Master the " Everyday" Tense: Cracking Simple Present Tense for Competitive Exams

    When Do We Use 

                       the Simple Present Tense                  

  The Present Indefinite Tense, also known as the Simple Present Tense, is used to express actions that are     habitual or general truths. It is commonly used to talk about daily routines, facts, and universal truths

             Structure of Present Indefinite Tense:

  Affirmative Sentences: Subject + Base form of the verb (+s/es for third person singular) + Object

•                                                   You write adventurous stories.
•                                                    She writes in a जर्नी
•       Note: Verb ends with 'e' - just add s

              make + s = makes

     Rules of adding 's':  Most verbs simple                                           

   He plays online games                           She sings a melodious song. 

        Add 'es':   -es is added when verb ends in: s, sh, ch, x,

                                      My grandmother goes to the

 temple every day.

•                                                 My father watches the news on TV daily.    

           Verbs ending in a consonant + 'y': Change 'y' to 'i' and add 'es' .

•                                            The pigeon flies away and disappears from the earth.
• 
  
•                                              The baby cries when he sees a stranger.       

            Verbs ending in a vowel+ 'y': Just add 's'

•                                                            She enjoys doing bungee jumping.
• 
  
•                                                             Sincerity pays in the long run. 

               PYQ Based MCQ TEST:    Tense + have + Sense Verbs (Very Important)

                 Verbs of possession (have, own, possess, belong to) are not used in continuous tense.

                                                     

                                                        He is having a big showroom in Delhi. 

                      Here, ' having a big showroom shows permanent possession , not a temporary                                  action. So, ' is having ' is wrong. We must use Simple Present Tense - has

                                                         Ans: He has a big showroom in Delhi.

                                When is ' having' correct with have?

                         When have + eat/ drink? experience/ take temporarily:

•                                                             I am having lunch
•                                                           She is having milkshake.
•                                                            He is having a headache.

                                               But not for permanent possession:

•                                                        I am having a luxurious car.                                                       

                   

 

Mastering Simple Present Tense for Competitive Exam |

Let's know the basic rules of Simple Present Tense:

The simple present tense is also known as the present indefinite tense, it is used to describe habitual actions, general truths, fixed future timetables. Here are some basic

 rules with examples to help you to understand its usage.

 Subject - Verb Agreement: In this tense, the verb form depends on the subject. The third person singular subjects (he, she, it) add an "s" or "es" to the base form.

For instance: You walk to school.

                 He walks to school.

 Negative Sentences: We use 'do not ' and 'does not' before the base verb to form negative sentences. Use 'does not ' with the third person singular subjects. For example:

They do not like Pizza.

She does not like Pizza.

Questions: Use 'Do' or 'Does' at the beginning of the sentence, followed by the subject and 

the base form of the verb. 

For instance: Do you play the sitar?

                                              

  Does she play the sitar?

General Truths and Facts: We use present indefinite tense to state facts or general truths. 

For example: Honesty is the best policy.

Habitual Actions: We use simple present tense to describe actions that occur regularly. 

For instance: He reads The Hindustan Times every morning

We add "es" with verbs ending in ch, sh, s, x, o.

The verb " Watch" ends in "ch" so we write watches.

The verb " Do " ends in "o" so we write does

The verb " Mix " ends in " x ", so we write mixes.

Some more examples:

Bus ➡️ Buses (ends in "s")

Dish ➡️ Dishes (ends in "sh ")

Class➡️ Classes (ends in "ss")

Note: While using "Proverbs & Quotes", we use present indefinite tense.

 For example:

A bad worker always blames his tools.

Let's analysis the sentence:

The Stative Verb (The " No" - ing Rule)

The stative verbs are often used to show emotions, relationships, senses, or states of being. Unlike dynamic verbs, which indicate actions or changes, stative verbs typically do not occur in the continuous tense because they do

 not represent actions that unfold over time. For example, let's us consider the word ' know' in the sentence, " She knows the answers." This sentence is an example of present indefinite tense, where 'knows' is the correct verb form

for a third - person singular subject (She). While "knows" is a stative verb, and it describes a state of being and cannot be used in progressive tense:

(e.g. She is knowing the answers.) this sentence is wrong. The correct sentence is,' She knows the answers'. Another example is,' He owns a grocery shop.'Verbs that describe possession such as have, belong, or possess are known as 

'stative verbs' and are typically used in present indefinite tense. If we say," He is owning a grocery shop". Using "-ing" form with verbs of possession is generally

 incorrect because it makes a permanent state sound temporary or ongoing, 

Some common categories of stative verbs are:

Verbs of existence and state of be (is,am,are,was, were) seem, appear

 He seems exhausted. The word seem is not a transitive verb so, we 

cannot make passive hence 'seems' is the correct word to use.

Verbs of perception and cognition: believe, know, understand, remember 

He believes that laughter is the best medicine. In this sentence, 'He' (singular) matches with believes(singular).

Verbs of emotion and preference: love, hate, desire, prefer. 

I prefer cold coffee during summer.

 

Verbs of possession and relation: have, own, belong

He belongs to an aristocratic family.

If I say, I am having a piece of cake.This sentence is correct.

But on the other hand, I am owing a car. This is wrong.

Let's know the reason:

Exercise to practice :