PRESENT TENSE before we start let’s test your English Grammar

The English Tense System

The links below are to lessons for each of the 12 basic tenses.

In each lesson we look at two aspects of the tense:

• Structure: How do we make the tense?
• Use: When and why do we use the tense?

Some lessons look at additional aspects, and most of them finish with a quiz to check your understanding.

Present Tense

Present Continuous Tense

Present Perfect Tense

Present Perfect Continuous Tense

Simple Past Tense

Past Continuous Tense

Past Perfect Tense

Past Perfect Continuous Tense

Future Tense

Future Continuous Tense

Future Perfect Tense

Future Perfect Continuous Tense

We use the Present Tense to talk about things that always happen, or habits.

I swim in the sea every Saturday. (This is a current activity.) I am happy. (This is a current state of being) The meeting ends at 6 o’clock. (This is a future activity.) A man walks into a bar. Ouch! (This is a past activity.) I go to school at 7:00. Lizards climb on the wall.

Also, we use the present tense to talk about things that are always true, or facts.

The sun rises in the east. Flowers need water to live.

*In the Present Tense, if the subject is He, She, or It, you must add –s to the verb.

• Wrong: Daniel eat dinner at 7:00. (x)
• Right: Daniel eats dinner at 7:00.

Fix the mistakes in the following sentences:

 Quiz 1

1. Julie like to play baseball.
2. My friend lend me a pencil every day.
3. They are walk to school every morning.
4. The baby cry when he is hungry.

CHECK ANSWERS

[quads id=2]

We use the Present Tense to talk about things that always happen, or habits.

We eat lunch at 12:00 every day. Cats like to climb trees.

Also, we use the present tense to talk about things that are always true, or facts.

The weather is hotter in the summer. Cows eat grass.

*In the Present Tense, if the subject is He, She, or It, you must add

–s or –es to the verb.

• Wrong: Jake play tennis every day. (x)
• Right: Jake plays tennis every day.

 Quiz 2

Write a verb in the blanks to complete each sentence:

1. Keith                 in the USA.
2. Rita                 badminton every day after school.
3. My brother and I                 to our grandmothers house every Saturday.
4. David                 TV every day, so he doesn’t have a lot of energy.
5. Julie                 next to me in English class.
6. Babies                 when they are hungry.
7. George                 that coat every winter.
8. Our children                 breakfast at 7:00 every morning.
9. I                 books at the book store.
10. Emily                 to music when she writes her homework.

CHECK ANSWERS

[quads id=3]

*When you add –s to a word that ends in consonant-y (cry, fly), you have to change the –y to –i and add –es.

• Wrong: flys (x)
• Right: flies

 Quiz 3 

Fix the mistakes in the following sentences:

1. The bird flys in the sky.
2. The birds flies in the the sky.
3. My sister want to play basketball in the afternoon.
4. My father read the newspaper while he eat pizza.

CHECK ANSWERS

*When you add –s to a word that ends in s, sh, ch, x, or z (buzz, miss, catch), you add –es.

• Wrong: washs (x)
• Right: washes

quiz 4

Add –s or –es to the verbs below.

Don’t forget: If a word ends in consonant-y, you must change the y to i before adding –es!

wash                  

fax                

apply                 

win                        

try                       

ply              

pray                               

splash                   

pitch                  

cry                

hiss             

borrow                  

fetch                 

watch                  

CHECK ANSWERS

[quads id=6]

You can also talk about things you don’t like or don’t want in the Present Tense. When the subject is He, She, or It, don’t changes to doesn’t, (but then you don’t add –s to the verb).

quiz 5

Write don’t or doesn’t to complete each sentence below.

1. My mother                    want to go shopping today.
2. Tom and Mike                     have to go to school today.
3. Mary feel good today, so she                    have to go to school.
4. My pet dog                    live in our house.
5. Dogs and cats                     get along well.
6. If he                    have a map, he won’t know where to go.
7. That mountain                      have any snow.
8. We                    need to clean our room today.
9. Lori                    go to school on Sundays.

CHECK ANSWERS

[quads id=7]

We often use the Present Tense with the word when:

• I cry when I am sad.
• I watch TV when I finish my homework.
• I play basketball when I have free time.

 quiz 6

Complete the following sentences with “when…”

Example:

I listen to music.

I listen to music when I am bored.                            

1.   I drink water                                                                   

2. I study English                                                                
3. I play computer games                                                   
4. I eat                                                                                
5. I listen to music                                                              
6. I feed my cat                                                                  
7. I cry                                                                                
8. I smile                                                                            

CHECK ANSWERS

You can also talk about things you don’t like or don’t want in the Present Tense. When the subject is He, She, or It, don’t changes to doesn’t, (but then you don’t add –s to the verb).

quiz 7

Write don’t or doesn’t in the blanks to complete each sentence.

1. Brian                    like to play the piano.
2. My sister and I                    want to play with that mean boy.
3. My sister                    have to go to school on Saturday.
4. Billy and Jill                    need more pencils.
5. My cat                    like to eat dog food.

CHECK ANSWERS

practice

Now write 3 sentences with don’t, and 3 sentences with doesn’t.

quiz 8

Change the sentences below to make them negative (using

don’t or doesn’t).

Example: I like to learn English.

I don’t like to learn English.                                

1.   Jenny has a dog in her room.

2. They go to school on Saturdays.
3. We play soccer after school every day.
4. Brad wants Penny to be his girlfriend.
5. Penny likes Brad very much.
6. You have a small house.
7. My dog runs very fast.

CHECK ANSWERS

quiz 9

Fix the mistakes in these sentences:

1. The airplane flys in the sky.
2. Bill don’t want to play soccer after school today.
3. My grandmother like to watch TV in the evening.
4. Jamie don’t throw fast, but he catchs very well.
5. Does you want to go shopping with me tomorrow?
6. My baby brother crys when he hear loud noises.
7. My father cook food and my mother wash dishes.
8. If John don’t finish his homework, he can’t watch TV.

CHECK ANSWERS

quiz 10

Write a verb in the blanks to complete each sentence.

1. Julie                    movies on the weekend.
2. Mickey                    his homework after school.
3. David                    a ball very fast
4. Jan                    a pencil from me every day.
5. Randy                    piano every afternoon after school.
6. Jasper                    paper airplanes when he is bored.
7. The cardinal                    in the sky.
8. Jack                    baseball with his friends.
9. My sister                    shopping at the department store.
10. Jenny                    pictures with a pencil.
11. Ted                    more money.
12. My mother                    me money every weekend.
13. The mean dog                    people when it is hungry.
14. Sandy                    in class when she is very tired.
15. Zack                    three brothers.

CHECK ANSWERS

[quads id=3]

quiz 11

Choose six of the verbs below. Write a Present Tense (every day/every night/every afternoon/always/usually) sentence with each word.

Example: cry

The baby cries every night.

write  / play / watch / share / shake / stand/ sit / cry/ make / give / run / read

CHECK ANSWERS

Writing Assignment: Look at the paragraph below, “My Daily Routine.” This is a paragraph about what you usually do on a normal day. The sentences in the paragraph are present tense. Read the paragraph, and then write your own paragraph, titled “My Daily Routine.”

present tense

Now write your own paragraph!

My Daily Routine

……………….

……………….

……………….

CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL ANSWERS