This document discusses basic tenses in English, including the present and past simple tense. It provides examples of affirmative, negative, and interrogative sentence structures using the verbs "to be" and "to study." Examples are given to illustrate using the present tense to describe habitual or ongoing present actions, and the past tense to describe completed actions that occurred at a specific time in the past. Readers are encouraged to practice forming sentences in the simple present and past tenses and to practice conversational English in small groups.

2. 20 years ago…

3. Tenses
Present and Past

4. Basic sentence construction
She is a student. She studies in the university.
Sentence
Subject + be Subject + verb
She is not a student. She doesn’t study in the university.
Affirmative/ positive
Negative
Interrogative /question Is she a student? Does she study in the university?
In simple tenses
Important note : “Never use ‘be’ and ‘verb’ at the same time.
Example : *Andy is study in the USA.

5. Present and Past Simple
Sentence
Subject + be Subject + verb
Present Past Past
Present
• is
• am
• are
• was
• were
• Verb (or + ‘-s’) for
positive sentences
• Do or does + not for
negative and
interrogative
sentences
• Verb II (+ ‘ed’) for
positive sentences
• Did + not for
negative and
interrogative
sentences

6. Time marker
Present
• Everyday, every year etc.
• Now
• Factual information
Past
• Yesterday
• Last year/month

7. Example:

8. What does your father look like?
• My father is short and a bit overweight.
• He has short gray hair and wears glasses.
• When I was a kid, my father was slim.
• He didn’t wear glasses and he had short black hair.
Present
Past

9. In conversation

10. Group work

11. Conversation Practice