ESL 02/21/2023

• are words that tell us what a person (or thing or animal) does, what is done to a person (or thing or animal), or what a person (or thing or animal) is.

Verbs

​Examples:
She laughs. (What she does)
John is scolded. (What is done to John)
The cat is dead. (What the cat is)

The Present tense

• ​The present tense is a verb form that is represented by the base form (for example, ‘eat’, ‘laugh’, ‘sit’ etc.) or by the third person singular –s (for example, ‘eats’, ‘laughs’, ‘sits’ etc. ).

• ​The present tense in English grammar includes the simple present tense, present continuous (progressive) tense, present perfect tense and the present perfect continuous (progressive) tense.

​1. To express a habitual action
I drink tea every morning.
My father takes a walk every evening.

​2. To express general truths.
The sun rises in the east.
Honey is sweet.

​3. To express a future event that is part of a fixed timetable or fixed programme.
The match starts at 9 o’clock.
The train leaves at 5.20.

​4. To express an action that takes place in the present, usually in exclamatory sentences.
Here comes the bus!
There she goes!

​5. As a substitute for simple past tense, in a vivid narrative or live reporting of sport events.
Argentina’s captain now has the ball.
Stanton now rushes forward and deals a heavy blow to Rustam.
Immediately the king hurries to the palace.

​The present continuous (progressive) form in English grammar has the form is/are/am + -ing.

​Examples:

The birds are flying high.
The kids are playing in the park.