TO DO can be used for emphasis:

• in affirmative sentences in the Present and Past Indefinite;

Into Ukrainian such sentences can be translated with the help of verbs in the present or past tenses and the particles Ж/ЖЕ, ТАКИ, СПРАВДІ, ДІЙСНО and the conjunction АЛЕ.

E.g. I do want to help you.

Але ж я дійсно хочу допомогти тобі.

He did look a bit absurd.

Він дійсно мав безглуздий вигляд.

• in affirmative forms of the Imperative Mood;

Into Ukrainian such sentences can be translated with the help of forms of the Imperative Mood and the particles Ж/ЖЕ, НО, НУ, АНУ.

E.g. Do have another cup of tea.

Ну випий ще одну чашку чаю.

Do stop talking!

Ану припиніть(-но) розмовляти!

Do sit down, Tom.

Сідай же, Томе.

Quite often the auxiliary verb TO DO is also used to substitute the verb which has been mentioned to avoid repeating it.

E.g. He works eight hours a day. I don’t know how he does it.

I study English and my friend does too.

‘I don’t get up at 6.’ ‘Neither does my sister.’

‘Shall I come up to the blackboard?’ ‘Yes, do.’/‘No, don’t.’