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Simple Tense
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SIMPLE PAST TENSE
DEFINITION
- The Simple Past Tense is used to talk about a completed action in a time before now.
- The Simple Past Tense is the basic form of past tense in English.
- The time of the action can be in the recent past or the distant past and action duration is not important.
- The Simple Past is used to indicate an action completed in the past. It often occurs with adverbs or adverb phrases of past time.
Example: I received his letter a week ago.
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SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE
Definition
- The Simple Present Tense is one of several forms of present tense in English.
- It is used to describe habits, unchanging situations, general truths, and fixed arrangements.
- The Simple Present Tense is formed by using the base form of the verb: (I take, you take, we take, they take). The 3rd person singular takes an -s at the end. (he takes, she takes)
Simple present tense is used in many ways:
(1) To express a habitual action
Examples:
- He drinks tea every morning.
- I get up every day at five o’clock.
- My watch keeps good time.
(2) To express general truths.
Examples:
- The sun rises in the east.
- Honey is sweet.
- Fortune favours the brave.
(3) In exclamatory sentences, beginning with here and there, simple present tense is used to express what is actually taking place in the present.
Examples:
- Here comes the train !
- There she goes !
(4) To express a future event that is part of a fixed timetable or fixed programme.
Examples:
- The next flight is at 7,00 tomorrow morning.
- The match starts at 9 o’clock.
- The train leaves at 5.20.
- When does the coffee shop reopen?
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SIMPLE FUTURE TENSE
The Simple Future Tense is used to talk about things which we cannot control or to predict what may happen. It expresses the future as fact.
Example:
I shall be thirty next Wednesday.
It will be Christmas in a week.
We will know our exam results by end of June.
IMPORTANT RULES
TENSE |
PAST | PRESENT | FUTURE |
SIMPLE | VERB + D/ED (SECOND FORM OF THE VERB) |
VERB + S/ES | WILL/SHALL + VERB |
VERB = BE | WAS/WERE | IS/AM/ARE | WILL BE |
VERB = EAT | ATE | EATS | WILL EAT |
VERB = STUDY | STUDIED | STUDIES | WILL STUDY |
VERB = WRITE | WROTE | WRITES | WILL WRITE |
VERB = BE |
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