KEY : When you would like to express something happen in the past time, then you should use Simple Past Tense. To learn more details about Present Simple, Please click here
There are two types of past simple, they are:
1. Verbal Past Simple
There are two types of past simple, they are:
1. Verbal Past Simple
2. Nominal Past Simple
In verbal sentence, use the past form verb or the second verb (see Irregular & Regular Verb) , e.g. spoke, went, stole, needed, wanted, came, let, set, stayed, cried, started, began, ate, etc. Read More ...... .
For examples:
(+) You went to Hawai Yesterday.
(-) You did not (or, /didn't/ go to hawai yesterday.
(?) Did you go to hawai yesterday?
The determiners of past simple are:
1. The second verb (Only used in Positive Verbal sentence)
2. The auxilliary /did/ (used either in Negative or interrogative sentence - Place Not to make a negative sentence and place the auxilliary at the beginning of the sentence to make an interrogative sentence).
Take notice that the auxilliary /did/ is used for all subjects (either in singular or in plural). So, it is different of the auxilliary which is used in Present simple (/do/ and /does/) =================
3. Adverb of time, e.g. yesterday, last week, three months ago, etc.
In nominal sentence, use the be-past, e.g. /was/ or /were/. After that, place a complement after the be-past.
For examples:
(+) You were fever two days ago.
(-) You were not (or, /weren't/) fever two days ago.
(?) Were you fever two days ago?
Use /was/ when the subject is /I/, /she/, /he/ or /it/. And, use /were/ when the subject is /you/, /we/ or /they/. Let me say again that the usage of be-past, here, depends on the subject. It is the same uses as in be-present (/is/, /am/ and /are/).
NOW'S TIME TO PRACTISE
Please combine the past simple and present simple in a short paragraph!
For examples:
"My name is Liza Fatimah. I live in Bukit Kemuning, a small town in Kotabumi regency, Lampung Province - Indonesia. I am a student of senior high school in SMAN 1 Bukit kemuning, second year. I have 7 brothers and five sisters. You know, I am the youngest. When I was 10 years old, I went to Bali with my uncle Jimmy. He was very kind of me. He bought a lot of souvenirs and panda doll. But now he is not here again because he passed away. I still remembered when he said that I must continue my study at the Academy of Foreign Language in Oxford University, London."
From the passage above, we can see the use of present simple and the past simple (Both verbal and nominal form) in one paragraph.
To write such a paragraph, what you have to do is :
1. Find the Topic to write (e.g. My personal experience)
2. Determine the point of the story or the main idea (e.g. My personal experience when I was 10 years old).
3. Writing Step :
a) Opening
e.g. My name is Liza Fatimah. I live in Bukit Kemuning, a small town in Kotabumi regency, Lampung Province - Indonesia. I am a student of senior high school in SMAN 1 Bukit kemuning, second year. I have 7 brothers and five sisters. You know, I am the youngest.
b) Point of story or body.
e.g. When I was 10 years old, I went to Bali with my uncle Jimmy. He was very kind of me. He bought a lot of souvenirs and panda doll. But now he is not here again because he passed away.
c) Closing
e.g. I still remembered when he said that I must continue my study at the Academy of Foreign Language in Oxford University, London.
From here, you can develop the short story become more details and use descriptive story to colour it. For speaking capability, In order that you can communicate your ideas or something within your mind in Both speaking and writing is to say everything what you think, feel and do at that time, at the time you are now. For example, You are in a bus halt right now and you want to go to work by bus then you say to yourself by using this following step, like :
step-1 : I want.
step-2 : I want to go.
step-3 : I want to go to work.
step-4 : I want to go to work by bus.
Step-5 : I want to go to work by bus now.
After that, you can combine the sentence above (Last step) and other.
For examples:
Previous sentence : I want to go to work by bus now.
Additional Sentence : But I don't have some money for the fare.
So, it becomes : "I want to go to work by bus now but I don't have some money for the fare".
Take notice that, for a beginner, you should use a conjunction (e.g. /but/) to combine two sentences.
When someone gives you a question, try to answer by using long answer.
For examples:
Someone : Do you understand ?
You : Yes sir!, I understand now.
Although these answers below are true,
Yes!
Yes sir!
Yes, I do.
Yes, I do sir.
Yes, I understand.
Yaph!
More active you speak or write, more perfect you will get!
Don't stop talking or writing (Either with others or yourself).!
Good luck!