The document provides an overview of simple present tense grammar including: 1. It discusses conjugated verbs in simple present tense and subject-verb agreement rules. 2. It explains the different sentence functions that can be expressed using simple present such as declaratives, interrogatives, and habitual activities. 3. It distinguishes stative verbs from other verbs and provides a list of common stative verbs.

1. Simple Present Tense

2. 1. Grammatical concepts of simple present tense
1. 1 Conjugated verbs
1. 2 Subject – Verb agreement
What’s that?
You’ll see!
Course objectives
At the end of the class you will learn :
2. Sentence functions in simple present form
2.1 Declaratives (affirmatives and negatives)
2.2 Interrogatives (Yes/No tag questions)

3. Simple present tense?
Things to Ponder
Past Present Future
(Timeline)

4. Simple Present Tense The simple present says that
something was true in the past, is true
in the present, and will be true in the
future.
Consider these sentences!
4.5 Billion years ago January 01, 2016 January 01, 2020
Past Present Future
(Timeline)
The earth rotates once in every 24 hours.
VS
The earth is rotating as we speak
The earth from the
International Space Station
#1 The simple present tense
expresses general statements
of fact and timeless truths.

5. Simple Present Tense
#2 The simple present is used to
express habitual or everyday
activities.
I wake up at seven every morning

6. Daily Routines
I wake up at seven every morning
I ….my teeth
I take a . . . The
water feels good.
I . . . my breakfast. It
tastes very good
And then
After that When dressed. I head
down to the kitchen and
When ready,
I . . . to school
I . . . my lunch
with a friend
I . . . home.
During lunchtime,
When school is over

7. Simple Present Tense
She wakes up at seven
every morning
That is correct!
Consider this sentence!

8. Simple Present Tense
Why wakes and
not wake?
English grammar rule
called Subject – Verb
Agreement

9. Conjugated Verbs
(B) Suffix - s/- es Use and Pronunciation and Spelling
(a) NOUN + -S: Friends are important.
NOUN + -ES: I like my classes.
(b) VERB + -s: Mary works at the bank.
VERB + -ES: John watches birds.
A suffix -s or -es is added to a noun to
make the noun plural.
friend = a singular noun
friends = a plural noun
A suffix -s or -es is added to a simple present verb
when the subject is a singular noun (e.g., Mary,
my father, the machine) or third person singular
pronoun (she, he, it).
Mary works = singular
The students work = plural
She works = singular
They work = plural
# 1 Suffix - s/- es Use

10. # 2 Suffix - s/- es Pronunciation
suffix -s is pronounced /s/ after voiceless
sounds “p," “t," and "k" are examples of
voiceless sounds.*
suffix -s is pronounced /z/ after voiced sounds, as in
(h): "d," "b," "g," and "ee" are examples of voiced
sounds."
suffix -s and -es are pronounced /əz/ after "-sh," "-
ch,“ "-s”, “-z,”, and "-ge”/"-dge" sounds.
The / əz / ending adds a syllable. All of the words in
(e) are pronounced with two syllables.
COMPARE: All of the words in (c)
and (d) are pronounced with one syllable.
(c) seats -> seat/s/
cats -> cat/s/
(d) seeds -> seed/z/
robes -> robe/z/
(e) dishes -> dish /əz/
catches -> catch /əz/
Conjugated Verbs

11. # 3 Suffix - s/- es Spelling
For most words (whether a verb or a noun), simply a
final -s is added to spell the word correctly.
suffix -es is added to words that end in -sh, -ch, -s, -z,
and -x.
For words that end in -y:
In (h): If -y is preceded by a vowel, only -s is added.
( f) sing  sings
song  songs
(g) wash  washes
watch  watches
(h) toy  toys
buy  buys
(i) baby  babies
Cry  cries
In (i): If -y is preceded by a consonant, the -y is
changed to -i and -es is added.
Conjugated Verbs

12. Subject Verb Object Complement Adverbial
Type SV Someone was laughing
Type SVC The country became totally
independent
Type SVOO Mary gave the visitor
a glass of milk
Type SVOC Most people consider these book rather
expensive
Simple Present Tense
Basic Clause
Type SVO My mother enjoys parties
Type SVA I Have been in the garden
Type SVOA You must put all the toys upstairs

13. Subject – Verb Agreement
(A) Basic Subject – Verb Agreement
Singular
Subject
I
You
He
She
It
1st Person
Perspective
2nd Person
3rd Person
Function : Affirmative
Verbs
play (-s/-es)
(to be)
is/am/are
Object and/or other
construction
a guitar
America

14. Subject – Verb Agreement
(A) Basic Subject – Verb Agreement
Subject Verbs Object and/or other
construction
Plural
They
You
We
Perspective
3rd Person
2nd Person
1st Person
Function : Affirmative
play (-s/-es)
(to be)
is/am/are
a guitar
America

15. Subject – Verb Agreement
(A) Basic Subject – Verb Agreement (cont)
PluralSingular
Subject Verbs
I
You
He
She
It
They
You
We
Object
(do not) play Guitar
1st Person
Perspective Perspective
2nd Person
3rd Person
3rd Person
2nd Person
1st Person
Function : Negatives

16. A yes/no question = a question that may be answered by
yes or no and it begins with Do/Does/Doesn’t
(A) Basic Subject – Verb Agreement (cont)
Function: Interrogatives – yes/no question
Subject – Verb Agreement
In a yes/no question in which the
verb is negative, usually a
contraction (e.g., does + not =
doesn't) is used BUT never in
written English!
He lives in Chicago
A: Does he live in Chicago?
B: Yes, he does. OR No, he
doesn't.
A: Doesn’t he live in Chicago?
B: No, he doesn't.
I live in Chicago
A: Do you live in Chicago?
B: Yes, I do OR No, I don’t
1st/2nd/3rd person Plural 3rd person singular
He does/doesn’t live in Chicago

17. Subject – Verb Agreement
(A) Basic Subject – Verb Agreement (cont)
PluralSingular
Subject Verbs
I
You
He
She
It
They
You
We
Object
Play Guitar
1st Person
Perspective Perspective
2nd Person
3rd Person
3rd Person
2nd Person
1st Person
Function: Interrogatives

18. Simple Present Tense
I see!
Alright!
Don’t forget the
stative verbs.

19. Some English verbs have stative meanings. They
describe states: conditions or situations that exist. When
verbs have stative meanings, they are usually not used
in progressive tenses.
In (a): tastes and like have stative meanings. Each
describes a state that exists.
Stative Verbs
A verb such as taste has a stative meaning, but also a
progressive meaning. In (c): tasting describes the action of
the chef putting something in his mouth and actively testing
its flavor (progressive). In (d): tastes describes the person's
awareness of the quality of the food (stative).
A verb such as like has a stative meaning. It is rarely,
if ever, used in progressive tenses. In (e): It is incorrect to say
He isn‘t liking it.
(a) Yum! This food tastes good.
I like it very much.
(b) INCORRECT: This food is tasting good.
I am liking it very much.
(c) The chef is in his kitchen.
He is tasting the sauce.
(d) It tastes too salty.
(e) He doesn't like it.

20. COMMON VERBS THAT HAVE STATIVE MEANINGS
Note: Verbs with an asterisk (*) are like the verb taste: they
can have both stative and progressive meanings
and uses.
(1) MENTAL STATE : know, believe, realize, feel, understand,
suppose, recognize, think*, imagine*, want*, doubt*, need,
remember*, desire, forget*, mean*.
(2) EMOTIONAL STATE : love, like, appreciate, please, prefer,
hate, dislike, fear, envy, mind, care, astonish, amaze,
surprise.
(3) POSSESSION : possess, have*, own, belong.
(4) SENSE PERCEPTIONS : taste*, hear, see*, smell*, feel*.
(5) OTHER EXISTING STATES : seem , cost*, be*, consist of,
look*, owe, exist, contain, appear*, weigh*, matter,
include*, sound, equal, resemble, look, like.
Stative Verbs

21. Subject – Verb Agreement
Basic Subject – Verb Agreement (cont)
( a ) My friend lives in Boston.
SINGULAR VERB PLURAL VERB
(b) My friends live in Boston.
verb + -s/-es = third person
singular in the simple present
tense
noun + -s/-es = plural
(c) My brother and sister live in
Boston.
(d) My brother, sister, and cousin
live in Boston.
Two or more subjects
connected by and require a
plural verb.
( e ) Every man, woman, and
child needs love.
( f ) Each book and magazine
is listed in the card catalog.
EXCEPTION: Every and each are
always followed immediately by
singular nouns. In this case, even
when there are two (or more) nouns
connected by and, the verb is
singular.

22. Subject – Verb Agreement
Basic Subject – Verb Agreement (cont)
(g) That book on political
parties is interesting.
SINGULAR VERB PLURAL VERB
Sometimes a phrase or clause
separates a subject from its verb.
These interrupting structures do not
affect basic agreement. For example,
in (g) the interrupting prepositional
phrase on political parties does not
change the fact that the verb is must
agree with the subject book.
(h) The item in that book are
interesting.
( i ) My dog, as well as my
cats, likes cat food.
( j ) My dogs, as well as my
cat, like cat food.
Azar, Betty Schrampfer, and Stacy A. Hagen. Understanding and Using English Grammar. White Plains, New York: Pearson Longman, 2009