III. THE SIMPLE TENSE

Ví dụ:

An elephant must be large, with big floppy ears, a long nose (a trunk), a short tail, and two long teeth called tusks. It makes a very loud trumpet-like sound and sometimes sprays water with its trunk.

A lion and a tiger are similar, but a tiger is not a tiger if it doesn't have stripes.

However, zebras also have stripes, so a tiger must also be a type of big cat. Being a big cat with stripes is essential for being a tiger.

Ví dụ: Past Example - Describe Small Villages in Japan

In the past, people in small villages in Japan often worked in small workshops, where they made things which required special skills. For example, some people made tatami mats to cover floors. Other people carved stone for statues that decorated Buddhist temples. Still other people produced specialized food such as tofu. Farmers grew crops such as rice, mikan oranges, or daikon (radish). Priests performed ceremonies, such as weddings and funerals. Often, a Daimo Lord protected the village. The Daimo ruler sometimes lived in a castle and had a small army of samurai soldiers. Sometimes, there were wars between different Daimo.

Ví dụ: Present Example - Describe Modern Companies

Technology businesses in the modern era are very competitive. Competition is no longer within a country, but often worldwide. Companies often search for workers in other countries. Successful technology companies need the workers with specialized education and with talent. These companies do many things to attract workers to their businesses. Sometimes they allow for flexible schedules, and some companies such as Google even provide places for their employees to relax. You might see employees play ping-pong or video games, or they eat lunch while they work.

Ví dụ: Future Example - Describe Life in the Future

It seems like the future is coming very fast. Soon, almost everyone will drive electric cars. They will travel across the whole country in a few hours in a special train that travels inside of a tube. You might even book a vacation in a space hotel. If you are an architect, a technology engineer, or even a musician, artificial intelligence will take your ideas and design something for you. Everyone's job will be easier. People will work fewer hours and they will have more time to spend on hobbies and travel.

Ví dụ: Past Example - The Habits of Bach, the Classical Music Composer

Bach is one of the most famous composers of classical and religious music. Bach was a very busy person. As a child, he practised music every day, and as an adult he played the organ in a church every week. During the week, he gave music lessons, and he practised music with the choir several times each week. He produced special musical pieces for religious holidays, such as Christmas, which happened every year. He changed jobs several times in his life. He worked for several churches, but he also created music for private societies later in life. During this time period, he gave weekly performances at a coffee house which was called Café Zimmerman. During his life, he got married several times because life in those days was difficult, and several of his wives died during Bach's life.

Ví dụ: Present Example - Chen's Personal Habits

Chen is a very health and organized person. He gets up at 6:00 AM every morning. First, he runs five miles, and he doesn't smoke or eat unhealthy food. Then, he takes a shower and makes a breakfast of rice, fish and tea. He goes to school on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, and studies in the library on the other days. Because he is a university student in Germany, he talks to his mother, father, and sister every Sunday by video. He plays tennis with his girlfriend once a week unless he has an important exam that week.

Ví dụ: Future Example - Technology will Keep Your Life on a Schedule

In the future, your life might be organized by a computer and supervised by a robot. Every morning, a robot will wake you up and make breakfast for you. Then, you will check your schedule for the day on your computer. However, unlike the simple schedules of today, Artificial intelligence will adjust your schedule according to your mood and energy levels. A digital health monitor will check this regularly and send the information to your computer. Then, five minutes before it's time to leave for work, a self-driving taxi will pick you up at your apartment. Sometimes, if your robot is not too busy, it will even clean your room for you. Maybe a robot will even give presentations for you.

Ví dụ:

Water freezes at 0° Celcius/32° Fahrenheit.

The Eiffel tower was built in 1887. (this is a passive verb)

Turtles have hard shells.

The law of supply and demand means that things get expensive when there is little supply or great demand.

E = MC² - Energy equals mass times 'C' (speed of light) squared.

Ví dụ: Past Examples of Facts:

It is important to realize that actions in the simple past no longer happen anymore. However, a fact is a record that cannot be erased—it is true forever. For example: It is a fact that, in the past, it was common for people to ride in carriages pulled by horses in New York. But that is mostly not true today (except for rides for tourists). Now, most people drive in cars or take the bus or subway. However the fact remains forever.

If the simple past is used, it implies that the action no longer happens.

Sometimes, to emphasize that something is no longer true, we use the phrase 'used to'. For example, "John used to smoke" means that he quit smoking. He doesn't smoke now. Although used to is used for the past, it is followed by the base form of the verb (verb in its simple form—present tense with no suffix); for example, I used to play guitar in a band.

If the simple future is used, the action has not happened yet. It will happen in the future, or is likely to happen in the future, but it has not happened yet or is not true yet.

Example: I will graduate next year.

Ví dụ: Past Example - Early Life in North America

In the early days of life in North America, people rode horses and did a lot of work with their hands. People often had large families, and mothers often spent most of their time taking care of their children. They used to bake bread almost every day. They washed clothes by hand. First, they pumped water from a well and filled a big tub with water. Then, they scrubbed the clothes with a wash board. It had a wavy glass face that people would rub the clothes on. Classrooms were large, with all of the grades in one big class. Children used to practice math equations on very small personal-sized chalkboards.

Ví dụ: Present Example - Definition of Someone with a Narcissistic Personality Disorder

A person with a narcissistic personality disorder is a person who only thinks about themselves and their own interests. Everyone thinks about themselves sometimes, but it is a disorder when it interferes with normal relations with other people. It is also persistent – it is something that is a long-lasting pattern of behaviour. People with a narcissistic personality disorder are often very charming. They say nice things about other people, but they only do it to get something from the other person. Their relationships are always transactional. This means that they only do something for other people if they get something in return. Their behaviour is as predictable as the fact that water turns into ice at 0° Celcius.

Ví dụ: Future Example - The Effects of Climate Change in the Future

Climate change is real, and our future world will be very different because of it. Our world is already different because of it, but it will become worse in the future if we don't do anything about it. However, we shouldn't let that stop us from doing things now. People will become more serious about it in the next few years. They will use transit more and will probably not drive cars very much. Scientists will invent devices that will have no carbon emissions.

Ví dụ:

'Remember' can be active: I remembered to lock my door.

Or it can be non-action: I remember my grandmother's voice. (means recognize)

'Weigh' can be active: I am weighing this bag of rice.

Or, it can be non-action: This bag of rice weighs 5 kilos (or pounds).

Mary is a doctor. (noun) Mary is intelligent. (adjective) Mary is here, at the hospital. (adverb and preposition used in an adverb form)

Ví dụ: Past Example:

In the past, people often wished different things for a spouse. They often wanted a spouse for very practical reasons. For example, in rural areas, they often wished to find a spouse who was physically strong so that they could do physical labour. They preferred someone who was healthy over someone who was beautiful. They did not pick a spouse because they wanted to enjoy going on long romantic walks.

Ví dụ: Present Example:

The definition of the family has changed greatly in the past few decades, at least in North America. In the past, it was an extended family, which included anyone who was a distant blood relative- someone related to you genetically. It could include uncles, aunts, grandparents, cousins and even older adults who acted like aunts and uncles to you, even disciplining you. But now, it usually only consists of the nuclear family: the father, the mother and the children of the couple. But many people have an even newer definition of family. It consists of any group of people who know each other, love each other and associate in close relations with each other. These people believe that how you associate with each other and live together is more of what a family is than some genetic link.

Ví dụ: Future Example:

To understand the future of the family, you will have to see the future context of the future family. What will life in a family be like? Will it be a virtual family, which will include realistic robots who will use AI to develop a close relationship with their owners? Will we depend on our computers to cheer us up when we are feeling sad or lonely? Will our family live together in the future? Maybe we will have avatars of our family that are so realistic that we will believe that they are actually there with us in our homes. Then, families might agree to live anywhere in the world that they have opportunities to work but stay connected to their families virtually.

Xác định loại sử dụng của thì hiện tại đơn trong mỗi câu. Nhập ký hiệu vào ô trống: d (description of normal on-going life), r (repeated actions and habits), p (permanent actions and situations), n/a (non-active verbs).
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