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Woods2010:30saysthatthesimplepasttensetellsaboutwhathappened before thepresenttime.
HarligandReynolds1995:114-116haveidentifiedthedifficultiesdealing withtheuseofsimplepasttenseanditsrelationshiptolexicalaspect.Theirstudy
indicatesthatnonnativelearnersofEnglishhaveastrongconceptofthepresent tensewhen
dealingwith adverbsof frequency.
2.3 Form ofSimple Past Tense
AccordingtoMcGraw,thesimplepasttenseisclassifiedintotwotypes. Theyarethesimpleinregularverbandthesimplepastinirregularverbincluding past tenseof
the verb be. The formulaof each type consists of three parts: affirmative, negative and interrogative.
2.3.1 Simplepast tense inregularverb
Thefirsttypeofthesimplepasttenseinregularverbformusestheformula asfollowing:
S+ V2 +O+Adverb
For Examples: 1.
Shehelped hermother in thekitchen thismorning 2.
The children playedgameslastnight 3.
We listened tothe music after dinner
According totheexamplesabove,theformisusedforallsubjectsboth
singularandplural.Allregularverbstakean–edending inthepasttense.Moreover, there aresomespellingrulesof regular verbs.
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Meanwhile, thenegativeformulaof simplepast tenseasfollowing:
S+Didnot +V1 +O+Adverb
For examples: Her roommatedid notorder apizza lastnight
Wedid not live in an apartmentlastyear Myfamilydid notown a computer untilrecently
Basedontheexamplesabove, it canbeseenthat theverbin thesentenceis returned tothesimpleform.
Then, theusedidnotisbeforethesimpleformofthe
main verb.
Thecontraction for did notisdidn’t. Inaddition,theotherformofsimplepasttenseisinterrogativebyusingthe
formula:
DidDidn’t +S+V1 +O+Adverb
For examples: 1.
Didyou move to anewhouse lastyear ? 2.
Didyour mother cook lastnight? 3.
Didn’tyou studyEnglish lastnight? Theexamplesaboveshowthatthemainverbinthequestionisalsoreturned to
thesimpleform.The isno final–edendingin thequestion form.
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2.3.2 Simplepast tense inirregularVerbs
Many verbshaveirregularpastforms.Thesedonottakean–edending
inthe pastform. Then, theverbsthathave irregular past tenseformfollowthenamepattern
inaffirmative,negativeandinterrogativeasregularverb.Hereistheexample of irregular verb asfollowing:
SimpleForm Simple Past Tense
Simple Form Simple Past Tense
Arise Arose
flee Fled
Awake awokeawaked
fly Flew
Be waswere
forbid forbade
Bear Bore
forget Forgot
Beat Beat
forsake forsook
Become Became
freeze Froze
Begin Began
get Got
Bend Bent
give Gave
Bet Bet
go Went
Bite Bit
grind ground
Bleed Bled
grow grew
Blow Blew
hang hunghanged
Break Broke
have had
Breed Bred
hear heard
Bring Brought
hide hid
Broadcast Broadcast
hit hit
Build Built
hold held
Burst Burst
hurt hurt
Buy Bought
keep kept
Cast Cast
know knew
Catch Caught
lay laid
Choose Chose
lead led
Cling Clung
leap leapt
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Come came
leave left
Cost Cost
lend lent
Creep Crept
let let
Cut Cut
lie lay
Deal Dealt
light litlighted
Dig dug
lost lost
Do Did
make made
Draw Drew
mean meant
Drink Drank
meet met
Drive Drove
overcome overcame
Eat Ate
pay paid
Fall Fell
prove proved
Feed Fed
put put
Feel Felt
quit quit
Fight Fought
read read
Find Found
ride rode
Ring Rang
stand stood
Rise Rose
steal stole
Run Ran
stick stuck
Say Said
sting stung
See Saw
strike struck
Seek Sought
strive strove
Sell Sold
swear swore
Send Sent
sweep swept
Set Set
swim swam
Shake Shook
swing swung
Shoot Shot
take took
Show Showed
teach taught
Shut Shut
tear tore
Sing Sang
tell told
Sit Sat
think thought
Sleep Slept
throw threw
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Slide Slid
thrust thrust
Slit Slit
understand understood
Speak Spoke
upset upset
Spend Spent
wake wokewaked
Spin Spun
wear wore
Split Split
weave wove
Spread Spread
wind wound
Spring Sprang
write wrote
Basedon theexamples above, theverbbeis theexceptionof irregularverb. Thisirregularverbisuseddifferently thanotheriregularverbinaffimative,negative and
interrogative. Hereisthepatternofsimplepasttenseofverbbeasfollowingfor the
affirmativeform theformula asfollow:
S+WasWere+ SubstantiveAdverbialofphrase + ........
For example: 1.
Mario wasathomelastnight 2.
Ratnawasastewardessoneyear ago 3.
Somestudents were absentlastSunday Allthoseactionsareinthepast,andTheyareallfinished;they donotcarry over into
thepresent.Two of themaresingular noun Mario and Ratna;oneof them ispluralnoun somestudents used.
Next, here istheformulaof thenegativeformof simplepast tensein irregular verb.
S+WasWere+ not +SubstantiveAdverbialofphrase + ...........
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For example: 1.
Iwasnot in myroom lastnight 2.
Wewerenothungryfor dinneryesterday Thelastformofsimplepasttenseinirregularverbisinterrogativeform,here
istheformula:
WasWere+S+ SubstantiveAdverbialofphrase +.......... WasWere+ Not +S+Substantive Adverbialofphrrase +.................
For example: 1.Was Mario athomelastnight?
2. Were Theyin thefarrewellpartylastnight? 3. Wasn’t thedogfed thisafternoon ?
4. Weren’t thosesofasexpensive? TheexamplesaboveshowthattheuseofwasisusedforthepronounsI,He,
She,It,ThisandThat,howeverthebeof wereisusedforpronounsuchas:You,We, , theseand Those.So, theuseof wasisonlyused for thesingular noun and theuseof
wereisonlyforthepluralnoun.Furthermore,thenegativestatementusesnotafter theverbbeinthesentence.Meanwhile,thecontractionforwasnotiswasn’t,the
contractionforwerenotis weren’t.Theconctractionis usedtotomakethesentence easier in writtenand utterance.
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2.3.3 Spelling Rulesfor –edEndings
Ending Rule
Example -y
Iftheformofaverbendsin–yafter aconsonant,changethe–yto–iand add –
ed. carrycarried
marrymarried studystudied
trytried
Vowel + Consonant inOne-syllableVeb
Ifthesimpleformofaone-syllable verbends
inoneconsonantaftea vowel,doublethelast
consonant exceptx andadd –ed.
Note:Theletterswandyattheend ofwords arevowels,notconsonants. Do
notDouble them. knitknitted
planplanned robrobbed
stopstopped bowbowed
playplayed rowrowed
staystayed
Stressed syllable Ifthesimpleformofaverbendsin
an accented stressed syllable, follow the preceding rule for one final
consonant after onevowel. occuroccured
permitpermitted preferpreferred
submitsubmitted
-e
If thesimpleformofaverb endsin –e, add only–d.
tietied likeliked
Allotherverbs
Add –edtothesimpleformofall other regular verbs.
askasked belongbelonged
needneeded wantwanted
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2.4 Ability