The Form of Simple Past Tense

8. The Use of Simple Past Tense

Based upo Fole a d Hall s opi io , e ofte use the Past “i ple Te se fo si gle o pleted e e ts a d past states. 32 According to Michalek, The Simple Past Tense is used to express an action that is definitely past and whose time is given either expressly or understood from the context, e.g.: He went to London Yesterday. Past He went Now Future Yesterday Figure 2.1 Tense Diagram of Ewa Michalek The o l poi t o the left of o a ks the ti e of the past a tio a d of the adverbial at the same time. 33 According to Murcia and Freeman, the uses of The Simple Past Tense are to express: 34 1 A definite single completed eventaction in the past e.g.: I attended a meeting of that committee last week. 2 Habitual or repeated actionevent in the past suggest that some change in this habitevent has taken place e.g.: It snowed almost every weekend last winter. 3 An event with duration that applied in the past with the implication that it no longer applies in the present e.g.: Prof. Nelson taught at Yale for 30 years. 4 An event with stative verbs in the past tense e.g.: He owed me a lot of money.  Relationship Perception I saw a large house in the corner.  Sensory Perception 32 Mark Foley and Diane Hall, Advanced Learners’ Grammar: A Self Study Reference and Practice Book with Answers, Essex: Longman, 2003, p.54. 33 Ewa Michalek, English Teaching Forum: Tense Diagrams, Vol. XXII, No. 1, January 1984. 34 Marianne Celce-Murcia and Diane Larsen-Freeman, The Grammar Book: An ESLEFL Teacher’s Course, Rowley: Newbury House Publisher, 1983, p. 63. I knew that John is a teacher. Mental Emotions Perception 5 Past Conditional imaginative events in the subordinate clause e.g.: If he took ette a e of hi self, he ould t e a se t so ofte .

C. The Teaching of Simple Past Tense through Information-Gap Activity

Ur states, one of the implementations of active language use is put certain constraints on the process of achieving task objective in order to make sure that maximum language use in fact take place, such as practicing Simple Past Tense which include oral work and both interrogative and affirmative forms by information gap activity. 35 According to Johnson, information-gap activity which practice grammar is as communicative drills to provide a focus on form. 36 Based o Cook s opi io , the e a t epetitio d illi g also allo s g eater time for processing and creates a generally more secure and relaxed atmosphere which may aid receptivity. 37 I li e ith this idea, Ha e states, the pu pose of d illi g is ha it- formation through constant repetition of correct utterances, encouraged and suppo ted positi e ei fo e e t. 38 The writer may conclude that the implementation of information-gap activity to i ease stude ts aste i the “i ple Past Te se is as a o u i ati e d ill which allows constant repetition providing a focus on the form and the use of this kind of tenses 35 Penny Ur, Grammar Practice Activities: A Practical Guide for Teachers, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002, pp.18-19. 36 Keith Johnson, An Introduction to Foreign Language Learning and Teaching, Harlow: Pearson Education Limited, 2008, 2 nd ed., pp. 259-263. 37 Guy Cook, Language Play Language Learning, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000, p.30. 38 Jeremy Harmer, The Practice of English Language Teaching, Essex: Pearson Education Limited, 2007, 4 th ed., p.64.

D. The Technique of Information-Gap Activity Modified in Teaching Simple Past Tense

Since the research is conducted in Secondary School at elementary level, the technique of information-gap activity is made as simple as possible by using information-gap worksheet which contains some pictures they have to inform to their pairs. The information-gap task itself is split into two parts: Task A and Task B. Task A, which is required for students A, contains of some pictures which did not exist in Task B, and vice versa. So, they have to exchange the information related to so e a ti ities i the pi tu es. It is suppo ted Foste s state e t, I information-gap type of interactive task, learners have to transfer information to a pa t e ho does ot ha e it. 39 This sort of information-gap activity is emphasized on grammar aspect, in this case Simple Past Tense, by combining three skills: Listening, Speaking, and Writing. Beside the students must transfer the information through speaking, they also need to listen the information related to the incomplete pictures of theirs and write the information according to what their pairs say. Since there are two models of information-gap worksheet given to students for each cycle, so that it produces different procedure of information-gap activity. The procedure of information-gap activity itself is divided into five steps: MODEL 1 Title : A y ody Call a d Da ’s Big Date Step 1: The students is introduced the concept of Information-gap activity and how it works in the classroom. Step 2: The students are informed that they may not show their own tasks which contain the pictures and make sure that no one try to show it. In line with these ideas, F ee a poi ts out, Fo i fo atio -gap activities to work, it is vitally important that students understand the details of the task for example, that they should ot sho ea h othe thei pi tu es. 40 39 Pauline Foster, English Teaching Forum: Information-Gap Task , Vol. 53, 1 January 1999. 40 Diane Larsen-Freeman, Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching, New York: Oxford University Press, 2000, 2 nd , p. 129. Step 3: The students have to work in pair that consists of student A, who is given worksheet A, and student B, who is given worksheet B. Besides, the teacher read aloud the example of the dialogue. Step 4: The students A have the first chance to ask students B concerning the incomplete information they have by using Simple Past Tense in the form of YesNo Question and WH Question. However, students B must listen about the question and give feedback by answering the question orally based on the information they have. Step 5: The students and the teacher evaluate the worksheet which have been done. MODEL 2 Title : My Frie ds’ a tivities yesterday Step 1: The students is introduced the concept of Information-gap activity and how it works in the classroom. Step 2: The students are informed that they may not show their own tasks which contain the pictures and make sure that no one try to show it. Students have to work in pair that consists of student A, who is given worksheet A, and student B, who is given worksheet B. Step 3: students A have the first chance to ask students B concerning the incomplete pictures they have by using Simple Past Tense in the form of WH Question. On the other hand, students B must listen about the question and give feedback by answering the question orally based on the picture they have by using Simple Past Tense in the form of affirmative statement. Furthermore, at the same time students A have to write down the information they get from students B on their worksheet, and vice versa. Step 4: after each of the students has already answered the task, shehe has to work in pairs again with different pairs. In this step, Students A must make sure that the information they get is correct by asking to their pairs Students B in the form of YesNo Questions, and Students B have to give feedback by answering the questions in the form of affirmative and negative statements, and vice versa.