The definition of Simple Past Tense

23 Table 2.2 The rules of regular past tense form Infinitive Past Rule Climb Help Look Play Rain Stay Start Wonder Watch Wash Work Climbed Helped Looked Played Rained Stayed Strated Wondered Watched Washed Worked Most Regular verbs Add –ed Decide Hope Like Love Prepare Phone Decided Hoped Liked Loved Prepared Phoned Add –d To the infinitive when the infinitive ends in e Plan Shop Refer Regret Planned Shopped Referred regretted Double the final consonant and add –ed -when the infinitive ends in a single vowel + single consonant combination. -when the final syllabel of the infinitive is stressed and ends in a single vowel + singel consonant combination. 24 Rebel Travel label Rebelled Travelled Labelled television Hurry Cry Study Try Dry Hurried Cried Studied Tried Died Verbs ending in consonant +y Change y to i and add –ed Panic Picnic Panickned Picnicked Add + k + ed When the infinitive ends in a vowel +c 1. The first type Affirmative of the simple past in regular verb form uses the formula as following: 36 S + V2 + O + Adverbs For example : - She watched movies last night - They climbed Slamet mountain two weeks ago From the example above, it can be seen that the form is used to all subjects, both singular and plural. All regular verbs are added –d or –ed in the end of verb. 2. The second type, the negative formula of simple past tense in regular verb is as following: 37 S + did not + V1 + O + Adverbs For example: - She did not watch movie last night. - They did not climb Slamet mountain two weeks ago. 36 Lynda Berish and Sandra Thibaudeau, Grammar Connection I, Ontario: Prentice Hall Canada Inc,1995,p.113. 37 Ibid.,p.114. 25 Based on the example above, it can be seen that the verb in negative form use the simple form V1, then the use of did not is before the main verb. 3. The last type of formula of simple past tense in regular verb is interrogative. The formula is as following: Did didn’t + S + V1 + O + Adverbs ? For example: - Did she watch movie last night? - Did not he play game this morning? - Did they climb Slamet mountain two weeks ago? The examples above show that in the interrogative form, the verb used is V1, in other words there is no ending –ed in the verb in question form. b. The Simple Past in Irregular Verb In the irregular verbs, there is no an –ed ending in the past form. They have different ways in changing past form. As the regular verb, the irregular verb follow the same pattern in affirmative, negative, and interrogative. The following table is the example of irregular verb past form based on Elaine Kim and Darcy Jack’ classification. Table 2.3 The past form of Irregular Verb is formed in different ways . 38 Example Simple Form Past Form Simple Form Past Form Note Cost Cut Hit Hurt Cost Cut Hit Hurt Let Put Quit Shut Let Put Quit Shut The simple and the past forms of 38 Elaine Kirn and Darcy Jack, Interactions I Grammar, 4th ed., New York: McGraw- Hill,2011,p.116.