Simple present tense reading, listening and grammar worksheet

October 9, 2020

Read about the Evans sisters. Correct the information in the sentences below. Use the information in the text.

This is a reading and listening activity. Students read, listen, and answer the questions. The activity has an answer key.

Simple Present Tense: Explained for Elementary Students

1. Understanding the Simple Present Tense

Definition: The simple present tense is used to talk about habitual actions, general truths, and routines. It’s used for actions that happen regularly, facts, and things that are always true.
Examples of Usage:
- “I play soccer every Saturday.”
- “The sun rises in the east.”
- “She loves chocolate.”

2. Forming the Simple Present Tense

Affirmative Sentences: In affirmative sentences, we use the base form of the verb (infinitive without “to”) for all subjects except “he,” “she,” and “it,” where we add “s” or “es” to the verb.
- Examples:
  - “I play tennis.” (Base form of the verb “play”)
  - “He plays tennis.” (Adding “s” for the third person singular)
Negative Sentences: In negative sentences, we use the auxiliary verb “do” (or “does” for third person singular) + “not” before the base form of the verb.
- Examples:
  - “I do not play tennis.” (Adding “do not” before the base form “play”)
  - “She does not play tennis.” (Using “does not” before the base form “play”)
Questions: In questions, we use the auxiliary verb “do” (or “does” for third person singular) + the base form of the verb.
- Examples:
  - “Do you play tennis?” (Using “do” before the base form “play”)
  - “Does she play tennis?” (Using “does” before the base form “play”)

Simple Present Tense Usage Table with Pronouns and Answers:

Subject Pronoun	Affirmative Sentence	Negative Sentence	Question Sentence	Answer
I	I play soccer.	I do not play soccer. / I don’t play soccer.	Do I play soccer?	Yes, I play soccer.
You	You play soccer.	You do not play soccer. / You don’t play soccer.	Do you play soccer?	Yes, you play soccer.
He	He plays soccer.	He does not play soccer. / He doesn’t play soccer.	Does he play soccer?	Yes, he plays soccer.
She	She plays soccer.	She does not play soccer. / She doesn’t play soccer.	Does she play soccer?	Yes, she plays soccer.
It	The dog plays soccer.	The dog does not play soccer. / The dog doesn’t play soccer.	Does the dog play soccer?	Yes, the dog plays soccer.
We	We play soccer.	We do not play soccer. / We don’t play soccer.	Do we play soccer?	Yes, we play soccer.
They	They play soccer.	They do not play soccer. / They don’t play soccer.	Do they play soccer?	Yes, they play soccer.

Note:

In affirmative sentences, the base form of the verb is used for all pronouns except “he,” “she,” and “it,” where we add “s” or “es” to the verb.
In negative sentences, “do” (or “does” for third person singular) + “not” is used before the base form of the verb.
In question sentences, “do” (or “does” for third person singular) is used before the base form of the verb.

3. State Verbs in the Simple Present Tense

Definition: State verbs express states, conditions, or situations rather than actions. They are not typically used in continuous (progressive) forms and are often used in the simple present tense.
Examples of State Verbs:
- Emotions and Feelings:
  - love, like, hate, dislike, adore, detest, prefer, appreciate
  - admire, envy, fear, loathe, cherish, enjoy, appreciate
- Senses:
  - see, hear, smell, taste, feel (in the sense of experiencing a sensation)
- Mental States and Perception:
  - think, believe, know, understand, remember, forget, realize
  - recognize, doubt, suppose, expect, mean, perceive, doubt
- Physical States and Appearances:
  - be, seem, appear, look (in the sense of appearance), sound (in the sense of appearance)
  - resemble, have (in the sense of possession), belong, own, contain
- Possession and Relationships:
  - have (in the sense of possession), possess, belong (in the sense of ownership), own, contain
  - need, require, deserve, owe, consist (in the sense of composition)

State Verbs in the Simple Present Tense

State verbs describe a condition or state, so they often remain the same in both affirmative and negative sentences.
Example:
- “She likes ice cream.” (Affirmative)
- “She does not like ice cream.” (Negative)

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