Free English Grammar - Mary Ansell 2000
Chapter 2. The simple present of other than the verb to be
1. Formation of the simple present
The Simple Present of any verb other than the verb to be is formed from the bare infinitive of the verb. As shown in the following examples, the bare infinitive of a verb consists of the infinitive without the word to. The bare infinitive is the form in which English verbs are usually listed in dictionaries. For example:
Infinitive
to be
to walk
to work
Bare Infinitive
be
walk
work
In the Simple Present of verbs other than the verb to be, the form of the verb used with the subjects I, you, we and they is the same as the bare infinitive. The form of the verb used with the subjects he, she and it has the ending s added to the bare infinitive.
For example, the Simple Present of the verb to work is conjugated as follows:
I work
you work
he works
she works
it works
we work
they work
The form of the verb used with the subjects he, she and it is generally referred to as the third person singular
See Exercise 1.
a. The simple present of the verb To Have
The Simple Present of the verb to have is slightly irregular, since the bare infinitive is have, whereas the form of the verb used in the third person singular is has. The Simple Present of the verb to have is conjugated as follows:
I have
you have
he has
she has
it has
we have
they have
See Exercise 2.
2. Spelling rules for adding s in the third person singular
Some verbs change their spelling when s is added in the third person singular.
a. Verbs ending in y
The English letters a, e, i, о and u are generally referred to as vowels. The other English letters are generally referred to as consonants.
When a verb ends in y immediately preceded by a consonant, the y is changed to ie before the ending s is added. In each of the following examples, the consonant immediately preceding the final y is underlined.
Bare Infinitive
study
fly
carry
Third Person Singular
studies
flies
carries
However, when a verb ends in y immediately preceded by a vowel, the y is not changed before the ending s is added. In each of the following examples, the vowel immediately preceding the final y is underlined.
Bare Infinitive
say
enjoy
buy
Third Person Singular
says
enjoys
buys
See Exercise 3.
b. Verbs ending in о
When a verb ends in о, the letter e is added before the s ending. For example:
Bare Infinitive
do
echo
go
Third Person Singular
does
echoes
goes
c. Verbs ending in ch, s, sh, x or z
When a verb ends in a sibilant sound such as ch, s, sh, x or z, the letter e is added before the s ending. For example:
Bare Infinitive
pass
push
watch
fix
buzz
Third Person Singular
passes
pushes
watches
fixes
buzzes
See Exercise 4.
3. Pronunciation of the es ending
A syllable is a unit of pronunciation, usually consisting of a vowel sound which may or may not be accompanied by consonants.
When a verb ends in a sibilant sound such as ch, s, sh, x or z, the es ending of the third person singular is pronounced as a separate syllable. The reason for this is that these sounds are so similar to the sound of the es ending, that the ending must be pronounced as a separate syllable in order to be heard clearly.
In each of the following examples the bare infinitive consists of one syllable, whereas the form of the verb used in the third person singular consists of two syllables.
Bare Infinitive
pass
push
catch
mix
Third Person Singular
passes
pushes
catches
mixes
Similarly, when s is added to verbs ending in ce, ge, se or ze, the final es is usually pronounced as a separate syllable. In each of the following examples the bare infinitive consists of one syllable, whereas the form of the verb used in the third person singular consists of two syllables.
Bare Infinitive
race
rage
praise
doze
Third Person Singular
races
rages
praises
dozes
However, when s is added to a verb ending in e preceded by a letter other than c, g, s or z, the final es is not pronounced as a separate syllable. In each of the following examples, both the bare infinitive and the form of the verb used in the third person singular consist of one syllable.
Bare Infinitive
make
smile
dine
save
Third Person Singular
makes
smiles
dines
saves
See Exercise 5.
4. The auxiliary Do
With the exception of the verb to be, verbs in modern English use the auxiliary do to form questions and negative statements in the Simple Present.
The Simple Present of the verb to do is conjugated as follows:
I do
you do
he does
she does
it does
we do
they do
Auxiliaries are verbs which are combined with other verbs to form various tenses. It should be noted that when an auxiliary is combined with another verb, it is the auxiliary which must agree with the subject, while the form of the other verb remains invariable.
When the auxiliary do is combined with another verb, the other verb always has the form of the bare infinitive.
a. Questions
In order to form a question in the Simple Present of any verb other than the verb to be, the Simple Present of the auxiliary do is added before the subject, and the bare infinitive of the verb is placed after the subject. For example:
Affirmative Statement
I work.
You work.
He works.
She works.
It works.
We work.
They work.
Question
Do I work?
Do you work?
Does he work?
Does she work?
Does it work?
Do we work?
Do they work?
See Exercise 6.
b. Negative statements
In order to form a negative statement, the Simple Present of the auxiliary do followed by the word not is placed before the bare infinitive of the verb. For example:
Affirmative Statement
I work.
You work.
He works.
She works.
It works.
We work.
They work.
Negative Statement
I do not work.
You do not work.
He does not work.
She does not work.
It does not work.
We do not work.
They do not work.
See Exercise 7.
In spoken English, the following contractions are often used:
Without contractions
do not
does not
With contractions
don't
doesn't
c. Negative questions
To form a negative question, the Simple Present of the auxiliary do is placed before the subject, and the word not followed by the bare infinitive is placed after the subject. However, when contractions are used, the contracted form of not follows immediately after the Simple Present of the auxiliary do. For example:
Without contractions
Do I not work?
Do you not work?
Does he not work?
Does she not work?
Does it not work?
Do we not work?
Do they not work?
With contractions
Don't I work?
Don't you work?
Doesn't he work?
Doesn't she work?
Doesn't it work?
Don't we work?
Don't they work?
See Exercise 8.
d. Tag questions
The auxiliary do or does is used for a tag question which follows a statement containing the Simple Present of a verb other than the verb to be. In the following examples, the negative tag questions are underlined. Contractions are usually used in negative tag questions.
Affirmative Statement
I work.
You work.
He works.
She works.
It works.
We work.
They work.
Affirmative Statement with Tag Question
I work, don't I?
You work, don't you?
He works, doesn't he?
She works, doesn't she?
It works, doesn't it?
We work, don't we?
They work, don't they?
See Exercise 9.
e. The verb To Have
It should be noted that, particularly in British English, in the case of the Simple Present and Simple Past of the verb to have, questions and negative statements are sometimes formed in the same way as for the verb to be, without the use of the auxiliary do.
e.g. He has a sister, hasn't he?
Exercises for Chapter 2
1. Using the Simple Present tense, fill in the blanks with the correct forms of the verbs shown in brackets. For example:
I ... to the radio. (to listen)
I listen to the radio.
He ... to the radio. (to listen)
He listens to the radio.
1. She ... the guitar. (to play)
2. We ... soccer. (to play)
3. They ... to talk. (to like)
4. He ... ice cream. (to like)
5. You ... your friends often. (to call)
6. He ... the office every day. (to call)
7. She ... regularly. (to practise)
8. They ... once a week. (to practise)
9. We ... here. (to shop)
10. It ... delicious. (to taste)
Answers
2. Using the Simple Present tense, fill in the blanks with the correct forms of the verb to have. For example:
I ... a pen.
I have a pen.
He ... two pencils.
He has two pencils.
1. I ... many books.
2. You ... an apartment.
3. He ... a bicycle.
4. We ... fun.
5. They ... two sleds.
6. She ... milk in her tea.
7. I ... a warm sweater.
8. We ... breakfast at eight o'clock.
9. He ... an alarm clock.
10. They ... a sense of humor.
Answers
3. Paying attention to which verbs change their spelling before adding s in the third person singular, fill in the blanks with the Simple Present of the verbs shown in brackets. For example:
He always ... promptly. (to reply)
He always replies promptly.
She ... little. (to say)
She says little.
They ... bridge once a week. (to play)
They play bridge once a week.
1. He ... it. (to deny)
2. They ... to be on time. (to try)
3. It ... to be careful. (to pay)
4. She ... hard. (to study)
5. You ... good manners. (to display)
6. He always ... himself. (to enjoy)
7. She ... to Ireland once a year. (to fly)
8. We ... five people. (to employ)
9. He ... his friends. (to accompany)
10. She ... chocolate chip cookies every week. (to buy)
Answers
4. Paying attention to which verbs take s and which take es in the third person singular, fill in the blanks with the Simple Present of the verbs shown in brackets. For example:
He ... everywhere on foot. (to go)
He goes everywhere on foot.
It ... surprising. (to seem)
It seems surprising.
They ... skiing. (to teach)
They teach skiing.
1. She ... a great deal of work. (to do)
2. He ... television every evening. (to watch)
3. She ... a horse. (to own)
4. We ... the dishes every night. (to do)
5. She ... she had a pair of skates. (to wish)
6. He ... us to call him. (to want)
7. She ... she made a mistake. (to confess)
8. He usually ... the truth. (to tell)
9. They ... apples to make cider. (to press)
10. It ... out easily. (to wash)
Answers
5. For each of the following verbs, underline the letter or letters representing the sound preceding the es ending, and then indicate the number of syllables in the verb. For example:
wishes ...
wishes 2
laces ...
laces 2
takes ...
takes 1
1. watches ...
2. teases ...
3. likes ...
4. rushes ...
5. faces ...
6. dines ...
7. misses ...
8. tames ...
9. scares ...
10. passes ...
11. pinches ...
12. wades ...
Answers
6. Change the following affirmative statements into questions. For example:
She walks to work.
Does she walk to work?
They take the bus.
Do they take the bus?
1. I hurry home.
2. He drives a truck.
3. You follow the news.
4. They want a pet.
5. She likes flowers.
6. We need tea.
7. She answers the questions.
8. He drinks coffee.
9. I learn quickly.
10. It rains heavily.
Answers
7. Change the affirmative statements given in Exercise 6 into negative statements. For example:
She walks to work.
She does not walk to work.
They take the bus.
They do not take the bus.
Answers
8. Change the affirmative statements given in Exercise 6 into negative questions. Give both the forms without contractions, and the forms with contractions. For example:
She walks to work.
Does she not walk to work?
Doesn't she walk to work?
They take the bus.
Do they not take the bus?
Don't they take the bus?
Answers
9. Add negative tag questions to the affirmative statements given in Exercise 6. Use contractions for the tag questions. For example:
She walks to work.
She walks to work, doesn't she?
They take the bus.
They take the bus, don't they?
Answers
Answers to the exercises for Chapter 2
Answers to Exercise 1:
1. plays 2. play 3. like 4. likes 5. call 6. calls 7. practises 8. practise 9. shop 10. tastes
Answers to Exercise 2:
1. have 2. have 3. has 4. have 5. have 6. has 7. have 8. have 9. has 10. have
Answers to Exercise 3:
1. denies 2. try 3. pays 4. studies 5. display 6. enjoys 7. flies 8. employ 9. accompanies 10. buys
Answers to Exercise 4:
1. does 2. watches 3. owns 4. do 5. wishes 6. wants 7. confesses 8. tells 9. press 10. washes
Answers to Exercise 5:
1. watches 2 2. teases 2 3. likes 1 4. rushes 2 5. faces 2 6. dines 1 7. misses 2 8. tames 1 9. scares 1 10. passes 2 11. pinches 2 12. wades 1
Answers to Exercise 6:
1. Do I hurry home? 2. Does he drive a truck? 3. Do you follow the news? 4. Do they want a pet? 5. Does she like flowers? 6. Do we need tea? 7. Does she answer the questions? 8. Does he drink coffee? 9. Do I learn quickly? 10. Does it rain heavily?
Answers to Exercise 7:
1. I do not hurry home. 2. He does not drive a truck. 3. You do not follow the news. 4. They do not want a pet. 5. She does not like flowers. 6. We do not need tea. 7. She does not answer the questions. 8. He does not drink coffee. 9. I do not learn quickly. 10. It does not rain heavily.
Answers to Exercise 8:
1. Do I not hurry home? Don't I hurry home? 2. Does he not drive a truck? Doesn't he drive a truck? 3. Do you not follow the news? Don't you follows the news? 4. Do they not want a pet? Don't they want a pet? 5. Does she not like flowers? Doesn't she like flowers? 6. Do we not need tea? Don't we need tea? 7. Does she not answer the questions? Doesn't she answer the questions? 8. Does he not drink coffee? Doesn't he drink coffee? 9. Do I not learn quickly? Don't I learn quickly? 10. Does it not rain heavily? Doesn't it rain heavily?
Answers to Exercise 9:
1. I hurry home, don't I? 2. He drives a truck, doesn't he? 3. You follow the news, don't you? 4. They want a pet, don't they? 5. She likes flowers, doesn't she? 6. We need tea, don't we? 7. She answers the questions, doesn't she? 8. He drinks coffee, doesn't he? 9. I learn quickly, don't I? 10. It rains heavily, doesn't it?