Present Tense in “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”

Level: Adult ESL; one 60-minute lesson.

Goal: Learners will identify present-tense verbs in the poem, explain how present tense makes parts of the scene feel immediate, and use present-tense verbs in speaking and writing.

Accuracy note for teaching: The poem uses several tenses and forms, not present tense in every line. Present-tense verbs help frame the scene and the speaker’s thoughts. For example, “I think,” “I know,” and “woods are” are present; “will not see” is future, and “must think” uses a modal. Avoid describing most lines as simple subject-verb-object sentences: many are not.

Materials

• Paper and pens
• A quiet snowy-woods picture, or a description to read aloud: “Snow covers a dark wood. A horse stands beside a sleigh. The evening is quiet.”
• Optional: a recording of wind or horse bells, played from a device

Lesson

1. Hook and vocabulary — 8 minutes. Show the snowy-woods picture or read the description. Ask: “What do you see?” and “What do you hear?” If using a sound, ask learners to describe it. Introduce these words with simple present-tense definitions:
   • woods: Woods are an area with many trees.
   • village: A village is a small community where people live.
   • queer: In this poem, “queer” means strange or unusual. The word can have other meanings today.
   • harness: A harness is the set of straps that holds or guides a horse’s equipment.
   • promise: A promise is something a person says they will do.
   Ask learners to make one present-tense sentence with a vocabulary word, such as “The village is quiet.”
2. Read and notice — 10 minutes. Read the first two stanzas aloud once while learners listen, then read them again together. Ask learners to listen for the scene and mark verbs they recognize.

   Whose woods these are I think I know.
   His house is in the village though;
   He will not see me stopping here
   To watch his woods fill up with snow.
   
   My little horse must think it queer
   To stop without a farmhouse near
   Between the woods and frozen lake
   The darkest evening of the year.

   Ask: “Which words show what the speaker thinks or knows now?” Elicit think, know, and is. Point out that will not see refers to the future, while must think uses the modal must with the base verb think.
3. Show the grammar — 10 minutes. Write these examples and label the subject and verb:
   • I think. Subject: I; present verb: think.
   • I know. Subject: I; present verb: know.
   • His house is in the village. Subject: His house; present verb: is.
   Explain: These present-tense forms express the speaker’s current thoughts and describe the situation in the poem. The poem also uses other forms, so readers should identify the verb in each line rather than assume every verb is present.
4. Do it together: verb hunt and third-person -s — 10 minutes. Ask learners to find and circle the present-tense verbs in the first two stanzas: are, think, know, is. Explain that are is present tense in “these are,” while are does not follow the third-person singular -s rule. Then read the third stanza aloud:

   He gives his harness bells a shake
   To ask if there is some mistake.
   The only other sound’s the sweep
   Of easy wind and downy flake.

   Focus on He gives: he is third-person singular, so the present-simple verb takes -s. Briefly contrast: “I give”; “He gives.” Ask learners to complete aloud: “I watch; she ___” (watches), “We go; he ___” (goes), “They stop; it ___” (stops).
5. Speaking practice — 10 minutes. In pairs, learners take turns describing a daily routine or something they can observe now. Give these models:
   • “I drink coffee in the morning.”
   • “I study English after work.”
   • “The room is quiet.”
   • “My partner speaks clearly.”
   Partners listen for present-tense verbs. Ask them to include one third-person singular sentence, such as “My friend works nearby” or “The bus arrives at eight.”
6. Write, share, and recap — 12 minutes. Learners complete this poem-inspired template with their own details:

   Whose __________ this is, I think I know.
   My __________ is in the __________ though.
   I __________ here to watch __________.
   My __________ must think it __________.

   Remind learners that the lines may be adapted to make natural sentences; the goal is to use present-tense forms accurately, not to copy the poem’s exact structure. Invite volunteers to read their versions aloud. Recap by asking: “Name one present-tense verb from the poem. What does present tense help us understand here?”

Quick check

Ask each learner to label the verb in these sentences as present, future, or modal + base verb: “I know the answer” (present); “He will not see me” (future); “My horse must think” (modal + base verb). Then have each learner say one original sentence in the present tense, including one with he, she, or it.

Make it easier: Offer verb choices (think, knows, is, gives) and let learners rehearse sentences orally before writing.

Make it harder: Have learners explain the difference between simple present, future with will, and the modal construction must think, then revise their poem-inspired version to include all three.