We use the simple present tense to talk about our habits, routines, likes, dislikes etc.

• My dad goes for a walk in the morning.
• I wake up at 5.30.
• I love cats and dogs.
• My daughter adores her kittens.

The simple present tense is also used to talk about a universal truth.

• The sun rises in the east.
• Milk is white in colour.
• Honey tastes sweet.
• Heat expands bodies.
• Honesty is the best policy.
• Light travels faster than sound.
• Air occupies space.

Sometimes the simple present tense is used to talk about future events that are part of a time table or pre-planned schedule.

• The train arrives at 3.30 pm.

Worksheet 1

Fill in the blanks using the simple present tense form of the verb.

1. I ……………………. my mother every day. (call / calls)

2. Susan ……………………….. alone. (live / lives)

3. We ……………………. to the temple twice a week. (go / goes)

4. My mother ………………………. a lot of time in her garden. (spend / spends)

5. Snakes ………………………. in holes. (live / lives)

6. A spider ……………………….. eight legs. (has / have)

7. She …………………………. several cottages in the countryside. (own / owns)

8. My father ………………………… in the army. (serve / serves)

9. My son …………………………. to launch his own business. (want / wants)

10. We ………………………….. curd from milk. (make / makes)

11. Bees ……………………….. nectar from flowers. (collect / collects)

12. He rarely ………………………….. English movies. (watch / watches)

Answers

1. call, 2. lives, 3. go, 4. spends, 5. live, 6. has, 7. owns, 8. serves, 9. wants, 10. make, 11. collect, 12. watches

Worksheet 2

Make sentences in the simple present tense. In the simple present tense, the verb takes the marker -s when the subject is a singular noun or pronoun.

1. My mother ……………………………… in a bank. (work)

2. My parents ………………………….. hard to give us a good life. (work)

3. She …………………………… across the street. (live)

4. I ………………………… him and his family. (know)

5. Meera …………………………. to adopt a puppy. (want)

6. Both my children ……………………………… to become soldiers. (want)

7. Raju ………………………………. with his left hand. (write)

8. Sneha …………………………… a saloon in the town. (run)

9. She ………………………….. with her parents. (live)

10. Children …………………………… to rush about. (like)

11. She …………………………. care of a lot of cats. (take)

12. My sister ………………………….. two houses in Mumbai. (own)

Answers

1. works, 2. work, 3. lives, 4. know, 5. wants, 6. want, 7. writes, 8. runs, 9. lives, 10. like, 11. takes, 12. owns

Worksheet 3

Fill in the blanks with the simple present tense form of the verb.

1. Iron ………………………….. when exposed to air. (rust / rusts)

2. Martin ………………………….. in a bank. (work / works)

3. He …………………………. good care of his aged parents. (take / takes)

4. Dogs …………………………… at strangers. (bark / barks)

5. Planets ……………………….. in their own orbits around the sun. (move / moves)

6. The sun …………………………. us heat and light. (give / gives)

7. The moon ……………………….. no light of its own. (has / have)

8. I …………………………. dishonest people. (hate / hates)

9. He ………………………. a lot. (read / reads)

10. I ………………………… bird watching. (enjoy / enjoys)

Answers

1. rusts, 2. works, 3. takes, 4. bark, 5. move, 6. gives, 7. has, 8. hate, 9. reads, 10. enjoy