วันอาทิตย์ที่ 12 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2553

Simple present tense

Simple present tense

Simple Present

FORM

[VERB] + s/es in third person

Examples:

You speak English.
Do you speak English?
You do not speak English.

Complete List of Simple Present Forms

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 tennis.
She does not play tennis.
Does he play tennis?
The train leaves every morning at 8 AM.
The train does not leave at 9 AM.
When does the train usually leave?
She always forgets her purse.
He never forgets his wallet.
Every twelve months, the Earth circles the Sun.
Does the Sun circle the Earth?

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?

ADVERB PLACEMENT

The examples below show the placement for grammar adverbs such as: always, only, never, ever, still, just, etc.

Examples:

You only speak English.
Do you only speak English?

ACTIVE / PASSIVE

Examples:

Once a week, Tom cleans the car. Active
Once a week, the car is cleaned by Tom. Passive

Exercise

Present Simple Tense

Choose the correct answer.

1.She ___ four languages.
a. speak
b. speaks

2.Jane is a teacher. She ___ French.
a. teach
b. teaches

3.When the kettle ___, will you make some tea?
a. boil
b. boils

4. I always ___ the window at night because it is cold.
a. close
b. closes

5.Those shoes ___ too much.
a. cost
b. costs

6.The food in Japan is expensive. It ___ a lot to live there.
a. cost
b. costs

7.His job is great because he ___ a lot of people.
a. meet
b. meets

8.He always ___ his car on Sundays.
a. wash
b. washes

9.My watch is broken and it ___ to be fixed again.
a. need
b. needs

10. I ___ to watch movies.

a. love
b. loves

Reference

http://tc.mengrai.ac.th/jareeya/presentsimpletense.htm

http://www.englishpage.com/verbpage/simplepresent.html

วันอาทิตย์ที่ 5 ธันวาคม พ.ศ. 2553

Prepositions

Prepositions

Recognize a preposition when you see one.

Prepositions are the words that indicate location. Usually, prepositions show this location in the physical world. Check out the three examples below:

The puppy is on the floor.

The puppy is in the trashcan.

The puppy is beside the phone.

On, in, and beside are all prepositions. They are showing where the puppy is. Prepositions can also show location in time. Read the next three examples:

At midnight, Jill craved mashed potatoes with grape jelly.
In the spring, I always vow to plant tomatoes but end up buying them at the supermarket.
During the marathon, Iggy's legs complained with sharp pains shooting up his thighs.

At midnight, in the spring, and during the marathon all show location in time.
Because there are so many possible locations, there are quite a few prepositions. Below is the complete list.

about
above
according to
across
after
against
along
along with
among
apart from
around
as
as for
at
because of
before
behind
below
beneath
beside
between
beyond
but*
by
by means of

concerning
despite
down
during
except
except for
excepting
for
from
in
in addition to
in back of
in case of
in front of
in place of
inside
in spite of
instead of
into
like
near
next
of
off
on

onto
on top of
out
out of
outside
over
past
regarding
round
since
through
throughout
till
to
toward
under
underneath
unlike
until
up
upon
up to
with
within
without

* But is very seldom a preposition. When it is used as a preposition, but means the same as except—Everyone ate frog legs but Jamie. But usually functions as a coordinating conjunction.Prepositions of time: at two o'clock
on Wednesday
in an hour, in January; in 1992
for a day Prepositions of place: at my house
in New York, in my hand
on the table
near the library
across the street
under the bed
between the books