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1 Comprehensibility. Comprehensibility means that the learners know how to build and use certain
structures. This ability will enable them to make understandable sentences. 2 Acceptability.
In some social context, people may be regarded because of their ability to have high level of grammatical correctness. For those who are bad in speaking
may be ignored and considered as uneducated people.
2. English Tenses
Curme 1966 defines tenses as the different forms which a verb assumes to indicate the time of the action or state p. 55. Because tense systems are
language specific, it is not surprising that ESLEFL learners have a great deal of difficulty mastering the English tense aspect system Celce, Murcia, Larsen and
Freeman, 1983: 61. Since the study would focus on the learning of simple present and simple past tense, the next discussion was about the form and the function of
both tenses.
a. Simple Present Tense
Azar 1989 states that in general, the simple present expresses events or situations that exist always, usually, habitually; they exist now, have existed in the
past, and probably will exist in the future p. 2. Neuman 1981 elaborates the form of the tenses p. 41-42, as follows.
1 The affirmative is formed with the infinitive of the verb, without to. The third person singular he, she, it has -s or -es added e.g. he puts, she
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puts, it puts. -es is added after -ch, -sh, -ss, -zz, -o, and –x e,g, he scratches, she wishes, the girl dresses, bee buzzes, train goes, she fixes.
Next, verbs ending with a consonant + y change into -ies for he, she, it, but verbs ending with a vowel + y only add -s. e.g. study – he studies, stay – she
stays 2 The interrogative and negative of the Simple Present are formed with
dodoes: do notdoes not + infinitive without to e.g. I do not go – Do I go?;
he does not go – Does he go?. Furthermore, Celce, Murcia, Larsen, and Freeman 1999 elaborate eight
different function of the simple present p. 113. 1 Habitual actions in the present e.g. he walks to school everyday.
2 General timeless truth, such as physical laws or customs e.g. water freezes at 0 degrees centigrade.
3 With be and other stative verbs to indicate states e.g. there is a large house on the corner, I know Mr. Jackson or even the inception of states e.g. now, I
understand. 4 In the subordinate clauses of time or condition when the main clause contains
a future-time verb e.g. after he finishes work, he’ll do the errands; if Cindy passes the bar exam, she’ll be able to practice law.
5 Expresses future when a scheduled event is involved, usually with a future- time adverbial, e.g. I have a meeting next Wednesday at that time.
6 Present eventaction usually in sporting events or demonstrationsprocedures of some sorts, e.g. now I add three eggs to the mixture.
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7 Present speech acts where the action is accomplished in the speaking of it, e.g. I resign from the commission.
8 Conversational historical present used to refer to certain past events in narration, e.g. “So he stands up in the boat and waves his arms to catch our
attention.”
b. Simple Past Tense
