For example:
He walks to the park daily.The Subject (Subject Pronoun "He") is Third Person, Singular, and acting in the Simple Present.
The person speaking: First |
The person being spoken to: Second |
Some other person not in the conversation: Third |
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Note in the following two examples that the person or persons being referred to are:
The only difference is that the first is an example of the Singular and the second is an example of the Plural:
Third Person Singular Simple Present |
Third Person Plural Simple Present |
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Much of the time, it's used to talk about a fact.
For example, consider the two sentences in the previous section:
He has a dog.
They have a dog.
These are both statements of fact. This is one typical use of the Simple Present—to state a fact or to say something that is "always" true, at all times (in the Past, Present, or Future).
rub | rubs |
ride | rides |
dream | dreams |
see | sees |
snow | snows |
drink | drinks |
sleep | sleeps |
write | writes |
But there are exceptions!
push | pushes |
teach | teaches |
kiss | kisses |
fix | fixes |
pay | pays |
buy | buys |
cry | cries |
study | studies |
have | has |
go | goes |
do | does |
be | is |
I think ESL students make these mistakes for two reasons:
The first kind of error usually comes down to not being aware of the Tense/Aspect or Person of the Subject. As these are relatively easy things to observe about the Subject, my advise to you is simple:
Be Careful and Pay Attention!!! |
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But the second type of error, mistaking the Count of the Subject, can be trickier. Let's look at two examples of this second common error.
*The United States have an important task to do.
This is an example of a grammar "demon," (grammar troublemaker) which fools many students.
The mistake here is that people think the "United States" is plural. Indeed, there are multiple states (50 of them), but they are united, which means they comprise one unified country. Therefore, the "United States" is singluar:
The United States has an important task to do.
*This combined influence of executive power and diplomatic ability make the College President's office an effective force for positive change.
The problem is with the verb "make"; it needs the "-s" suffix.
Many students make the mistake of thinking the Subject in a sentence like this is plural. It's not. It's singular.
The noun at the heart of the Subject is "influence."
You can see there are two parts to that influence, but that it is one influence. NOTICE: "Influence" is singular, "Influences" is plural! The trick was finding the core Subject noun—"influence"—and observing that it is singular:
This combined influence of executive power and diplomatic ability makes the College President's office an effective force for positive change.