INGLES

INTERMEDIATE I UNIT 1: PRESENT AND PAST LESSON 1: I Speak

 

 

"It's time to take notes"

 

USE 1 Repeated Actions

Use the Simple Present to express the idea that an action is repeated or usual. The action can be a habit, a hobby, a daily event, a scheduled event or something that often happens. It can also be something a person often forgets or usually does not do.

Examples:

• I play soccer.
• I take the bus to the office.
• She always forgets her purse.
• He never forgets his pen.
• Every twelve months, the Earth circles the Sun.
• John sleeps nine hours every night during the week.
  • HABITS
• I get up early every day.
• Carolina brushes her teeth twice a day.
• They travel to their country house every weekend.

USE 2 Facts or Generalizations

The Simple Present can also indicate the speaker believes that a fact was true before, is true now, and will be true in the future. It is not important if the speaker is correct about the fact. It is also used to make generalizations about people or things.

Examples:

• Cats like milk.
• Birds do not like milk.
• Do pigs like milk?
• California is in America.
• California is not in the United Kingdom.
• Windows are made of glass.
• Windows are not made of wood.
• New York is a small city. (It is not important that this fact is untrue).

USE 3 Scheduled Events in the Near Future

Speakers occasionally use Simple Present to talk about scheduled events in the near future. This is most commonly done when talking about public transportation, but it can be used with other scheduled events as well.

Examples:

• The train leaves tonight at 6 PM.
• The bus does not arrive at 11 AM, it arrives at 11 PM.
• When do we board the plane?
• The party starts at 8 o'clock.
• When does class begin tomorrow?

USE 4 Now (Non-Continuous Verbs)

Speakers sometimes use the Simple Present to express the idea that an action is happening or is not happening now. This can only be done with Non-Continuous Verbs and certain Mixed Verbs.

Examples:

• I am here now.
• She is not here now.
• He needs help right now.
• He does not need help now.
• He has his passport in his hand.
• Do you have your passport with you?

USE 5 For things that are always/generally true.

Examples:

• It rains a lot in winter.
• The Queen of England lives in Buckingham Palace.
• They speak English at work.

VERB CONJUGATION & SPELLING

We form the present tense using the base form of the infinitive (without the TO).

In general, in the third person we add 'S' in the third person.

The spelling for the verb in the third person differs depending on the ending of that verb:

1. For verbs that end in -O, -CH, -SH, -SS, -X, or -Z we add -ES in the third person.

• go – goes
• catch – catches
• wash – washes
• kiss – kisses
• fix – fixes
• buzz – buzzes

2. For verbs that end in a consonant + Y, we remove the Y and add -IES.

• marry – marries
• study – studies
• carry – carries
• worry – worries

NOTE: For verbs that end in a vowel + Y, we just add -S.

• play – plays
• enjoy – enjoys
• say – says

QUESTIONS IN THE SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

To make a question in English we normally use Do or Does. It is normally put at the beginning of the question.

Examples of Questions with Do and Does:

• Do you need a dictionary?
• Does Mary need a dictionary?
• Do we have a meeting now?
• Does it rain a lot in winter?
• Do they want to go to the party?
• Does he like pizza?

Short Answers with Do and Does:

In questions that use do/does it is possible to give short answers to direct question as follow:

 

 

"It's time to listen"

 

available on: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7JeWkZ5irA8

 

 

QUESTION: Choose the right answer to complete the question: _______ you_______ up at 6 a.m?