7 CHAPTER II REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND HYPOTHESIS A. Theoretical Review 1. Grammar in Teaching and Learning a. The Definition of Grammar Before stepping forward to further discussion what should be discussed first is about the grammar itself. Actually there has been many definition stated by experts concerning to it, as Harmer had defined that “Grammar is a description of the rules for forming sentences, including an account of the meaning that these forms convey”.1 Further, he had also pointed out that: Grammar is the way in which words change themselves and group together to make sentences. The grammar of language is what happens to words when they become plural or negative, or what order is used when we make question or join two clauses to make one sentence.2 Grammar is the rules of a language that show how sentences are formed, or how words area inflected3. Grammar is also the rules of the means of language to construct the sentences and it guides people how to speak and write correctly. When someone knows how to construct sentences are utterances in understandable form. Jeremy Harmers said that: The grammar of language is the description of the ways in which word can change their forms and can be combined in to sentences in that language4. 1Scott Thornburry, How to Teach Grammar, (Malaysia: Longman, 2004), 6 th Ed, p. 13. 2David Nunan, Practical English Language Teaching: Grammar, (Boston: Mc Graw Hill, 204), p.2 3Grammar, retrieved from http://www.thefreedictionary.com/grammar (Accessed on 18th January 2010). 4Jeremy Harmer, The Practice of English Language Teaching, (New York: Longman, 2002), p. 12. 10 11 b. Grammar in Language Teaching Language has three major parts: phonology (that is sound or pronunciation), vocabulary (that is words), and grammar. In learning certain language, grammar is part of language components that must be learned by the students. It is essential to avoid misunderstanding when they use the language to communicate. By studying grammar of the target language without neglecting to other components, the learners will understand the language either oral or written. In teaching English grammar for senior high school, grammar is one of the language components to be taken into accounting by the teacher because it is the principle in constructing sentences in a language. Grammar is a central to the teaching and learning of languages. It is also one of the more difficult aspects of language to teach well. Many people including language teachers, hear the word “grammar” and think of a fixed set of word forms and rules of usage. They associate “good” grammar with the prestige forms of the language, such as those used in writing and in formal oral presentations, and “bad” or “no” grammar with the language used in everyday conversation or used by speakers or no prestige forms. From the explanation above, grammar is the main components of the language that must be learned and understood because it very important to communicate with other people oral or written. 2. Simple Past Tense a. The Definition of Simple Past Tense Simple past (grammar) is a tense that allows to describe something that happened in the past. It is "simple" because it is formed by inflection of a single word: there is no auxiliary verb such as be or have (unlike the present perfect and past perfect tenses). The simple past tense is also called the preterite (occasionally preterit ) tense, 12 especially when referring to foreign languages. It is also known more simply as just the past tense.5 b. The Kind, Usage, and Example of Simple Past 1) Completed Action in The Past Past present future Use the simple past 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. Examples: I saw a movie yesterday. I did not see a play last night. She washed her car. Did you have dinner last night? 2) A series of Completed Actions Past present future Use the simple past to list a series of completed actions in the past. These actions happen 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and so on. Examples: I finished work, walked to the beach, and found a nice place to swim. He arrived from the airport at 8:00, checked into the hotel at 9:00, and met the others at 10:00. Did you add flour, pour in the milk, and then add the eggs? 5Definition for Simple Past, http://www.yawiktionary.com/s/1148347775925.html (accessed on May 18, 2010) 13 3) Duration in Past Past present future The simple past can be used with a duration which starts and stops in the past. Duration is longer action often indicated by expressions such as: for two years, for five minutes, all day, all year, etc. Examples: I lived in Indonesia for two years. Shauna studied Japanese for five years. They sat at the beach all day A : How long did you wait for them? B : We waited for one hour. We talked on the phone for thirty minutes. They did not stay at the party the entire time. 4) Habits in The Past Past present future The simple past tense can also be used to describe a habit which 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, when I was a younger, etc. Examples: I studied French when I was a child. He played the violin. Did you play a musical instrument when you were a kid? She worked at the movie theater after school. They never went to school, they always skipped class. 14 5) Past Facts or Generalizations Past present future The simple past can also be used to describe past facts or generalizations which are longer true. As in Habits in the past, this use of the simple past is quite similar to the expression “used to”. Examples: She was shy as a child, but now she is very outgoing. He did not like tomatoes before. Did you live in Texas when you were a kid? People paid much more to make cell phone calls in the past.6 3. Media a. Definition of Media The word “media” is derived from Latin Medias that means intermediary or (وسائل) between” or mediator. In Arabic media is“ mediator a message from sender to receiver message.7 Media is any kind of format used to convey information.8 Gerlach and Ely state that media is any person, material or event that establishes conditions which learners or students to acquire knowledge, skill and attitude.9 Every medium is a means to an end or to a goal, for example in this study the writer uses English song to teach grammar especially simple past tense. From the definitions above, the writer concludes that media are kinds of substances that are used by a teacher during teaching and learning process to support the presentation of the lesson. Media have 6Simple Past, retrieved from www.englishpage.com (Accessed on 20th April 2009). 7Azhar Arsyad, Media Pembelejaran, (Jakarta: PT Raja Grafindo Persada,2003),p.3. 8Types of Media, retrieved from http://oasis.fiu.edu./ch8/ch8page3.htm (Accessed on October 22th 2009). 9Gerlach and Ely, Teaching and Media a Systematic Approach, (New York: Prentice-hall,Inc,1980),p. 241. 15 important roles in teaching and learning process. Media give motivation for students to be more interested in learning process. Learners are able to understand the message better as the materials are presented in a certain way. b. Classifications of Media Gerlach and Elly classify several media of teaching in six general categories. They are: 1) Still picture Still picture consist of photographs of any object or even which may be larger or smaller than the object or even it represent. 2) Audio recording Recordings are made are magnetic tape, disc, and motion picture sound track. These are reproductions of actual events or sound track. 3) Motion picture A motion picture is a moving image in color or black and white produced from live action or from graphic representations 4) Television This category includes all types of audio video electronic distribution system that eventually appear on television monitor. 5) Real things, Simulation, and Models This category includes people, events, objects and demonstrations. Real thing, as contrasted with other media, are not substitutes for the actual object or event. They are in fact, life itself, often in its natural setting. Simulation is the replication of real situations, which has been designed top, be as near the actual event or process as possible. Many media, including the computers, tape recordings, and motion picture can be used for simulation. A model is replica or representation of reality. It is often in scale and may be miniature, exact size or an enlargement. 16 6) Programmed and Computers-assisted Instruction Programs are sequences of information (verbal, visual, audio) which are designed to elicit predetermined responses. The most common examples are programmed textbooks or instructional programs prepared for computers10. Oemar Hamalik states that media for teaching language can be classified into: a) Games, such as word puzzle and role playing. b) Visual media, such as picture, chart, photo, poster, globe, graphs and cartoon c) Audio media, such as radio and recorder in cassette. d) Audio-visual media, such as television, video, film that produces sounds and picture.11 From the definition above, the writer concludes that media are classified into audio media, visual media and audio visual media.