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English Language Learners’ Reference Guide from the Writing Center Present Tenses Form Meaning How to use it Present Simple Brown students study every day. Professors do interesting research. I don’t study in the library. Do you study in the library? The most common places to use the simple present are: -Routine/Habitual Actions (Often used with adverbs of frequency like always, sometimes, often, never.) -Facts/General Truths -Schedules Present Progressive We are studying these verbs right now. The students are listening to the professor. Some students aren’t listening? Are you listening? The most common place to use the present progressive is: -To express actions in progress right now The affirmative uses the base form of the verb. In the third person, be sure to add an “s” or an “es.” When creating any progressive tense, BE is the auxiliary. In the present progressive, be is in the present form: AM, IS, ARE. The verb must always been in the gerund (-ing) form. I You We They Negatives Special Notes walk. He She It used with for and since. Choose for when referring to a period of time and since for the starting point.) I walks. Use the auxiliary verb do/does + not. -I do not walk. (I don’t walk.) -She does not walk. (She doesn’t walk.) *Note the use of the “s” on do means you don’t need it on the verb! am walking. She It When creating any perfect tense, HAVE is the auxiliary. In the present perfect have is in the present form: HAVE or HAS. The verb must always be in the past participle. I You He is walking. You We are walking. They Use NOT between be and the verb. -I am not walking to class in the rain. (I’m not walking…) -She is not walking to class in the rain. (She isn’t walking/She’s not walking…) The Literary Present We often use the Present Simple to talk about anything relating to a work of literature, even if it was written in the past. Shakespeare says that, “all the world is a stage…” Present Perfect We have studied for four hours. The professor has spoken for two hours! Have you studied all night? I haven’t eaten breakfast yet. The most common place to use the present perfect for a present meaning is: -To express an action that starting in the past and continues to the present (Often Can also be used to indicate a future arrangement or plan. Compare: -We are eating at the new Chinese restaurant right now. -We are eating at the new Chinese restaurant tonight. We They have walked. He She has walked. It Use NOT between have/has and the verb. -I have not walked to school this year. (I haven’t walked…) -She has not walked to school this year. (She hasn’t walked…) The present perfect is also used FOR THE “Indefinite” past. The indefinite past expresses an action that was done at some unspecified time in the past; it tends to refer to life experience without giving specific time. -I have studied in Rome. (I no longer study there but I have had this experience.) The present perfect progressive can be used to add extra emphasis to the ongoing or continuing nature of an action. -We have been studying for four hours (and we are still studying!) The professor has been speaking for two hours (and this lecture is not over!) Present Tenses continued Information Questions Question Word Auxiliary Where do Where are How long have Question Word Subject you you You Yes/No Questions Auxiliary Subject Do You Are You Have You Answers to information questions give some new information. -Where do you live? - I live in Providence. Answers to Yes/No Questions can be as simple as yes or no but often also use the subject + auxiliary. Verb live? living this semester? lived in the U.S.A.? Asking questions in the Present Tenses Verb eat lunch on campus? eating here today? eaten in the Ratty? Basic questions follow a specific formula in English. You can use this formula across verb tenses as long as you update the auxiliary and verb form. -Do you live in Providence. -Yes, I do. -Are you eating at the Ratty? -Yes, I am. The auxiliary shifts based on the verb tense being used. The present simple will always use some form of do; the present progressive will always use some form of be; and the present perfect will use some form of have. Note: Subject questions don’t use an auxiliary. (The new information given in the answer is the subject.) -Who lives with you? -Maria lives with me. -Who has eaten at the Ratty? -Brown students have eaten at the Ratty. Key Terms Third Person: He, She, It Auxiliary Verbs: “Grammatical” verbs which do a job in the sentence but don’t carry meaning. Because they “help” create a tense, a negation, or a question, they are often called “helping verbs.” Past Participle: For regular verbs, the past participle is the verb+ed. For irregular verbs, the past participle form is found in the third column. For example, the verb to speak is irregular and its breakdown is: SPEAK SPOKE SPOKEN. Spoken is the past participle to be used with simple perfect tenses. Need more help: Email Rachel Toncelli, ELL Director, at [email protected] for a schedule of English Language Seminars.