Present tense
By Nur Hidayah
1. Present Section
· Present continuous
| Positive form | Negative form |
| I am looking | I am not looking |
| (he,she,it) is looking | (he,she,it) is not looking |
| (you,we,they) are looking | (you,we,they) are looking |
Explaining:
_ the spoken negative has two possible forms: he isn’t looking, tend to be neutral; he’s not looking, more emphatic. To avoid confusing the student it is important not to interchange the two form indiscriminately at an early stage.
_ stative and dynamic verb. Some verbs rarely take the present continuous form at all. There are three common stative, they are to be, to have, verbs describing involuntary sensation.
_ spelling
1. Verbs ending in vowel-consonant –e commonly drop –e before –ing. I’m coming
2. Verbs ending in a short vowel followed by a single consonant commonly double the consonant before –ing. I’m running.
3. Verbs ending in y obey the rule and add –ing ,but verbs ending –ie commonly change to y before –ing. I’m carrying.
_ Stress on the auxiliary or on the negative will produce an emphatic form of this tense. I am doing my best.
_ Phonetics
1. The contracted form he’s is sometimes heard as his.
2. The last sound of the contracted auxiliary is lost when the following verb begins with the same consonant and may cause problems for beginners. I’m ending, I’m eating etc.
3. In verbs ending with o, a distinct/w/ sound is pronounced before –ing . going.
Meaning and function
a. Temporary action which began before the time of speaking, is continuing across it, and is not yet complete. I’m walking at this moment.
b. Temporary course of action, fairly recently begun, currently engaged in, but not expected to be permanent. I’m living in London.
c. Temporary habit not necessary engaged in at the moment of speech, but temporarily contracted for. I’m watering his plants while he’s away.
d. Regrettable habit with always. I’m always losing my keys.
e. With verbs of hoping etc. I’m hoping to see you soon ( compare: I hope to see you soon)
f. Future action. For plans already undertaken. I’m picking her up at six (she is expecting me).
· Present simple
| Positive form | Negative form | ||||
| I You We | Walk | | I You we | Do not | walk |
| He She it | Walk | | He She it | Do not | |
| Question forms | |||||
| Do you walk to school? (neutral question) | Don’t you walk to school? Expect answer ‘yes’ | ||||
| Tag question | |||||
| You walk to school, don’t you? | You don’t walk to school, do you? | ||||
Explaining:
_ In conversational English the question what do you do? Is usually an enquiry about person’s occupation or profession, e.g.: What does he do? He’s a doctor.
_ in the negative the present simple is the same as the present emphatic.
_ adding a do auxiliary in the statement form produce the present emphatic instead of the present simple. I do walk for I walk
_ Full verbs which also act as auxiliaries: to be, to do, to have.
_ Spelling: some verbs change the spelling before the third person s .
1. Verbs ending in consonant _y commonly change to _ies. I hurry/I hurries.
2. Verbs ending in sibilant cluster(ss/sh/ch/tch). I passes.
3. Verbs ending in single o commonly add –es in the third person. I go/ he goes.
_ Phonetics:
1. Verbs which end in se,ce,ze. Sibilant cluster or dge pronounce final es as /iz/. He close, he voice, he passes, he touches, etc.
2. Verbs which end in the sounds /k/p/t/f/ pronounce s as /s/ in the third person, e.g. he hopes, he wakes, he hates, etc.
3. Verbs ending in other consonants or vowel pronounce s as /z/ in third person, e.g. he rubs, he hugs, he pulls, etc.
4. The third person he does is phonetically irregular. I do /du/, but he does /dΛz/.
Meaning and function
a. The tense is used to denote truths.
^_^ habitual truths: he smokes 40 cigarettes a day.
^_^ eternal and unvarying truths: Mohammad lives. The Koran says……
^_^recurrent truths: the sun raise in the east.
^_^ permanent human truths: I like sweet.
^_^ general truths: English people drink a lot of tea.
^_^ mathematical and scientific truths: two and two make four.
^_^ internal truths: verbs of thinking, knowing. I think he’s very nice.
b. It is used for giving instruction, directions, or demonstrations.
c. The present simple is open used as a narrative device, for dramatic effect in certain situations. In commentary, in headlines and caption, and very informal.
d. In describing feelings and sense, especially sudden ones, over which the speaker has no control.
e. With a future time marker the tense gives a ‘timetable future’., usually for schedules.
f. After when, to form a time clause.
· Present perfect
| Positive form | Negative form | ||||
| I You We They | Have(‘ve) | gone | I You We They | Have not(haven’t) | gone |
| He She It | Has(‘s) | He She It | Has not (hasn’t) | ||
| a. Regular verbs: use a past participle identical in form to the past simple b. Irregular verbs: use a past participle which usually differs in form from the past simple | |||||
| Have you gone? (neutral unless stressed) | Haven’t you gone? (Expect answer “yes”) | ||||
| You’ve gone, haven’t you? | You haven’t gone, have you? | ||||
Explaining:
1. Form:
Regular verbs form a past participle with _ed similar to the simple form.
Irregular verbs:
_ Forms a past participle which is similar to the past participle: make, made, had made,
_ Many form a past participle which adds an en. Like as; eat, ate, eaten.
_ the end ending may be added to the past version of the base verb. Like as; forget, forgot, forgotten.
_ the past participle may be identical to the present or base verb. Like as; run, run, run.
_ Past participle may be formed by interior vowel change and be different from either base or past forms. Like as; drink, drank, drunk.
Meaning and function of present perfect:
_ for uncompleted action where both actor and results remain. For example; my mother has always cooked the rice.
_ For an action which took place in identified period of time, which not yet over. For example; I’ve read the book in this morning.
_ For an action which took place in the past; but whose are still result in the present. For example; have you finished your lunch? (Are you now full/free?).
_ For an action which took place in the past; but which still relates to the present. For example; I’ve studied French (and remember it. Therefore I can help you, empathies with you, or tell you about it).
_ With the time markers ‘just’, ‘yet’, ‘already’, ‘still’, the present perfect can also indicate the attitude of the speaker. For example; I’ve just washed the floor.
_ Future uses, like all present tense, the present perfect follows when to make the future time marker. For example; I’ll come when I’ve written this task.
