Archive for March, 2012

Simple present tense overview

March 8th, 2012 in English Grammar

The present simple takes the following forms:

Subject + the present simple form of the verb + (objects)

Alice knits a sweater.

Water boils.

Birds sing.

Flowers bloom.

The cow eats grass.

She works at a bank.

He goes to market every day.

He gets up at 7 am.

We play tennis on Sundays.

You may have noticed that when the subject is a plural noun, the present simple form of the verb is no different from the infinitive without to.

Children play in the garden. (NOT Children to play in the garden.)

The planets move around the sun. (NOT The planets to move around the sun.)

When the subject is a singular noun, the present simple form of the verb takes the marker –s.

The earth moves around the sun. (NOT The earth move around the sun.)

Alice writes stories for kids. (NOT Alice write stories for kids.)

Notes

Verbs in the simple present tense do not have the marker –s when the subject is I or you.

I enjoy swimming in the sea. (NOT I enjoys swimming in the sea.)

You wait there. (NOT You waits there.)

Present Simple Negative Form

Subject + do / does not + verb + objects

Examples:

She doesn’t work hard.

He doesn’t smoke.

We don’t eat meat on Saturdays.

Present Simple Question Form

Do / does + subject + verb?

(Question Word) + do / does + subject + verb?

Examples:

Does she work hard?

Do you eat meat on Fridays?

When do you go to work?