OVERVIEW

On this page, you will learn how to describe habits with positive and negative verbs.

First, watch the video about what good students do.
Then, read the text and study the charts.
Next, listen to audio of the text.
Finally, watch the video about the simple present tense.

WATCH

Watch:

WHAT DO GOOD STUDENTS DO?

READ & LISTEN

Read:

You learned that a habit is an action that a person does regularly. This is something that you do again and again, without thinking about it. It is part of your routine. Sometimes, people say that they have good habits and bad habits. A good habit is a positive action; it is good for you, or it helps you. A bad habit is negative; it is bad for you, or it causes a problem.

Verbs tell us what is happening in a sentence. There are different verb tenses. A verb tense tells us when the action is happening (present), happened (past), or will happen (future).

In the Intro to I-DEA module, you learned about the verb "be". Now, you will learn about other verbs and how to use them in the simple present tense to talk about habits. The simple present tense tells us the action happens in the present or again and again. In the simple present tense, you add an "-s" to the verb when using third person singular (he, she, or it).


COMMON VERBS
do	go	have
study	work	talk
come	plan	organize
make	get	like

How to Form the Present Tense:

When you form the present tense, add an ‘s’ to the verb for third person singular (he, she, it). Study the chart below.


SUBJECT	PRONOUN	EXAMPLE
First person singular	I	I come to class on time.
Second person singular	you	You come to class on time.
Third person singular	he, she, it	She comes to class on time. He comes to class on time.
First person plural	we	We come to class on time.
Second person plural	you	You come to class on time.
Third person plural	they	They come to class on time.

Some verbs are irregular. The spelling changes. Open the link below to study some irregular verbs.

IRREGULAR VERB CHARTS

Watch:

SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE

Read:

Positive Verbs
When you describe good and bad habits you can use verbs in their positive form.

Examples Using Positive Verbs:

Good Habits	Bad Habits
I do my homework.	I talk to my friends while I study.
You sit in a quiet place so you can pay attention to your work.	You forget your assignment.
Tami makes time to do her homework every day.	She falls asleep when she reads.
They make a plan or set a goal.	We text or watch videos when we do our homework.

Listen:

Read:

Negative Verbs
You may also use verbs in their negative form. To make a verb negative, use:

do* not + main verb*

*Do is a helping verb, and it changes depending on the subject.
*The main verb does not change.

In this example, 'read' is the main verb:

Subject	do not + verb
I You We They	do not read in bed.
I You We They	don't read in bed.
He She It	does not read in bed.
He She It	doesn't read in bed.

Sometimes we say or write 'do not' as 'don't'. We can say or write 'does not' as 'doesn't'.

Examples Using Negative Verbs:

Good Habits	Bad Habits
I do not watch TV while I study.	I do not do my homework before class.
I don't sit on the couch.	I don't check my Canvas Inbox.

Listen: