21
past. It can refer to short, quickly finished actions and events, to longer actions and situations, and to repeated happenings.
”
29
Azar describes that simple past tense can be formulated in diagram as follow:
Now
Certain Time Past
Future
Figure 2.1 Diagram of Simple Past Tense From diagram above she describes that simple past tense indicates
that an activity or situation began and ended at a particular time in the past.
30
In addition, to complete the definition about simple past tense, Marcela Frank
said “simple past tense represents definite time, it refers to events that were completed before the statement is made. It is often
accompained by such expression of definite past as yesterday, last year, two years ago,etc
31
. Besides the definite past as yesterday, last week, last month, two
years ago, etc. Simple past tense is formed with the past form of verb which may be either regular, by adding
–d or –ed to infinitive form or irregular which must be learned and memorized in each case.
From the definition above, the writer concludes that simple past tense is a form indicating the activity or situation in the past, before now
or at one particular time in the past, it began and ended in the past. Simple past tense is usually accompained by time signals such as: yesterday, last
week, two years ago,etc, and verb used is the past form of verb which has to be added
–d or –ed in the end of regular verb.
29
Michael Swan, Practical English Usage, Oxford University Press,1980,p.469
30
Betty Schramfer Azar, Understanding and Using English Grammar, 2nd ed.,New Jersey:Pretice-Hall, Inc.,1989,p. 24
31
Marcela Frank, Modern English: Exercise for Non-native Speakers, Part 1: Parts of Speech,New Jersey:Prentice Hall,Inc.,1972,p. 49
22
2. The Forms of Simple Past Tense
Verb used in simple past tense is the past form of verb. There are two types of verb, Regular verb and Irregular verb. According to John
Eastwood in his book Oxford practice Grammars with Answers Second Edition, that in simple past tense, a regular past form ends in
–ed, some verbs have an irregular past form. .....we use did and also were and was in
negatives and questions
32
. According to Evelyn Farbman in A Grammar and Guide for
Writers “the simple past form of verb is a single word, without auxiliaries, that expresses the simple past tense. Often the simple past is just base form
with –ed to the end, but there are many irregular verbs whose simple past
forms do not end in –ed.
33
The formula of simple past tense consists of three parts: Affirmative, Negative, and Interogrative.
a. The Simple Past in Regular Verb
Thomas E. Payne says, “Reegular verbs are sometimes referred to as
–ed verbs. The past simple form ends in –ed and is the same as the past participle form.”
34
From this statement, it is clear that to make the past tense form of regular verbs is by simply adding
–ed to the end of the infinitive. In the case of some verbs e.g., talk-talked, this is fine.
However, it often needs to make other changes as well. The precise changes depend on the spelling of the infinitive. Hence, before going to the
formula of simple past tense in regular verb, the following table shows the changing of verb in regular verb based on Thomas E.Payne’s classification
in his book Understanding English Grammar.
35
32
John Eastwood, Oxford Practice Grammars with Answer, 2nd ed., Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999,p.18.
33
Evelyne Farbman, A Grammar and Guide for Writers, Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company,1985,p.19.
34
Thomas E. Payne, Understanding English Grammar: A Linguistic Introduction New York: Cambrige University Press,2011,p.411.
35
Ibid.,p.412.
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Table 2.2
The rules of regular past tense form Infinitive
Past Rule
Climb Help
Look Play
Rain Stay
Start Wonder
Watch Wash
Work Climbed
Helped Looked
Played Rained
Stayed Strated
Wondered Watched
Washed Worked
Most Regular verbs Add –ed
Decide Hope
Like Love
Prepare Phone
Decided Hoped
Liked Loved
Prepared Phoned
Add –d
To the infinitive when the
infinitive ends in e
Plan Shop
Refer Regret
Planned Shopped
Referred regretted
Double the final consonant and add
–ed -when the infinitive ends in a
single vowel + single consonant combination.
-when the final syllabel of the infinitive is stressed and ends in
a single
vowel +
singel consonant combination.
