20 Questions
What does the simple present tense encode in addition to present time?
Certain information about aspect
Why is the simple present tense called 'simple'?
Because it's basic form consists of a single word
What is the exception to the rule that the simple present is identical to the base form of the verb?
When the subject is third-person singular
Which verb has the simple present forms am, is, and are?
Be
Which tense form is the most commonly used in spoken English?
Simple present
What is the simple present tense also known as?
Present simple
What happens to the ending of the simple present verb when the subject is third-person singular?
The ending -(e)s is added
What is the basic form of the simple present tense?
A single word
What is the difference between the simple present and other present tense forms?
The simple present has a single word form
What is a notable verb with irregular forms in the simple present tense?
Be
The simple past or past indefinite, sometimes called the ______, is the basic form of the past tense in Modern English.
preterite
Regular English verbs form the simple past in ______.
-ed
The term 'simple' is used to distinguish the syntactical construction whose basic form uses the plain past tense alone, from other past tense constructions which use auxiliaries in combination with ______, such as the past perfect and past progressive.
participles
Regular verbs form the simple past ______; however there are a few hundred irregular verbs with different forms.
end-ed
The spelling rules for forming the past simple of regular verbs are as follows: verbs ending in -e add only –d to the end (e.g. live – lived, not *liveed), verbs ending in -y change to -______ (e.g. study – studied) and verbs ending in a group of a consonant + a vowel + a conso.
ied
Regular verbs form the simple past in _______; however there are a few hundred irregular verbs with different forms.
-ed
The spelling rules for forming the past simple of regular verbs are as follows: verbs ending in -e add only –d to the end (e.g. live – ________, not *liveed)
lived
Verbs ending in -y change to _______ (e.g. study – studied)
-ied
The simple past or past indefinite, sometimes called the ________, is the basic form of the past tense in Modern English.
preterite
The term 'simple' is used to distinguish the syntactical construction whose basic form uses the plain past tense alone, from other past tense constructions which use auxiliaries in combination with ________, such as the past perfect and past progressive.
participles
Study Notes
The Simple Present Tense
- The simple present tense encodes not only present time but also habitual or universal truths, general statements, and timeless situations.
- The simple present tense is called 'simple' because it has a basic form with no auxiliary verbs.
- The exception to the rule that the simple present is identical to the base form of the verb is the verb 'be', which has the simple present forms 'am', 'is', and 'are'.
- The simple present tense is the most commonly used in spoken English.
- The simple present tense is also known as the present indefinite.
- When the subject is third-person singular, the ending of the simple present verb changes to -s or -es.
- The basic form of the simple present tense is the base form of the verb.
- The simple present tense differs from other present tense forms in that it doesn't express ongoing or future actions.
Irregular Verbs
- The verb 'be' is a notable verb with irregular forms in the simple present tense.
The Simple Past Tense
- The simple past or past indefinite, sometimes called the preterite, is the basic form of the past tense in Modern English.
- Regular English verbs form the simple past by adding -d or -ed to the base form of the verb.
- The term 'simple' is used to distinguish the syntactical construction whose basic form uses the plain past tense alone, from other past tense constructions which use auxiliaries in combination with participles.
- Regular verbs form the simple past by adding -d or -ed to the base form of the verb; however, there are a few hundred irregular verbs with different forms.
- The spelling rules for forming the past simple of regular verbs are as follows: verbs ending in -e add only –d to the end (e.g., live – lived), verbs ending in -y change to -ied (e.g., study – studied), and verbs ending in a group of a consonant + a vowel + a consonant double the final consonant (e.g., stop – stopped).
Test your knowledge of the simple present tense in English with this quiz! Challenge yourself with questions about verb forms, aspect, and present time. See how well you understand the most commonly used verb form in spoken English.
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