Tenses Made Easy

The only way everyone knows what everyone else is talking about with any degree of certainty is with verb tenses. Verb tenses are absolutely necessary to fluency in English. If you are a native speaker, they add validity to your diction, story-telling, and opinions. If English is your second language, verb tenses are the most important things to master before you can call yourself fluent in the most widely-spoken language on earth. This article will address the first steps to mastering simple verb tenses in English.

Present Simple Tense

Use:

1. Facts and Generalization
2. Habits and Routine
3. Permanent Situation

State verbs (Be (is, am, are), have, think. Know and many others).

Present Simple Tense
To Talk About facts or habitual actions. Often used with frequency adverbs like; always, never, sometimes/occasionally, from time to time, nowadays, seldom/rarely, usually, frequently/often, every week/year etc.
POSITIVE	SUBJECT	VERB		COMPLEMENT
	I/You/We/They He/She/It	Work Works		Every Weekend Every Weekend
NEGATIVE	SUBJECT	AUX. + NOT	VERB	COMPLEMENT
	I He	Do not Doesn’t	Work Work	Every Weekend Every Weekend
QUESTION	AUX.	SUBJECT	VERB	COMPLEMENT
	Do Does	You He	Work Work	Every Weekend? Every Weekend?

In Positive Sentences

Facts:

• A hen lays an egg.
• Sharks have sharp teeth.
• The present simple is one of the English tenses

Generalization:

• Pakistan’s president meets chines president.

Habits:

• I smoke cigarettes

Routine:

• I learn English twice a week
• I have two eggs
• I come from Basil

Permanent Situation:

• The sun sets in the west
• The sun rises in the east
• The earth revolve around the sun

In Questions

Questions require the auxiliary verb ‘do’ or, in the 3^rd person, ‘does’. Keep in mind that when you ask a question, you don’t need‘s’ anymore. Compare these examples:

A: Does she like going to the mountains?

B: Yes, she does

Or

B: Yes, she likes going to the mountains.

Does john have a dog?

No, he doesn’t (have a dog)

Does mike often play tennis?

Do you know what the present simple is?

Is china in Europe?

In Negative Sentences

He doesn’t go to cinema at all

I don’t like winter

They don’t live in New York anymore

Fish don’t smoke cigarettes

Note: To express actions that take place regularly, you may use adverbs of frequency such as:

Always

Never

Frequently/ often

Usually

Seldom/ rarely

Nowadays

Every week/ year

Sometimes/ occasionally

From time to time

Here go a few examples of how to use them in sentences:

I always go to mosque on Fridays

I never eat anything after 10 p.m.

My computer freezes from time to time – it’s quite old.

Spoken Practice

Answer all the questions in present simple tense.

1.       Describe your full day routine round the clock.

2.       How do you typically spend your Sunday?

3.       Tell me your five good and five bad habits

4.       Tell me three things you like and three things you dislike

5.       How do you celebrate your birthday?

6.       Describe daily routine of any of your family members

7.       How does a farmer spend his life?

8.       How do you celebrate Independence Day of Pakistan?

9.       Tell me about your hobbies in detail

10.   How do you celebrate Eids every year?

11.   Complete the following sentences with oral explanation

§  I like learning English because………….

§  I dislike drinking wine because ……………

§  I love eating chicken because ……………

§  I hate telling a lie because ……………

§  I am keen on playing or watching cricket because……………

§  I can’t stand summer because ……………

§  I can’t help meeting my friends because ……………

§  I adore my parents because ……………

§  I miss my __________ because ……………