b. Negative
1. The verb other than be:
S + Did + Not + Verb 1 + Adverb of time
Examples:
The car didn’t stop. I didn’t buy many books in Gramedia last month.
They didn’t cook last night.
2. The verb be:
S + WasWere + Not + Substantive Adverbial of Phrase + … Examples:
Opik was not in campus yesterday. I was not glad this morning.
The doctor and the nurses were not in the operation room.
c. Interrogative
1. The positive form of verb other than be:
Did + S + Verb 1 + …? Examples:
Did she study hard last semester? Did you spend your vacation in Bali?
2. The negative form of verb other than be:
Didn’t + S + Verb 1 + …?
Examples:
Didn’t you spend your vacation in Bali? Didn’t you study hard last semester?
3. The positive form of verb than be:
WasWere + S + Not + Substantive Adverbial of Phrase + …? Examples:
Were they at the pet shop?
Were you absent yesterday? Was she farewell party last night?
4. The negative form of verb be:
Wasn’tWeren’t + S + Not + Substantive Adverbial of Phrase + …?
Examples:
Weren’t they at home? Wasn’t Merry sick?
3. Use of the Simple Past Tense
The usage of Simple Past Tense is follows:
a. Completed Action in the Past
Use the Simple Past Tense to express the idea that an action started and finished at a specific time in the past. Sometimes, the speaker may not actually
mention the specific time, but they do have one specific time in mind. For examples:
I saw a movie yesterday Last year, I didn’t travel to Bali
He didn’t wash his car
b. Series of Completed Actions in the Past
We use the Simple Past Tense to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happened 1
st
, 2
nd
, 3
rd
, 4
th
, and so on. For examples:
I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim. He arrived to the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and
met the other at 10:00.
c. Duration in Past
The Simple Past Tense can be used with a duration, which starts and stops in the past. Duration is a longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two
years, all day, all year, etc. For examples:
They sat at the beach all day. We talked on the phone for thirty minutes.
d. Habits in the Past
The Simple Past Tense can also be used to describe a habit that stopped in the past. It can have the same meaning as “used to.” To make it clear that we are talking
about a habit, we often add expressions such as: always, often, usually, never, when I was a child, etc.
For examples:
They never went to school, they always skipped class. She worked at the movie theater after school.
e. Past Facts or Generalizations
The Simple Past can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations, which are no longer true. As in USE 4 above, this use of the Simple Past is quite
similar to the expression “used to.”
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For examples:
He was in the office yesterday. We spent in Kuningan last month.
From several statements above, we can get the conclusion that the Simple Past Tense should be noted that use of the Past Tense located situation in the past,
without saying anything about whether that situation continuous to the present and future. We also use the Simple Past Tense when the time is clear and giving older
information. One of the most common uses of the Simple Past Tense is to convey any event or action which is done in the past.
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