Simple Present Tense Exercises

Why is the simple present tense taught as one of the first grammar topics in English? How do learners use it to talk about daily habits, routines, and universal facts? Understanding the rules of the simple present tense becomes easier when learners practise it through meaningful exercises. Simple present tense exercises help reinforce correct verb forms, improve sentence structure, and build confidence in everyday communication.

 

Table of Contents

• Simple Present Tense Exercises with Answers
• Frequently Asked Questions on Simple Present Tense

Simple Present Tense Exercises with Answers

To understand the simple present tense clearly, it is important to practise it through well-structured exercises. The simple present tense is used to express daily habits, general truths, repeated actions, fixed schedules, and scientific facts. Although the rules of this tense are simple, learners often make errors in subject–verb agreement, especially with third-person singular subjects and complex sentence structures.

To help you practise the simple present tense effectively, here are five sets of exercises. Each set focuses on a specific difficulty level, starting with simple exercises, then intermediate, and finally advanced. Every exercise includes answers so you can self-check your progress and understand common mistakes.

Exercise No:1

Fill in the blanks with the correct simple present tense form of the verbs given in brackets

(Focus: daily habits, routines, basic subject–verb agreement)

1. I ___ to school every day. (go)

2. She ___ milk every morning. (drink)

3. We ___ cricket after school. (play)

4. He ___ his homework regularly. (do)

5. The sun ___ in the east. (rise)

6. Birds ___ in the sky. (fly)

7. My father ___ early. (wake)

8. The baby ___ loudly. (cry)

9. She ___ English very well. (speak)

10. They ___ their grandparents often. (visit)

11. The dog ___ at strangers. (bark)

12. I ___ my room daily. (clean)

13. Water ___ at 100°C. (boil)

14. He ___ to music in the evening. (listen)

15. We ___ vegetables every day. (eat)

16. The train ___ on time. (arrive)

17. She ___ her bag carefully. (pack)

18. Children ___ games in the park. (enjoy)

19. The shop ___ at 9 a.m. (open)

20. My sister ___ cartoons. (watch)

Answers 

1. Go

2. Drinks

3. Play

4. Does

5. Rises

6. Fly

7. Wakes

8. Cries

9. Speaks

10. Visit

11. Barks

12. Clean

13. Boils

14. Listens

15. Eat

16. Arrives

17. Packs

18. Enjoy

19. Opens

20. Watches

Exercises No:2

Choose the correct form of the verb

(Focus: third person singular, adverbs of frequency, fixed schedules)

1. He usually ___ late. (sleep/sleeps)

2. She never ___ rude to elders. (be/is)

3. The bus ___ at 7 a.m. daily. (leave/leaves)

4. My brother ___ chess on weekends. (play/plays)

5. The teacher ___ the class regularly. (check/checks)

6. We often ___ mistakes. (make/makes)

7. The shopkeeper ___ discounts on festivals. (offer/offers)

8. She always ___ the truth. (tell/tells)

9. My parents ___ me a lot. (support/supports)

10. The bell ___ loudly. (ring/rings)

11. He rarely ___ coffee. (drink/drinks)

12. The machine ___ smoothly. (work/works)

13. Our school ___ many events. (conduct/conducts)

14. She ___ her work neatly. (complete/completes)

15. The sun ___ every morning. (shine/shines)

16. The guard ___ the gate at night. (lock/locks)

17. We ___ English grammar daily. (practice/practices)

18. The farmer ___ crops in summer. (grow/grows)

19. She ___ books before sleeping. (read/reads)

20. The clock ___ every hour. (strike/strikes)

Answers

• Sleeps

• Is

• Leaves

• Plays

• Checks

• Make

• Offers

• Tells

• Support

• Rings

• Drinks

• Works

• Conducts

• Completes

• Shines

• Locks

• Practice

• Grows

• Reads

• Strikes

Exercise No:3

Fill in the blanks using the simple present tense

(Focus: collective nouns, abstract nouns, general truths)

1. Mathematics ___ logical thinking. (develop)

2. The team ___ hard for success. (work)

3. Honesty ___ trust. (build)

4. The committee ___ decisions carefully. (make)

5. News ___ fast these days. (travel)

6. The jury ___ the verdict. (announce)

7. Knowledge ___ confidence. (increase)

8. The crowd ___ loudly. (cheer)

9. The government ___ new policies. (introduce)

10. Discipline ___ character. (shape)

11. The staff ___ rules strictly. (follow)

12. The class ___ attention. (require)

13. Experience ___ wisdom. (teach)

14. The company ___ quality products. (produce)

15. Pollution ___ the environment. (damage)

16. Education ___ society. (uplift)

17. The audience ___ patiently. (wait)

18. The organization ___ social service. (support)

19. Practice ___ perfection. (lead)

20. Time ___ for no one. (wait)

Answers 

1. Develops

2. Works

3. Builds

4. Makes

5. Travels

6. Announces

7. Increases

8. Cheers

9. Introduces

10. Shapes

11. Follows

12. Requires

13. Teaches

14. Produces

15. Damages

16. Uplifts

17. Waits

18. Supports

19. Leads

20. Waits

Exercise No:4

Choose the correct verb

(Focus: subject–verb agreement with complex subjects)

1. Each of the students ___ responsible. (is/are)

2. One of my friends ___ abroad. (live/lives)

3. The quality of these goods ___ high. (remain/remains)

4. Neither of the answers ___ correct. (seem/seems)

5. A pair of shoes ___ missing. (is/are)

6. The manager along with his staff ___ early. (arrive/arrives)

7. Every child ___ care. (need/needs)

8. Ten kilometers ___ a long walk. (is/are)

9. More than one student ___ selected. (is/are)

10. The news ___ reliable. (sound/sounds)

11. Bread and butter ___ his breakfast. (is/are)

12. The list of items ___ ready. (is/are)

13. The principal as well as teachers ___ present. (is/are)

14. Physics ___ interesting to learn. (seem/seems)

15. The price of vegetables ___ daily. (increase/increases)

16. Everyone ___ mistakes. (make/makes)

17. None of the solutions ___ acceptable. (appear/appears)

18. Ethics ___ important in life. (play/plays)

19. The furniture ___ expensive. (look/looks)

20. A number of students ___ absent. (is/are)

Answers

1. Is

2. Lives

3. Remains

4. Seems

5. Is

6. Arrives

7. Needs

8. Is

9. Is

10. Sounds

11. Is

12. Is

13. Is

14. Seems

15. Increases

16. Makes

17. Appears

18. Plays

19. Looks

20. are

Exercise No:5

Fill in the blanks with the correct simple present tense form

(Focus: conditionals, academic usage, formal sentences)

1. If water ___ below zero, it ___ into ice. (fall, change)

2. When demand ___, prices ___. (rise, increase)

3. If students ___ regularly, they ___ success. (practice, achieve)

4. When iron ___ oxygen, rust ___. (react, form)

5. If people ___ exercise daily, health ___. (do, improve)

6. When the sun ___, darkness ___. (set, follow)

7. If knowledge ___ shared, it ___. (be, grow)

8. When pressure ___, temperature ___. (increase, rise)

9. If machines ___ maintained, efficiency ___. (be, improve)

10. When responsibility ___ accepted, leadership ___. (be, emerge)

11. If effort ___ sincere, results ___. (remain, follow)

12. When learning ___ continuous, growth ___. (be, occur)

13. If rules ___ ignored, discipline ___. (be, decline)

14. When practice ___ consistent, skill ___. (remain, develop)

15. If truth ___ hidden, trust ___. (be, break)

Answers 

1. falls, changes

2. rises, increase

3. practice, achieve

4. reacts, forms

5. do, improves

6. sets, follows

7. is, grows

8. increases, rises

9. are, improves

10. is, emerges

11. remains, follow

12. is, occurs

13. are, declines

14. remains, develops

15. is, breaks