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S or es in simple present

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Latest post Thu, Oct 15 2009 3:20 PM by Philip. 2 replies.
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sadr  +  943195 Thu, 15 Oct 09 02:57 PM
why have we to use s or es in simple present?

Thanks for your answer,

Mo
sadr
Joined on Wed, Oct 14 2009
New Member 01
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Anonymous, 37 days ago
Sadr: I think you can get a full explanation by googling.  In short, I believe that it has to do with the history of the language in England.  Many years ago, in some parts of England, some people used "s" for the third person, such as "has."  Other people in England preferred "th." as in "hath."  The people who preferred the "s" were able to "win" the contest.  (Perhaps because so many people in London -- the capital -- decided to use that form.) Today you can still read "hath," "doeth," etc. in poetry.  Some people think it sounds more beautiful than the "s" form. But if you use it today in conversation, people will laugh.
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Philip  +  943212 Thu, 15 Oct 09 03:20 PM
For the third person singular, use s.

 

It's pronunciation will depend on what comes before it:  voiced consonant or vowel /z/; unvoiced consonant /s/.

          animals, cows; pets

 

For a word ending in /s/ or /z/ sound, use es (unless the spelling of the word ends in e: then just s.  This gives a schwa sound +/z/.

          basses [the male voice register]; (phases)

 

Sounds difficult?  Not really.  The spelling is simply a reflection of the natural pronunciation.

 

Welcome to the forums, Mo.
Philip
Joined on Thu, Jun 23 2005
Veteran Member 8,727
At reise er at leve! - H. C. Andersen
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