The Importance of Learning Grammar Simple Present Tense Description of Form

2.2.3.2 The Importance of Learning Grammar

Having known the definition of grammar, it is not hard for us to understand why grammar is very useful and important. By using grammar, they can communicate and understand each other and otherwise, they would never know. Leech 1982: 4 states that grammar is a central part of language which relates sound and meaning. The meaning of a message conveyed by language has to be converted into words put together according to grammatical rules and these words are then conveyed by sound. Grammar affects the performance in all four skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing Celce-Murcia 1983: 2. It can be said that grammar is very useful in a language and it cannot be separated from its skills, if one can use grammar correctly, he can master all of skills. It is clear that grammar is very important and useful because grammar is a part of language.

2.2.3.3 Simple Present Tense

English has two time system, those are present tense and past tense such as I go to school every day and She wrote a letter yesterday. In the first sentence, the action is repeated occurrence and is expressed in the present tense and the second one is a past action and is expressed in the past tense. Nilson 1984: 151 says that simple present tense is a verb used to show an action that takes place in the present, or an action that is repeated regularly, or a condition that is true at any time. In addition, Murphy 1985: 4 states that simple present tense is used to talk about things is general and something happens all the time or repeatedly, or that something is true in general.

2.2.3.4 Description of Form

The simple present tense is formed by using a simple verb. Nilson 1984: 151 says that the form the present tense of the verb, use the infinitive form or adds –s or –es to the infinitive. When a third person singular is present, an –s or - es will be added in the end of the verb. In addition Cook 1980: 85 say that every simple present tense verb must carry the suffix –s when it has a third person singular subject. Whenever the present tense verb has a subject other than the third person singular, no suffix is added. The rules of subject-verb agreement can be seen as follows: Person 1 st form 2 nd form 3 rd form Singular I write a letter You write a letter She writes a letter Plural We write letters You write letters They write letters From the table above, the rules of subject-verb agreement are singular subject requires a singular verb and plural subject requires a plural verb. An ending –s or –es is usually used to sign a third person singular. According the statement above, there is an agreement in a singular and plural sentence in a form of subject-verb. The sentences below show the agreement: Singular Plural - The book is very thick. - The books are very thick. - The child plays football. - The children play football. - She goes to school. - We go to school. To be may be used in a simple present tense. The verb be that is used are: is, am, and are. The function of be is to announce the subject of a sentence and introduce and join it to an adjective or noun or equivalent of one or two some of these, to describe states which are in the existence right now. As in the sentences, The boy sits on the bench and He is a student. The first sentence describes a state in which the subject is in existence right now, the second one is to join He with an adjective. According to Murphy 1997: 10, the rules of be agreements are followed: Positive Negative I am I‘m He he‘s She is she‘s It it‘s We we‘re You are you‘re They they‘re I am not I‘m not He he‘s not or he isn‘t She is not she‘s not or she isn‘t It it‘s not or it isn‘t We we‘re not or we aren‘t You are not you‘re not or you aren‘t They they‘re not or they aren‘t Questions form Murphy 1997: 11 Positive Question I am he she is it you we are they am I? he? is she? it? you? are we? they? Short Answers Yes, I am. he Yes, she is. it we Yes, you are. they No, I‘m not. he ’s he No, she ’s not. or No, she isn’t. it ’s it we ’re we No, you ’re not. or No, you aren’t. they ’re they According to Murphy 1997: 20 the rules of verb agreement are followed: Positive Negative work like do have I we you they work like do have I we you they do not don’t he she it works likes does has He she it does not doesn’t We use dodoes in present simple questions Murphy 1997: 22 Positive Question work? like? do? have? I we you they work like do have Do I we you they he she it works likes does has Does he she it Dodoes + subject + infinitive Where How often What How much Do Do Does do do does does You your friends Chris your parents you this word it work live play live? wash mean? cost in the evening? near here? tennis? your hair? to fly to rome? Question with always usually often: What Do Does do you Chris You Always Often usually have play do breakfast? tennis? at weekends? Short answers Yes, Iweyouthey do. Hesheit does. No, Iweyouthey don’t. Hesheit doesn’t.

2.2.3.5 The Use of Simple Present Tense