THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
a. Use:
The simple present is used to describe a present situation:
- --> I work in Valencia (I do now and will do for the forseeable future).
- --> The Simons sisters are both very talented; Virginia writes and Vanessa
paints.
- --> I am English (and I always will be English).
The simple present is used to express general truths such as scientific fact,
as in the following sentences:
- --> The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.
- --> The moon circles the earth once every 28 days.
- --> New technology makes it easier to learn English.
The simple present is used to indicate a habitual action, event, or
condition, as in the following sentences:
- --> I don’t wear white shoes (it’s my habit not to).
- --> My grandmother sends me new clothes each spring.
- --> Jesse polishes the menorah on Wednesdays.
The simple present is also used when writing about works of art, as in the
following sentences.
- --> Lolly Willowes is the protagonist of the novel Townsend published in 1926.
- --> The play ends with an epilogue spoken by the fool.
The simple present can also be used to refer to a future event when used in
conjunction with an adverb
or adverbial
phrase, as in the following sentences.
- --> Classes end next week.
- --> The publisher distributes the galley proofs next Wednesday.
- --> The lunar eclipses begins in exactly 43 minutes.
2. Spelling rules for adding s in the third person
singular
Some verbs change their spelling when s is added
in the third person singular.
a. Verbs ending in
y
The English letters a, e, i, o and u
are generally referred to as vowels. The other English letters are
generally referred to as consonants.
When a verb ends in y
immediately preceded by a consonant, the y is changed to ie
before the ending s is added. In each of the following examples, the
consonant immediately preceding the final y is underlined.
| Bare Infinitive |
Third Person Singular |
| study |
studies |
| fly |
flies |
| carry |
carries |
However, when a verb ends
in y immediately preceded by a vowel, the y is not
changed before the ending s is added. In each of the following examples,
the vowel immediately preceding the final y is underlined.
| Bare Infinitive |
Third Person Singular |
| say |
says |
| enjoy |
enjoys |
| buy |
buys |
b. Verbs ending in o
When a verb ends in
o, the letter e is added before the s ending. For
example:
| Bare Infinitive |
Third Person Singular |
| do |
does |
| echo |
echoes |
| go |
goes |
c. Verbs ending
in ch, s, sh, x or z
When a verb ends in a sibilant sound such as
ch, s, sh, x or z, the letter e is
added before the s ending. For example:
| Bare Infinitive |
Third Person Singular |
| pass |
passes |
| push |
pushes |
| watch |
watches |
| fix |
fixes |
| buzz |
buzzes |
3. Pronunciation of the es ending
A syllable is a
unit of pronunciation, usually consisting of a vowel sound which may or may not
be accompanied by consonants.
When a verb ends in a sibilant sound such
as ch, s, sh, x or z, the es ending of
the third person singular is pronounced as a separate syllable. The reason for
this is that these sounds are so similar to the sound of the es ending,
that the ending must be pronounced as a separate syllable in order to be heard
clearly.
In each of the following examples the bare infinitive consists
of one syllable, whereas the form of the verb used in the third person singular
consists of two syllables.
| Bare Infinitive |
Third Person Singular |
| pass |
passes |
| push |
pushes |
| catch |
catches |
| mix |
mixes |
Similarly, when s is
added to verbs ending in ce, ge, se or ze, the final
es is usually pronounced as a separate syllable. In each of the following
examples the bare infinitive consists of one syllable, whereas the form of the
verb used in the third person singular consists
of two syllables.
| Bare Infinitive |
Third Person Singular |
| race |
races |
| rage |
rages |
| praise |
praises |
| doze |
dozes |
However, when s is
added to a verb ending in e preceded by a letter
other than
c, g, s or z, the final es is not
pronounced as a separate syllable. In each of the following examples, both the
bare infinitive and the form of the verb used in the third person singular
consist of one syllable.
| Bare Infinitive |
Third Person Singular |
| make |
makes |
| smile |
smiles |
| dine |
dines |
| save |
saves |
4. The auxiliary Do
With the exception of the verb
to be, verbs in modern English use the auxiliary do to form
questions and negative statements in the Simple Present.
The
Simple Present of the verb to do is conjugated as follows:
| I do |
| you do |
| he does |
| she does |
| it does |
| we do |
| they do |
Auxiliaries are verbs
which are combined with other verbs to form various tenses. It should be noted
that when an auxiliary is combined with another verb, it is the auxiliary which
must agree with the subject, while the form of the other verb remains
invariable.
When the auxiliary do is combined with another verb,
the other verb always has the form of the bare infinitive.
a. Questions
In order to form a question in the Simple
Present of any verb other than the verb to be, the Simple Present of the
auxiliary do is added before the subject, and the bare infinitive of the
verb is placed after the subject. For example:
| Affirmative Statement |
Question |
| I work. |
Do I work? |
| You work. |
Do you work? |
| He works. |
Does he work? |
| She works. |
Does she work? |
| It works. |
Does it work? |
| We work. |
Do we work? |
| They work. |
Do they work? |
b. Negative statements
In order to form a
negative statement, the Simple Present of the auxiliary do followed by
the word not is placed before the bare
infinitive of the verb. For
example:
| Affirmative Statement |
Negative Statement |
| I work. |
I do not work. |
| You work. |
You do not work. |
| He works. |
He does not work. |
| She works. |
She does not work. |
| It works. |
It does not work. |
| We work. |
We do not work. |
| They work. |
They do not work. |
In spoken English, the following
contractions are often used:
| Without contractions |
With contractions |
| do not |
don't |
| does not |
doesn't |
c. Negative
questions
To form a negative question, the Simple Present of the
auxiliary do is placed before the subject, and the word not
followed by the bare infinitive is placed after the subject. However, when
contractions are used, the contracted form of not follows immediately
after the Simple Present of the auxiliary do. For example:
| Without contractions |
With contractions |
| Do I not work? |
Don't I work? |
| Do you not work? |
Don't you work? |
| Does he not work? |
Doesn't he work? |
| Does she not work? |
Doesn't she work? |
| Does it not work? |
Doesn't it work? |
| Do we not work? |
Don't we work? |
| Do they not work? |
Don't they work? |
|
