The Present Simple Tense

There are sixteen tenses in the English language. All of them add to the beauty of it and nuances of communication. (Compare: In the Ukrainian language there are three tenses: present, past and future.)

Revision 1: Study the table of grammar tenses.

	Simple Tense (простий час)	Continuous (тривалий)	Perfect (здійснений)	Perfect -Continuous
Present (теперішній)	+I often watch TV. ? Do you like it? - No, I don’t.
Past(минулий)
Future (майбутній)
Future in the Past

The first tense you are going to study and practice is the Present Simple Tense.

Revision 2: Study grammar references first then the situations when the present simple tense is used.

Revision 3: Spelling rules in the present simple

In the 3^rd person singular (after he, she, it ) add to the verb:

· -s: we stop – he stop s; I love - she love s;

· -es (after final – sh, -ch, -ss, -x, -o): I teach - he teach es, you go – she go es; we do – he do es;

· -ies (final consonant + ‘ y ’): I cry – he cr ies, we try – she tr ies.

But: I b uy – he b uys.

Important! As there are different tenses for present, past and future, TIME EXPRESSIONS help to differentiate one from another.

		Time Expressions, which are usedwith Present Simple: · always, usually, often, sometimes, rarely / seldom, never (- they are called adverbs of frequency and answer the question ‘How often?’); · every day, every week, every year etc.; · on Sundays, on Mondays etc.; · in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening; · at night, at the weekend / on week-days. · · ·   · on Sundays, on Mondays, etc.

Help:

Person - особа

Singular – однина

Tense – час

Add - додавати

Beauty – краса

Communication - спілкування

Revise / repeat – повторювати

Adverb of frequency – прислівник частоти

Permanent action – постійна дія

Law of nature – закон природи

Well-known –добре відомий

Timetable – розклад

Instead of – замість

Time expression – вираз, який використовується з часом

Main – головний

Match - підібрати до пари

Discription - опис

Practice – Grammar in use

Task 1: Match the present simple tense to the correct description.

1. The sun rises in the east and sets in the west

2. He always goes to work by train.

3. A seminar starts on Tuesday.

4. The bus leaves in ten minutes.

5. He gets on his horse and quickly rides away.

a- timetable

b- repeated action

c- general truth, a law of nature

d- programme

e- narration

Task 2: Put the adverbs in brackets in the correct place.

1. You must brush your teeth twice a day (always).

2. Sam likes cereal for breakfast (seldom).

3. Sharon drinks coffee at night (never).

4. Paul doesn’t eat out on Sundays (usually).

5. Do you go to the cinema at the weekend? (often)

6. Jim is on time for work (never).

Task 3: Put the verbs in brackets into correct forms of the present simple.

1. He ___________ (spend) a lot of money on books.

2. I have a dog. It ______ (eat) a lot of meat.

3. We usually ________ (discuss) films at our English lessons.

4. We __________ (be) glad to meet you so much.

5. The lesson_____________ (finish) at 2 o’clock in the afternoon.

6. Jane and Mary _____________ (not/drink) hot tea.

7. Rice _____________ (not/grow) in Britain.

8. I _____________ (not/be) an engineer. I’m a dentist.

2.6. The Present Continuous Tense

Study this example situation.

Carlson is sitting on the floor. He is holding a jam jar.

He is eating some jam.

It means: He is eating jam now, at the time of speaking.

The action has not finished yet.

Revision 1: Study the table of the present tenses.

	Simple Tense (простий час)	Continuous (тривалий)	Perfect (здійснений)	Perfect-Continuous
Present (теперішній)	+ I often play the piano. ? Do you play it well? - I don’t play it very well.	+He is reading now. ? Is he writing now? - He is not writing.

Revision 2: Study grammar references first then the situations when the present continuous tense is used.

 

Study again with us:

+ He is driving a car at the moment.

? Is he driving a car now? – Yes, he is / No, he is not (isn’t.)

Revision 3: Spelling rules of the present continuous:

-Dance - dancing (he is dancing); smile – smiling (I am smiling).

- Run – ru nn ing: a final consonant is doubled when one preceding to it vowel is stressed (we are not running now); sit – si tt ing (she is sitting). BUT: open – opening (‘ n ’ is not doubled because a letter ‘e’ is not stressed).

- Travel – trave ll ing (we are travelling these days): final ‘l’ is always doubled in Continuous forms.

- Final ‘- ie ’ are changed into ‘- y ’: lie – lying (he is lying in bed); die – dying (he is dying).

BUT: try – trying.

Note: There are verbs which are not used in continuous tenses. They are called state verbs (compare with active verbs: to go, to work, to write, etc.): · Hear, see, taste, smell, etc.: verbs of senses; · Like, love, hate, enjoy, prefer, etc.: verbs of likes, dislikes; · Know, remember, forget, understand, seem, think (consider), see, seem etc.: verbs of perception; · Be, want, have (possess), need, etc.: some other verbs.

Study Grammar reference first then the following sentences with state verbs:

I hear you. I see a picture. He is kind. I like this apple. I love you. He knows what to do now. I think he has left. Do you like his new car? Ann is positive. It looks as if it’s going to rain. I understand you very well. I have a family. I want to be a florist. He knows a lot about computers.

But some verbs can be used either as state or active ones. Study the examples:

I think (I consider) grammar is not so difficult if you practice it a lot. BUT: I am thinking about buying a car. He is thinking of my idea.

Tim has a car (he possesses it). BUT: He is having dinner now. I’m having a good time this moment. She is not having a bath at present.

OR: The food tastes delicious. BUT: I am tasting the soup now.

Help:

Temporary – тимчасовий

Fixed arrangement–раніше запланована дія

Happen - відбуватися

Too - занадто

Irritate – дратувати

Tonight – сьогодні увечері

State verb – дієслово стану

Sense – почуття

Consider – вважати

Perception – сприйняття

Possess – володіти

Practice – Grammar in use

Task 1: Match the present continuous tense to the correct description.

1 She is looking for a new job these days.

2 He is flying to Rome in an hour.

3 More and more people are using the Internet.

4 I am watching TV now.

5 You are always talking at my lessons!

a- a changing or developing situation

b- fixed arrangement for the near future

c- an action taking place now at the moment of speaking

d- a temporary action which is going on around now

e- an action happens too often and irritates us

Task 2: Write sentences (+, - ,?) using the present continuous tense.

e.g.: We / think of you (+) We are thinking of you.

1 what you / do now (?)

2 it / rain (-)

3 she / talk to her father at the moment (+)

4 the girl / painting a picture now (-)

5 you / make a big mistake (+)

6 where you / study at the moment (?)

7 she / play the violin very well (-)

8 you / talk too much (+)

Task 3: Open the brackets. Use the present simple or the present continuous tense.

1. He _________ (take) the train to work every morning.

2. Does he_________ (remember) how to use the Internet?

3. You can turn off the radio. I_________ (not / listen) to it.

4. When a child_________ (be) born, both parents care for him.

5. Our school__________ (be) criticized because it doesn’t prepare children for life.

6. We are__________ (not/have) a good time now.

7. They__________ (be) getting married in October.

8. Helen and I __________ (make) dinner at the moment.

Task 4: Underline the correct tense.

1 Vicky looks / is looking for a new flat at the moment.

2 She wants / is wanting to decorate the kitchen this week.

3 I am going / go to the gym this afternoon.

4 Steve thinks / is thinking about buying a new car.

Task 5: Complete the dialogue with the correct form of the verbs: the present simple or the present continuous.

Policeman: What _________ (do) here?

Josh: Nothing. Why?

Policeman: We ask questions here.

Josh: We_________ (wait) for our friend.

Policeman: Where__________ (live)?

Josh: 151, Churchill Road.

Policeman: What are your names?

Josh: I’m Josh and he’s my brother, Wayne. We __________ (not do) anything illegal, are we?

Policeman: __________ (have) any form of identification?

Josh: Yes. I __________(have) my driving licence. __________ you (want) to see it? Here!

Policeman: It __________ (say) Dean Allen on this licence.

Josh: Does it? Oh yes, it’s my dad’s.

3. Conversational topic: “Family Values”

Pre-text work

Дата добавления: 2015-10-23