Simple Present (Present Simple) - Introduction

Simple present is also called present simple.

The simple present expresses an action in the present taking place once, never or several times. It is also used for actions that take place one after another and for actions that are set by a timetable or schedule. The simple present also expresses facts in the present.
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Exercise on Form with 'be'

Write down the missing sentences.

affirmative

negative

question

I am hungry.

you

You are Sam.

he

He is not here.

she

Is she loud?

it

It is okay.

we

Are we fine?

you

You are not friendly.

they

Are they happy?

Exercises on Form
Write down the missing sentences.

affirmative

negative

questions

I play.

you

You help.

he

He does not answer.

she

Does she sing?

it

It rains.

we

Do we dream?

you

You do not read.

they

Do they work?

have
Use: have with the personal pronouns I, you, we und they (or with the plural form of nouns) has with the personal pronouns he, she, it (or with the singular form of nouns)

example: I have a dog. / I have got a dog.

'have got' is mainly used in British English. You can also use 'have' on its own (especially in American English). In this case, however, you must form negative sentences and questions with the auxiliary verb 'do' (see 'All other verbs').

positiv
I/you/we/they I have got. / I have.

negativ
I have not got. / I do not have.

question
Have I got? / Do I have?

he/she/it

He has got. / He has.

He has not got. / He does not have.

Has he got? / Does he have?

Exercise on Form with 'have got'

Write down the missing sentences. Use 'have got'.

affirmative

negative

question

I have got a dog.

you

You have got a bike.

he

He has not got a beard.

she

Has she got a sister?

it

It has got a window.

we

Have we got a car?

you

You have not got time.

they

Have they got money?

Exercise on Form with 'have' + auxiliary 'do'

Write down the missing sentences. Use 'have' and the auxiliary 'do'.

affirmative

negative

question

I have a dog.

you

You have a bike.

he

He does not have a beard.

she

Does she have a sister?

it

It has a window.

we

Do we have a car?

you

You do not have time.

they

Do they have money?

Simple Present - Exceptions in Spelling

The 3rd person singular is usually formed by adding s. But there are a few exceptions to the rule: Animation on exceptions in spelling when adding 's'

The verbs can, may, might, must remain the same in all forms. So don't add s.
example: he can, she may, it must

Verbs ending in o or a sibilant (ch, sh, s, x) add es instead of s.

example: do - he does, wash - she washes

A final y after a consonant becomes ie before s.

example: worry - he worries
But: A final y after a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) is not modified.

example: play - he plays

Write down the third person singular of the following verbs. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. I can - he I go - he I wish - he I must - he I hurry - he I do - he I may - he I kiss - he I worry - he
can

10. I teach - he

Write down the verbs in the third person singular. Note the exceptions in spelling. 1. I can swim. - She
can

swim.

2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

I miss the bus. - She I know you. - She I sit down. - She I often cry. - She often I play chess. - She I come home. - She I must go now. - She I fly to Rome every year. - She

the bus. you. down. . chess. home. go now. to Rome every year. her best.

10. I always do my best. - She always

Present Progressive - Introduction

The present progressive puts emphasis on the course or duration of an action.

The present progressive is used for actions going on in the moment of speaking and for actions taking place only for a short period of time. It is also used to express development and actions that are arranged for the near future. Present progressive is also known as present continuous. Use: am with the personal pronoun I is with the personal pronouns he, she or it (or the singular form of nouns) are with the personal pronouns you, we, they (or the plural form of nouns)

affirmative
I I am playing.

negative
I am not playing.

question
Am I playing?

he, she, it

He is playing.

He is not playing.

Is he playing?

you, we, they You are playing. You are not playing. Are you playing? Tips on how to form negative sentences and questions
Animation: negative sentences and questions

In negative sentences, we put not between the form of be and the verb. In questions, we simply swop the places of subject and the form of be.

Exercise on Form
Complete the table with the correct forms.

affirmative

negative

question

I am working.

you

You are jumping.

he

He is not dreaming.

she

Is she sleeping?

it

It is snowing.

we

Are we singing?

you

You are not fighting.

they

Are they reading?

Exercise on questions with interrogative particles

Ask for the information in the bold part of the sentence. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Ashley is going to a restaurant. Gareth is reading the paper. Stacey is playing in the garden. She is wearing a red dress. Britney is doing her homework. Mandy is leaving at nine. Joe is repairing his bike. Amanda is going out with Dan. They are meeting at two o'clock. Where is Ashley

10. Sandy is looking for Phil. -

Present Progressive - Exceptions in Spelling

A single, silent e at the end of the word is dropped before ing.

example: come - coming I am coming home. You are coming home. He is coming home.
But: ee at the end of the word is not changed

example: agree - agreeing

The final consonant after a short, stressed vowel is doubled before ing.
example: sit - sitting I am sitting on the sofa. You are sitting on the sofa. He is sitting on the sofa.

The letter l as final consonant after a vowel is always doubled before ing.
example: travel - travelling I am travelling around. You are travelling around. He is travelling around.
Mind: This applies only for British English; in American English there is usually only one l.

An ie at the end of a word becomes y before ing.

example: lie - lying I am lying in bed. You are lying in bed. He is lying in bed.

Exercise on Exceptions 1
Write down the ing form of the following words. Mind the exceptions in spelling. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. make have sit run lie stop model get travel making

10. tie -

Exercise on Exceptions 2
Use the words below to write sentences in present progressive. Note that sometimes there are exceptions in spelling when adding 'ing'. 1. He / to get / pretty nervous He is getting prett

2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

She / to write / a letter We / not / to work They / to argue Look! / The dog / to pee / on the carpet I / to meet / my friends tonight He / to travel / a lot The kids / to play / in the garden She / to enter / the house -

10. They / to tie / still -

Simple Past (Past Simple)

The simple past expresses an action in the past taking place once, never, several times. It can also be used for actions taking place one after another or in the middle of another action.

Form of Simple Past

Positive
no differences I spoke.

Negative

Question

I did not speak. Did I speak?

For irregular verbs, use the past form (see list of irregular verbs, 2nd column). For regular verbs, just add ed.

Exceptions in Spelling when Adding ed

Exceptions in spelling when adding ed
after a final e only add d

Example
love loved

final consonant after a short, stressed vowel admit admitted or l as final consonant after a vowel is doubled travel travelled hurry hurried

final y after a consonant becomes i

Use of Simple Past

action in the past taking place once, never or several times Example: He visited his parents every weekend. actions in the past taking place one after the other Example: He came in, took off his coat and sat down. action in the past taking place in the middle of another action Example: When I was having breakfast, the phone suddenly rang. if sentences type II (If I talked, ) Example: If I had a lot of money, I would share it with you.

Signal Words of Simple Past

yesterday, 2 minutes ago, in 1990, the other day, last Friday If-Satz Typ II (If I talked, )

Exercise Was or Were?

Complete the sentences with was or were.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

I You She He It We You They The cat

happy. angry. in London last week. on holiday. cold. at school. at the cinema. at home. on the roof. in the garden.

10. The children

Exercise on positive sentences

Write positive sentences in simple past. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. he / the question / answer you / a question / ask the dog / bark they / us / call we / a mountain / climb John / stamps / collect we / in London / live I / hungry / be they / a hamster / have

10. he / to school / go

Exercise on Simple Past

Have a look at James's last week's diary and answer the questions in complete sentences. Put the time expression at the end of the sentence.
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Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Sun

football shopping meeting ring Jane buy flowers

concert sailing

cinema

tennis

English

Italian restaurant

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

When was his English course? When did he go shopping? When did he buy flowers? When was his meeting? When did he play football? When did he go to the Italian restaurant? When did he ring Jane? When did he go to the cinema? When did he play tennis?

10. When was the concert? 11. When did he go sailing?

Exercise on negative sentences Rewrite the sentences in the negative.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. They collected postcards. You jumped high. Albert played squash. The teacher tested our English. Fiona visited her grandma. He washed the car. You were thirsty. He had a computer. I bought bread.
They did not

10. You saw the house.

Exercise on questions
1. 2. 3. 4. Anna / the window / open she / home / walk you / in the garden / work you / a song / sing

Write questions in simple past.

Did Anna op

5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

she / on a chair / sit you / the castle / visit Jenny / the door / lock she / happy / be Greg / the ball / kick

10. the car / at the corner / stop

Exercise on questions with interrogative.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. She pushed her bike. She carried a bag. We waited in the park. The policeman arrested the thief. We ate fish. She watched the match last night.

Ask for the bold part of the sentence.

She asked her friend because she did not know what to do. I opened the door. The teacher checked our homework.

10. Cindy Cindy had a dog.

Put the verbs into the correct form (simple past). 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Last year I (spend) It (be) I (travel)
spent

my holiday in Ireland.

great. around by car with two friends and we (visit) to a pub. some Irish dances. lots of interesting places.

In the evenings we usually (go) One night we even (learn) We (be) It (not / rain) But we (see) Where (spend / you)

very lucky with the weather. a lot. some beautiful rainbows. your last holiday?

Past Progressive (Past Continuous)

The past progressive puts emphasis on the course of an action in the past.

Form
Positive
I / he / she / it I was speaking.

Negative
I was not speaking.

Question
Was I speaking?

you / we / they You were speaking. You were not speaking. Were you speaking?

Exceptions in Spelling
Exceptions in spelling when adding ing
final e is dropped (but: ee is not changed)

Example
come coming (but: agree agreeing) sit sitting

after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubled

l as final consonant after a vowel is doubled (in British English) travel travelling lie lying

final ie becomes y

Use of Past Progressive

puts emphasis on the course of an action in the past Example: He was playing football. two actions happening at the same time (in the past) Example: While she was preparing dinner, he was washing the dishes. action going on at a certain time in the past Example: When I was having breakfast, the phone suddenly rang.

Signal Words of Past Progressive

when, while, as long as

Was or Were
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Boris They Your father I You

Decide whether to use 'was' or 'were'. learning English. swimming in the lake. repairing the car.

reading a magazine. packing your bag.

6. 7. 8. 9.

My friends It The dog The children raining.

watching the match on TV.

barking. brushing their teeth. singing a song.

10. Anne and Maureen

Positive Sentences
Yesterday at 3 pm the following people were in the middle of an action. Write positive sentences in past progressive. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. you / play / cards Alice / walk / around the lake Caron / listen / to the radio we / read / a book about Australia Linda / look for / her ring Fiona and Sam / visit / the castle Ben / wash / the car Kim and I / wait / in the park My sister / feed / the birds

10. Greg and Phil / count / their money

Negative Sentences
Somebody believes that yesterday at 3 pm the following people were in the middle of an action. That cannot be, however, as yesterday at 3 pm these people were not doing those things. Write negative sentences in past progressive. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Sarah and Luke / not / work Mister Miller / not / teach / chemistry Barry / not / drive / a lorry Mandy / not / have / lunch Albert / not / play / tennis Taylor and Bob / not / cycle / home Annie / not / clean / the table Benjamin / not / write / an e-mail Jane / not / exercise / in the gym

10. Robert / not / buy / flowers

Questions
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Write questions in past progressive.

Rachel / feed / the cat the children / paint / a picture Clark / repair / his computer Hazel / swim / in the pool Lucas / have / a shower Jason and Aron / run / down the street Betty / do / her homework Cindy and James / make / dinner Rebecca / watch / Star Trek

10. Anita and Linda / sit / in the kitchen

Questions with Interrogatives

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Henry was living in London last year.

Ask for the information in the bold part of the sentence.

Anita was working at a restaurant last week. Ricky was waiting for Holly. Sarah was singing a song. Joe was reading a book. At six o'clock, Myriam and her family were having dinner. Bob was walking home because his car had a flat tire. At half past seven, Mister Logan was driving home. The children were playing in the sandbox.

10. Claire was visiting her best friend.

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Put the verbs into the correct form (past progressive). 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. When I phoned my friends, they (play) Yesterday at six I (prepare) The kids (play) I (practise) We (not / cycle) While Aaron (work)
w ere playin

monopoly.

dinner. in the garden when it suddenly began to rain.

the guitar when he came home. all day. in his room, his friends (swim) . in the pool.

I tried to tell them the truth but they (listen / not) What (you / do) yesterday?

9.

Most of the time we (sit)

in the park.

Simple Past Past Progressive

Form
Simple Past
irregular verbs: see 2nd column of irregular verbs
I spoke

Past Progressive
past form of 'be' + ing form of verb

regular verbs: verb + ed

I worked

I was speaking you were speaking he / she / it was speaking we were speaking they were speaking

Exceptions Exceptions when adding 'ed' : when the final letter is e, only add d. Example: love - loved after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubled Example: admit - admitted final l is always doubled in British English (not in American English) Example: travel - travelled after a consonant, final y becomes i. (but: not after a vowel) Example: worry - he worried but: play - he played Exceptions when adding 'ing' : silent e is dropped (but: does not apply for -ee) Example: come - coming but: agree - agreeing after a short, stressed vowel, the final consonant is doubled Example: sit - sitting final l is always doubled in British English (not in American English) Example: travel - travelling final ie becomes y. Example: lie - lying

Use
After another or at the same time?
Do you want to express that the actions in the past happened one after another or at the same time?

Simple Past
at the same time after another

Past Progressive

Simon was playing on the computer while his brother was watching She came home, switched on the computer and checked her emails. TV.

New action or already in progress?

If you want to express that a new action happened in the middle of another action, you need both tenses: Simple Past the new action and Past Progressive for the action already in progress.

Simple Past
new action

Past Progressive
action already in progress
While I was sitting in a meeting, (my mobile suddenly rang.)

My mobile rang (when I was sitting in a meeting.)

Only mentioning or emphasising progress?

Do you just want to mention that an action took place in the past (also used for short actions)? Or do you want to put emphasis on the progress, e.g. that an action was taking place at a certain time?

Simple Past
just mentioning
Colin played football yesterday.

Past Progressive
emphasising progress
Yesterday at six o'clock, Colin was playing football.

Certain Verbs
The following verbs are usually only used in Simple Past (not in the progressive form). state: be, cost, fit, mean, suit Example: We were on holiday. possession: belong, have Example: Sam had a cat. senses: feel, hear, see, smell, taste, touch Example: He felt the cold. feelings: hate, hope, like, love, prefer, regret, want, wish Example: Jane loved pizza. brain work: believe, know, think, understand Example: I did not understand him. introductory clauses for direct speech: answer, ask, reply, say Example: I am watching TV, he said.