Simple Present Tense – English Standard Four

Meaning of Simple Present Tense

The Simple Present Tense is used to talk about daily activities, habits, repeated actions and general truths.

1. Uses of Simple Present Tense

A. Daily Routines

• I wake up at six o’clock.
• My mother cooks breakfast.
• We go to school every morning.

B. Habits

• He drinks tea every morning.
• Asha reads books every evening.
• They play football on Sundays.

C. General Truths

• The sun rises in the east.
• Water boils when heated.
• Fish live in water.

2. Formation of Simple Present Tense

A. Positive Sentences

Use the base form of the verb with I, You, We and They.

Subject	Verb	Example
I	play	I play football.
You	read	You read books.
We	cook	We cook food.
They	sing	They sing songs.

With He, She, It and singular names, add -s, -es or -ies to the verb according to the spelling rules.

Subject	Verb	Example
He	plays	He plays football.
She	reads	She reads books.
It	runs	It runs fast.
Amina	cooks	Amina cooks food.

3. Rules of Adding -s, -es and -ies

A. Rule of Adding -s

Add -s to most regular verbs when the subject is He, She, It or a singular name.

Verb	He/She/It Form
Eat	Eats
Drink	Drinks
Read	Reads
Play	Plays
Sing	Sings
Cook	Cooks
Walk	Walks
Help	Helps
Sleep	Sleeps
Write	Writes

Examples: She eats rice every day. He plays football. Amina reads a book.

B. Rule of Adding -es

Add -es to verbs ending in -ch, -sh, -ss, -x and some verbs ending in -o, such as go and do.

Ending	Verb	He/She/It Form
-ch	Watch	Watches
-ch	Teach	Teaches
-sh	Wash	Washes
-sh	Brush	Brushes
-ss	Pass	Passes
-ss	Kiss	Kisses
-x	Fix	Fixes
-x	Mix	Mixes
-o	Go	Goes
-o	Do	Does

Examples: He watches television. She washes her clothes. The teacher teaches English. My father goes to work.

C. Rule of Changing -y to -ies

When a verb ends in a consonant + y, remove the y and add -ies.

Verb	He/She/It Form
Cry	Cries
Fly	Flies
Study	Studies
Carry	Carries
Try	Tries
Worry	Worries

Examples: Asha studies English. A bird flies in the sky. The baby cries at night.

Remember: When a verb ends in a vowel + y, simply add -s.

Verb	He/She/It Form
Play	Plays
Enjoy	Enjoys
Pray	Prays
Stay	Stays
Buy	Buys

D. Special Verbs

Verb	He/She/It Form
Have	Has
Be	Is

Examples: She has a pencil. He is a teacher.

4. Negative Sentences

Use do not (don’t) or does not (doesn’t) to make negative sentences.

Subject	Structure	Example
I	do not + verb	I do not play.
You	do not + verb	You do not read.
We	do not + verb	We do not cook.
They	do not + verb	They do not sing.
He	does not + verb	He does not play.
She	does not + verb	She does not read.
It	does not + verb	It does not run.

Important: After does not, use the base form of the verb. Correct: She does not wash clothes. Incorrect: She does not washes clothes.

5. Interrogative Sentences

Use Do or Does at the beginning of a sentence to ask questions.

Subject	Example
I	Do I play football?
You	Do you read books?
We	Do we go to school?
They	Do they sing?
He	Does he play football?
She	Does she cook food?
It	Does it run fast?

Short answers: Do you like English? Yes, I do. / No, I don’t. Does she go to school? Yes, she does. / No, she doesn’t.

Remember: After Does, use the base form of the verb.

6. Common Time Expressions

Expression	Example
Every day	I read every day.
Every morning	She exercises every morning.
Every evening	He studies every evening.
Always	I always brush my teeth.
Usually	She usually arrives early.
Sometimes	They sometimes visit us.
Never	He never comes late.
Every week	We clean our classroom every week.

7. Reading Passage: My School Day

My name is Amina. I wake up at six o’clock every morning. I brush my teeth and take a bath. I eat breakfast with my family. I go to school at seven o’clock.

At school, I study English, Mathematics and Science. My teacher teaches us different subjects. I play with my friends during break time. I go home in the afternoon and help my mother. I do my homework in the evening.

8. Learning Activities

Activity A: Choose the correct verb.

1. She (play/plays) football.
2. They (go/goes) to school.
3. He (wash/washes) his clothes.
4. A bird (fly/flies) in the sky.
5. Amina (study/studies) English.

Activity B: Change the sentences into negative sentences.

1. She cooks food.
2. He plays football.
3. They read books.

Activity C: Change the sentences into questions.

1. She goes to school.
2. He watches television.
3. They play football.

Activity D: Write five sentences about your daily routine.

9. Assessment

Choose the correct answer.

1. He ______ to school every day. A. go   B. goes   C. going   D. gone
2. Asha ______ English every morning. A. study   B. studys   C. studies   D. studying
3. They ______ football on Sundays. A. plays   B. play   C. playing   D. played
4. She does not ______ tea. A. drinks   B. drinking   C. drink   D. drank
5. ______ he wash his clothes? A. Do   B. Does   C. Is   D. Are

10. Answer Key

Activity A: 1. plays; 2. go; 3. washes; 4. flies; 5. studies.

Activity B: 1. She does not cook food. 2. He does not play football. 3. They do not read books.

Activity C: 1. Does she go to school? 2. Does he watch television? 3. Do they play football?

Assessment: 1. B; 2. C; 3. B; 4. C; 5. B.

11. Support for Slow Learners

• A teacher to provide simple examples using familiar daily activities.
• A teacher to guide pupils in identifying subjects such as I, You, We, They, He, She and It.
• A teacher to use verb cards to practise adding -s, -es and -ies.
• A teacher to give pupils extra exercises and individual support.
• A teacher to encourage pupils to construct short sentences orally before writing.

12. Learning Outcome

By the end of the lesson, a pupil should be able to explain the meaning and uses of Simple Present Tense, construct positive, negative and interrogative sentences, apply the rules of adding -s, -es and -ies correctly, and describe daily routines using the Simple Present Tense.