Lesson on the simple present:

Lesson on the simple present:

 

She runs three times a week.

Americans celebrate 4th of July with firecrackers.

I always have tea in the morning.

Some of you live close to De Anza College.

Presidential elections happen every 4 years.

 

1. When do we use the simple present tense?

a. For routines- everyday activities and habits

 

She wakes up at 5:00 am every day.

He takes a walk in the morning.

I read every night before I go to bed.

 

Think of several things that you do on a normal weekday. Write some sentences using the simple present tense.

He works from home.

She does yoga everyday.

She wakes up late every day.

She does her homework every day.

I take a walk most days.

 

 

b. For common culture and customs

 

When Americans speak to each other, they make eye contact.

Men give roses to their wives on Valentine’s Day.

Americans give out candy on Halloween.

 

Write down several sentences about a holiday from your native country.  What customs do people follow?

 

For example:

At Christmas, many families decorate a tree. 

Children hang stockings by their fireplace.

Kids get gifts from Santa Clause.

 

They wear new clothes and visit family and friends for New Year.

He bakes a cake for New Years in Belarus.

From April 13-16, they celebrate a traditional water festival. 

In China children get red packets and everyone visits their family.

Children celebrate their parents on August 1.

 

 

 

c.   For general truths and facts

The president of the US lives in the White House.

California has a large population.

A lot of immigrants move to the US for job opportunities.

 

 

 

 

d.  with frequency words:  always, often, sometimes, rarely, seldom,…

 

Where do we put the frequency words in the sentence?

 

She rarely comes to school late.

He is never tired in the morning.

She usually prepares a big dinner for her family.

They are always on time. 

 

With “be” the frequency words come after the verb.

With all the other verbs, the frequency word comes first.

 

**usually and sometimes can be put at the beginning of the sentence. 

 

Now you’re going to do a breakout session with a partner.  Think of students’ normal activities.  Use frequency words in each sentence.

 

For example:

Students always have homework.

Students are sometimes late to class.

 

Form of the simple present:

 

**Learn

 

I learn

You learn

*He learns

*She learns

*It learns

 

We learn

They learn

 

2. Forms of questions with the simple present:

a. yes/no

 

Do you like chocolate?  Yes, I do.   No, I don’t. 

Does she wake up late on the weekends?  Yes, she does.  No, she doesn’t.

Do you like homework?  No, we don’t.  Yes, I do.  No, not really.

 

Do/does + subject + the base form of the verb 

 

Write one yes/no question in the simple present tense. 

For example:

Do you like to cook?

Does he go to school in the morning?

Do you like to go shopping? 

Do you like to sleep?

Do you like to drink coffee after work?

Do you use Facebook?

 

Do you exercise? Yes, I do.  I walk every day. 

Do you speak English?

 

 

b. wh questions:  Information questions:

What are some wh words?

 When, where, why, who, which, what, how often, how long, how many, whom, whose

 

Where do you live?

When does your class start?

When do you have a break?

How many nights a week do you study English?

 

Form:

Wh word + do/does + subject + the base form of the verb 

 

Write a wh question in the simple present tense.

 

Why do I have to stay home?

What do you think about the pandemic?

Why do you eat so much sugar?

 

 

 

3. The negative form of the simple present

 

I don’t smoke.

She doesn’t eat sugar.

Some students don’t like homework.

He doesn’t want to leave early tonight.

 

 

Form:

Subject + do/does + not + the base form of the verb

Write a negative sentence in the simple present tense.

He does not need to go to school.

I don’t like to eat much.

I don’t want to stay at home anymore.

I don’t cook because my roommate cooks for me.

She doesn’t drink coffee.

My daughter doesn’t like vegetables.

I don’t like going to crowded areas.

I don’t like guns.

I drink coffee when she is outside. 

I don’t like washing dishes.

Jennifer Lopez doesn’t age.  She doesn’t get older.

 

 

More questions in the simple present:

 

How often do you do homework?

 

When you ask a question with “how often”, we usually answer with one of the following phrases:

every day, every Saturday, several times a week, a few times a week, once a week….

 

How often do you exercise?

I exercise twice a week.

He goes to the gym four times a week.

He exercises once a week. 

She walks every day.

 

How often do you go to the grocery store?

 

I go to the grocery store once a week.

She shops twice a week.

I go to the grocery store about once every 10 days.

 

Think of a question with “how often”

 

How often do you go shopping? I go every month.

How often do you use Facebook? She uses it every day.

How often do you check your email. I check my email several times a day. 

How often do you travel every year? She travels once a year.

 

 

Homework for Monday:  Practice

1.   In your grammar book- Read and study pages 15-35, do exercises 12, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 24-27

 

2.   Writing assignment #1 (WA #1)  You are going to write about a place where you like to spend time.  (Think of a place where you spend time when we don’t have to worry about “shelter in place”). 

 (For example, the weight room in your gym, a café, a restaurant, one room in the library, one area of a park…..)

 

 

Include:

a.  a description of the place (what it looks like)

b. why you like to be there

c. what you do there

 

 

The assignment is on Canvas.  Please turn it in through Canvas by uploading it. 

                          

                                     Climbing The Walls

 

     One of my favorite places is the climbing gym in Santa Cruz because it has a great atmosphere.  The gym has really high ceilings.  Different colored climbing holds cover the 50-foot gray walls.  The holds are red, yellow, blue, pink, green and white.  They are all different shapes and sizes too.  Long ropes hang from the ceiling to the floor along the walls. There are thick blue mats on the floor in the climbing area. I like to be at the gym because I get to spend time climbing with my daughter.  Also, there are always a lot of friendly people there.  The gym plays a wide variety of music too.  It’s fun to listen to the music while I climb. When I’m at the gym, I try different walls to climb. Sometimes I try easy walls, and sometimes I try harder walls.  My daughter and I spend about two hours climbing. It’s always challenging because they change the walls all of the time. The climbing gym is an enjoyable place to exercise.  (173 words)

 

 

Answer the following questions about the sample paragraph:

1. Did the writer describe the place?  Give an example.

2. Did the writer show why she likes to be there?  Give an example.

3.  Did the writer say what she does there?  Give an example.

 

 

 

 

 

What is a sentence?

 

1.   It has a subject.

2.   It has a verb.

3.   It has a complete idea.

4.   It ends with a period.

 

 

I like chocolate because it is delicious.

 

She lives in Santa Cruz. She works in San Jose.

She lives in Santa Cruz, and she works in San Jose.