SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

or
PRESENT SIMPLE

A. DEFINITION
The Simple Present is a form of the verb that shows the action or state
happens/takes place in the present.
She speaks a lot every day.

B. SENTENCE PATTERNS
1. Nominal
(+) S + be + Non Verb (adjective/noun/adverb of place)
I am friendly. (adjective)
[He/She/It] is a creature. (noun)
[We/You/They] are at home. (adverb of place)

(-) S + be + not + NV
I am not friendly. (I’m not friendly.)
[He/She/It] is not/isn’t a creature. (He/She/It’s not a
creature.)
[We/You/They] are not/aren’t at home. (We/You/They’re not at
home.)

(?) Be + S + NV?
Am I friendly?
Is [he/she/it] a creature?
Are [we/you/they] at home?

Replies:
Yes I am. or No, I am not.
Yes, he/she/it is. or No, he/she/it is not.
Yes, we/you/they are. or No, we/you/they are not.

(WH?) QW + be + S + ... ?
Who are you?
What is this?
When are you at home?

(Tag) S + be + NV, be+n’t + S?

I am handsome, aren’t I?
He is a creature, isn’t he?
They are creatures, aren’t they?

S + be + not + NV, be + S?
We are not at home, are we?

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 I am not handsome, am I?
He is not a creature, is he?

2. Verbal
(+) S + V1 (+s/es)
[I/you/We/They] speak a lot.
[He/She/It] speaks a lot.

(-) S + do/does + not + V1

[I/you/We/They] do not/don’t speak a lot.
[He/She/It] does not/doesn’t speak a lot.

(?) Do/Does + S + V1?

Do [I/you/we/they] speak a lot?
Does [he/she/it] speak a lot?

Replies:
Yes, I/you/we/they do. or No, I/you/we/they do not.
Yes, he/she/it does. or No, he/she/it does not.

(WH?) Who/What + V1+s/es + O ?

Who speaks a lot?
What makes him speak a lot?

QW + do/does + S + V1?
When does he speak a lot?
How do you speak?

(Tag) S + V1, don’t + S?

I speak a lot, don’t I?

S + do not + V1, do + S?
We do not speak a lot, do we?

S + V1+s/es, doesn’t + S?
He speaks a lot, doesn’t he?

S + does not + V1, does + S?

She does not speak, does she?

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 C. SPELLING RULE: -S/-ES ADDITION
No. Spelling Addition Examples
1 In general + -s walks
runs
plays
works
rides
returns
etc
2 -o + -es does
goes

3 -s(s) + -es passes

-x fixes, relaxes
-z(z) buzzes
-sh pushes, rushes
-ch watches

4 -y
consonant + -y -y + -ies cry → cries
fly → flies
study → studies
hurry → hurries
dry → dries
try → tries
fry → fries
etc

vowel + -y + -s buy → buys (not:

buies)
play → plays
(not: plaies)
enjoy → enjoys
(not: enjoies)
etc

5 Irregular have → has (not:

haves)

D. USAGES

Timeline XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Past Now Future

 general truth (facts or things which are true at all times)

The earth is round.
The earth goes round the sun.
The sun rises in the east and sets in the west
Cars need petrol.

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 Surabaya is in East Java.
Lions roar.

 routines/regular activities (repeating actions or habits)

He drives a car. (He’s a driver.)
She types letters. (She’s a typist/secretary.)
They sing in a pub.
She cooks every day.
He goes to work on foot.
He always makes some notes.
We often get lots of calls in the morning.

 permanent action/situation (conditions (not actions) taking place at this

moment)
She lives in Surabaya. (She was born and brought up in Surabaya.)
He works in Jakarta.
She is a beautiful girl.
Those are green vegetables.
We appear younger.
I want to eat.
She thinks that she is clever.
It feels rough.
We have two houses.

 future ↔ time table

The ship arrives in Surabaya at 2pm.
It departs Surabaya at 10 pm.

Not:
The ship will arrive in Surabaya at 2pm
It will depart Surabaya at 10 pm.

E. MARKERS
Nominal: now, right now, at the moment, at present
Nominal/Verbal:
1. Adverb of frequency: always, usually, often, frequently, sometimes, seldom,
rarely, hardly ever, never
2. every minute/hour/day/week/month/year/semester/decade/..., in the
morning/afternoon/evening, on Sunday(s)/Monday(s)/Wednesday(s)/..., once
a minute/hour/day/week/month/year/in a while/...

>>> End <<<

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