THE PRESENT INDEFINITE
The formation of the Present Indefinite. 1. The Present Indefinite is formed from the infinitive without the particle to. In the third person singular the ending - s is added. After a sibilant represented in spelling by s, ss, ch, sh, tch, x, z and after the vowel o, -es is added: he writes, he reads, he speaks; he passes, he pushes, he watches, he teaches; he goes, he does /dz/. 2. The pronunciation of the ending -s (-es) depends on the sound preceding it. It is pronounced as: /iz/ after the sibilants /s/, /z/, / /, /t /, /d /: passes /'pa:siz/, pushes /pu: iz/, teaches /'ti:t iz/, judges / 'd d iz/; /z/ after voiced non-sibilants and vowels: reads /ri:dz/, lives /li:vz/, sees /si:z/; after voiceless non-sibilants: works /wə:ks/, wants /wonts/. 3. In the third person singular we find the following orthographical change: A final y is changed into i if it is preceded by a consonant and then –es is added: To study - he studies; to try - he tries. After a vowel у is kept unchanged: to play —he plays; to stay — he stays. 4. The interrogative and the negative forms are formed by means of the Present Indefinite of the auxiliary verb to do and the infinitive of the notional verb without the particle to.
5. The contracted negative forms are: I don't work He doesn't work They don't work 6. The negative-interrogative forms are: Do you not work? Don't you work? Does he not work? Doesn't he work?
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