3rd person -s, negatives, questions and frequency adverbs
Master the present simple tense: 3rd person singular -s/-es, negative forms with don't/doesn't, question formation with Do/Does, frequency adverbs position, stative verbs, and the difference with present continuous. 15 questions from Primary to Secondary.
Present simple is usually the first tense taught beyond the verb to be, because it covers habits, routines, general facts and timetables — the everyday backbone of spoken English. Most mistakes come from one small detail: the third-person -s, which vanishes again in negatives and questions because do/does already carries it.
The exam works through -s formation depending on the verb ending (works, watches, studies), the don't/doesn't split, where frequency adverbs sit relative to the verb, and stative verbs that never take -ing even when describing something happening right now — the detail that most reliably tells this tense apart from the present continuous.
Go through the questions below one at a time: each explains not just the right answer, but the specific mistake it's designed to catch.
English · Primary, Secondary
Add -s to most verbs. Add -es after -ch/-sh/-ss/-x/-o. If verb ends in consonant + y, change to -ies (studies, tries).
I/you/we/they → don't. He/she/it → doesn't + base verb (no -s!). Most common mistake: "She doesn't likes" → "She doesn't like".
Know, like, love, want, need — these don't take -ing. "I am knowing" is wrong; "I know" is correct.
"A student wrote "She don't like pizza." After the doesn't rule, they never make that mistake again."
Tricks and techniques to master this topic faster:
3rd person: works, plays. Exceptions: go→goes, do→does, have→has.
Frequency adverbs go BEFORE main verb but AFTER be: "She always arrives. He is always late."
Use for habits, facts and timetables.
Questions: Do/Does + subject + base verb. "Does she like...?" NOT "Does she likes...?"
If you are studying Present Simple — English Grammar Exam, these curriculum topics complement each other:
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