TEACHER’S NOTES

WORKSHEETS, ACTIVITIE S & GA ME S Present Simple Practice

Activity Type Introduction

Grammar Exercises: In this present simple worksheet, students learn and identify the
reforming words, rules and verb forms associated with the present simple tense.
identifying, binary choice,
writing and rewriting Procedure
sentences, gap-fill
Give each student a copy of the three-page worksheet.

Focus First, students add third-person singular verb endings to verbs

(-s, -es or -ies).
Present simple

Subject-verb agreement Exercise A - Answer key

Third-person singular 1. teaches 7. dances 13. stops

verb forms 2. flies 8. goes 14. worries
3. runs 9. buzzes 15. finishes
Adverbs of frequency and 4. pushes 10. watches 16. has
frequency expressions 5. fixes 11. sits
6. does 12. guesses

Aim Students then use the answers to complete spelling rules for
To identify the rules and third-person singular verb forms.
verb forms associated
with the present simple Next, students underline the correct verb forms in a set of present
tense. simple sentences and write what they understand about subject-
verb agreement in the present simple.

Preparation Exercise B - Answer key

Make one copy of the 1. goes 5. eat 9. barks

three-page worksheet for 2. eat 6. watches 10. listen
each student. 3. does 7. finishes 11. go
4. play 8. sweeps 12. live
Level After that, students do a gap-fill exercise where they complete
Pre-intermediate (A2) present simple affirmative and negative sentences with verbs in
brackets. Students then write the rules for negative verb forms in
the present simple.
Time
Exercise C - Answer key
45 minutes
1. don't fly, swim 9. am, am not
2. wash, don't put 10. starts, doesn't start
3. don't clean, eat 11. doesn't play, plays
4. tries, doesn't behave 12. brushes, goes
5. doesn't rise, rises 13. don't catch, catch
6. doesn't have, has 14. doesn't sit, goes
7. doesn't like, likes 15. don't do, do
8. isn't, is

(continued on the next page)

Teach-This.com © 2021 Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.

 TEACHER’S NOTES

WORKSHEETS, ACTIVITIE S & GA ME S Present Simple Practice

Activity Type Procedure continued

Grammar Exercises: Next, students rewrite sentences, adding adverbs of frequency
reforming words, and frequency expressions in the correct position.
identifying, binary choice,
writing and rewriting Finally, students complete sentences, explaining the correct
sentences, gap-fill position of frequency adverbs and expressions in a sentence.

Exercise D - Possible answers

Focus
Present simple 1. We are often at home on Sunday.
2. I'm usually not busy on Monday.
Subject-verb agreement 3. The cleaner works here five days a week.
4. My parents visit me once a month.
Third-person singular 5. They are always happy to have guests.
verb forms 6. We sometimes have bacon for breakfast.
7. Birds build their nests on this roof every summer.
Adverbs of frequency and
8. They always come to class on time.
frequency expressions
9. Sally is never late for school.
10. Mike sometimes has lunch before one o'clock.
Aim
To identify the rules and
verb forms associated
with the present simple
tense.

Preparation
Make one copy of the
three-page worksheet for
each student.

Level
Pre-intermediate (A2)

Time
45 minutes

Teach-This.com © 2021 Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.

 PRESENT SIMPLE AFFIRMATIVE AND NEGATIVE

WORKSHEETS, ACTIVITIE S & GA ME S Present Simple Practice

For third-person singular verb forms in the present simple, we add -s, -es or -ies at the end of
the verb.

A. Add third-person singular verb endings to the verbs (-s, -es or -ies).

1. teach .....................   9. buzz .....................

2. fly ..................... 10. watch .....................

3. run ..................... 11. sit .....................

4. push ..................... 12. guess .....................

5. fix ..................... 13. stop .....................

6. do ..................... 14. worry .....................

7. dance ..................... 15. finish .....................

8. go ..................... 16. have .....................

What are the spelling rules for present simple third-person singular verb forms?

For most verbs, we add .................................................................................................

For verbs ending with a consonant and -y, we add ............................................................

For verbs ending in -s, -z, -ch, -sh, -o, or -x, we add .........................................................

For the verb have, we add ............................................................................................

B. Underline the correct present simple verb form in each sentence.

1. My family go / goes on holiday in the summer.

2. I often eat / eats dinner at my friend’s house.

3. Emma do / does her homework in the evening.

4. They play / plays badminton every afternoon.

5. We eat / eats eggs for breakfast.

6. My brother never watch / watches television.

7. He never finish / finishes his homework on time.

8. Mrs. White sweep / sweeps the floor twice a week.

9. My dog bark / barks at night.

10. You listen / listens to the radio every morning.

11. Becky and Liz go / goes to the swimming pool every week.

12. My parents live / lives in Paris.

Teach-This.com © 2021 Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.

 PRESENT SIMPLE AFFIRMATIVE AND NEGATIVE

WORKSHEETS, ACTIVITIE S & GA ME S Present Simple Practice

From the last exercise, write what you understand about subject-verb agreement in
the present simple.

..................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................

..................................................................................................................................

C. Complete the present simple affirmative and negative sentences with the verbs in
brackets.

1. Fish ......................... (not fly). They ......................... (swim).

2. I ......................... (wash) the dishes, but I ......................... (not put) them away.

3. They ......................... (not clean) the kitchen before they ......................... (eat) dinner.

4. Neil ......................... (try) to be a good boy, but he ......................... (not behave) well.

5. The sun ......................... (not rise) in the west. It ......................... (rise) in the east.

6. A spider ......................... (not have) wings. A bird ......................... (have) wings.

7. Sarah ......................... (not like) swimming. She ......................... (like) to play tennis.

8. He ......................... (not be) American. He ......................... (be) Canadian.

9. I ......................... (be) a student. I ......................... (not be) a teacher.

10. Class ......................... (start) at 9 o'clock. It ......................... (not start) at 8 o'clock.

11. Tom ......................... (not play) football. He ......................... (play) computer games.

12. S
 arah ......................... (brush) her hair every morning before she .........................
(go) to school.

13. I ......................... (not catch) a cold in the summer, but I often .........................
(catch) a cold in the winter.

14. N
 atalie ......................... (not sit) in the sun. She never ......................... (go) to the
beach.

15. T
 hey ......................... (not do) their homework together. They ......................... (do) it
alone.

What are the rules for negative verb forms in the present simple?

.................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................

.................................................................................................................

Teach-This.com © 2021 Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.

 PRESENT SIMPLE AFFIRMATIVE AND NEGATIVE

WORKSHEETS, ACTIVITIE S & GA ME S Present Simple Practice

Adverbs of frequency are often used with the present simple because they indicate repeated or
routine actions or events.

D. Rewrite the following present simple sentences, adding the adverb of frequency or
frequency expression in the correct position.

1. We are at home on Sunday. (often)

..................................................................................................................................

2. I'm not busy on Monday. (usually)

..................................................................................................................................

3. The cleaner works here. (five days a week)

..................................................................................................................................

4. My parents visit me. (once a month)

..................................................................................................................................

5. They are happy to have guests. (always)

..................................................................................................................................

6. We have bacon for breakfast. (sometimes)

..................................................................................................................................

7. Birds build their nests on this roof. (every summer)

..................................................................................................................................

8. They come to class on time. (always)

..................................................................................................................................

9. Sally is late for school. (never)

..................................................................................................................................

10. Mike has lunch before one o'clock. (sometimes)

..................................................................................................................................

Where do we place adverbs of frequency in a sentence?

Sentences with the verb to be: .......................................................................................

Sentences with one main verb: ......................................................................................

Negative sentences: .....................................................................................................

Frequency expressions: .................................................................................................

Teach-This.com © 2021 Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.