6.the Simple Present Tense

Verbs and Tenses: The Simple Present Tense
The Simple Present Tense

◗ Verbs have forms called tenses that tell you when the action happens.
If the action happens regularly, sometimes or never, use the
simple present tense.
We always wash our hands before meals.

Joe sometimes lends me his bike.
Dad jogs in the park every day.
We often go to the movies on Satrurday.
Mr. Ross takes a train to work.
◗ The simple present tense is also used to state facts.
The sun rises every morning.

Penguins live in the Antarctica.
Dogs love playing in water.
The earth goes around the sun.
Australia is an island.
◗ Use the simple present tense to tell the events of a story that is happening
now.
I arrive at school. I see another girl crying. I ask her why she is sad.
She says she hasn’t got any friends to play with. I tell her that she
can play with me.
◗ Use the simple present tense to talk about things that will happen in
the future.
My little sister starts school tomorrow.

The new supermarket opens this Friday.
Next week I go on holiday to Japan.
We fly to London on Sunday.
The train leaves in five minutes.
My family moves to a new house next month.
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Verbs and Tenses: am, is and are
am, is and are

The words am, is and are are the simple present forms of the verb be.
n Use am with the pronoun I.
n Use is with singular nouns like ‘my dad’ and ‘the teacher’, and with the
pronouns he, she and it.
n Use are with plural nouns like ‘my parents’ and ‘Jenny and Mary’, and with
the pronouns we, you and they.
I am twelve. The children are asleep.

I am in the garden. Computers are very expensive.
My mom is very tired today. My brother and I are upstairs.
The teacher is tall. We are in our bedrooms.
She is also pretty. You are my best friend.
Our dog is black. You and David are my best friends.
Here is a table to help you remember how to use is, am and are.
singular plural
first person I am we are
second person you are you are
third person he is they are
she is they are
it is they are
N o t e s
There are short ways of saying and writing You can use these contractions to replace
am, is and are with pronouns. These short am, is and are when they are used
forms are called contractions. with not:
full form short form full form short form
I am I’m I am not I’m not

you are you’re he is not he isn’t
he is he’s she is not she isn’t
she is she’s it is not it isn’t
it is it’s we are not we aren’t
we are we’re you are not you aren’t
they are they’re they are not they aren’t
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Verbs and Tenses: there is and there are
there is and there are

Use there with is and are to say what exists or what you can have. Use there is
with singular nouns, and there are with plural nouns.
There is a tree in our garden. N o t e s

There is a girl called Farah in my class. The contraction for
There is fish for dinner. there is is there’s.
There is nothing to do when it rains.

There’s a cat sitting on the bench.
There’s a boy in my class who can walk on his hands.
There are cows in the field.
There are some very big ships in the harbor today.
Exercise 4
Look at the pairs of subjects and verbs below. Then write a sentence using each subject
with the simple present form of the verb. Remember that you can also use the simple
present tense to talk about the future.
Example: Dad goes to work on his bike.
subject verb
1. Dad go
2. My brother ride
3. The dog watch
4. The bus leave
5. Tom and Sam buy
6. We eat
7. Aunt Grace come
8. Our neighbor like
9. The boys start
10. My family travel
60
Exercise 5
Complete the following sentences by writing am, is or are in the blank spaces.
1. The weather beautiful today.
2. All the children on the playground.
3. Boys! You always late for class.
4. you on the basketball team, too?
5. Nobody in my class interested in football.
6. this computer more expensive than that one?
7. Sally my best friend.
8. Mom and Dad downstairs watching television.
9. Paul and Henry in the computer room.
10. The Eiffel Tower the tallest monument in Paris.
Exercise 6
Read the following passage. Fill in there’s, there are, there isn’t or there aren’t in the
blank spaces.
I like playing in our park because some great things to play on.
a big chute to slide on and a huge sandbox to play in.
also some swings. Dogs are not allowed in the park so no dogs to bother us.
also a lot of space for us to run around. It sometimes gets hot because
many trees to give shade, but a fountain where we can drink
water. It’s the best place in the town for children. another place as good as
the park.
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Exercise 7
Rewrite the following sentences using contractions. The first one has already been
done to help you.
1. It is another sunny day today.
It’s another sunny day today.

2. This is my sister. She is five.
3. I am not very interested in sports.
4. She is not my best friend. You are my best friend.
5. Cats are not as noisy as dogs.
6. We are busy doing our homework.
7. She is busy cleaning the car in the garage.
8. Our teacher is not very tall.
9. My parents are not home from work yet.
10. My friend is not very good at math.
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6.the Simple Present Tense

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Verbs and Tenses: The Simple Present Tense

The Simple Present Tense

We always wash our hands before meals.

◗ The simple present tense is also used to state facts.

The sun rises every morning.

My little sister starts school tomorrow.

am, is and are

I am twelve. The children are asleep.

full form short form full form short form

I am I’m I am not I’m not

there is and there are

There is a tree in our garden. N o t e s

There is nothing to do when it rains.

Example: Dad goes to work on his bike.

3. The dog watch

4. The bus leave

5. Tom and Sam buy

7. Aunt Grace come

8. Our neighbor like

9. The boys start

10. My family travel

1. The weather beautiful today.

2. All the children on the playground.

3. Boys! You always late for class.

4. you on the basketball team, too?

5. Nobody in my class interested in football.

6. this computer more expensive than that one?

7. Sally my best friend.

8. Mom and Dad downstairs watching television.

9. Paul and Henry in the computer room.

10. The Eiffel Tower the tallest monument in Paris.

a big chute to slide on and a huge sandbox to play in.

many trees to give shade, but a fountain where we can drink

1. It is another sunny day today.

It’s another sunny day today.

3. I am not very interested in sports.

4. She is not my best friend. You are my best friend.

5. Cats are not as noisy as dogs.

6. We are busy doing our homework.

7. She is busy cleaning the car in the garage.

8. Our teacher is not very tall.

9. My parents are not home from work yet.

10. My friend is not very good at math.

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