Present Simple: positive sentences
450 fill-in-the-gap exercises, 45 tests of ten
Everything stays in its plain form except he, she and it, which add -s.
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The pattern
There is nothing to add before the verb. The subject is followed straight by the verb, and only the third person singular is marked.
I work. You work. He works. We work. They work.
That single -s is the whole grammar of the positive Present Simple, which is why it is so easy to forget and so noticeable when it is missing.
Which words count as he, she or it
More than you might expect. Anything you could replace with he, she or it takes the ending:
- a name: Anna lives nearby.
- a single thing: The kettle switches off by itself.
- an uncountable noun: Rice takes twenty minutes.
- a group treated as one: The company pays on the last Friday.
- everybody, somebody, nobody, everything: Everyone knows the answer.
Time expressions that fit
Words and phrases that describe how regularly something happens sit naturally with this tense: every day, on Mondays, twice a week, in the morning, at the weekend, usually, rarely, never.
They go either before the verb (She often walks) or at the end (She walks to work every day).
All forms
| Ending of the verb | What happens | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| most verbs | add -s | work → works, read → reads |
| -ch, -sh, -s, -x, -z | add -es | watch → watches, miss → misses |
| -o | add -es | go → goes, do → does |
| consonant + y | -y becomes -ies | study → studies, fly → flies |
| vowel + y | just add -s | play → plays, enjoy → enjoys |
| have | irregular | have → has |
Examples
Taken from the 450 sentences in this drill. The answer is highlighted.
- The cousins play in the yard every afternoon.
- He plays the piano in the evening for relaxation.
- John goes to the gym every day to stay fit.
- My brother does the dishes after dinner every evening.
- The students take their exams at the end of the semester.
- They do the dishes after dinner every evening.
- My sister takes French lessons on Mondays.
- They have a delicious dinner at the restaurant every Saturday.
- My parents watch a movie together every Friday night.
- My brother and I go to the same school every day.
- We eat delicious food at the new restaurant in town every month.
- My sister and I listen music on the weekends.
Mistakes to avoid
Wrong: My sister study medicine. correct: My sister studies medicine.
One person, so the verb takes the ending — and study ends in consonant plus y, which becomes -ies.
Wrong: The team play on Saturdays. correct: The team plays on Saturdays.
A group word such as team, family or company counts as one thing in American English.