Mastering the Present Simple: Comprehensive English Grammar Essentials

GRAMMAR UNIT 1: Present Simple

Josep Tous School - English Department - Teacher: Marga Alegre

Uses

• 1. Habitual actions or routines:
  We go to school from Monday to Friday.
• 2. Facts:
  The moon rotates around the earth.
• 3. Timetables:
  The plane leaves at 5 p.m.
• 4. Likes/dislikes or opinions:
  I like chocolate very much, in fact I love it!

Affirmative Form (+)

Subject + VERB IN PRESENT + complements

I do my homework every day

Special points for the Affirmative Form

• 1. If the subject is HE / SHE / IT, we add –s to the verb: work / works.
  My parents work in a supermarket.
  My mum works in a bank.
• 2. If the subject is HE / SHE / IT, we add -es to verbs with the following endings:
  • -sh ➔ wash / washes
  • -ch ➔ watch / watches
  • -ss ➔ miss / misses
  • -x ➔ mix / mixes
  • -o ➔ go / goes
• 3. -Y ending:
  • If there is a vowel before -y ➔ -y never disappears and we add –s: play / plays.
  • If there is a consonant before -y ➔ -y changes into –i and we add –es: cry / cries.
• 4. If the verb finishes in –e, we only add –s.
  dance / dances.

Negative Form (-)

Subject + DO / DOES + NOT + verb in INFINITIVE + complements

3rd person singular: Verb never, never –s!

DO NOT = DON'T
DOES NOT = DOESN'T
He / She / It

Interrogative Form (?)

[Wh- QUESTIONS] + DO / DOES + Subject + INFINITIVE + Complements?

3rd person singular: Verb never, never –s!

TIME MARKERS

Frequency adverbs

• Always (sempre)
• Usually (normalment)
• Often (sovint)
• Sometimes (de vegades)
• Hardly ever (gairebé mai)
• Never (mai)

Position

We place these adverbs before the verb, but if it is the verb to be, we place them after.

I always do my homework

I am always happy

Time expressions

• Every… week (cada setmana), month (mes), year (any), class (classe), Monday (dilluns, dimarts, dimecres, ...)
• Once a… week (un cop a la setmana), month (al mes), year (a l'any)
• Twice, three, four, … times a… day (dos, tres, quatre, … cops al dia), week (a la setmana), month (al mes), year (a l'any).
• On Monday, Tuesday, ... (Weekdays : els dies de la setmana)

Position

We place these time expressions at the end of the sentence or, occasionally, at the beginning with a comma.

• I do my homework every day.
• She does aerobics on Tuesday and Friday.
• He is tired every day.
• On Tuesday and Friday, he plays tennis with his friends.
• Every Sunday, we have lunch at my grandparent's house.
• Once a year, the dentist checks my teeth.

EXAMPLES

He / She / It (3rd person singular)

• ( + ) My father works in a bank every day.
• ( - ) My father doesn't work in a bank.
• ( ? ) Does your father work in a bank?
  Yes, he does / No, he doesn't.
• ( ? ) Where does your father work every day? … in a bank.
• ( ? ) When does your father work in a bank? … every day.
• ( + ) Your cousins make delicious pizzas every month.
• ( - ) Your cousins don't make delicious pizzas every month.
• ( ? ) Do your cousins make delicious pizzas every month?
  Yes, they do / No, they don't.
• ( ? ) What do your cousins make every month? … pizzas.
• ( ? ) When do your cousins make delicious pizzas? … every month