PRESENT TENSE SIMPLE

INTRODUCTION
PTS must be, in our minds, associated with ST
RT = ST; ET = RT (as a fact, or as a possibility) the

event is valid at ST
I understand the situation (the event of understanding is simultaneous with ST/now)

I smoke cigars (the event of smoking is only possible at ST, it is not a fact - I am not smoking cigars now, but I could)

FORM
There are two forms the verb can take to express PTS:

1) V (the base form taken from the dictionary) for I, you, we, they I sing you sing we sing they sing

FORM
2) V-s: for he, she, it he singS she singS it rainS Conclusion: in English, the PTS is marked by a single inflection for the 3rd person singular (-S); for all the other persons, either singular or plural, the base form (V) is used

DO SUPPORT
To negate and ask questions in the SP, DO SUPPORT is

needed. INTERROGATIVE I know who you are >>> You know who I am >>> He knowS who she is

Do I know who you are? Do you know who I am? DoES he know who she is? DoES she know Russian? DoES it snow every week in this town?

DO SUPPORT
Where do you come from?
What doES he study? [The priest] comes here every Sunday >>> [Who] comes here every Sunday? *Who does come here

DO SUPPORT
NEGATIVE I do not / dont smoke You do not / dont believe me He / She does not / doesnt smoke cigars It does not / doesnt rain heavily in autumn

DO SUPPORT
NEGATIVE-INTERROGATIVE Dont I speak German well? Dont you eat fruit? Doesnt he sing beautifully?

PRONUNCIATION OF S INFLECTION
/Z/ when -S is preceded by - a voiced consonant: b,d,g,l,m,n,r,v robs, fills, begs, dreams - a vowel: goes, sees when S is preceded by - a voiceless consonant: f,k,p,t laughs, kicks, lets, claps when S is preceded by a sibilant: s, z, , t, d loses, manages, passes, pushes, mixes

/S/

/IZ/

SPELLING OF V-s FORM

1) V + (-es) -o -s -x - ch - sh : when the verb ends in does, goes misses mixes catches pushes

SPELLING OF V-s FORM

2) Y ie when y is preceded by a consonant cry cries try tries dry dries
but play plays say says

USES
General meaning - something/a state of affairs has existence at ST - this existence/state of affairs is allowed to stretch into the past and into the future My house stands on that hill - it is a present state of affairs, even though the house has been standing (past)on that hill for many years and will stand (future) there for an indefinite period in the future.

USES MEANINGS OF THE PRESENT TENSE WITH REFERENCE TO PRESENT TIME 1) STATE PRESENT with stative senses there is no reference to a specific time a) General timeless statements / eternal truths (proverbs, definitions, scientific , or mathematical statements etc.) The sun sets in the west Honesty is the best policy Five and four make nine b) Geographical statements The Danube is longest river in Romania His land lies along the coast
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USES MEANINGS OF THE PRESENT TENSE WITH REFERENCE TO PRESENT TIME 1) STATE PRESENT

c) states whose time span is to a greater or lesser degree restricted Bill is tall Everybody likes music He knows Russian I do not believe in hard work She lives in New York

USES MEANINGS OF THE PRESENT TENSE WITH REFERENCE TO PRESENT TIME 2) HABITUAL PRESENT

Activity/Process/Dynamic verbs used with the simple present imply: - (like states) a timeless interpretation - reference to a whole sequence of events, repeated over a period of time (mentioned or implied), ST included - (usually) the presence of a frequency adverbial (to specify the frequency)

USES MEANINGS OF THE PRESENT TENSE WITH REFERENCE TO PRESENT TIME 2) HABITUAL PRESENT
Examples Peter goes to Moscow every two weeks She usually drinks coffee I smoke cigars
NOTE Jimmy goes to the seaside

is incomplete because there is no adverb to express the frequency of the event

USES MEANINGS OF THE PRESENT TENSE WITH REFERENCE TO PRESENT TIME 2) HABITUAL PRESENT
Adverbs of frequency daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, commonly, generally, every , normally, usually, frequently, often, regularly, repeatedly, occasionally, seldom, sometimes

USES MEANINGS OF THE PRESENT TENSE WITH REFERENCE TO PRESENT TIME 3) INSTANTENEOUS PRESENT
- used with activity/process/dynamic verbs - a single action which happens in a moment at ST (the

action begins and ends at ST- it has no duration >>> nondurative verbs) a) Sport commentaries Danciulescu receives the ball, passes to Borcea who shoots and its a goal! b) Demonstrations, explanations, instructions (and other self-commentaries) I pick up the fruit with a skewer, dip it into the batter, and lower it into hot fat

USES MEANINGS OF THE PRESENT TENSE WITH REFERENCE TO PRESENT TIME 3) INSTANTENEOUS PRESENT
c) In special exclamatory sentences (with initial adverb) Here comes the bus! There speaks another clever guy! d) Performatives (the event described by the simple present verb is performed during the speech event) I apologize I advise you not to go I resign I name this ship Queen Victoria I deny your charge

REPRESENTATION OF THE THREE CENTRAL USES OF SP WITH RESPECT TO ST

ST [now] X X X X state present habitual pres instant. present

SPECIAL NONPRESENT USES OF THE PRESENT TENSE 1) PAST REFERENCE

a) The Historic Present

I couldnt believe it! Just as we arrived, up comes Ben and slaps me on the back as if were life-long friends - it is used in popular narrative style - it describes the past as if it is happening now - it conveys dramatic immediacy of an eye-witness account

SPECIAL NONPRESENT USES OF THE PRESENT TENSE 1) PAST REFERENCE

b) With verbs of communication: tell, say, understand, hear, and learn Eight oclock news says its going to be cold John tells me youre getting a new car I hear your sister had an accident It is also possible to say Ive heard your sister. I heard your sister

SPECIAL NONPRESENT USES OF THE PRESENT TENSE 1) PAST REFERENCE

The Book of Genesis speaks of the terrible fate of Sodom and Gomorrah The suggestion is that although the book was written thousands of years ago, it still speaks to us at ST - the meaning conveyed is that the past can remain alive in the present; this explains the possibility to use SP in sentences referring to writers, artists, etc. and their works
In The Brothers Karamazov, Dostoevsky draws/drew his characters from sources deep in the Russian soil Brahms is/was the last great representative of German classicism

SPECIAL NONPRESENT USES OF THE PRESENT TENSE 1) PAST REFERENCE

c) In newspaper headlines - to report recent events
Perry loses the presidential plot Berlusconi resigns Ship sinks in midnight collision Milton defends the liberty of the press

SPECIAL NONPRESENT USES OF THE PRESENT TENSE 2) FUTURE REFERENCE

a) In Main Clauses, with time-position adverbials, to suggest that:
the event is seen as an assured fact the event is unalterably fixed in advance Next Christmas falls on Monday Tomorrow is Sunday The plane leaves for London at four oclock tonight b) In dependent/subordinate clauses Conditional clauses (type I) Youll have the money back if you accept my offer
-

SPECIAL NONPRESENT USES OF THE PRESENT TENSE 2) FUTURE REFERENCE

- in temporal clauses Ill sign it when you come back Ill let you know as soon as I hear from her