I have not been doing my home works for hours. 3. Interrogative sentence: Hashave+S+been+V1+ing
Example: Has the dog been barking all night?
4. Negative-Interrogative sentence: Hashave+not+S+been+V1-ing Example:
Haven’t I been giving you the help you need for all this time?
3.5 Simple Past Tense
Rebecca 1972:S1 describes that the simple Past Tense expresses activities, that existed or occurred in the past. Modifiers indicating time often
specified a definite time in the past…, but in some situations the time is not specified.
It seems very clear to the writer that the simple Past Tense places the activity or event definitely in the past. Or in the other words we may say that the
activity started in the past and has finished at the moment of speaking. The journalist of the Jakarta Post Newspaper uses fifty times the simple past tense in
telling or reporting the news about the fifty-one Egyptians killed. It seems very clear to the writer that The Simple Past Tense places the
activity or event definitely in the past. Or in the other words we may say that the activity started in the past and has finished at the moment of speaking.
Example: + We had our lunch at 2.00 p.m. yesterday.
- Indonesian government did not buy rice last year.
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? Could the clever students solve take problems
-? Didnt you go to the movie last night?
Use of the Simple Past Tense 1 To state an event or activity in the past.
Example: They were unhappy
2 To state habit in the past. Example: I used to play play tennis when I was young.
3 It is also used in the conditional clause to state current f event. , Example:
If I were rich, I would buy a new car. Means: I am not rich.
4 It is used in subjunctive which uses verbs such as if only, would rather, and wish to state facts that contradict with the present situation.
Example: If only you would listen to me, you wont be in trouble.
Sentence Pattern 1 Sentence with waswere
a Positive sentence: S+waswere+AdjAvbN Example: She was angry at me.
b Negative sentence: S+waswere+Not+AdjAvbN
Example: The directors were not busy.
c Interrogative sentence: WasWere+Sadjadvn Example:
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Were you tired? d
Negative-interrogative sentence: Wasntwerent+adjadvn Example:
Werent they happy? Sentence with verbs in the past form=VPs
a Positive sentence: S+VPs Example:
She made me lose my temper. b Negative sentence: S+did + not + VInf.
Example: The gardener did not cut the roses.
c Interrogative sentence: Did +S + V Inf.
Example: Did you came to my house yesterday?
d Negative-interrogative sentence: Didnt+S + VI Example:
Didnt you come to my house yesterday? The sentences used in Simple past tense by the journalist of the Jakarta
Post Newspaper are as follows: 51 people were killed, demonstrators enraged, president said, the army opened, the military said, a terrorist group tried, 40
people were wounded, soldiers returned, they were wounded, attacked, emergency services said, 430 people were wounded, brotherhood urged, medics rushed, they
shot, they used, they said, a bearded was wounded, which initially backed, he
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said, Ahmed said, Nour could, what was happened, he said, the military was not, millions took, resulted in clashes, left 35 dead, the scene saw, Zazeera showed,
Musi supporters attempted, seven dead bodies were lined up, covered in blankets, a man placed, Mursi was toppled, was not a coup, he said, millions people took,
anti Mursi took, resulted, news footage zoomed, the city was calm, armoured, closed, were led, denounced, vowed, were in trouble, Nour Party rejected, prime
minister proposed, Nour said, it called, the party decided, it said, US backed.
3.6 Past Continuous Tense
