Daily Routines
BasicUse the present simple to talk about daily routines.
- Daily routines use the simple present: wake up, have breakfast, do homework, go to bed.
- Frequency order: always > usually > sometimes.
- Order words help: First → Then → After that.
文體小知識：What you do every day.
§Text Passage
1My name is Wing Yan, and I always wake up at half past six. First, I brush my teeth and wash my face in the bathroom. Then I have breakfast with my family. I usually eat bread and drink a glass of warm milk. At seven fifteen, I leave home and walk to school with my neighbour. The morning air is fresh, and I feel full of energy.
2At school, we have four lessons in the morning. We have lunch in the canteen at one o'clock. My friends and I always talk and laugh during lunchtime. After school, I go home and do my homework before dinner. I always finish my homework carefully because I want to do well.
3We eat dinner together at seven o'clock. Grandmother cooks delicious dishes for us. After dinner, I read a book or watch a little TV with my sister. Then I take a shower and pack my school bag for the next day. I always go to bed at nine thirty. My day is simple, but I like it. Good habits keep me healthy and happy.
§Sentence-by-sentence translation Sentence-by-sentence translation
My name is Wing Yan, and I always wake up at half past six.
我叫詠恩，我總是六點半起床。
First, I brush my teeth and wash my face in the bathroom.
首先，我在浴室刷牙洗臉。
Then I have breakfast with my family.
接著我和家人一起吃早餐。
I usually eat bread and drink a glass of warm milk.
我通常吃麵包，喝一杯暖牛奶。
At seven fifteen, I leave home and walk to school with my neighbour.
七點十五分，我出門同鄰居一起走路上學。
The morning air is fresh, and I feel full of energy.
早上空氣好清新，我整個人好有精神。
At school, we have four lessons in the morning.
在學校，我們上午有四堂課。
We have lunch in the canteen at one o'clock.
我們一點在飯堂吃午餐。
My friends and I always talk and laugh during lunchtime.
我和朋友吃午飯時總是有講有笑。
After school, I go home and do my homework before dinner.
放學之後，我回家在晚飯前做功課。
I always finish my homework carefully because I want to do well.
我一定會用心完成功課，因為我想做得好。
We eat dinner together at seven o'clock.
我們七點一起吃晚餐。
Grandmother cooks delicious dishes for us.
奶奶會煮美味的菜餚給我們。
After dinner, I read a book or watch a little TV with my sister.
吃完飯，我會同妹妹看一下書，或者看一會兒電視。
Then I take a shower and pack my school bag for the next day.
接著我洗澡，收拾好第二天的書包。
I always go to bed at nine thirty.
我九點半一定上床睡覺。
My day is simple, but I like it.
我的一天好簡單，但我喜歡這樣。
Good habits keep me healthy and happy.
好習慣令我健康又開心。
1Summary 重點摘要
Use the present simple to talk about daily routines.
2Vocabulary cards Vocabulary
Stop sleeping.
Clean your teeth.
The morning meal.
The midday meal.
The evening meal.
School work to do at home.
Get into bed to sleep.
Every time.
3Step by step Steps
- MorningA description of the day usually starts with morning activities. Useful words include wake up, get up, brush my teeth, wash my face and have breakfast. Example: I wake up at six thirty and have breakfast at seven. Remember that these actions are daily habits, so use the simple present; with I or we as the subject, keep the base form of the verb and do not add s or es.
- DayDaytime activities are mostly about school life: have lessons, have lunch, have a break and play with friends. Example: We have lunch at one o'clock in the school canteen. Note that phrases like have lunch do not take an article; never write have a lunch. To emphasise one particular meal, say have a big lunch, placing the article before the adjective.
- NightCommon evening activities include have dinner, do homework, take a shower and go to bed. Example: I do my homework before dinner and go to bed at nine thirty. Remember that go to bed is a fixed phrase without the; adding the changes the meaning to walking towards the bed. Also, homework is uncountable, so never say a homework or homeworks — say some homework instead.
- FrequencyFrequency adverbs show how often an action happens: always, usually, often, sometimes and never. They usually go before the main verb, as in I always brush my teeth after breakfast, but after the verb be, as in He is always late for school. Remember that never is already negative, so do not add not as well; always and never are exact opposites, so choose carefully.
- Add s for he/sheWith a third person singular subject such as he, she, it or a name, verbs in the simple present take s or es. Example: Wing Yan gets up at six thirty. My sister watches a little TV. Spelling rules: most verbs simply add s; verbs ending in s, sh, ch, x or o add es, such as watches and goes; verbs ending in a consonant plus y change y to i and add es, so study becomes studies. This is the most common mistake, so always check the subject again after writing.
- Telling the timeThere are two common ways to tell the time. The first says the minutes with past or to, such as half past six and a quarter to eight; the second simply reads the numbers, such as seven fifteen and nine thirty. Use the preposition at before clock times, as in at seven o'clock. Remember that past is used up to thirty minutes and to after that; o'clock can only follow a whole hour, so half past seven o'clock is wrong.
5Worked example Example
Question: How do we describe our daily routine in a clear order with the simple present?
- Step 1: Begin with the morning and add a frequency word to show how often the action happens — I always wake up at half past six.
- Step 2: Link the actions with order words such as first, then and after that — First, I brush my teeth. Then I have breakfast.
- Step 3: Add clock times with the preposition at to say when each activity happens — At seven fifteen, I leave home and walk to school.
- Step 4: Move on to the afternoon and evening, using before and after to show the order — After school, I do my homework before dinner.
- Step 5: End with your bedtime and keep all the verbs in the simple present throughout — I always go to bed at nine thirty.
- Answer: Sample answer: I always wake up at half past six. First, I brush my teeth and have breakfast. At seven fifteen, I leave home and walk to school. After school, I do my homework before dinner. I always go to bed at nine thirty. This is my busy but happy day.
6Common mistakes Mistakes
7Quick check Quick check
Q1Wake up?
Q2Breakfast?
Q3Lunch?
Q4Dinner?
Q5Go to bed?
Q6Brush teeth?
8Recap Recap
- Daily routines use the simple present: wake up, have breakfast, do homework, go to bed.
- Frequency order: always > usually > sometimes.
- Order words help: First → Then → After that.
- Add s when you talk about someone else: Wing Yan gets up at six thirty.
- Time patterns: at seven fifteen, half past six.