EATRITécnico Interpretación de enlaceGramática I 2013

Gloria Montenegro Friedl

THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

formForming a sentence in the Present Simple is easy.

To form a declarative sentence, all you need is the subject of the sentence.

I, you, he, a dog, my sister, the boy, Libertad, Joaquin

You also need the verb. Be, talk, swim, jump, have, read, sing,play, eat, sleep

Questions and require an auxiliary verb.

SUBJECT + VERB + (Complement)

Declarative Sentences

subject verb (Complement)A dog is an animal.

I learn English twice a week.They have two books.

The course starts in March.The man enters the room.

Questions Questions require the auxiliary verb "to do" In the third person singular you use “does".When asking a question, the verb does not conjugate

Do/DOES

+ Subject

+ Verb + (COMPLEMENT)

DO/DOES SUBJECT VERB COMPLEMENTDoes she like going to the disco?

Does María Paz have A dog?

Do they listen to pop music?

Do Natalia and Karin study French?

:

For the verb "to be", we do not use an auxiliary:

is/are subject complementIs Andy a lawyer?

Are they at the library?

Is your cat under the chair?

Are his classmates in class?

Negative Sentences

subject Don’t/doesn’t

verb (Complement)

They don’t live in Santiago anymore.She doesn’t like Winter.He doesn’t go to the cinema.I don’t walk my dog.

You don’t understand the question.

THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

SETTING THE CONTEXTConversationCLAUDIA: Hi, Valentina. Let’s have coffee, okay?VALENTINA: Hi Claudia. Sure. Where do you want to go?

CLAUDIA: Let’s get a cup of coffee from the vending machine.VALENTINA: Fine. Get a table and I’ll go for the coffee. What do you take in your coffee?

CLAUDIA: Cream and sugar, please. (Claudia sits at a table and Valentina brings the coffee.)VALENTINA: How do you like your classes this semester?

CLAUDIA: I like them all, except for grammar. I don’t understand.VALENTINA: Why don’t you understand?

CLAUDIA: Well, the teacher only speaks in English and she doesn’t talk loud enough and she never takes breaks.VALENTINA: Does she ever give homework?

CLAUDIA: Sure she does. She gives assignments every Wednesday, and it is really hard. We don’t understand a thing! She tries to explain again and again, but I still don’t understand…VALENTINA: Let’s see…Maybe you need a tutor. Don’t wait until the exams.

CLAUDIA: That’s a good idea. Who can I get?VALENTINA: I know someone. She never talks fast. She always speaks clearly. She seldom gets angry. And she teaches grammar too!

CLAUDIA: I like her already. Please tell me her name!VALENTINA: Her name is Mrs. Montenegro. She’s my grammar teacher.

CLAUDIA: Mrs. Montenegro? She’s my grammar teacher too!

EXERCISE 1: Answer true or false to these statements about the conversation.

1. _____ Valentina and Claudia are students and they are friends.2. _____ Claudia has problem with her math teacher.3. _____ She thinks her grammar teacher is a very good teacher.4. _____The teacher never gives homework.5. _____ The teacher always explains.6. _____ The teacher doesn’t speak in English.7. _____ The teacher speaks too loud.8. _____ The teacher is Claudia’s teacher too.

The Present Simple is the most basic tense in the English language. We use this tense to express the following:

1. Facts , generalizations and universal truths2. Habits and routines3. Permanent situations4. Events that are certain to happen5. Arrangements that we can’t change (e.g. timetables, meetings)6. State of being verbs (be, have, know)7. Narrations, instructions or commentaries

Use 1: Facts, Generalizations and Universal Truths

We use the Present Simple to talk about universal truths (for example, laws of nature) or things we believe are, or are not, true. It's also used to generalize about something or somebody.

Water boils at 100 degrees Celcius. Universal TruthIt is a big house. FactThe Earth goes around the Sun. Universal Truth, FactDogs are better than cats. GeneralizationBerlin is the capital city of Germany. FactThe Elephant doesn't fly. FactLondon is the capital city of France. Fact ( The sentence doesn’t have to be true)It always rains in July. ??

Use 2: Habits and Routines

We also use this tense to describe actions that happen frequently. For example: habits, routines, tendencies.

We leave for work at 7:30 AM every morning. RoutineMy husband watches TV in the evening. Habit, RoutineMaría José often meets with her friends after classes. Habit, RoutineLuis and Vairo usually play basketball on Sunday Habit, RoutineBryan and Fabián rarely go to Church. TendencyBruno usually studies grammar on Saturdays. Tendency

Adverbs of FrequencyThe Present Simple is often used with the frequency adverbs:

always frequently

often usually

rarely every week/year/month

sometimes never

occasionally seldom

Here you have a few examples how to use them in sentences:

I always go to church on Sundays. I never eat anything after 10 pm. They often ask questions in class. Cristofer usually wears jeans.

Use 3: Permanent Situations

Use the Present Simple to talk about situations in life that last a relatively long time. Loreto lives in Valdivia. Sebastián works as a fireman. Carolina rides a byke. Marco doesn't study French at the institute. He studies English. .

EXERCISE 2: Underline all the sentences in the simple present tense in the following text.

Mr. Lopez is a bus driver. Every day he gets up at 7:00 a.m. and prepares for his day. He showers,

eats his breakfast, and puts on his uniform. His wife drives him to the station where he checks in

with his supervisor. Then, he gets on Bus #405 and starts the engine. He pulls out of the parking

lot and begins his route. At his first stop, he picks up Mrs. Gonzalez who lives in a red house on

the corner of Los Leones Street and Providencia Avenue. She works at the post office and has to

be to work by 9:00. At the next stop, the Martinez twins get on the bus. They attend class at

EATRI Institute. More children get on at the next three stops, and they ride until the bus reaches

their school. Mr. Lopez enjoys seeing the kids every day and is happy to see them again in the

afternoon when he drives them safely back home.

EXERCISE 3: Using the Verb "To be" Write the correct form of "to be" in present tense.

My name (be) ________ Bryan. I (be) ________ 21 years old. I live on a farm. It (be) _______ in

the country. It is quiet in the country. It (be, not) ____ ____ loud in the country. I wake up early.

Sometimes, I wake up before the sun rises. Sometimes, it (be) ________still dark when I wake up.

But I don’t mind. I like waking up early. I like the way the country looks in the morning.

The first thing I do after I wake up is milk the cow. After I have finished milking the cow, I bring

the milk to my mom. I think she uses it to make breakfast. She makes a delicious breakfast. My

mom (be) ________ a really good cook.

Next, I feed the pigs. One time, I asked my mom why my little sister doesn’t feed them. She said it

is because my sister (be, not) ____ ____ strong enough. But I still don’t understand. She is almost

as strong as me! I guess my mom doesn’t want my sister to get hurt. After all, the pigs can (be)

________ pretty rough, especially when they (be) ________ hungry. The last thing I do (be)

________feed the chickens. That (be) ________ easy. I just throw some food down on the

ground and they run out and eat it. While the chickens are eating, I go into their house to collect

their eggs. Chicken eggs (be) ________ really good to eat. They (be) ________ easy to cook too.

That is what I do in the mornings. I (be) ________ pretty busy

EXERCISE 4: Circle the correct form of the verb in simple present tense.

1) I ( bake / bakes ) cakes.

2) You ( work / works ) in an office.

3) We ( take / takes ) pictures of birds.

4) They ( talk / talks ) about cars.

5) He ( think / thinks ) about school.

6) She ( play / plays ) soccer.

7) It ( rain / rains ) here a lot.

8) I ( like / likes ) chocolate.

9) He ( like / likes ) chocolate.

10) You ( watch / watches ) movies.

11) She ( watch / watches ) movies

EXERCISE 5: Complete the following text putting the verbs provided in the simple present tense

Hi. My name (be) _______ Albert. My friends (call) _______ me Al. You can call me Al if you

(like) _______. I _______(want) to tell you about a problem I (have) _______. It (be, not)

_______ _______ a big problem, but it is not a small problem, either. I (guess) _______ it's

somewhere between big and small. I (have) _______ a best friend. His name (be) _______ Joe,

but everybody (call) _______ him Joey. Joey and I have been friends for a long time. That's the

problem. Joey (like) _______ to smoke. He (say) _______ he (do, not) _______ _______, but I

(know) _______ he (do) _______. He (try) ______ to hide it from me, but I (see) ______ him do

it sometimes. When I see him do it, he just (laugh) _______ and (walk) _______ away. Now, Joey

(smoke) _______ every day. When he (come) _______ over to my house, he (always, bring)

_______ _______ his cigarettes with him. He (keep) _______ them in his pocket. He (think)

_______ they are cool. He (not, think) _______ _______ _______ it's a bad idea to smoke. He

(say) _______, "(not, worry) _______ _______ _______ , Al. I'm okay." He (tell) _______ me that

I (not, understand) _______ _______ _______, but I (think) _______ I (do) _______. I (feel)

_______ like it's his right to smoke. He can do what he (want) _______ to do, right? But I can

(not, help) _______ _____ worrying. He's m my best friend.

EXERCISE 6: Match column A with column B to make a meaningful sentence in the Simple Present

I a sings very wellAlexis Sanchez b is a hero.Girls c like to read science fiction.Shakira d study English.We e plays soccer.Superman f usually like shopping.

Write the sentences you formed.1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

EXERCISE 5: Questions. Put do or does into the gaps.

1) _______ Peter live with his father?

2) _______ you study English?

3) _______ Andrew and Martin ride their bikes to school?

4) _______ they play in the garden?

5) _______ Natalia's hamster live in a cage?

6) _______ the cats sit on the wall?

7) _______ we work in front of the computer?

8) _______ you play the guitar?

9) _______ Johanna wear jeans?

10) ______ I clean my bedroom?

EXERCISE 6: Put in the correct verb forms and the nouns into the gaps. Use Simple Present.

1) ________________________________ to the institute? (you/to walk)

2) ________________________________ a banana in the morning? (Ronda/to eat)

3) ________________________________ cats? (your father/to like)

4) ________________________________ a room with her sister? (Carolina/to share)

5) ________________________________ a lot in Valdivia? (it/to rain)

6) ________________________________ sports after school? (your friends/to do)

7) ________________________________ camping in summer? (Paz and Melissa /to go)

8) ________________________________ their friends to the party? (they/to invite)

9) ________________________________ at the bus stop? (we/to wait)

10) ______________________________ in the mornings? (he/to smile)

EXERCISE 6: Write the correct form of the verb "To be" in present tense.

1) John (be) ________ happy.

2) Maria José and Bruno (be) ________my friends.

3) Marco (be) _______ intelligent.

4) Fabián (be) _______ young.

5) The hammer (be) _______ new.

6) My mother and father (be) _______married.

10) This exercise (not be) _______ hard!

11) Loreto (not be) _______ in my house.

EXERCISE 7: Write a short text about your daily routine using 6 action verbs in the simple present tense.

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