Formation
The basic form of the simple present is the same as the base form of the verb, unless the subject is third person singular, in which case a form with the addition of -(e)s is used. For details of how to make this inflected form, see English verbs: Third-person singular present.
The copula verb be has irregular forms: am (first person singular), is (third person singular) and are (second person singular and all persons plural). The modal verbs (can, must, etc.) have only a single form, with no addition of -s for the third person singular.
The above refers to the indicative mood of the simple present; for the formation and use of the subjunctive mood, see English subjunctive. (The defective verb beware has no simple present indicative, although it can be used in the subjunctive.)
The present simple of lexical verbs has an expanded form which uses do (or does, in the third person indicative) as an auxiliary verb. This is used particularly when forming questions and other clauses requiring inversion, negated clauses with not, and clauses requiring emphasis. For details see do-support. For the verbs (auxiliary and copular) which do not make this form, as well as the formation and use of contracted forms such as 's, isn't and don't, see English auxiliaries and contractions.
All forms of the simple present are given below, using the verb write as an example:
- Basic simple present indicative:
- I write
- You write
- He/she/it writes
- We write
- You write
- They write
- Expanded simple present indicative (with question, negative, and negative question forms):
- I do write (Do I write? I do not/don't write. Don't I/Do I not write?)
- You do write (Do you write? You do not/don't write. Don't you/Do you not write?)
- He/she/it does write (Does he write? He does not/doesn't write. Doesn't he/Does he not write?)
- We/you/they do write (Do we write? We do not/don't write. Don't we/Do we not write?)
- Simple present subjunctive (affirmative):
- (that) I/you/he/she/it/we/they write
- Simple present subjunctive, negative:
- (that) I/you/he/she/it/we/they not write
Read more about this topic: Simple Present (English)
Famous quotes containing the word formation:
“I want you to consider this distinction as you go forward in life. Being male is not enough; being a man is a right to be earned and an honor to be cherished. I cannot tell you how to earn that right or deserve that honor. . . but I can tell you that the formation of your manhood must be a conscious act governed by the highest vision of the man you want to be.”
—Kent Nerburn (20th century)
“That for which Paul lived and died so gloriously; that for which Jesus gave himself to be crucified; the end that animated the thousand martyrs and heroes who have followed his steps, was to redeem us from a formal religion, and teach us to seek our well-being in the formation of the soul.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
“... the mass migrations now habitual in our nation are disastrous to the family and to the formation of individual character. It is impossible to create a stable society if something like a third of our people are constantly moving about. We cannot grow fine human beings, any more than we can grow fine trees, if they are constantly torn up by the roots and transplanted ...”
—Agnes E. Meyer (1887–1970)