WHEN TO USE THE PRESENT SIMPLE
• PERMANENT
or long-lasting situations.
Ex:
Where do you work?
He lives in Paris.
•
Regular
HABITS
and daily
ROUTINES
.
Ex:
I usually get up at 7 o'clock.
She doesn't often go to the theatre.
• FACTS
.
Ex:
The Earth revolves around the Sun.
Water doesn't boil at 20 degrees. It boils at 100 degrees.
• FEELINGS
.
Ex:
I love cooking.
She feels sad.
• OPINIONS
and
STATES OF MIND
.
Ex:
They don't agree with us.
I think he is stupid.
• TIMETABLES
and
SCHEDULES
Ex:
The plane leaves at 6 p.m.
The train doesn't arrive until 10.35.
AFFIRMATIVE
I like
You like
He / She like
S
We like
You like
They like
NEGATIVE
I
DON’T
(DO NOT) like
You
DON’T
like
He / She
DOESN’T
like
Ø
We
DON’T
like
You
DON’T
like
They
DON’T
like
GRAMMAR POINT:
THE PRESENT SIMPLE
INTERROGATIVE
DO
I like …?
DO
you like …?
DOES
he / she like
Ø
…?
DO
we like …?
DO
you like …?
DO
they like …?
TIME TO PRACTISE!
Exercise 1: Choose the right answer.
1.
How often ___________________ go to the cinema?
do you go
does you go
go you
2.
He ___________________ get up early on Sundays.
not
doesn’t
don’t
3.
My father ___________________ in a hospital.
works
work
do work
4.
Where ___________________ live?
do your cousin
your cousin
does your cousin
5.
They ___________________ play tennis.
not
doesn’t
don’t
6.
He ___________________ English and Spanish fluently
don’t speak
speaks
speak
7.
I ___________________ drinking coffee.
don’t like
doesn’t like
like not
8.
Where ___________________?
does they live
do they live
live they?
Exercise 2: Some information in the following paragraph is missing. Write the
questions you are going to ask to know the missing information.
Mr. Lee is a bus driver. Every day he gets up at ___
1
___ and prepares for his day. He
showers, eats ___
2
___, and puts on his uniform. His wife drives him to ___
3
___ where he
checks in with his supervisor. Then, he gets on Bus ___
4
___ and starts the engine. He pulls
out of the parking lot and begins his route. At his first stop, he picks up Mrs. Miller, who lives
in a red house on the corner of Main Street and Seventh Avenue. She works at ___
5
___ and
has to be to work by 9:00. At the next stop, ___
6
___ get on the bus. They attend class at
Bayside Elementary. ___
7
___children get on at the next three stops, and they ride until the
bus reaches their school. Mr Lee enjoys seeing the kids every day and is happy to see them
again in the ___
8
___when he drives them safely back home.
(Taken from
http://www.eslgold.com/grammar/simple_present.html
)
1.
_______________________________________________________________________
2.
_______________________________________________________________________
3.
_______________________________________________________________________
4.
_______________________________________________________________________
5.
_______________________________________________________________________
6.
_______________________________________________________________________
7.
_______________________________________________________________________
8.
_______________________________________________________________________
SOLUTIONS
Exercise 1:
1.
How often
do you
go to the cinema?
2.
He
doesn’t
get up early on Sundays.
3.
My father
works
in a hospital.
4.
Where
does your cousin
live?
5.
They
don’t
play tennis.
6.
He
speaks
English and Spanish fluently
7.
I
don’t like
drinking coffee.
8.
Where
do they live
?
Exercise 2:
1. What time
does Mr. Lee get up?
2. What
does he eat?
3. Where
does his wife drive him?
4. What
bus does he get on?
5. Where
does Mrs. Miller work?
6. Who
get
s
on the bus at the next stop?
7. How many
children get on at the next three stops?
8. When
does Mr Less see the kids again?
NOTE
: Don’t forget to explain to your students why we don’t need the auxiliary DO /
DOES in Question 6 and Question 7.
Original text:
Mr. Lee 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. Miller, who lives in a red
house on the corner of Main Street and Seventh Avenue. She works at the post office and has
to be to work by 9:00. At the next stop, the Bartlett twins get on the bus. They attend class at
Bayside Elementary. More children get on at the next three stops, and they ride until the bus
reaches their school. Mr. Lee enjoys seeing the kids every day and is happy to see them again
in the afternoon when he drives them safely back home.
(
http://www.eslgold.com/grammar/simple_present.html
)