Verbs and Tenses - Part 1 (The simple Present Tense, Am, is and Are, The Present Progressive Tense and Have and Has)

Verbs and Tenses

Most verbs are action words. They tell you what people, animals or things are doing.

Retrieved from: Basic English Grammar - Book 1

The Simple Present Tense

The simple present tense expresses a general truth or a customary action.

Retrieved from: Basic English Grammar - Book 1

Mary enjoys singing.
Peter sometimes lends me his bike.
Cows eat grass.
Monkeys like bananas.
Tom collects stamps.
The earth goes around the sun.
It often snows in winter.
We always wash our hands before meals.
We eat three meals a day.
Father takes the dog for a walk every morning.

Use the simple present tense to talk about things that are planned for the future.

Retrieved from: Basic English Grammar - Book 1

We join the senior scout troop in July this year.
My big brother leaves school at 4o'clock.
The new supermarket opens next Friday.
The new grammar book comes out in September.
Grandad retires next year.
We fly to London next Thursday.
The plane lands at 5:30 P.M.
We move to our new house in a month.
My big sister begins her summer job next week.

Retrieved from: Basic English Grammar - Book 2

Exercise 1

Underline the verbs in the following sentences.

The children go to school by bus.
Bats sleep during the day.
These toys belong to Kathy.
Every pupil has a good dictionary.
Polar bears live at the North Pole.
Most children learn very fast.
Mr. Thomas teaches us science.
The earth goes around the sun.
We never cross the street without looking.
Many stores close on Sunday.

Exercise 2

Fill in the blanks with the simple present tense of the verbs in parentheses.

Retrieved from: Basic English Grammar - Book 1

Exercise 3
Look at the pairs of subjects and verbs below. Then write a sentence using each subject with the simple present form of the verb. Remeber that you can also use the simple present tense to talk about the future.

Retrieved from: Basic English Grammar - Book 2

Am, Is and Are

The word am, is, are are also verbs, but they are not action words. They are the simple present tense of the verb be.

Use am with the pronoun I, and is with the pronouns he, she and it. Use are with the pronouns you, we and they.

Retrieved from: Basic English Grammar - Book 1

I am Peter. I am not Paul.
She is Miss Lee. She is a teacher.
He is my father. He is a doctor. He is not a lawyer.
You are a stranger. You are not my friend.
We are in the same class, but we are not on the same team.
They are good friends. They are not enemies.

Here's a table to help you remember how to use am, is and are:

Retrieved from: Basic English Grammar - Book 1

Learn these short forms called contractions:

I am = I'm
you are = you're
he is = he's
she is = she's
it is = it's
am not = aren't (only in questions)
is not = isn't
are not = aren't
they are = they're
we are = we're

In questions, use aren't as a contraction of am not. For example, you can say:

I'm taller than you, aren't I?

But in a statement you say:

I'm not as old as you.

Use the verb is with singular nouns and are with plural nouns.

Retrieved from: Basic English Grammar - Book 1

Kenneth is a lawyer.
Rex is a clever dog.
A duck is a kind of bird.Th playground is full of people today.
My house is near the school.
These questiions are too difficult.
The ballons are very colorful.
Those people are very busy.
Dad and Mom are in the kitchen.

Use is and are with the word there to say what you can see and hear.

Retrieved from: Basic English Grammar - Book 1

There is a fence around the school.
There are a lotof books in the library.
There are two guards at the gate.
Is there any food in the fridge?
Are there any apples left on the tree?
How much rice is there?
There are a few sharks in the bay.
There are enough candies for everyone, aren't there?
There are two pigeons on the roof.

Learn this contraction:

there is = there's

Exercise 1

Fill in the blanks with am, is or are.

Retrieved from: Basic English Grammar - Book 1

Exercise 2

Fill in the blanks with is or are.

Retrieved from: Basic English Grammar - Book 1

Exercise 3

Fill in the blanks with There is or There are.

Retrieved from: Basic English Grammar - Book 1

The Present Progressive Tense

When do you use the present progressive tense? To talk about actions in the present, or things that are still going on or happening now.

Retrieved from: Basic English Grammar - Book 1

I'm playing chess with my friend.
She's riding a horse.
He's taking a walk in the park.
The man's counting the money.
They are practicing tai chi.
We're rushing to the airport to meet Mr. Smith.
They are still sleeping.
They are swimming in the sea.
What are they doing?
What's happening?
Why aren't you doing your homework?
Aren't I sitting up straight?

* Form the present progressive tense like this:

am + present participle
is + present participle
are + present participle

* The present participle is the form of a verb ending with -ing. For example:

show + ing = showing
come + ing = coming

* You have to double the last letter of some verbs before you add -ing. For example:

get + ing = getting
nod + ing = nodding
jog + ing = jogging
rob + ing = robbing
stop + ing = stopping
swim + ing = swimming

* Notice that the verbs above are all short verbs of just one syllable. They all end with a consonant such as b, d, g, m, p, t and have only one vowel before the consonant.

* If a verb ends in e, you usually have to drop the e before you add-ing. For example:

chase + ing = chasing
cycle + ing = cycling
drive + ing = driving
smile + ing = smiling

Use the present progressive tense to talk about things you have planned to do, or things that are going to happen in the future. To form the present progressive tense, use am, is and are as helping verbs or auxiliary verbs.

Retrieved from: Basic English Grammar - Book 1

We are going camping tomorrow.
I'm starting piano lesson soon.
Jim's parents are taking him to Texas next week.
My favorite TV program is starting in a minute.
All our friends are coming.
Who's bringing salad for the barbecue? I am.
I am visiting Joe next week.
Where are you going for your vacation?
What are we eating for dinner?

Exercise 1

Write the present participle of these verbs on the blanks.

Retrieved from: Basic English Grammar - Book 1

Exercise 2

Fill in the blanks with the present progressive tense of the verbs in parentheses.

Retrieved from: Basic English Grammar - Book 1

Have and Has

The verbs have and has are used to say what people own or posses. They are also used to talk about things that people do or get, such as illnesses. These words are the simple present tense of the verb have.