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!
Answers
Answer:
- sends
- takes places
- contracted
- forced
- expending
The right answers are as follows:
i) The heart is a pump that sends the blood circulating through the body. The pumping action takes place when the left ventricle of the heart contracts. This forces 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 digs a pit and encloses itself in a capsule of slime and earth, leaving a tiny opening for air. The capsule dries and hardens, but when rain comes, the mud dissolves 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!