1.
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Language is a means of communication that is used to transfer
information, ideas and feelings from one person to another. It is used to
communicate both in written and spoken form. Considering the importance of the
language, our government has drawn up English as a foreign language that should
be mastered by the students. Therefore, grammar needs to be mastered by the
students since it is the basic rule of language.
English is the international language. With master English well, then we
will be able to communicate with other nations in the world. In addition, we will
be able to add insight and our knowledge for the betterment of our nation and
state, because we will be able to read literature in English, listen to radio
broadcasts abroad, as well as watching movies science others. Thus, in the end we
can master the knowledge-knowledge in all fields.
In addition to increasing understanding about the international language,
learning English is at least will be easier for us to get a decent job, or for the
provision of our science in the future. With understand and master the
international language properly certainly provide excellent benefits for us all.
Language is so closely bound up with our everyday experience that we
seldom stop to think of the roles it plays, it is the dress of thought and it has
become commonplace to quote this in support of the view that conscious thought
and send them on their way: give substance to thoughts. ‘Language’, we are often
told, ‘exists for the expression of thoughts or ideas.
Guth (1970:XVI) says, ”Language is man’s greatest invention and most
precious possession. Without it, trade, government, family life, friendship,
religion, and arts would be either impossible or radically different. How we use
language, and how well, has much to do with what kind of people we are.” So
according to the statements of Guth that we may believe that language is very
important for human beings. It also may mean that no human can live without the
present of a language.
Perrin (1980:243) says, ”Linguistics has been defined as the scientific study
of language.” So it means that when someone wants to discuss the aspects of
language he or she may not escaped from using linguistics as the science.
Although the lives and views of ordinary group members are clearly of the
greatest importances in understanding their language, identity and social
relationships, we do not have much formal information here. For example, that
‘the only aspect of bilingual education that has been even less researched than
student attitudes and interests is that of parental attitude and interests’.
Nevertheless, the informal record is useful. In Indonesia, we have noted the
gradual lessening of the influence of specifically ethnic groups and local
languages: and societies as group need for them decreased. As regards ethnic
language itself, there has not been used as legal or official pressure on
ethnic-group speakers to abandon the mother- tongue; the important factor here has
to suppress immigrant languages in the last century were unpopular and soon
revoked. This is not to say that minorities would not have preferred. These were
not always easy or welcomed in themselves but it is clear that communicative
language, at any rate, was a dispensable commodity for most groups. However
regrettable this may be, we must remember that, in areas generally untouched by
legal compulsion, local languages of their own volition, to the extent desired or
made necessary by attractive options. Providing we acknowledge the public—
private and communicative-symbolic distinctions, we can see that ethnic groups
have been largely assimilations in their attitudes.
1.2 Problem of the Study
The problem of this study can be defined as follow:
are the students of SMPN 2 Medan in academic year of 2016/2017 able to use
tenses?
1.3Scope of the Study
When someone wants to write something there will be a tremendous
things to be written, but in remembering that the time and resources are limited a
limitation of writing is necessary to be made. A limitation of a writing also useful
to reach the goal of the writing. Therefore on this circumstances the author of this
paper gives the scope which is useful to avoid confusion to the readers in
tenses that English has, but in this occasion the author only focus on her
description which is dealing with these following tenses:
(1) Simple Present Tense,
(2) Simple Past Tense, and
(3) Simple Future Tense.
1.4Purpose of the Study
The purposes of this kind of writing is to find out wheather the students of
the SMP Negeri 2 Medan in the academic year of 2016/ 2017 are able to use the
tenses that they studied in the process of teaching and learning in the classroom
with their English teachers. As the addition to this one the writer also wants to
fulfill one of the requirements for finishing my study from the English
Department of D-III Program at the faculty of culture studies.
1.5Reasons for Choosing the Topic
The writer of this paper has some reasons to select this topic. Firstly, she
wants to apply her knowledge about the use of English tenses. Secondly, she
wants to find out the use of English tenses. Thirdly, English structures are very
complicated lesson therefore she wants to see how complicated the English
structures are. When the author of this writing was a student of SMP last six years
she found that English tenses was the most difficult subject. Therefore she is now
very eager to see the ability of the students of SMP Negeri 2 Medan deal with
1.6Method of the Study
When someone wants to do a research there can be some methods to be
applied, for instances library research, field research, or experiment. On this
occasion, in taking this project, the writer applied both the liberary and the field
research methods. Library method is used as a guide line to apply the field
method. All the required data for further analysis the author of this research were
taken from the students of SMP Negeri 2 Medan. The students of the SMP Negeri
2 Medan on the period of 2016/2017 were treated as the informants. The students
were used as the resources of the data required. In collecting the data, the writer
organized a set of questions deals with the usages of English tenses which have
been taught by their teachers since the schooling in the classroom. This set of the
questions of course has already being discussed with the English teachers who are
in charge to teach the students and references obtain of books and the internet as
