Present Simple Active and Passive. Present Simple tense. The Present Simple
tense in English is used to express a repeated present action, a general situation,
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Present Simple Active and Passive Present Simple tense The Present Simple tense in English is used to express a repeated present action, a general situation, state or fact. It is often used with adverbs of frequency such as “ sometimes “, “ always “, “ never “, etc. It is NOT used to describe a temporary action in the present. Examples He never plays tennis at the weekend. It always snows in winter. Water boils at a hundred degrees celcius. I am French. In the case of a regular verb we add an “s” in the third person singular form. But when the verb is irregular, as is the case with the Simple Past form, it is necessary to consult a list of irregular verbs. The Present Simple is composed as follows: when the principle verb is “to be” Affirmative: Negative: Question: Question:
He is very tired. He is not very tired. Is he tired? Why is he tired?
Answer:Yes, he is. / No, he isn't. Answer:Because he works too much.
when the principle verb is NOT “to be” Affirmative: Negative: Question: Question:
He works too much. He doesn't work much. Does he work much? Why does he work so much?
Answer:Yes, he does. / No, he doesn't. Answer:Because he likes his job.
So, when the main verb is NOT the verb “be”, we must add the auxiliary verb “do” in the negative and question form.
The Active and Passive Voice The active and passive are not tenses. They are what we call “voices”. They apply, in fact, to all grammatical tenses. The active voice is composed of :
subject + verb + object
It is used when the subject or “agent” of the action is important. It is important to know who does something and not just if something is done. Examples
People pay tax. We make electrical components.
The passive voice is composed of:
subject + verb
We use the passive form usually when we don't know or it is not important to know who or what the agent of the action is. It is only important to know what is done and not who does it. Examples
The President is elected (by the people). The parts are produced (in Asia). Paper is made (from wood).
