Question 4 Simple Present Tense Study these sentences from the lesson. • A fight breaks out between two monkeys. • Film songs blare out from the radios. • I wash it down with Coca-Cola. The italicised verbs are in the simple present tense. The writer is here describing what he saw and heard but he uses the present tense instead of the past tense. A narration or a story can be made more dramatic or immediate by using the present tense in this way. Now look at the following sentences. • A small shrine half protrudes from the stone platform on the riverbank. • Small shops stand on the outer edge of the Stupa. We use the simple present tense to speak about what is usually or generally true. The sentences above describe facts. We also use the simple present tense in sentences depicting ‘universal truths’. For example: • The sun rises in the east. • The earth revolves round the sun. We can also refer to habitual actions using the simple present tense. • He usually takes a train instead of a bus to work. • We often get fine drizzles in winter. In these sentences words like everyday, often, seldom, never, every month, generally, usually, etc. may be used. 1. Fill in the blanks with the correct form of the verb in brackets. (i) The heart is a pump that ____________(send) the blood circulating through our body. The pumping action ____________(take place) when the left ventricle of the heart ____________(contract). This ____________(force) the blood out into the arteries, which ____________(expand) to receive the oncoming blood. (ii) The African lungfish can live without water for up to four years. During drought, it ____________(dig) a pit and ____________(enclose) itself in a capsule of slime and earth, leaving a tiny opening for air. The capsule ____________(dry) and ____________(harden), but when rain ____________(come), the mud ____________(dissolve) and the lungfish ____________(swim) away. (iii) Mahesh: We have to organise a class party for our teacher. ____________(Do) anyone play an instrument? Vipul:Rohit ____________(play) the flute. Mahesh: ____________(Do) he also act? Vipul: No, he ____________(compose) music. Mahesh: That’s wonderful!
Class 9 - English - Kathmandu Page 134
Answers
2.takes place
3.contracts
4.forces
5.expand
1.dug
2.dried
3.hardened
4.came
5.was dissolved
6.swam
1.do
2.plays
3.does
4.composes
Answer:
The correct answers are: (i). sends, takes place, contract, forces, expands
(ii). digs, enclosed, dries, harden, comes, dissolves, swims
(iii). Does, plays, does, composes
Explanation:
(i) The heart is a pump that ___sends___ the blood circulating through our body. The pumping action ___takes place___ when the left ventricle of the heart __contracts___. This ____forces___ the blood out into the arteries, which ___expands___ to receive the oncoming blood.
(ii) The African lungfish can live without water for up to four years. During drought, it __digs__ a pit and ___enclosed___ itself in a capsule of slime and earth, leaving a tiny opening for air. The capsule ___dries___ and ___harden___, but when rain ___comes____, the mud __dissolve___ and the lungfish __swims___ away.
(iii) Mahesh: We have to organise a class party for our teacher. __Does___ anyone play an instrument? Vipul:Rohit __plays__ the flute. Mahesh: __Does__ he also act? Vipul: No, he __composes__ music. Mahesh: That’s wonderful!