O Simple Present (simple present) is one of the most used verbs in English and corresponds to the present tense in Portuguese. Also called Present Simple, this tense is used to indicate usual actions that occur in the present.
O Present Simple is also used to refer to universal truths, feelings, wishes, opinions and preferences.
question 1
(SEDUC-CE/2013)
If the clause "she was the luckiest woman alive" (ℓ.2) had been used in the simple present tense, the verbal form "was" should be replaced by
a) am
b) are
c) has
d) were
e) is
Correct alternative: e) is.
“Was” is the Simple Past inflection of the verb “to be”, used with the third person singular (he/she/it).
“Is” is the Simple Present inflection of the verb “to be” used with the third person singular.
“Was” is the past of “is”.
question 2
(UECE/2004)
THE TREE MASSACRE
by Alex Shoumatoff
The paper industry is destroying11 one of America's last great stands of native forest25 to bring you fresh shopping12 bags and toilet paper.
If there were an international court that prosecuted9 crimes against the planet, like the one in The Hague that deals
23 with crimes against humanity, what is happening22 on the Cumberland Plateau in eastern Tennessee would undoubtedly be indictable.The crime — one of many clandestine ecocides American corporations are committing1 around the world — has taken2 place28 over three decades. About 200,000 acres on this tableland have already been clear-cut30 by the paper industry, and the cutting13 continue3. Where once grew10 some of the most biologically rich hardwood forest in North America's Temperate Zone (which extends4 from the Gulf of Mexico to southern Canada), there is now row after row of genetically engineered fast-growing loblolly pine trees to yield the most pulp in the shortest time. But the paper industry's insatiable appetite26 for timber has met5 with unexpected competition from an equally voracious insect. In the last four years, an estimated 50 to 70 percent of the pines planted6 on the plateau have been devoured31 by the southern pine beetle. The entire South has been ravaged32 by the worst outbreak in its history of this native predator of pine trees, caused by the tremendous increase in the amount of pine available for it to eat on the industry plantations that have replaced20 the native forest. Unable to salvage its dead timber, the paper industry has been losing17hundreds of millions of dollars. Yet it seems7 still committed to destroying16 what remains24 of the extraordinarily lush forest on the Cumberland Plateau, which, along with eastern Tennessee's Great Valley and the Cumberland Mountains America. The loss of biodiversity is tragic but also absurd economically; it doesn’t even make good business sense.
Not many people are aware of what is taking14place33. Nearly 90 percent of the Cumberland Plateau is in private hands and exempt from all but a few government regulations18. The federal and state agencies that are supposed to be regulating the paper, timber, and mining15 industries are populated with34 these companies’ former executives and have come29 to view these industries as clients whose permits and projects should be facilitated35 rather than scrutinized. But a quarter of the world's paper27 and 60 percent of America's wood products are being19 produced36 in the South, and the will to address the abuses of the paper industry, which contributes8 Millions of dollars to the campaign coffers of politicians around the country, just isn’t there — certainly not in Tennessee.
There's another reason for the lack of public awareness: Much of the devastation is hidden from view by thin “beauty strips” of native forest left along the plateau's highways. The only way to get the full picture is to go up in a small plane and see it from the air.
VOCABULARY
loblolly pine – pine species
beetle – beetle, insect
timber – wood
to ravage - devastate
Check the option whose verbs are in the simple present:
a) are committing (ref.1), has taken (ref.2), continues (ref.3)
b) extends (ref.4), has met (ref.5), planted (ref.6)
c) continues (ref.3), seems (ref.7), contributes (ref.8)
d) prosecuted (ref.9), contributes (ref.8), grew (ref.10)
Correct alternative: c) continues (ref.3), seems (ref.7), contributes (ref.8)
The three verbs of alternative c) are conjugated in the third person singular (he/she/it). “Continues” is an inflection of the verb “to continue”, “seems” is an inflection of the verb “to seem” and “contributes” is an inflection of the verb “to contribute”.
To form the inflections of the third person singular (he/she/it) in Simple Present, we have as a general rule the addition of –s in the infinitive form of the verb, without the “to”. (Example: to seem > seems).
Depending on the ending of the verb, it may be necessary to add or remove more letters. (Example: to worry > worries).
For everyone else (I, you, we and they), the inflection in Simple Present corresponds to the verb in the infinitive without the “to”. (Examples: to continue > continue; to contribute > contribute.)
See in what tense the inflections of the other alternatives are:
a) are committing (ref.1), has taken (ref.2), continues (ref.3):
- are committing: Present Continuous
- has taken: Present Perfect
- continues: Simple Present
b) extends (ref.4), has met (ref.5), planted (ref.6)
- extends: Simple Present
- has met: Present Perfect
- planted: Simple Past
d) prosecuted (ref.9), contributes (ref.8), grew (ref.10)
- prosecuted: Simple Past
- contributes: Simple Present
- grew: Simple Past
question 3
(UNIFOR-CE/2001)
In the age-old battle between independence-seeking teenagers and worried parents, the older generation is packing some new weapons. Caller tells ID parents who is calling their kids. Cell-phone bills detail every local number the kid has called. New computer programs track just about everything − every website visited, every email felt − that a teenager does online.
Parental reconnaissance is going to get worse − or good, depending on your perspective.
(Wall Street Journal, Nov. 6, 2000)
The verbs that are in Simple Present, in the text, are
a) worried – has called – does
b) detail – track – get
c) worried – visited – sent
d) is packing - is calling - is going
e) tells - detail - track
Correct alternative: e) tells – detail – track
“Tells” is an inflection of the verb “to tell”, “detail” is an inflection of the verb “to detail” and “track” is an inflection of the verb “to track”.
To form the inflections of the third person singular (he/she/it) in Simple Present, we have as a general rule the addition of –s in the infinitive form of the verb, without the “to”. (Example: to tell >tells).
Depending on the ending of the verb, it may be necessary to add or remove more letters. (Example: to study > studies).
For everyone else (I, you, we and they), the inflection in Simple Present corresponds to the verb in the infinitive without the “to”. (Examples: to tell > tell; to study > study.)
See in what tense the inflections of the other alternatives are:
a) worried – has called – does
- worried: Simple Past
- has called: Present Perfect
- does: Simple Present
b) detail – track – get
- detail: Simple Present
- track: Simple Present
- get: In the text, the verb “get” is part of a structure that is in Simple Future: is going to get worse
c) worried – visited – sent
All inflections of this alternative are combined in Simple Past.
d) is packing - is calling - is going
All inflections of this alternative are combined in Present Continuous
To better understand the explanation of the template, see also:
- Simple Past
- Simple Future
question 4
(UNCISAL/2015)
Minister Norman Baker wants end to UK animal tests
By Brian Wheeler
political reporter
The minister in charge of regulating animal experiments in the UK has said he wants to see an end to all testing.
[…]
Available in: www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-28580792
By following the grammatical rule of verb conjugation, according to the example in the article's headline above, the sentence “She ________ her dignity at any price” will be completed as follows with the verb “to pursue”.
a) pursued.
b) pursuing.
c) pursuyed.
d) pursues.
e) pursue.
Correct alternative: d) pursues.
Look at the example in the headline: Minister Norman Baker wants end to UK animal tests
The verb of the sentence is the verb “to want” and is conjugated in the third person singular (he/she/it) of Simple Present.
To form the inflections of the third person singular (he/she/it) in Simple Present, we have as a general rule the addition of –s in the infinitive form of the verb, without the “to”. (Example: to want >wants).
Depending on the ending of the verb, it may be necessary to add or remove more letters. (Example: to party > parties).
For everyone else (I, you, we and they), the inflection in Simple Present corresponds to the verb in the infinitive without the “to”. (Examples: to want > want; to party > party.)
Taking into account the statement of the exercise (follow the grammatical rule of verb conjugation, according to the example in the headline), we must fill the gap by choosing a verb also in Simple Present, conjugated in the third person by adding the "-s".
Therefore, the correct alternative is the letter d) pursues.
“Pursues” is the third person singular inflection (he/she/it) of the verb “to pursue”.
She pursues her dignity at any price = She maintains her dignity at any price.
question 5
Complete the sentences with the correct auxiliary:
She she ____________ go to school on Saturdays. She only ________________ on weekdays. And you? ___________ are you studying on weekends?
a) is/studying/Do
b) doesn't/studies/Do
c) don’t/studies/Does
d) doesn't/study/Do
Correct alternative: b) doesn’t/studies/Do
“On Saturdays” indicates that the phrase refers to a usual situation in the present. Therefore, you should use Simple Present.
To make sentences in the negative in Simple Present, we must use “do” or does” + “not”. We can also use the contracted form of each of them: “don’t” and “doesn’t”.
“Does” is used with he/she/it and “do” is used with the other personal pronouns (I, you, we and they).
So far, only alternatives b) and d) are correct.
The second gap to be filled indicates the action performed by the subject.
As the subject is the personal pronoun "she" (she), the inflection must be formed by adding -s to the infinitive verb without the "to".
Note that the verb indicated in the answer alternatives is the verb “to study”.
“To study” is an irregular verb that ends in “y” preceded by a consonant. In this case, you must eliminate the “y” and add “-ies”, that is, “to study” becomes “studies”.
With that, we proceed with option b) already knowing that it is the correct answer for the exercise.
The last gap starts a question.
See that the phrase "on weekends" (on weekends) gives the idea of habit in the present. For this reason, the tense to be used is Simple Present.
To make interrogative sentences in Simple Present, we must use “do” or does”.
“Does” is used with he/she/it and “do” is used with the other personal pronouns (I, you, we and they).
As the pronoun of the sentence is “you” (you), the auxiliary to be used must be “Do”.
question 6
(FUNCAB/2014-adapted)
Read the text below and answer the question that follows:
Text 2:
English for Adults & Seniors!
Learning a language isn’t only for the young! It’s for everyone and if you are an older learner, maybe 40+ to 70+ then joining an English Language Course in an environment with people in similar age groups is a great way to do it.
When you join a course at one of the International Schools you will find that approximately more than 20% of our students are aged 30 to 44 and a further 32% are aged 45 to 75 - sometimes older. You are more than likely to find yourself in a class with people of a similar age;
Some mature students choose Business English courses for their working needs but many more join standard General English courses or the Intensive English Mini-Group courses. Courses like these help you to combine your language course with a holiday and you can make your own afternoon program or join social programs which are designed to have a variety of different activities suitable for all the age groups at the school. The program changes every week and you can see samples of all the different activities on the social program pages or on Facebook pages.
Mature learners will feel safe joining one of the International Schools. You will find others of a similar age in your class at all times of year
The International School ( I S ) accommodation is also suitable for older clients - you can choose froma homestay with a private bathroom, an apartment, but most convenient of all is Club IS Hotel which is opposite the school. Club IS is for mature individuals who are studying at the school. Classes are always organized according to level and according to age groups.
(Adapted from: http: www.tisenglish.co.uk /courses-for-adults- seniors)
Read these sentences;
1. Elder learners _______ want to learn Spanish. They want to learn English.
2. The program ______ change everyweek.
3. How often ______ do you have business English classes?
The correct auxiliaries that complete the sentences above are:
a) from/from/from.
b) does / does / does.
c) don’t / doesn’t / do.
d) don’t / don’t / do.
e) doesn’t / doesn’t / does.
Correct alternative: c) don’t/doesn’t/do.
In sentence number 1, the two clauses present different ideas:
“Older learners _______ want to learn Spanish. They want to learn English.” (Older students _________ want to learn Spanish. They want to learn English.)
From the content, we can already identify that the gap must be filled with a negative form.
The phrase is in Simple Present and the subject is “learners” (students), which is equivalent to the pronoun people “they” (they).
To make sentences in the negative in Simple Present, we must use “do” or does” + “not”. We can also use the contracted form of each of them: “don’t” and “doesn’t”.
“Does” is used with he/she/it and “do” is used with the other personal pronouns (I, you, we and they).
The correct phrase is: “Older learners don’t want to learn Spanish. They want to learn English.” (Older students don't want to learn Spanish. They want to learn English.)
So far, only alternatives c) and d) are correct.
In sentence number 2, “The program ______ change every week.”, notice that the word “programme” corresponds to the personal pronoun “it” (used for things and objects).
Remember that only alternatives c) and d) are still in play. The other alternatives were already invalidated in the resolution of sentence 1.
As “doesn’t” is used for “he/she/it” and “don’t” for the other pronouns (I, you, we and they), alternative c) is chosen as correct.
Here, we already know that letter c) is the answer to the exercise. However, see the analysis of sentence 3:
“How often ______ do you have business English classes?” (How often do you take Business English classes?) is a question on Simple Present.
To make interrogative sentences in Simple Present, we must use “do” or does”.
“Does” is used with he/she/it and “do” is used with the other personal pronouns (I, you, we and they). "So the final sentence is "How often do you have business English classes."
question 7
(FUNCAB/2014)
WELCOME!
And congratulations on your new purchase. You are now entitled to an unsurpassed service and a number of benefits as part of the Ericsson warranty and service program. Your Ericsson mobile phone is designed to offer you the ultimate in quality, convenience and performance. And of course, we guarantee it. From now on, as the new owner of an Ericsson mobile phone, you’ll have access to a number of exclusive advantages such as: a vast network of Ericsson service centers; a limited 1 year warranty and service agreement, and a toll-free customer service hotline.
WARRANTY CONDITIONS
Dear Customer,
If your Ericsson product needs warranty service, you should send the product to any company authorized service facility. For information contact the store from which you purchased the product. The product in all cases must be accompanied by the following items: your name, address, telephone number, warranty card, bill of sale bearing the serial number, date of delivery, or reasonable proof of these dates, and a detailed description of the problem.
Our warranty
This warranty is extended by Ericsson Inc. (“The Company”) to the original purchaser for use only. Ericsson warrants this product to be free of defects in material and workmanship at the time of its original purchase and for the subsequent period of one (1) year. All accessories for the product are covered for a period of one (1) year from the date of purchase.
what we will do
If, during the period of warranty, this product proves defective under normal use and service due to improper materials or workmanship, the company will repair or replace the defective item with a new or factory rebuilt replacement.
(Taken from Ericsson - One year Warranty and Service Agreement)
Read the following sentences:
1. Ericsson mobile phone __________ you the ultimate in quality.
2. Ericsson __________ the product to be free of defects.
3. If you need more information, you should __________ the store from which you purchased the product.
The verbs that complete the sentences above correctly are, respectively:
a) offer/warrant /contact
b) offers/warrants/contacts
c) offer/warranty/contacts
d) offers/warrants/contact
e) offer/warranty/contact
Correct alternative: d) offers/warrants/contact
In sentence 1, “Ericsson mobile phone __________ you the ultimate in quality.
The subject of the phrase is “Ericsson mobile phone”. As it is an object, the corresponding personal pronoun is “it”.
Remember that to form the inflections of the third person singular (he/she/it) in Simple Present, we have as a general rule the addition of –s in the infinitive form of the verb, without the “to”. (Example: to offer > offers).
Depending on the ending of the verb, it may be necessary to add or remove more letters. (Example: to worry > worries).
For everyone else (I, you, we and they), the inflection in Simple Present corresponds to the verb in the infinitive without the “to”. (Example: to contact > contact)
Therefore, the correct way to fill in the sentence is “offers”.
“Ericsson mobile phone offers you the ultimate in quality.” (Ericsson mobile offers you the very best in quality.)
So far, only alternatives b) and d) are valid because they are the two where “offers” is the answer option in sentence 1.
In sentence 2, “Ericsson __________ the product to be free of defects.”, the subject is the Ericsson brand. Once again the corresponding personal pronoun is “it” and for this reason, we must use an inflected third person singular verb (he/she/it).
As a general rule, the 3rd person singular inflection of Simple Present is formed by adding –s to the infinitive of the verb without the “to”.
Therefore, the correct way to fill in the sentence is "warrants" (guarantee):
Ericsson warrants the product to be free of defects. (Ericsson warrants the product to be free from defects.)
In sentence 3, “If you need more information, you should __________ the store from which you purchased the product.”, notice that the modal verb “should” was used (should; should).
After “should”, an infinitive verb is used without the “to”.
Among the alternatives that are still in play, only the letter d) has the correct form (contact). Alternative b) presents the verb “to contact” inflected in the third person singular of Simple Present.
Therefore, the correct way to fill in the phrase is "contact" (contact):
If you need more information, you should contact the store from which you purchased the product. (If you need more information, you should contact the store where you purchased the product.)
We thus conclude that alternative d) is the answer to the exercise.
question 8
(AOCP/2012)
How to Download YouTube Videos
If you want to download YouTube videos without having to pay a fee, install a toolbar, or run a dubious browser plugin, check out our handy guide to using YouTube Downloader HD. If you're like most PCWorld readers, you probably have a few classic YouTube videos you love to share with friends, family, and coworkers. That\'s all fine and good when you're connected to the Internet, but what if you want to save a few of your favorite videos to a USB stick or burn some memorable clips to disc as a gift? If you want to download YouTube videos without having to pay a fee, install a toolbar, or run a dubious browser plug-in, we suggest you use YouTube Downloader HD. A free downloadable program, YouTube Downloader HD keeps things simple: You provide the URL of the video, select the video quality and format, and click the Download button. YouTube Downloader HD has a limited selection of output formats and can't download from video sites other than YouTube, but it still shines with its adware-free installation, ability to download multiple videos simultaneously, and automatic conversion feature.
By Justin Phelps, PCWorld
In the following sentence extract: “…but it still shines with its adware-free installation, ability to download multiple videos simultaneously, and automatic conversion feature.”, there is a verb explicitly marked in Presente Simple, in the 3rd person of the singular. Check which verb carries this characteristic.
a) Shines.
b) Installation.
c) Download.
d) Simultaneously.
e) Conversion.
Correct alternative: a) Shines.
“Shines” is the third person singular inflection of the verb “to shine”.
As a general rule, we form the third person singular inflections (he/she/it) in Simple Present by adding –s in the infinitive form of the verb, without the “to”. (Example: to shine > shines).
Depending on the ending of the verb, it may be necessary to add or remove more letters. (Example: to try > tries).
For everyone else (I, you, we and they), the inflection in Simple Present corresponds to the verb in the infinitive without the “to”. (Example: to download > download)
question 9
(CETRO/2015)
Read the text below.
What is hunger?
Acute hunger or starvation are often highlighted on TV screens: hungry mothers too weak to breastfeed their children in drought-hit Ethiopia, refugees in war-torn Syria queuing for food rations, helicopters airlifting high energy biscuits to earthquake victims in Haiti or Pakistan.
These situations are the result of high profile crises like war or natural disasters, which starve a population of food. Yet emergencies account for less than eight percent of hunger's victims.
Daily undernourishment is a less visible form of hunger – but it affects many more people, from the shanty towns of Jakarta in Indonesia and the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh to the mountain villages of Bolivia and Nepal. In these places, hunger is much more than an empty stomach.
For weeks, even months, its victims must live on significantly less than the recommended 2,100 kilocalories that the average person needs to lead a healthy life.
The body compensates for the lack of energy by slowing down its physical and mental activities. A hungry mind cannot concentrate, a hungry body does not take initiative, a hungry child loses all desire to play and study.
Hunger also weakens the immune system. Deprived of the right nutrition, hungry children are especially vulnerable and become too weak to fight off disease and may die from common infections like measles and diarrhea. Each year, almost 7 million children die before reaching the age of five; malnutrition is a key factor in over a third of these deaths
(Source: Levels and Trends in Child Mortality, IGME, 2012 in http://www.wfp.org).
Choose the alternative that presents the interrogative form of the sentence below.
“[_] it affects many more people from the shanty towns [_]”.
a) Does it affect many more people from the shanty towns?
b) Is it affect many more people from the shanty towns?
c) Has they affect many more people from the shanty towns?
d) Are they affect many more people from the shanty towns?
e) Do they affect many more people from the shanty towns?
Correct alternative: a) Does it affect many more people from the shanty towns?
Note that the original phrase is in Simple Present. “Affects” is the third person singular inflection (he/she/it) of the verb “to affect”.
To make interrogative sentences in Simple Present, we must use “do” or does”.
“Does” is used with he/she/it and “do” is used with the other personal pronouns (I, you, we and they).
It is important to mention that, in interrogative sentences in Simple Present, that is, when we use “do” or “does” to ask a question, the main verb must be used in the infinitive without the “to”.
In the aforementioned sentence, the verb is “affects”. Therefore, in order to elaborate the question, it is enough to transfer the verb to the infinitive (to affect) and remove the “to” (affect).
As the subject of the sentence is “it”, the auxiliary to be used is “does”.
question 10
(COSEAC/2009)
Robots ____ have the brains to "intelligently and autonomously search ____ objects" _____ their own.
a) didn't/for/in;
b) don't/of/in;
c) haven't/for/on;
d) don't/for/on;
e) doesn't/for/on.
Correct alternative: d) don't/for/on
Note that the subject of the sentence is “robots”.
When we read the sentence in its entirety, we can see that it is in Simple Present:
“Robots ____ have the brains to "intelligently and autonomously search ____ objects" _____ their own." (The ___________ robots have the intelligence to “Search for objects intelligently and autonomously on its own.)
“Robots” is equivalent to the personal pronoun “they” and so we must use the form “don’t”.
“Search for” is a phrasal verb that means “search”.
“On their own” is an expression that in English means “on their own”.
question 11
(AOCP Institute/ 2020)
The sentence "Do you really mean that?" taken from the comic strip, express:
a) A question in the simple present tense.
b) The surprise in the present progressive tense.
c) A doubt in the past tense.
d) The hypothesis in the future tense.
Correct alternative: A question in the simple present tense.
a) CORRECT. O Simple Present Tense it is a verb tense that, in addition to expressing usual actions, also expresses universal truths, feelings, desires, opinions and preferences.
In the phrase of the strip, the verb mean it means “(really) wanting to say something”, “being serious about something”, thus indicating the interlocutor's desire to know the true opinion of the sender of the previous message.
Check the translation to better understand:
“—I hope animals go to heaven.” (I hope the animals go to heaven.)
“—It's beautiful to hear you say that. Do you really mean it?” (It's beautiful to hear you say that. Are you serious?"
“—Of course! It wouldn’t be heaven without ribs and chicken wings. (It is clear! It wouldn't be heaven without ribs and chicken wings!"
b) WRONG. O Present Progressive Tense it is a tense that expresses continuous actions, that is, that happen at the moment of speech. It is formed by the verb to be at the Simple Present (am/is/are) + gerund (-ing) of the main verb
c) WRONG. O Past Tense indicates actions in the past, which do not occur in dialogue.
d) WRONG. The strip has a phrase that indicates hypothesis in the future tense (hypothesis in the future tense), but this indication is given by the following excerpt: “—Of course! It wouldn’t be heaven without ribs and chicken wings. (It is clear! It wouldn't be heaven without ribs and chicken wings!"
question 12
Use one of the verbs to complete the sentences. Sometimes you need the negative:
a) Vegetarians __________________ meat. (to eat)
Reply: vegetarians do not eat meat. or vegetarians don’t eat meat. (Vegetarians don't eat meat.)
Bearing in mind that the phrase speaks of vegetarians (vegetarians), to eat (eat) and meat (flesh), we can conclude that the gap will be filled with the negative verb.
As the subject (vegetarians) is inflected in the plural, it corresponds to the pronoun they (they).
the denial of they at the Simple Present is formed by the following structure:
they + of + not + verb in the infinitive without the I'm
Alternatively, we can use the contracted form don’t rather than do not. As both have the same function in the sentence, the gap must be filled by do not eat or by don’t eat.
b) Bees __________________ honey. (to make)
Reply: bees make honey. (Bees make honey.)
The subject of the sentence is bees (bees) and is inflected in the plural. So it corresponds to the pronoun they (they). As we look at the words bees (bees), to make (do) and honey (honey), we realize that the gap must be filled with an affirmative form of the verb.
The flexion of the Simple Present in they is made with the verb in the infinitive (to make) without I'm.
c) An interpreter __________________ from one language into another. (to translate)
Reply: an interpreter translate from one language into another. (An interpreter translates from one language to another.)
The subject of the sentence is interpreter (interpreter), which corresponds to the third person singular, in this case he/she (he/she).
the bending of Simple Present third-person is made with the addition of -s, -es or -ies, depending on the ending of the verb.
in verbs ending in -and, as is the case of to translateand, just use the infinitive without the I'm and add -s at the end of the verb: translationare you
d) A liar is someone who __________________ the truth. (to tell)
Reply: Connecting is someone who does not tell the truth. or Connecting is someone who doesn’t tell the truth. (A liar is someone who doesn't tell the truth.)
The subject of the sentence is liar (liar/liar), which corresponds to the pronouns he/she (he/she), third person singular.
The sentence says that "A liar is someone who __________________ the truth." As the verb to be used to fill the gap is to tell (say), we can see that it should be used in the negative form.
The negative sentences of Simple Gift in the third person singular follow the structure below:
subject + does not + verb in the infinitive without the I'm
Therefore, the column must be filled in by does not tell or by its contracted form doesn’t tell.
Source: MURPHY, Raymond. English Grammar in Use, a self-study reference and practice book for intermediate students. Second Edition. Cambridge University Press.(Page 5, exercise 2.3 (adapted).
See too: Do and Does
question 13
Complete with the Simple Present:
What time _________ the banks _________ in Italy? (to close)
a) does - close
b) do - close
c) is - closed
d) generally - close-ups
Answer: b) what time of the banks close in Italy? (What time do banks close in Italy?)
the banks (the banks) corresponds to the pronoun they (they). Therefore, the interrogative form follows the structure below:
of + subject + verb in the infinitive without the I'm
question 14
Write the sentence below in the negative form:
Sally travels to Ireland every year.
Negative form: ____________________________________________
Reply: Sally does not travel to Ireland every year. or Sally doesn’t travel to Ireland every year. (Sally doesn't travel to Ireland every year.)
sally is a female name and therefore corresponds to the pronoun she (she), who is third person singular.
In the negative form of the third person singular, the Simple Present is indicated by the following structure:
does + not + verb in the infinitive without the I'm
The verb of the sentence, travels (travel) is flexed in the Simple Present. Its infinitive form is to travel. Therefore, following the formation structure of the negative form of the third person of the Simple Present, we have does not travel. The contracted form can also be used. doesn’t travel. The other elements of the sentence are repeated.
question 15
Fill up the blanks with the interrogative form of the Simple Present:
_________ the kids _________ classes today? (to have)
Reply: Do the kids have classes today? (Do the kids have classes today?)
Notice that the kids (children) is a plural noun and therefore corresponds to the pronoun they (they/they), which is the third person plural.
The interrogative form of the Simple Present for the pronoun they follows the following structure:
of + subject + verb in the infinitive without the I'm
So we have do the kids have…?
question 16
Take a look at the text below and choose the option in which all the options are verbs in the Simple Present. The text is part of a summary of the movie marley and me, in which Marley is a yellow labrador retriever dog
Although Marley constantly tests the Grogans' patience with his bad behavior, he becomes an established member of the family. He rides along in the car when John and Jenny make a late-night trip to the pharmacy for their first home pregnancy test, and he’s there to celebrate with them when they discover they’re expecting a Baby. Marley is later the shoulder Jenny creates upon when her pregnancy ends in a miscarriage, solidifying her role as comforter in the family.
Source: MARLEY AND ME SUMMARY AND SUDY GUIDE. SUPER SUMMARY™, 2020. Available in: https://www.supersummary.com/marley-and-me/summary/. Accessed on Oct 22 2020
a) tests - passes - rides - creates - discover
b) tests - discover - established - ends
c) celebrate - discover - expecting - pass
d) make - tests - ends - solidifying - established
Correct answer: a) tests - passes - rides - creates - discover
Taking into account the text, see below for an explanation of each element presented in the answer options:
- tests: verb inflection to test (test) in the third person singular (it) of Simple Present.
- pass: verb inflection to become (become) third person singular (he/she/it) of Simple Present.
- rides: verb inflection to ride (which in the phrase means to walk) in the third person singular (it) of Simple Present.
- create: verb inflection to cry (cry) in the third person singular (she) of Simple Present.
- discover: verb inflection to discover (discover) in the third person plural (they) of Simple Present.
- established: in the sentence, it is not a verb, but an adjective. It means "established", "fixed".
- ends: verb inflection to end (end) in the third person singular (it) of Simple Present.
- celebrate: infinitive form. Note that in the sentence it appears as to celebrate
- expecting: formation element of the Present Continuous. Note that in the sentence it is an integral part of they’re expecting.
- make: verb inflection to make (do) in the third person plural (they) of Simple Present.
- comforter: it is an adjective and not a verb. It means "comforter".
question 17
Choose the option that corresponds to the interrogative form of the sentence below:
Kate and Orlando have a baby girl.
Right answer: Of Kate and Orlando have the baby girl? (Kate and Orlando have a baby?)
Note that the subject of the sentence is Kate and Orlando, and because it is composed of two people, it corresponds to the third person plural pronoun they (they).
The formation of the Simple Present for third person plural follows the structure below:
of + subject + verb in the infinitive without the I'm
So we have From Kate and Orlando ??? The other elements of the sentence are repeated.
question 18
Use the verbs in parenthesis in the Simple Present or in the Present Continuous
I generally _________________ a hamburger for lunch, but today I _________________ a pizza (to eat/to eat).
Reply: I generally eat a hamburger for lunch, but today I am eating the pizza. (I usually have a hamburger for lunch, but today I'm eating pizza.)
Note that the first part of the sentence speaks of a habitual action, which usually takes place. For this type of actions, we use the Simple Present.
In the second part of the sentence, we have an action that occurs at the time of speech and, therefore, we use the Present Continuous.
question 19
Choose the correct alternative:
The Olympic Games __________________ every four years.
a) happen
b) happens
c) happened
d) happening
Correct alternative: a) happen
The Olympic Games is a plural noun that can be translated as "Olympics" or "Olympics", and which corresponds to the pronoun they (they).
through the voiceover every four years, a regularity of action is indicated. That is, it is something that happens routinely, with a certain frequency; usually. In this case, we should use the Simple Present.
How the subject corresponds to the pronoun they, the flexion of the Simple Present is formed with the infinitive of the verb without the I'm: happen.
the alternatives ç) and d) cannot be used as they constitute, respectively, inflections of Simple Past (Simple Past) and Present Continuous (Present continuous).
the alternative B) cannot be used because, although it is inflected in the Simple Present, corresponds to the third person singular (he/she/it).
question 20
Complete the sentence using the Simple Present in the correct position:
Dennis ________________ generally ________________ to bed late. (to go)
Reply: dennis generally goes to bed late. (Dennis usually goes to bed late.)
dennis matches the pronoun he (third person singular). To inflect verbs ending in -O at the Simple Present, just add -es at its termination: gO > goare you
Note that there is a mode adverb in the sentence: generally (usually).
The rule for using adverbs indicates that they must be used before the main verb of the sentence, except when this verb is an auxiliary other than the verb. to be.
In the sentence in question, the verb is I go. Therefore, the verbal inflection must be inserted in the second gap.
See too:
- English in Enem: how to study
- Present Perfect (exercises with commented feedback)
Simple Present Summary
Check out the infographic below and learn once and for all the rules for using the Simple Present.
