Verb Tenses
Simple present
Use simple present for what happens regularly or is always true.
Why this happens
Simple present describes habits, facts, and general truths, but writers slip into it when narrating past events or describing actions happening right now. Third-person singular -s is often forgotten (she write). In essays, simple present also states arguments (Pollution harms health) while other tenses carry examples. PTE and academic tasks reward stable tense: use simple present for timeless claims and routines, then shift only when the time frame clearly changes.
See it in a sentence
IncorrectEvery morning she go to the library before class.
CorrectEvery morning she goes to the library before class.
Teaching note: She needs goes in the third person singular.
IncorrectYesterday he walks home in the rain.
CorrectYesterday he walked home in the rain.
Teaching note: Yesterday signals past time — use simple past, not simple present.
IncorrectWater boil at 100 degrees Celsius at sea level.
CorrectWater boils at 100 degrees Celsius at sea level.
Teaching note: Scientific facts use simple present with correct -s on boil.
More examples
The train leaves at six tonight.
Timetabled future events often use simple present (leaves at six).
Here comes the bus.
Commentaries and demonstrations use present for immediacy.
Shakespeare explores ambition in Macbeth.
Writers discuss literature in present tense even about past works.
I suggest that he study harder.
Subjunctive after suggest: he study, not he studies, in formal American usage.
Quick check
The graph show a steady increase in enrolment.
Show the fix
The graph shows a steady increase in enrolment. Graph is singular — use shows in simple present.
Practice this topic in Wrytesmart
Open the grammar workspace to complete interactive exercises for simple present. You will spot errors, fill blanks, and transform sentences — always with teaching notes that explain the principle, not just the correction.
Master simple present in context
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