Transcript Activity 3-Grammar2

The PRESENT TENSE
The PRESENT TENSE uses the verb's
base form (write, work), or, for thirdperson singular subjects, the base form
plus an- s ending
(he writes, she works .(
• The PRESENT TENSE indicates that an
action is present, now, relative to the
speaker or writer.
• Generally, it is used to describe actions
that are factual or habitual -- things that
occur in the present but that are not
necessarily happening right now: "It rains
a lot in Portland" is a kind of timeless
statement.
• Compare that to the present progressive -- "It
is raining in Portland" -- which means that
something is, in fact, going on right now. "I
use my bike to get around town." is in the
present, but I'm not actually on my bike right
now. An instantaneous sense of the present
can be conveyed with either the simple
present or the progressive: "Watch him now:
he holds [is holding] down the control key at
the same time that he presses [is pressing]
the letter d ."
• The present tense is used to
describe events that are scheduled
(by nature or by people): "High tide
is at 3:15 p.m. The Super Bowl
starts at 6:15 p.m."
The present tense can be used to suggest the past with
what is sometimes called the fictional (or historic)
present:
"We were watching the back door when, all of a
sudden, in walks Dierdre."
With verbs of communicating, the present tense can
also suggest a past action:
"Dierdre tells me that she took her brother to the
dentist." Most oddly, the present tense can convey a
sense of the future, especially with verbs such as
arrive, come , and leave that suggest a kind of plan
or schedule:
"The train from Boston arrives this afternoon at two
o'clock."
• Present tense habitual activities are
frequently signaled by time
expressions such as the following:
by Randolph Quirk and A University Grammar of English :Authority for this section
.Sidney Greenbaum. Longman Group: Essex, England. 1993
all the time
every month
often
always
every semester
rarely
every class
every week
sometimes
every day
every year
usually
every holiday
most of the time
every hour
never
Singular
Plural
I walk
we walk
you walk
you walk
he/she/it walks
they walk
Singular
Plural
I sleep
we sleep
you sleep
you sleep
he/she/it sleeps
they sleep
Singular
Plural
I am
we are
you are
you are
he/she/it is
they are
•
•
•
•
•
•
I walk to work every day.
The old men sometimes practice in this gymnasium.
Dr. Laila operates according to her own schedule.
Coach Nadia recruits from countries outside Amman.
Emad tells me he has committed to UNESCO.
We work really hard to make this a success, and then look
what happens .
• Every time that kid finishes a sandcastle, the waves come
in and wash it away.
• The shipment arrives tomorrow at 2 p.m.