Present Simple: The Basics

Present Simple: The Basics

Learning Objective

At the end of the lesson you will be able to write a sentence in the Present Simple.

Introduce the lesson objective and explain its importance.

What do you already know about writing sentences in the Present Simple?

What is Present Simple?

Present Simple is a tense used to describe actions or events that happen regularly, repeatedly, or always. It is also used to describe general truths, things that are always true.

Explain what Present Simple is and give examples.

Subject-Verb Agreement

In a sentence written in the Present Simple, the verb must agree with the subject. For example: 'He walks to school every day.'

Explain the importance of subject-verb agreement and provide examples.

Positive Sentences

Positive sentences in the Present Simple have the same form as the base form of the verb. For example: 'I eat breakfast every morning.'

Provide examples of positive sentences and encourage students to write their own.

Negative Sentences

Negative sentences in the Present Simple use the auxiliary verb 'do' + 'not' + the base form of the verb. For example: 'She does not like spicy food.'

Provide examples of negative sentences and encourage students to write their own.

Questions

Questions in the Present Simple use the auxiliary verb 'do' + the subject + the base form of the verb. For example: 'Do you play tennis?'

Provide examples of questions and encourage students to write their own.

Third Person Singular

When the subject of the sentence is third person singular (he, she, it), the verb takes an -s or -es in the Present Simple. For example: 'She runs every morning.'

Explain the rule for third person singular and provide examples.

Practice Exercise

Provide a list of verbs and ask students to write sentences in the Present Simple using each verb. Encourage students to share their sentences with the class.

Give instructions for the practice exercise and allow time for students to complete it.

Write down 3 things you learned in this lesson.

Have students enter three things they learned in this lesson. With this they can indicate their own learning efficiency of this lesson.

Write down 2 things you want to know more about.

Here, students enter two things they would like to know more about. This not only increases involvement, but also gives them more ownership.

Ask 1 question about something you haven't quite understood yet.

The students indicate here (in question form) with which part of the material they still have difficulty. For the teacher, this not only provides insight into the extent to which the students understand/master the material, but also a good starting point for the next lesson.