The present simple

Lesson 1: THE PRESENT TENSES Aim: By the end of the lesson Sts will be able to use correctly the present tenses A.. Habitual actions in the present Ex: He walks to school every day.. Tho

Lesson 1: THE PRESENT TENSES Aim: By the end of the lesson Sts will be able to use correctly the present tenses

A THE PRESENT SIMPLE TENSE

I FORM

To Be: is/am/are

1 Positive form

S + be + N/ Adj/ Prep

Ex: He is a student

She is beautiful

They are at home

2 Negative form

S + be + not + N/ Adj/ Prep

Ex: She is not beautiful

3 Interrogative form

Be + S + N/ Adj/ Prep

Ex: are you a student?

Ordinary verbs

1 Positive form

S + V(s,es) + O Ex: I go to school every day

He runs in the evenings

2 Negative form

S + do/does + not + V (bare) + O Ex: We do not usually go to school by bus She doesn’t often wake up before 7 a.m

3 Interrogative form Do/does + S + V (bare) + O?

Ex: Do you usually watch TV in the evening?

II USE

1 Habitual actions in the present

Ex: He walks to school every day

2 General timeless truths

Ex: The earth goes around the sun

3 Expresses future (when a event is scheduled)

Ex: The train from HN to HCM city leaves at 20 o’clock

4 Thought of the speakers at the present

Ex: I like football

Note: * When S is the third person singular, we put S at the end of ordinary verbs

- Verbs end with: - o, -sh, -ch, -s, -x, -z + ES

Ex: watch - watches go - goes

- Verbs end with a consonant and Y, change Y into I, then put ES

Ex: carry - carries try - tries

- Verbs end with a vowel and Y, only put S

Ex: enjoy - enjoys stay - stays

* Some words usually go with verbs in the present simple:

- Adv of frequency: Always, usually, often, sometimes,

- Every + day, month, Sunday, …

- Once a week, twice a month, …

B THE PRESENT PROGRESSIVE TENSE

I FORM

1 Positive form

S + BE (is/am/are) + V-ing + (O)

Ex: We are learning English now

2 Negative form

S + BE (is/am/are) + not + V-ing + (O)

Ex: She is not watching TV at the moment

3 Interrogative form

BE (is/am/are) + S + V-ing + (O)?

Ex: Is your mother cooking now?

II USE

1 Action or event in progress

Ex: He is attending a meeting now

2 Temporary activity

Ex: I live in Hanoi, but this week I am staying in Hue with some friends

3 Expresses future (when event is planned and usually with future time adv)

Ex: Mary is coming tomorrow

4 Emotional comment on present habit (usually co-occurring with Always or Forever)

Ex: This student is always going to class late

Note:

* Rule to put -ing to verbs:

- Verbs end with -E: eliminate E, then put -ing

Ex: Live - living

- Verbs end with -EE: only put -ing

Ex: agree - agreeing

- Verbs end with -IE: change -IE into -Y, and then put -ing

Ex: lie - lying

- One- syllable - verbs end with a vowel and a consonant (Except -y, -w, -x): Double ending consonant, then put -ing

Ex: stop - stopping plan - planning

* Some words usually go with verbs in the present simple: at the moment, at the present, at the present time, now, right now,…

C THE PRESENT PERFECT TENSE

I FORM

1 Positive form

S + HAVE/HAS + PII + (O)

Ex: I have washed my car

She has bought a new hat

2 Negative form

S + HAVE/HAS + NOT + PII + (O)

Ex: They have not finished their work

3 Interrogative form

HAVE/HAS + S + PII + (O)?

Ex: Have you ever been to Hue?

II USE

1 A situation that began in the past and that continues into the present

Ex: I have been a teacher since 2004

2 A past experience with current result:

Ex: They have already seen that movie

3 A very recently completed action:

Ex: She has just seen an old friend in the street

4 A situation that happened in the past, but not mention the time:

Ex: Mary has been to Vietnam

* Note: Some words usually go with verbs in the present simple:

- Just = recently = lately, before, already, ever, never, yet, since, for

- So far = until now, up to now, up to the present

- It’s ( this is ) the first/the second time + clause

EXERCISES ON THE PRESENT TENSES

I Choose the best answer:

1 Be quiet! The baby ………

a sleeps b are sleeping c sleep d is sleeping

2 We seldom ……… before 6:30

a eat b eats c is eating d are eating

3 Look! A man ……… after the train

a runs b runs c is running d are running

4 The sun ……… in the West

a set b sets c is setting d are setting

5 It ……… often hot in Summer

6 I ……… an exercise on the present tenses at this moment

a am doing b do c are doing d does

7 My mother sometimes ……… vegetables at this market

a buy b buys c are buying d is buying

8 It ……… very cold now

9 It ……… much in summer It ……… now

a rain/ is raining b rains/ are raining c rains/ is raining d is raining/ is raining

10 Daisy ……… some food in the kitchen at present She always …….… in the morning

a cook/ is cooking b cooks/ are cooking c cooks/ is cooking d is cooking/cooks

11 How long …………you ………… English? - For 5 years now

a has … studied b have … studied c has been … studying d have … been studying

12 I ……… for two hours, but she has not come yet

a have waited b has waited c has been waiting d waited

13 They ……… in Ho Chi Minh City since 1975

a lived b has lived c have been living d live

14 She ……… all the books written by Dickens for 10 years

a have read b has read c read d has been read

15 He ……… here since Christmas, I wonder where he has been living since then

a hasn’t been b hasn’t been being c haven’t been d haven’t been being

16 Jack has been going to Paris for a holiday He never ……… there

a has been b has been being c have been d have been being

17 ….You ……… so far? I have rung the bell for the last twenty minutes

a has … slept b have … been sleeping c have sleep d has … been sleeping

18 He ……… a novel for two years, but he has not finished it yet

a has written b have been writing c have written d has write

19 Mary has lost her hat and she ……… for it until now

a have been looking b has look c has looked d have looked

20 I ……… that film several times because I like it.

a has seen b have saw c has been seeing d have seen

21 Listen! I think someone ……… at the door

a are knocking b has knocked c is knocking d have knocked

22 Up to the present, we ……… almost every lesson in the book

a are writing b have written c has written d is writing

23 The earth ……… the sun once every 365 days

a circle b circles c is circling d are circling

24 The farmers ……… in the field at the moment

a is working b are working c have worked d work

25 How many times … you ………….him since he went to Edinburgh?

a do … see b has … seen c have … seen d are … seeing

26 Rivers usually ……… to the sea

a flow b is flowing c have flown d has flown

27 Look! The boy ………

a is crying b are crying c has cried d cries

28 Do you know that man who often ……… here?

a smokes b smoke c has smoked d have smoked

29 Mrs Green always ……… to work by bus

30 We are from French We ……… there for 20 years

a has been b are c have been d are being

31 That house ……… to Mr Green

a belong b belongs c have belonged d are belonging

32 Mai ……… her dictionary lately

a lose b loses c have lost d has lost

33.I am sorry I ……… that girl's name already

a forget b forgets c has forgotten d have forgotten

34 I ……… for the manager for two hours

a am waiting b wait c has waited d have waited

35 ……you ……… a lion?

a Have ….ever seen b has … ever seen c do … ever see d are ever seeing

II Put the verb in brackets into the correct tense:

1 Until yesterday I (never/ hear) ……… about it.

2 Sam (already /leave) ……… ……when we (get) ……….there

3 How long …………(you/ study) ……….English?

- I (learn) ……….……… English since I was twelve

4 Who is that woman? I (never/ see) ……… her before

5 He usually ………… (drink) coffee, but today he …….…… (drink) tea

6 I’m busy at the moment I …… (decorate) the sitting room

7 Mary often ……… …(speak) so quickly, so I ……… (not/understand) her

8 How ……….….you ………… (get) to work as a rule?

I usually ……(go) by bus, but this week I …… (go) in Mark’s car

9 Mary often …….(learn) languages very quickly, but she … … (not/seem) able to learn modern Greek

10 ……… they……… (be) to the Great Wall?