Grammar explanation

Sentence construction in the Present Simple Tense

affirmative sentence negative sentence

I I
You volleyball. You do not volleyball.
play
We football. We don’t football.
They basketball. They play basketball.
He the piano. He the piano.
does not
She plays the drums. She the drums.
doesn’t
It It

interrogative sentences
I I
you volleyball? you volleyball?
Do do play
we football? When we football?
they play basketball? Where they basketball?
he the piano? How he the piano?
Doe
she the drums? does she play the drums?
s
it it

Rules of forming the 3rd person singular:

The verbs in the 3rd person singular get –s ending. There are some spelling
rules you have to learn.
1) Y changes into –i in the end of the verbs if there is a consonant before
it.
e.g.: try  tries
2) If the verb ends with –ss, -sh, -ch, -o or –x, it gets –es ending in 3rd
person singular.
e.g. : wishes, mixes, matches, watches, misses, goes, does

Created by Zsuzsapszi
Signal words:
 every day, week, every
 usually
month, every year
 ever  rarely
 never  generally
 always  seldom
 often  sometimes
 on Mondays …  in the mornings …

The use of the Present Simple Tense:

1) We use Present Simple if we want to express a repeated action. These times
we use the signal words mentioned above.
E.g.: I always get up at 6 o’clock.

2) We use Present Simple if we want to say a general information or natural law.

E.g.: The Earth moves round the Sun.

3) We use Present Simple if the action is the person’s characteristic.

E.g.: The Simpson’s eat a lot.

4) We use Present Simple if we ask someone about his/her provenance.

E.g.: Where are you from? I’m from Hungary.

5) We use Present Simple if we can’t put the verb into the Present Continuous.
E.g.: Sam wants to eat now. I love you. I believe in miracle.

6) We use Present Simple in zero and first conditional sentences.

E.g.: If the sun shines, it is warmer. If you visit me, I will be happy.

7) We use Present Simple if we say a fixed arrangement or a scheduled event,

programme in the future.
E.g.: The bus starts at half past 6 tomorrow.

8) We use Present Simple in a narration.

E.g.: The Stuarts go on holiday. They go by car. They like travelling. They
pack their luggage, and then they prepare some sandwiches. …

9) We use Present Simple if we want to introduce reported speech in the

present.
E.g.: Tim asks Mary if she marries him.

10) We use Present Simple in a time-clause sentence to express a future action

after when, before, after, as soon as, until, till, by the time …
E.g.: When the children arrive home, they will have dinner.
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