Grade 7 English HYGIENE – GRAMMAR IN USE:VERBS AND TENSES Notes
GRAMMAR IN USE: VERBS AND TENSES — Topic: HYGIENE (English)
Age: 12 (Kenyan context). Focus: how to use verbs and simple tenses when talking about hygiene — washing hands, brushing teeth, bathing, etc. Use the examples to practise grammar in everyday life.
Important hygiene verbs (base form) — common in school and at home
- wash (🏺) — wash hands, wash face
- brush (🪥) — brush teeth
- bath / bathe (🚿) — take a bath
- clean (🧽) — clean the plate, clean the latrine
- rinse (💧) — rinse your mouth
- dry (🧻) — dry with a towel
- use (🔑) — use soap, use water
- flush (🚽) — flush the latrine
1. Present Simple — Routines and facts
Use for habits: things you do every day.
Structure: subject + base verb (add -s or -es for he/she/it)
- Positive: I wash my hands before eating.
- Negative: He does not (doesn't) brush his teeth every morning.
- Question: Do you wash your hands after using the latrine?
2. Present Continuous — Action happening now / around now
Use when an action is happening at this moment or a temporary activity.
Structure: subject + am/is/are + verb-ing
- Positive: She is washing her hands now. (She’s washing her hands.)
- Negative: We are not (aren't) using soap at the moment.
- Question: Are they rinsing their mouths?
3. Past Simple — Completed action in the past
Use for things that happened and finished at a specific time.
Structure: subject + verb in past (regular: +ed, irregular: changes)
- Positive: I washed my hands after playing football yesterday.
- Negative: He did not (didn't) brush his teeth last night.
- Question: Did you take a bath this morning?
4. Future (will / going to) — Plans and promises
Use for promises, decisions, or plans.
- Will (quick decision / promise): I will wash my hands now. / I will remind him.
- Going to (plan): She is going to brush her teeth after dinner.
5. Present Perfect — Actions with result now (experience or completed, no time stated)
Use to show that something happened and it matters now.
Structure: subject + have/has + past participle
- I have washed my hands. (Now my hands are clean.)
- She has forgotten her toothbrush.
6. Imperatives and Modals — Instructions and advice
- Imperative (command/instruction): Wash your hands! Brush your teeth before bed.
- Should / Must / Can:
- You should wash your hands with soap. (advice)
- You must flush the latrine. (strong rule)
- You can use warm water if available. (ability/permission)
Signal words — help to choose the tense
- Present simple: every day, always, sometimes, often, usually
- Present continuous: now, at the moment, today
- Past simple: yesterday, last week, an hour ago
- Future: tomorrow, later, soon
- Present perfect: already, yet, just, ever, never
Short practice — Choose the correct tense (write the verb)
- Every morning, Mary (brush) ________ her teeth.
- Right now, the boy (wash) ________ his hands.
- I (wash) ________ my hands after I ate. (completed action — say when: yesterday)
- We (go) ________ to the well tomorrow to fetch water. (plan)
- He (never/forget) ________ to use soap. (experience; use present perfect)
- (you/brush) ________ your teeth last night? (question)
- Wash your hands! (Rewrite as negative instruction.)
Answers (click to show)
- brushes (Present simple: Mary brushes her teeth.)
- is washing (Present continuous)
- washed (Past simple: I washed my hands yesterday.)
- are going / are going to go (Present continuous as plan: We are going to the well tomorrow. OR "We will go" for future simple)
- has never forgotten (Present perfect: He has never forgotten to use soap.)
- Did you brush your teeth last night?
- Don't wash your hands! (negative imperative) — though for hygiene you would usually say "Don't forget to wash your hands" or keep the positive "Wash your hands.")
Mini grammar checklist for daily hygiene
- Use present simple for routines: "I always wash my hands."
- Use present continuous for actions now: "I am brushing my teeth."
- Use past simple for finished actions: "She bathed yesterday."
- Use will / going to for future: "I will remind my friend." / "I am going to use soap."
- Use should / must for advice and rules: "You should wash hands with soap." / "You must keep the latrine clean."
Practice at home or school: make simple sentences about your day using these tenses. For example: "At 7 a.m. I brush my teeth. Now I am getting water. Yesterday I washed my uniform. Tomorrow I will clean my shoes."
Good luck — keep practising your verbs and stay healthy! 🌟