1

Investigation Project
Topic:
Teaching Simple Present through Reading Comprehension
Student: Brayner Antonio Rodrguez Fernndez
Professor: Lic. Swad Dalen Ulate
Due date: 12/12/2015

Contenido
I Chapter.............................................................................................................................................3
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................4
Background ..................................................................................................................................5
Justification ...................................................................................................................................6
Hypothesis ....................................................................................................................................7
Thesis Statement.........................................................................................................................7
Terminal Objective ......................................................................................................................7
Enabling Objectives ....................................................................................................................7
II Chapter ..........................................................................................................................................8
Theorical Framework ......................................................................................................................8
The Simple Present Tense .........................................................................................................9
Negative Sentences in the Simple Present Tense................................................................13
Negative Contractions...............................................................................................................14
Word Order of Negative Sentences ........................................................................................14
Examples of Negative Sentences with Don't and Doesn't: ..................................................15
Questions in the Simple Present Tense .................................................................................15
Word Order of Questions with Do and Does .........................................................................16
WH questions with simple present tense ...............................................................................18
Applying the Simple Present in short readings ......................................................................20
Teaching Simple present through longer readings ...............................................................21
III Chapter .......................................................................................................................................28
Conclusion and Recommendations ............................................................................................28
Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................29
Recommendations ....................................................................................................................29
IV Chapter ......................................................................................................................................30
References .....................................................................................................................................30

I Chapter

Introduction
A verb indicates the time of an action, event or condition by changing its
form. Through the use of a sequence of tenses in a sentence or in a paragraph, it
is possible to indicate the complex temporal relationship of actions, events, and
conditions. There are many ways of categorizing the twelve possible verb tenses.
The verb tenses may be categorized according to the time frame: past tenses,
present tenses, and future tenses.
This work applies the uses of simple present and their respective
characteristics. Reading comprehensions is the capacity to read a text and try to
understand it; in this work simple present is used in reading comprehension
because it gives the perspective in order to improve our reading skills and also the
simple present can be used making inferences from a text, paragraph, or any
written material we need to read.
Simple Present in this work will show how we can use it better not just in
daily life, not just in the school or High school, or when there is a conversation; also
the simple present in this work will apply for complicated readings like essays,
letters, emails, etc. Simple present is not as simple as we think, it is not just to talk
about present, in this work you will know the simple present tense better applying it
to reading comprehension. We will know better simple present tense in reading
comprehension through this work because when we read it, we will comprehend
that in readings simple present is essential.

Background
As teachers we can find a lot of material about the simple present in a given
reading through many media resources like the internet. But there are not research
papers that we can find about how to teach simple present through reading
comprehension, this kind of works are very original and limited. At least we could
find a lot of material of readings that present the use of the simple present in the
respective texts so it means that there is a lot of resources we can find for teach
simple present in reading comprehension.
Many materials are provided from reading comprehension regarding simple
present tense but this material is not just about simple readings some ones are
about skimming, others for scanning, some of them are short stories, some others
are daily life readings like e-mails, letters, etc.
This project will start from the basic part of explaining what is the simple
present and his usage for then explaining how can we apply it for reading
comprehension.

Justification
Verb tense is the form of the verb that indicates time. A verb tense not only
indicates past, present, and future action, but also indicates whether the action is
ongoing or complete. There are many verb tenses like simple present, simple past,
simple future, past continuous, present continuous, future continuous, past perfect,
present perfect, etc. This work will introduce you to simple present tense forms and
show you how to use it. Learning simple present tense is important nowadays
because people can apply it at the time when they are reading, listening, writing
and speaking. In readings people can apply it when there are readings for example
a newspaper or some other material from daily live. It is necessary to know and
understand why simple present can help us to improve it in reading
comprehension.

I dont know with what weapons

World

War III will be fought, but World War IV will

be fought with sticks and stones. Albert
Einstein

Hypothesis
How to teach Simple present tense in English through reading comprehension?

Thesis Statement
Verb tense is the form of the verb that indicates time. A verb tense not only
indicates past, present, and future action, but also indicates whether the action is
ongoing or complete. There are many verb tenses like simple present, simple past,
simple future, past continuous, present continuous, future continuous, past perfect,
present perfect, etc. This work will introduce you to the most common rules of
simple present forms and show you how to use them through reading
comprehension. All verb tenses are derived from a few basic forms of the verb
called the principal parts. Learning Verb tenses is important nowadays because
people can apply them at the time when they are reading.

Terminal Objective
-

Explain simple present tense through reading comprehension.

Enabling Objectives
-

Specify simple present rules.

Give reasons about how to use the simple present in reading

comprehension.

II Chapter
Theorical Framework

To start this topic We need to be clear first what is a verb and then verb
tenses fo introduce the simple present tense.
A verb indicates the time of an action, event or condition by changing its
form. Through the use of a sequence of tenses in a sentence or in a paragraph, it
is possible to indicate the complex temporal relationship of actions, events, and
conditions
There are many ways of categorising the twelve possible verb tenses. The
verb tenses may be categorised according to the time frame: past tenses, present
tenses, and future tenses.
The Simple Present Tense
We use the simple present to describe an action, an event, or condition that is
occurring in the present.. The simple present is when we have a daily action like
washing clothesm events.
Each of the highlighted verbs in the following sentences is in the simple present
tense and each sentence describes an action taking place in the present:
The sun sets in the west.
We produce lasers for cosmetic surgery.
They move into their new home next week.
So, I go to Mr. D and say I deserve a better mark in this class.

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Jones stops in mid-court and passes the ball to Schuster.

The simple present is used to express general truths such as scientific fact, as in
the following sentences:
My teacher always arrives early.
Water boils at 100 celsius.
Doctors study for many years.
The sky isnt green.
The word smart means intelligent.
The simple present is used to indicate a habitual action, event, or condition, as in
the following sentences:
I play golf every Monday.
They often travel to China.
She gets up at 8:00 every day.
I dont walk to school.
She doesnt love him.
Do you smoke?
How often do you study?

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The simple present is also used when writing about works of art, as in the following
sentences.
Lolly Willowes is the protagonist of the novel Townsend published in 1926.
One of Artemisia Gentleschi's best known paintings represents Judith's beheading
of Holofernes.
The Lady of Shallot weaves a tapestry while watching the passers-by in her mirror.
The play ends with an epilogue spoken by the fool.
The simple present can also be used to refer to a future event when used in
conjunction with an adverb or adverbial phrase, as in the following sentences.
The doors open in 10 minutes.
The premier arrives on Tuesday.
Classes end next week.
The publisher distributes the galley proofs next Wednesday.
The lunar eclipses begins in exactly 43 minutes.
We form the present tense using the base form of the infinitive.

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In general, in the third person we add 'S' in the third person.

Subject

Verb

The Rest of the sentence

I / you / we / they

speak / learn

English at home

he / she / it

speaks / learns

English at home

The spelling for the verb in the third person differs depending on the ending of that
verb:
1. For verbs that end in -O, -CH, -SH, -SS, -X, or -Z we add -ES in the third person.
go goes
catch catches
wash washes
kiss kisses
fix fixes
buzz buzzes
2. For verbs that end in a consonant + Y, we remove the Y and add -IES.
marry marries
study studies
carry carries

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worry worries
NOTE: For verbs that end in a vowel + Y, we just add -S.
play plays
enjoy enjoys
say says
Negative Sentences in the Simple Present Tense
To make a negative sentence we use Don't or Doesn't with all verbs Except To Be
and Modal verbs (can, might, should etc.).
Affirmative: You walk every morning
Negative: You don't walk every morning.
You will see that we add don't between the subject and the verb. We use Don't
when the subject is I, you, we or they.
Affirmative: He walks evey morning.
Negative: He doesn't walk every morning.
When the subject is he, she or it, we add doesn't between the subject and the verb
to make a negative sentence. Notice that the letter S at the end of the verb in the
affirmative sentence (because it is in third person) disappears in the negative
sentence. We will see the reason why below.

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Negative Contractions
Don't = Do not
Doesn't = Does not
I don't like meat = I do not like meat.
There is no difference in meaning though we normally use contractions in spoken
English.
Word Order of Negative Sentences
The following is the word order to construct a basic negative sentence in English in
the Present Tense using Don't or Doesn't.
Subject

don't/doesn't

Verb*

The Rest of the sentence

I / you / we / they

don't

have / buy / like etc.

cereal for breakfast

he / she / it

doesn't

have / buy / like etc.

cereal for breakfast

* Verb: The verb that goes here is the base form of the infinitive = The infinitive
without TO before the verb. Instead of the infinitive To have it is just the have part.
Remember that the infinitive is the verb before it is conjugated (changed) and it
begins with TO. For example: to have, to eat, to go, to live, to speak etc.

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Examples of Negative Sentences with Don't and Doesn't:

You don't speak Arabic.
John doesn't speak Italian.
We don't have time for a rest.
It doesn't move.
They don't want to go to the party.
She doesn't like fish.
Questions in the Simple Present Tense
To make a question in English we normally use Do or Does. It has no translation in
Spanish though it is essential to show we are making a question. It is normally put
at the beginning of the question.
Affirmative: You speak English.
Question: Do you speak English?
You will see that we add DO at the beginning of the affirmative sentence to make it
a question. We use Do when the subject is I, you, we or they.
Affirmative: He speaks French.
Question: Does he speak French?
When the subject is he, she or it, we add DOES at the beginning to make the
affirmative sentence a question. Notice that the letter S at the end of the verb in the

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affirmative sentence (because it is in third person) disappears in the question. We

will see the reason why below.
We DON'T use Do or Does in questions that have the verb To Be or Modal Verbs
(can, must, might, should etc.)
Word Order of Questions with Do and Does
The following is the word order to construct a basic question in English using Do or
Does.
Do/Does

Subject

Verb*

The

Rest

Do

I / you / we / they

have / need / etc.

a new bike?

Does

he / she / it

have / need / etc.

a new bike?

of

the

sentence

*Verb: The verb that goes here is the base form of the infinitive = The infinitive
without TO before the verb. Instead of the infinitive To have it is just the have part.
Remember that the infinitive is the verb before it is conjugated (changed) and it
begins with TO. For example: to have, to eat, to go, to live, to speak etc.
Examples of Questions with Do and Does:
Do you need a dictionary?
Does Mary need a dictionary?
Do we have a meeting now?

17

Does it rain a lot in winter?

Do they want to go to the party?
Does he like pizza?
Short Answers with Do and Does
In questions that use do/does it is possible to give short answers to direct
questions as follows:
Sample Questions

Short Answer (Affirmative) Short Answer (Negative)

Do you like chocolate?

Yes, I do.

No, I don't.

Do I need a pencil?

Yes, you do.

No, you don't.

Do you both like chocolate?

Yes, we do.

Do they like chocolate?

Yes, they do.

Does he like chocolate?

Yes, he does.

Does she like chocolate? Yes, she does.

Does it have four wheels? Yes, it does.

No, we don't.
No, they don't.
No, he doesn't.
No, she doesn't.
No, it doesn't.

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WH questions with simple present tense

The "wh-questions" are a group of questions that begin with an interrogative
pronoun (a "wh-word"): what, which, who, Whom, Whose,when, where, why, and
also questions that begin with "how", that while it is obvious that doesn't begin with
"wh", belongs to this group because the word is behaving the same way. this
questions have the intention of ask specific information.
What? - actions, things
Where - places
When - dates, day, months, year
Who - people
Whom - people
whose - people
which - things, kinds
Why - reasons, answer
What time - time, hours
How - way, maneers
Grammar Structure:
Wh question + Aux do/does + subject + verb + complement + ?

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Example:
what do you do i the morning?
where does Claudia work?
when do they present the exam?
who plays soccer? / who does he play with ?
whom do you invite?
whose cell phone keeps ringing?
which is your favorite sopping mall?
why do ypu have to come in the school?
what time does sergio study?
how do you feel today?

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Applying the Simple Present in short readings

After we are clear what is the simple present we need to apply it to the reading
comprehension, but first, before we introduce long texts with the simple present we
need to begin with sort exercises like:
Filling in the blanks
1. Every Monday, Sally (drive) ________ her kids to football practice.
2. Usually, I (work) ________ as a secretary at ABT, but this summer I (study)
_________
French at a language school in Paris. That is why I am in Paris.
3. Shhhhh! Be quiet! John (sleep) _________
4. Don't forget to take your umbrella. It (rain) __________
5. I hate living in Seattle because it (rain, always) __________
6. I'm sorry I can't hear what you (say) _________ because everybody (talk)
________ so loudly.
7. Justin (write, currently) ________________ a book about his adventures in
Tibet. I hope he can find a good publisher when he is finished.
8. Jim: Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?
Denise: Oh, I'm sorry, I can't. I (go) ___________ to a movie tonight with some
friends.

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9. The business cards (be, normally) __________ printed by a company in New

York. Their prices (be) __________ inexpensive, yet the quality of their work is
quite good.
10. This delicious chocolate (be) _________ made by a small chocolatier in Zurich,
Switzerland.
Then when we had applied to students the use of simple present in short reading
like short tasks, they need to get in to the world of longer reading comprehension.
Teaching Simple present through longer readings

We are about to see a series of examples of how to introduce practices through

reading comprehension. First is important to include some specific readings and
their respective practices;

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Read the text.

The Rosales Lifestyle

The Rosales family lives on a farm in Alajuela and they work at a coffee plantation.
It is 5:00 a.m., Mrs. Rosales and the children are in the kitchen preparing breakfast.
Mr. Rosales is in the yard feeding the animals. Everybody eats breakfast at 5:15.
Later in the day, they take their baskets and go to the farm because the coffee beans
are ready to be picked. They arrive there around 6:30 in the morning.
At 11:00 a.m. everybody sits on the ground to eat lunch, and at 12 noon they start
picking up coffee again until 3:00 p.m. Because they dont own a car or a horse, they
use an oxcart to transport the coffee sacks to the front gate, and then, a truck takes
the sacks to the receiving. Then they go back to their house, and at 4:00 p.m. they
eat tortillas and drink coffee. Later in the day, they help with the chores and eat
dinner at seven.
At 8:00 p.m., everybody goes to bed because they are very tired and sleepy, and they
have to wake up so early the following day.
On Sunday, everybody takes a bus to church, and they take a taxi
back home. They also visit their grandparents in the afternoon.

23

Choose the appropriate alternative to answer each question from the previous text.

1 When does Mrs. Rosales

breakfast_____________________.
A)
B)
C)
D)
2
A)
B)
C)
D)

have

She

eats

her

at the same time as her family

earlier than her husband
earlier than her children
later than her children
When does Mr. Rosales give food for the animals?
In the middle of the morning
In the early morning
At night
At noon

3
What
time
does
the
family
lunch____________________________.
A)
B)
C)
D)

breakfast?

eat

lunch?

They

eat

before twelve oclock

in the afternoon
at eight oclock
at noon

4
How do the Rosales carry the coffee sacks to the front gate? They use a (n)
____________.
A)
B)
C)
D)

car
taxi
truck
oxcart

24

5
A)
B)
C)
D)

How does this family return home from church? By_______________.

oxcart
truck
taxi
bus

25

We can use also comparison texts in order students compare readings.

Read the text and choose the correct option to complete each idea.
Anthony Durn
Telephone Operator
As a directory assistance operator, I
give out hundreds of telephone
numbers every day. I sort of like talking
to people all day. I earn around $20,000
a year. But I dont feel very secure,
because a lot of operators are losing
their jobs because of automation.
Computers do everything these days,
so, Im studying to be a computer
programmer at night school.

Kimberly Evans
Physical Therapist
In my job, I mainly work with athletes who
have sports injuries.
Sometimes the
athletes are famous, and thats always
exciting. My salary is good - $38,000 a
year and I always have a lot of patients.
Doctors are too busy to do physical
therapy these days, and theyre happy to
give the work to specialists like me.

1
One
problem
that
Anthony
_________________________________.
A)
B)
C)
D)

he can be fired at night school

his company is buying computers
he is studying for a secure position
he does not have a chance to study

faces

is

that

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Kimberlys salary is ____________ Anthonys.

A)
B)
C)
D)

as low as
as high as
lower than
higher than

3
Anthony
studies
in
___________________________.
A)
B)
C)
D)

night

because

he

wants to become computer programmer

wants to be a therapist
earns $ 30,000 a year
is losing automation

4
Kimberly
thinks
________________________________________.
E)
F)
G)
H)

school,

have plenty of time

hate famous athletes
dont like to deal with therapists
dont have time to give the patients therapy

that

doctors

27

When we as teachers understand that teaching the simple present through reading
comprehension is important because our students someday are going to face a
standardized test by the MEP for obtain a bachelor degree in standard education
we will be conscious they need this kind of reading an not just this a lot of readings
with different verb tenses.

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III Chapter
Conclusion and Recommendations

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Conclusion
In conclusion simple present has their different rules and ways of use and
this lead us how to apply it to reading comprehension. Simple present indicates
routines, facts and some other habitual things we usually do or dont. With this
work an glad you know more about how you can see the simple present through
reading comprehension.

Recommendations
- Improve your learning by reading texts, books, news, newspapers, etc..
- Keep practicing simple present because it will help you to understand better.
- Make practices your own self about simple present used in readings.
- Improve your reading skills practicing the simple present.

I never teach my pupils. I only attempt

to provide the conditions in which they
can learn. Albert Einstein

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IV Chapter
References

31

Material taken from:

Arias, M. (2014). Simple Present. In Challenge for 8th (1st ed., Vol. 1, pp. 138140). San Jos, San Jos: Litografa e Imprenta
Everyday Life. (2008). In Touchstone (5th ed., Vol. 1, pp. 35-42). Avenue of the
Americas, New York: Cambridge University Press.
Goodman, B. (2003). Literature for English. Chicago: McGaw-Hill/Wright Group.
Simple Present Tense. (2015, November 10). Retrieved December 8, 2015, from
http://www.grammar.cl/Present/Simple.htm
TIL English Grammar. (2009). Retrieved December 10, 2015, from
http://www.tuninst.net/ENGLISH/TIL-Gram/TIL-Gram-indx.htm#HyperGrammar