IELTS grammar. Lesson 5: Present Simple
It is crucial to know when and how to use Present Simple tense to succeed in IELTS. Often test-takers make simple mistakes, confusing Present Simple with other tenses or writing verbs incorrectly.
To avoid such mistakes, complete this lesson and learn when we use Present Simple and how we change verbs' endings in Present Simle.
Firstly, read the theory in green box, and after that complete the exercises below.
Present simple tense is used to:
- express an action that is repeated and/or usual
I play tennis, she swims, he reads books etc.
- indicate speakers believes and facts, make generalizations about different things
Paris is the capital of France, tables are made of wood etc.
- talk about events in the near future
Plane leaves at 17:30 today, classes start at 8:00 tomorrow etc.
Present simple tense is formed with the base form of the verb. To form the third person singular you need to add -s or -es at the end of the verb. Verb to have changes to has in the third person singular form.
I speak, I watch We speak, we watch
You speak, you watch They speak, they watch
He/she/it speaks, he/she/it watches
The only exeption to this rule is the verb to be.
I am We are
You are They are
He/she/it is
Impotant note: if the verb ends in -y, the third person changes to -ies (fly -> flies, cry -> cries etc) BUT if there is a vowel before y, we write s at the end (play -> plays)
We also use present simple tense with
- adverbs, such as: often, always, never, rarely, usually etc (He is always busy, she never listens to me),
- expressions like: nowadays, this day, today, every day etc (Nowadays people spend a lot of time on the Internet).