Assignments

Simple Past Tense

            Simple past tense is the tense that serves to show the work that occurred in the past without emphasizing that the work has been or is being done. Simple past tense using time information showing the past, such as yesterday, last week, last night, one year ago, the day before, once upon a time.

	Formula		Example
(+)	Verbal	S + Verb-2	She killed a snake yesterday
	Nominal	S + was/were + nominal	I was there but you did not see me
(-)	Verbal	S + did + not + Infinitive	She did not know where to go.
	Nominal	S + was/were + not + nominal	When I was a child, I used to cry.
(?)	Verbal	Did + S + Infinitive	Did you take my money?
	Nominal	Was/were + S + nominal?	Was the case hard to solve?

Past Continuous Tense

        Past continuous tense or past progressive tense is a form of the verb used to express that an action is happening at a particular time in the past. The action has been initiated but not completed by that time.

	Formula	Example
(+)	S + be(was/were) + V1-ing/present participle	The team was running
		The workers were queuing
(-)	S + be(was/were) + not + V1-ing/present participle	The team was not running
		The workers weren’t queuing
(?)	be(was/were) + S + V1-ing/present participle?	Was the team running
		Were the workers queuing

Function	Example
Past continuous tense to indicate an action that occurred during a specific moment in the past.	I was shopping at this time yesterday.
	What was she doing at 5 am this morning?
	They were roasting corn at this time last night.
	I was doing physically exercises all day yesterday.
To show that there is a short duration of action (simple past tense) that occurs when a long duration of action (past continuous tense) is underway. Subordinate conjunction "when" or "while" can be used	She was sleeping when you called her.
	The door was knocked while I was studying.
Past continuous tense is used to ridicule or criticize actions that occur at random intervals, but it is actually a natural habit.	The girl was always yelling out loud.
	My neighbor was always chasing stray cats offwith his broom.

Simple Present Tense

            The simple present tense is the one which we use when an action is happening right now, or when it happens regularly (or unceasingly, which is why it’s sometimes called present indefinite). The simple present tense is formed by using the root form or by adding ‑s or ‑es to the end, depending on the person.

	Formula	Example
(+)	S + V-1 S +/- auxiliary (do/does) + bare infinitive	She likes eating out
	S + be (am/is/are)	The children are naughty.
(-)	S + auxiliary (do/does) + not + bare infinitive	She doesn’t like eating out
	S + be(am/is/are) + not	The children aren’t naughty
(?)	Do/Does + S + bare infinitive	Does she like eating out
	Be(am/is/are) + S	Are the children naughty

Function	Example
Simple present tense to express habitual action (custom) which is often used adverb of frequency (always, Often, usually, every day / week, month, all the time, etc) as time signals.	He always consumes low GI rice.
	She sends much money to her parents in the village every month.
Factual	The sun rises from the east and sets in the west.
	Water boils at 100 degrees Celcius.
Simple present tense is used to make a simple statement of the applicable general (valid at any time) and not general (using the verb be).	I live in Jakarta.
	She is so beautiful.
	He’s angry.
Simple present tense is used to talk about plans or schedules in the future but it has a period of close to now.	The ship leaves the harbour this night at 7 o’clock.
	He arrives from Osaka at 1 pm.
	The ceremony starts at nine.
Simple present tense is used to give instructions or action series.	You add a glass of coconut milk into a pan and then boil it.
	You go straight ahead then turn left.
Simple present tense stative verb used to express a feeling (feeling), senses (sense), mind (mental state), or the ownership (possession).	She loves dancing.
	I see tears in your eyes.
	We agree with the speaker’s opinion.
	My brother owns a new house.
Simple present tense use conditional sentence tipe 1.	If you meet the naughty boy, your parents will be angry.
	I will go swimming if I have free time.

Simple Present Continuous Tense

            Present Continuous Tense a form stating the time of an event or on going event and finished in the present.

	Formula	Example
(+)	S + be(am/is/are) + present participle	The ships are sailing
		He is smiling
(-)	S + be(am/is/are) + not + present participle	The ships are not sailing
		He is not smiling
(?)	be(am/is/are) + S + present participle?	are the ships sailing
		Is he smiling

Function	Example
The present continuous tense to talk about an action that is happening right now.	She is brushing the bathroom floor.
	I’m driving a car to Bandung now.
	He’s learning English in order to be a great guide.
The present continuous tense to talk about a plan or transfer to a place / condition.	I’m spending my holiday on Kuta beach next month.
	You can’t call me this night. I’m going to my best friend’s wedding.
	The buses are arriving in an hour.
	I’m moving to West Jakarta this month.
The present continuous tense to express indignation over the actions that occur repeatedly.	Why is the wild dog always barking at me?
	I’m getting sick of you always asking the same questions.

Past Continuous Tense

         Past continuous tense describes actions or events in a time before now, which began in the past and is still going on at the time of speaking. In other words, it expresses an unfinished or incomplete action in the past.

	Formula	Example
(+)	S + be(was/were) + V1-ing/present participle	The team was running
		The workers were queuing
(-)	S + be(was/were) + not + V1-ing/present participle	The team was not running
		The workers weren’t queuing
(?)	be(was/were) + S + V1-ing/present participle?	Was the team running
		Were the workers queuing

Function	Example
Past continuous tense to indicate an action that occurred during a specific moment in the past.	I was shopping at this time yesterday.
	What was she doing at 5 am this morning?
	They were roasting corn at this time last night.
	I was doing physically exercises all day yesterday.
To show that there is a short duration of action (simple past tense) that occurs when a long duration of action (past continuous tense) is underway. Subordinate conjunction "when" or "while" can be used	She was sleeping when you called her.
	The door was knocked while I was studying.
Past continuous tense is used to ridicule or criticize actions that occur at random intervals, but it is actually a natural habit.	The girl was always yelling out loud.
	My neighbor was always chasing stray cats offwith his broom.

Subject-Verb Agreement

            Subject-verb agreement is the correspondence of a verb with its subject in person (first, second, or third) and number (singular or plural). Also called subject-verb concord. The principle of subject-verb agreement applies to finite verbs in the present tense and, in a limited way, to the past forms of the verb to be (was and were).

1.   A subject will come before a phrase beginning with of. This is a key rule for understanding subjects. The word of is the culprit in many, perhaps most, subject-verb mistakes. Hasty writers, speakers, readers, and listeners might miss the all-too-common mistake in the following sentence:

Incorrect: A bouquet of yellow roses lend color and fragrance to the room.

Correct: A bouquet of yellow roses lends . . . (bouquet lends, not roses lend)

2.   Two singular subjects connected by or, either/or, or neither/nor require a singular verb.

       Examples:
My aunt or my uncle is arriving by train today.

      Neither Juan nor Carmen is available.
Either Kiana or Casey is helping today with stage decorations.

3.   The verb in an or, either/or, or neither/nor sentence agrees with the noun or pronoun closest to it.

      Examples:
Neither the plates nor the serving bowl goes on that shelf.

      Neither the serving bowl nor the plates go on that shelf.

4.   As a general rule, use a plural verb with two or more subjects when they are connected by and.

      Example: A car and a bike are my means of transportation.

      But note these exceptions:

      Exceptions:
Breaking and entering is against the law.

      The bed and breakfast was charming.

      In those sentences, breaking and entering and bed and breakfast are compound nouns.

5.   Sometimes the subject is separated from the verb by such words as along with, as well as, besides, not, etc. These words and phrases are not part of the subject. Ignore them and use a singular verb when the subject is singular.

      Examples:

      The politician, along with the newsmen, is expected shortly.

      Excitement, as well as nervousness, is the cause of her shaking.

6.   In sentences beginning with here or there, the true subject follows the verb.

      Examples:
There are four hurdles to jump.

      There is a high hurdle to jump.

7.   Use a singular verb with distances, periods of time, sums of money, etc., when considered as a unit.

      Examples:

      Three miles is too far to walk.

      Five years is the maximum sentence for that offense.

      Ten dollars is a high price to pay.

8.   With words that indicate portions—e.g., a lot, a majority, some, all—Rule 1 given earlier in this section is reversed, and we are guided by the noun after of. If the noun after of is singular, use a singular verb. If it is plural, use a plural verb.

       Examples:
A lot of the pie has disappeared.

      A lot of the pies have disappeared.

      A third of the city is unemployed.

9.   With collective nouns such as group, jury, family, audience, population, the verb might be singular or plural, depending on the writer's intent.

      Examples:
All of my family has arrived OR have arrived.
Most of the jury is here OR are here.

      A third of the population was not in favor OR were not in favor of the bill.

Pronoun

            Pronouns are words that we use in place of Nouns (or other Pronouns) in a sentence to make it less repetitive and less awkward. Some of the most common Pronouns are - he, she, you, they, it, etc. These Pronouns are divided into different categories based on their use.

a.       Personal Pronouns

These pronouns are used for a specific object or person and they change their forms to indicate the different genders, numbers, case and persons speaking.

·         Tania told him to take the food to them as soon as possible as it was urgently needed.

‘Him’ is a Pronoun of gender.

b.      Demonstrative Pronouns

Demonstrative Pronouns are used to show or identify one or a number of nouns that may be far or near in distance or time. They are only four in number - This, That, These and Those. This and That are singular demonstrative pronouns and These and Those are plural demonstrative pronouns. They can also be used to show an unspecified quantity in a sentence.

c.       Interrogative Pronouns

Who, Whom, Which and What are Interrogative Pronouns as they are used to ask questions about a person or object that we do not know about. Compounds of these words are made by attaching ‘-ever’ to the words to strengthen the emphasis on the word.

d.      Relative Pronouns

Relative Pronouns are used to join or relate two different clauses together by referring to the noun in the previous clause using the pronouns - Who, Whom, Whose, Which andThat.

e.       Indefinite Pronouns

These pronouns are used to show unspecified objects or people, whether in plural or in singular. They are used to indicate the entire noun or some of the noun or none of the noun. They are used when we want to refer to group of nouns without actually specifying who or how much.

f.       Reflexive and Intensive Pronouns

Reflexive Pronouns are those which are used to indicate a noun which has been used in an earlier part of the same sentence. These pronouns are - Myself, Themselves, Yourself,Ourselves, Herself, Himself and Itself.

g.      Reciprocal Pronoun

There are just two Reciprocal Pronouns - Each other and One another. They are used when two or more nouns are doing or being the same to one another. Both of these pronouns are plural in nature as they can only be used in situations where there is more than one noun.