http://www.englishforums.com/English/EslGeneralEnglishGrammar-Questions/Forum12.htmAsk your questions on grammar and get your sentence checked. We answer lots of different types of general English grammar questions here. <font color=red>DO NOT post paragraphs and compositions here. Post them in our <a href="http://www.englishforums.com/English/EssayReportCompositionWriting/Forum9.htm"><b>Essay, Report and Composition Writing Forum</b></a>.</font>enXMOD (Build: 3614.32638)http://www.englishforums.com/English/IfWhen/jlgbl/post.htm#807779Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:48:16 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:807779Yankee0http://www.englishforums.com/English/IfWhen/jlgbl/post.htm#807779http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-807779.xmlI thought that was what you getting at, Barb, and I agree with you completely. Vincent Teo, it does seem that when you are focusing on whether a certain preposition or noun can be used, for example, you tend to ignore verb tense. So even if you have used other words appropriately, the verb tense often makes it extremely difficult to say &quot;Yes&quot; when you ask &quot;Can I say...&quot;.http://www.englishforums.com/English/IfWhen/jlgbl/post.htm#807754Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:24:08 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:807754Grammar Geek1http://www.englishforums.com/English/IfWhen/jlgbl/post.htm#807754http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-807754.xmlAmy is right, of course. We DO use simple present, but so many of your sentences &quot;he helps his mother&quot; &quot;he fishes by the river&quot; &quot;he calls for help&quot; &quot;he sees the robber&quot; are going to describe situations that would be better using other tenses, either continuous or past.http://www.englishforums.com/English/IfWhen/jlgbl/post.htm#807737Sun, 05 Jul 2009 19:08:43 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:807737Yankee2http://www.englishforums.com/English/IfWhen/jlgbl/post.htm#807737http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-807737.xmlWe don&#39;t use the simple present very often. I don&#39;t understand what you mean, Barb. I use the simple present quite often myself. I think that statement needs a bit of clarification.http://www.englishforums.com/English/IfWhen/jlgbl/post.htm#807504Sun, 05 Jul 2009 15:10:53 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:807504Grammar Geek3http://www.englishforums.com/English/IfWhen/jlgbl/post.htm#807504http://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-807504.xmlVincent, you remember that when we use the present tense (he takes care of her) it is something that happens all the time, every day, or very often. The first one is a conditional: if she is sick, he will take care of her. The second one tells you that his wife is sick very often, and when she is sick, he takes care of her. We don&#39;t use the simple present very often.http://www.englishforums.com/English/IfWhen/jlgbl/post.htmSun, 05 Jul 2009 15:02:56 GMT946f00bb-57d3-4b7b-a9a2-059b5341af52:807494Vincent Teo4http://www.englishforums.com/English/IfWhen/jlgbl/post.htmhttp://www.englishforums.com/English/comments12-807494.xmlWhich is corrrect? (a) If his wife is sick, he will take care / takes care of her. (b) When his wife is sick, he will take / takes care of his wife.