Verbs and present Tenses

Most verbs are action words. They tell you what people, animals or things are doing. 
 
act                 jump                 bake                 move                 bend 
pull               buy                    run                   close                 shout 
cook             sing                   cross                 sit                     fall 
slide             fly                     stand                 go                     start 
grow            swim                  hop                   walk 
 
 
The Simple Present Tense :
 
The simple present tense expresses a general truth or  a customary action. 
 
  • Mary enjoys singing. 
  • Peter sometimes lends me his bike. 
  • Cows eat grass. 
  • Monkeys like bananas. 
  • Tom collects stamps. 
  • The earth goes around the sun. 
  • It often snows in winter. 
  • We always wash our hands before meals. 
  • We eat three meals a day. 
  • Father takes the dog for a walk every morning.

 Use the simple present tense to talk about things that are planned for the future.  

  • We join the senior scout troop in July this year. 
  • My big brother leaves school at 4 o’clock. 
  • The new supermarket opens next Friday. 
  • The new grammar book comes out in September.  
  • Grandad retires next year. 
  • We fly to London next Thursday. 
  • The plane lands at 5:30 P.M. 
  • We move to our new house in a month. 
  • My big sister begins her summer job next week.
 

 Am, Is and Are :
 

The words am, is, are are also verbs, but they are not action words. They are the simple present tense of the verb be. 

Use am with the pronoun I, and is with the pronouns he, she and it. Use are with the pronouns you, we and they. 

  • I am Peter.  I am not Paul. 
  • She is Miss Lee. She is a teacher. 
  • He is my father. He is a doctor. He is not a lawyer. 
  • You are a stranger. You are not my friend. 
  • We are in the same class, but we are not on the same team. 
  • They are good friends. They are not enemies.

 

Here’s a table to help you remember how to  use am, is and are:


                                                 Singular                 Plural 

First person                               I am                         we are 

Second person                          you are                     you are 

Third person                             he is                        they are 

                                                 she is                        they are  

                                                 it is                           they are