Al-wasaya Institute for High and Intermediate Education-

Benghazi
Department of English Language

Confusion That Faced Libyan Learners in Using

Simple Past Tense and Simple Present Perfect Aspect

Research Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the

Requirements for Higher Diploma Degree

Submitted by

Bushra Hussein Almabrouk Duaa Abdelgade Elsenussi

Hanan Mohammed Al-raeed Somaia Essalehin Alagili

Supervised by
Mr. Tarek Mohamed Kseibat

Spring 2024
 DEDICATION

To our beloved parents, to our supportive family and friends, we cannot

thank you enough for the unwavering encouragement and support you have
provided us throughout our academic journey! Your belief and love have
driven us to achieve this great milestone. This research project is dedicated to
all of you standing by us.

I
 Acknowledgments

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful, we commence
by offering our profound gratitude to Allah for His boundless blessings and
guidance, throughout this academic endeavor.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to our supervisor, Mr. Tarek Mohamed

Kseibat, for his relentless support and insightful guidance during the course of
this research project. His expertise, patience, and motivation have been pivotal
in steering our work’s direction. His constructive feedback has been invaluable
in helping us overcome difficulties and enhance the ability of our study.

Our deepest appreciation goes to our classmates and friends for their
unwavering support, collaboration, and camaraderie. Your encouragement and
shared journeys have been essential in surmounting challenges and fulfilling
our objectives. We also express our gratitude to the study participants who
generously contributed their time and offered their perspectives for the research
component of our project.

II
 Abstract

Stemming from the most common errors in the use of English tenses by
Arabic learners, this study deals with the comparison and contrast between Past
Simple and Present Perfect as special attention is paid to their temporal and
aspectual meanings. For EFL learners the distinction and the relationship
between time, tense, and aspect can be confusing. The researcher investigates
the common errors made by Libyan students in employing simple past tense
and simple present perfect tense. Furthermore, the researcher investigates into
the origins of this problem, with a focus on the factors that lead to such errors.
Employing a descriptive qualitative methodology, the research aims to provide
a detailed examination of the issue. The participants sample of this research
were 10 students from Al-wasaya Institute for High and Intermediate
Education. The data were the students’ answers to a written test. According to
the researcher experience, there’s confusion in whether is the suitable tense for
a situation that in a context, so the examination involved a question specifically
crafted to assess the students’ ability to differentiate between the simple past
tense and the simple present perfect tense. The question was sentences that
strategically included adverbial hints that guide tense selection and those
devoid of any explicit indicators. Through this work, the researcher aims to
pinpoint and clarify the primary reasons behind the recurrent misuse of these
tenses by students. Furthermore, the study seeks to propose effective strategies
to address and rectify this linguistic challenge.

III
 Table of Contents

Title Page No.

Dedication I
Acknowledgments II
Abstract III
List of Contents IV
List of Tables
List of Figures

Chapter One " Background of the Study"

1.1 Introduction 1
1.2 Hypotheses 2
1.3 The Statement of the Problem 3
1.4 Aims of the Study 3
1.5 Limitation of the Study 3
1.6 Methodology of the Study 3
1.7. Significance of the Study 4

Chapter two "Literature Review"

2.1. Grammar in English 5
2.2. Tenses 5
2.3. Time and Tense 6
2.4. Time and Aspect 7
2.5. Tense and Aspect 8

2.6. The Differences between Simple Past Tense and Present 8

Perfect Tense
2.6.1. Simple Past Tense 8

IV
 2.6.1.1. The Form of Simple Past Tense 8
2.6.1.2. The Usage of Simple Past Tense 9
2.6.2. Present Perfect Tense 10
2.6.2.1. The Form of Present Perfect Tense 10
2.6.2.2. The Usage of Present Perfect Tense 10
2.7. Learning Difficulties 11
2.8. The Sources of Errors 14
Chapter three "Collecting and Analysis Data"
3.1. introduction 17
3.2. Selection of participants 17
3.3. instrument of the researcher 17
3.4. Method of researcher 18
3.5. Technique of data analysis 18
3.6. pre-test 20
3.7. The classification of errors 21
3.7.1. Description of errors in the pre-test 21
3.8. Lesson plan
24
3.9. post- test
28
3.9.1 post test data analysis 28

Chapter Four " Conclusion and Recommendations’’

4.1. Conclusion
30
4.2. Recommendations
30
Appendix
Bibliography

V
VI
 List of Tables
Title Page No.
Table 2.1. Tenses Classification 5
Table 2.2 Time and Aspect 6
Table 3-1 Description of Errors in the pre-test 21

VII
 List of Figures

Title Page No.

Figure 3.1. Percentage of Students’ Errors 23
Figure 3.2. The Lesson Plans In Slices by Microsoft Power point 26
Figure 3.3. Educational Videos and Pictures 27
Figure 3.4.Comparative Analysis of Errors Rates in Pre-Test and 29
Post Test Assessments

VIII
 Chapter One
Background of the study

1.1. Introduction
English grammar will of course make it easy to master English on all
aspects, if we can get to know the meaning of the sentence or the word both well
and get to convey to others well with understanding and good use of grammar.
The result of his research in which the student who learns grammar will be more
skillful in English than the students who naturally learns English without
grammar. In fact, is that there are still many students who have difficulty in
learning tenses and cannot use them properly. In learning the English language,
many students feel difficulty in learning forms and the structure. This is because
lack of understanding and influence from their mother tongue. In addition, the
teacher also said that students often looked uninterested in the tenses taught in
class. It can be seen from the behavior of students who get bored quickly in class
because they do not understand the material being taught. Boredom is seen with
students often daydreaming and being busy with other things around them
without paying attention to the teacher's explanation in front of the class.

Most EFL learners find it difficult to learn or use English. Libya students are
not exception. For them, English is a foreign language and for this reason many
students face difficulties in acquiring this language. They often commit syntactic
errors whether they write or speak in English. One of the syntactic areas in
which Libyan students repeatedly commit errors is the use of the past simple and
the present perfect simple for past actions. Present Perfect Tense is one of the
tenses that is required to learn in English. It states an action or activity done, but
continue in the present. Past events influence the present (Wicaksono, 2010,
p.242). In reality, Present Perfect Tense is a type of tenses which is difficult to
be mastered by the students either students of junior high schools or senior high
schools. Expressing past events usually constitutes a real problem for them.

1
However, some of them can use it well. Therefore, in this study, the researcher
was interested in finding out the students' difficulties in learning Present Perfect
Tense, and the causes of the problems. The researcher hypothesizes that one
good reason for this problem is that the two languages have different ways to
express past events. Understanding the challenges faced by EFL students in
using the past and present perfect tenses is crucial for language educators to
develop effective teaching strategies and interventions to improve students'
proficiency in English. The aim of this study is to detect and describe the errors
of Libyan secondary school students commit when using the past simple tense
and the present perfect simple tense. The study also has a special interest in
discovering the sources of errors committed by the subjects of the study in this
area.

1.2. Hypotheses
Three hypotheses will be put forward:

a) Students may find almost relatively equal difficulties to use and interpret the
meanings of Simple Past Tens and Present Perfect Tense.
b) Students will be mostly tempted to replace the Present Prefect with the
Simple Past Tense.
c) Students will find more difficulties when a certain Present Perfect carries
certain meaning without the presence of distinct adverbials.

2
1.3. The Statement of the Problem
Based on three above hypotheses, many learners have difficulties when
having to choose to use between the Past Simple and the Present Perfect forms
to refer to past situations.

1.4. Aims of the Study

In this study, the researcher attempts to discover and describe the errors
Libyan school students commit when using the simple past tense and the simple
present perfect tense, and aims to locate the study within the broader theoretical
framework of how temporality is expressed linguistically and in relation to the
temporal adverbials in order to help undergraduates of Libyan schools Education
with a English Foreign Language avoid such that errors. The study also has a
special interest in discovering the sources of errors committed by the subjects of
the study in this area.

1.5. Limitation of the Study

This study is restricted to an experimental group of 10 girls students in higher
diploma in second semester of English department at Al-wasaya institute for
high and intermediate education.
1.6. Methodology of the Study
The participants formed an experimental group, the group was tested before
the course (pre-test) and at the end of the course (post-test) to measure the
improvement between the students. The experimental group was taught by the
researcher focusing on using of simple past tense and simple present perfect
aspect. In order to allow the student to reflect upon their own learning. The data
were collected from the tests of the group.

3
1.7. Significance of the Study
This research is expected to contribute to the following:

1. For the students, the researcher hopes that they can differentiate between
Simple Past Tense and Present Perfect Aspect.

2. For the teachers, the researcher hopes that they can provide learning
motivation to students to be more diligent in understanding Grammar and then
teachers can build students' interest in learning English.

3. For the further researchers, this research can be used as a reference by

other researchers to conduct further research.

4
 Chapter Two
Literature Review

2.1. Grammar in English

Grammar is one of the language components that is important in learning a
language. Without mastering it well, someone will find difficulties in
understanding an expression both in written and spoken forms. According to
Swan (2005:1), grammar is simply a matter of word and sentence building.
Therefore, it is one of the compulsory subjects taken by students. In mastering it,
there are various selected topics such as part of speech, conditional sentences,
tenses, and others.
Time and temporality are grammatically encoded by basiclinguistic
categories such as tense, mood, and aspect. ‘Tense’, ‘aspect’, and ‘time’ together
provide a broad base for insight on the distinction between the Past Simple and
the Present Perfect. Comrie (1985, p. 9) defines tense as “the grammaticalised
location in time”. Hammand Bott (2014) support the same meaning: “the
grammatical means to indicate the time when an action or event occurs, or when
a state or process holds”. Tense specifies when a situation takes place in relation
to time because time expresses the perception of reality. This explains why a
present tense can refer not only to the present, the way a past tense refers not
only to past time.

2.2. Tenses
English tenses aim to show the time (present, past, or future) as well as the
occurrence of an event. According to Wicaksono (2010:232), tense is an
illustration when a statement, action, event, or news happens or takes place in
the sentence of the present, past, or future. Tenses consist of three major parts:
past, present, and future, which are divided into sixteen categories, such as
below:

5
6
 Table 2.1. Tenses Classification
Major Parts Kinds of Tenses
Present Tense 1. Present Simple Tenes
2. Present Continuous Tense
3. Present Perfect Tense
4. Present Perfect Continuous Tense
Past Tense 5. Past Simple Tense
6. Past Continuous Tense
7. Past Perfect Tense
8. Past Perfect Continuous Tense
9. Past Future Tense
10. Past Future Continuous Tense
11. Past Future Perfect Tense
12. Past Future Perfect Continuous Tense
Future Tense 13. Future Simple Tense
14. Future Continuous Tense
15. Future Perfect Tense
16. Future Perfect Continuous Tense

2.3. Time and Tense

Although time and tense sound similar to Arabic learners of English, the two
terms do not overlap. Naming Past Simple and Present Perfect learners can be
embarrassed. At first glance they refer to different times, i.e. past and present.
Actually, both of them refer to the past. But the present and past tenses can refer
to the past and the present as well as the future time.

- He visits Rome every year. (expressing a repeated action)

- The train arrives at 3.15. (expressing future time)

7
By the same token, apart from denoting the past time, a past tense can refer to
the present time. There are examples in hypothetical sentences, in reported
speech, as well as in some other structures:
- He got angry because he realised the truth. (denoting the past time)
- If I had more money, I would travel around the world.

(denoting the present time; talking about something in the present which is
impossible, because it is not true)
- Did you tell him you were busy? (sequence of tenses; denoting the
present time)
- It’s time you changed your hairstyle. (denoting the present time)

From a morphological perspective, some grammarians claim that there are only
two forms of the verb, the present and the past (Quirk et al., 1985, pp.175-176).

2.4. Time and Aspect

Time refers to the moment an action takes place, whereas aspect refers to
how the speaker sees the event or action. Aspect characterises the contour of the
situation, such as the completion, duration, or repetition of the action.

Table 2.2 Time and Aspect

Aspect Time
Progressive Present
Perfect Past

Some grammarians consider Perfect and Progressive as the two main aspects in
English.

8
2.5. Tense and Aspect
Teaching English grammar and the Present Perfect, in particular, to Arabic
learners is a great challenge for second language teachers. The Present Perfect is
contrasted with the Past Simple since learners often mistake them because both
of them refer to the past. Although both tense and aspect are related to time,
there is a difference between them and it lies in the perspectives from which the
situation is viewed. The Present Perfect emphasizes the present effect of a past
action. The Past Simple, however, focuses on the past effect. According to
Huddleston and Pullum (2005), tense bridges the location time of an action or
state and the time of speech (the present or past). Aspect, on the other hand,
expresses the temporal properties and the way they are related to the reference
time. The study sticks to Biber’s classification (Biber et al., 1999, p. 460) of the
Perfect as an aspect although many grammarians classify it as tense. That is why
the article compares the aspects of the Past Simple and the Present Perfect and
only the latter is marked as [+perfective].

2.6. The Differences between Simple Past Tense and Present Perfect Tense
2.6.1. Simple Past Tense
2.6.1.1. The Form of Simple Past Tense
Betty Schrampfer stated her idea that, “most simple past verbs are formed by
adding –ed to a verb. Some verbs have irregular past forms. The simple past
form of be are was and were. (1992, 3rd, p. 25)

Furthermore, Nasrun Mahmud in English for Muslim University Students argued

that “Simple past tense is formed with past form of the verbs which may be
either regular, e.g. by adding -ed to the infinitive (incidentally, most verbs are
regular) or irregular must be learned in each case (2003, p. 88)

9
2.6.1.2. The Usage of Simple Past Tense
According to Marcela Frank in “Modern English a Practical Reference
Guide” the past tense indicated time terminating in the past, whether a time
word is given or not. The past time may refer to: (1972, p. 73)

1) One event completed in the past

- I saw him last night.

- They left two hours ago.

2) Repeated events completed in the past and no longer happening

- Last year it rained frequently in this past.

- When I was young, I went swimming every day.

3) Duration of an event completed in the past

- He lived in New York for thirty years and then he decided to return
to French in 1898.

The simple past tense is most frequently used to refer to previous events. So,
the verb is in the past tense if any statement describes an action that already
occurs at a given period. Everyone who talks about when something happened
always employs the simple past, which is why it is connected to the following
past time expressions: frequency, often, sometimes, always.

- I sometimes walked home at lunchtime.

- I often brought my lunch to school. (Sujiono,200:18)

From the explanations above, the researcher synthesizes that the use of simple
past tense is to describe actions and situations that happened in the past. These
actions and situations were started and finished in the past.

10
2.6.2. Present Perfect Tense
2.6.2.1. The Form of Present Perfect Tense
George E. Wishon and Julia M. Burks stated that “the present perfect tense
is a construction made up the auxiliary have + the past form of the main
verb”.48 Whereas Raymond Murphy stated that, “the present perfect tense is
formed with have/has + the past participle”. (1994, 2nd, p. 14).

2.6.2.1. The Usage of Present Perfect Tense

Michael swan in practical English Usage stated that: the uses of the present
perfect are:
1) The present perfect simple is often used to talk about finished action events.
This normally happens when the past events have some present importance, and
when we could make a present tense sentence (with similar meaning) about the
same situation. (1980, p. 495)

Examples:

Result of an action in the past is important in the present (It is not important
when this action happened. When using a specific time in the past - e.g.
yesterday – then it is better to use the Simple Past Tense.)

- I have cleaned my room. (It is clean now.)

- Has Peggy ever been to Tokyo? (Has Peggy been there or not?)

Recently completed actions

- He has just played handball. (It is over now.)

2) The present perfect is also used to talk about the past actions which are not
recent, but which are‟ still with us‟ as part of our experience and knowledge.
(1980, p. 495)

11
Examples:

Actions beginning in the past and still continuing - mostly with since (point of
time) or for (period of time)

- We have lived in Canada since 1996. (We still live there.)

- We have lived in Canada for ten years. (We still live there.)

Together with lately, recently, yet

- I have been to London recently. (no specific point of time)

- He has not written the e-mail yet. (He has not done it.)

From the discussion above it can be known that present perfect tense is
focused on the action that happened in the past but related to the present
moment.
It is used commonly to show that the action has just been complete or at least the
effect of the action is still felt at the moment of speaking.

2.7. Learning Difficulties

Learning difficulties are also called learning disabilities which have a mean
inability to learn. According to Lloyd (1985) in Suryani (2010:33), learning
difficulties are a disorder in one or more psychological processes that include
the use of language understanding and speech or writing. While, Hammill
(1981) in Suryani (2010:33) said that learning difficulties are diverse forms of
the real problem in listening activities, conversation, reading, writing, reasoning,
and in numeracy.

There are some difficulties experienced by some students in learning

English, as pronunciation, vocabulary, conversation, grammar, and others.
According to Khaljoo (2013:56-57), the difficulties in learning English for the
students are lack of interest and motivation for learning English, lack of
concentration in class, students who are ahead of others and most English
teachers lack the proficiency in English.

12
 In learning English, students must try harder because they have to learn
many new things such as new vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar.
Difficulties in learning English over the years are difficult to understand and
comprehend certain materials. Tenses always exist from the elementary to high
schools. Besides, reading and listening are also considered as English learning
difficulties.
In learning tenses, the students must be able to distinguish every tense in
English, especially between Present Perfect Tense and Simple Past Tense. They
are closely related because both are talking about activities in the past time. The
example of students’ mistake in using Present Perfect Tense is She has lived in
Jakarta last year. This sentence is incorrect because the sentence uses a specific
time (last year). There are two options for correcting the sentence:

- She lived in Jakarta last year (Simple Past Tense), or

- She has lived in Jakarta (Present Perfect Tense)

The Present Perfect is a combination of past and present. An action in the

past has something to do with the present.

As mentioned before, the Present Perfect Tense is one of the selected

materials for learning English that most of the students usually find difficulties
in mastering it. Martin Parrot (2010:162) says that learners generally have far
more problem in using Present Perfect Tense correctly than in understanding it.
Even if they do not know or are unclear about the difference in meaning
between different tenses, in most cases, there is plenty of information in the
context to help them understand whether, for example, an action is temporary or
not.

Students feel difficult to choose which tenses should they use whether past
tense or present perfect tense. This error happens because they do not know the
usage of simple past tense and present perfect tense. The researcher thinks that
this problem happens because there is no verb agreement and tense marker in

13
Arabic. Then, the translation of simple past tense and present perfect tense have
no differences in Arabic.

In order to interpret the errors, the researcher also had into account the
meanings of the Present Perfect following Comrie (1976). These four readings
of the perfect can make its use easier and more comprehensible for the learners.

The continuative perfect explained the erroneous use of the Past Simple in
some sentences. The present moment plays an important role here because the
state or the event has not only started in the past but continued until the moment
of speaking or writing (the present time) (Comrie, 1976).

- I have known Mr. Johnson since last year. (I still know him)

Excluding the duration of the process, students made the mistake to use the Past
Simple instead:

- I knew Mr. Johnson since last year.

A lot of students missed the point that since last year gave the starting point of
the state but the situation was not over. Last year is probably the specific past-
time adverbial, which makes them use the Past Simple for a completed situation.

As in the continuative perfect, the present is part of the experiential (or

existential) perfect, too. The experiential perfect expresses one or more
experiences up to the present time (Comrie, 1976). It denotes an event that could
recur at present:

- Have you seen “The Star Wars”? (The movie is still on and you can go and
see it)

A specific change of state is involved in the resultative perfect:

- She has locked the door. (the door is locked now)

- Emily has torn her dress. (the dress is torn now)

14
- We have walked for hours. (We were walking up to the present moment and
now we are tired)

Students made less mistakes with this use of the Present Perfect. A probable
reason for this is that this case is described and discussed in textbooks.

The semantic relation between the resultative perfect and the past is another
reason for the errors. The resultative perfect indicates a state or event that
happened before the present moment (Comrie, 1976). It expresses a situation
located in the past but simultaneously related to the present. As the name of the
fourth reading says ‘the perfect of recent past’, it is used for recent past
situations (Comrie, 1976):

- We have just had lunch.

- I haven’t read many magazines recently.

Adverbs like recently and just carry this meaning and they reminded the
students they have to use the Present Perfect.

The four readings suggested by Comrie (1976) lead to a different interpretation

of the errors related to the Present Perfect, which in turn leads to better students’
learning outcomes. The findings outlined in the survey results can help for the
easier comprehension of the grammatical categories.

If students do not understand the tense well, they can break the language
use. Indeed, it causes misunderstanding in communication. Therefore, it needs
an error analysis to correct the error and avoid miscommunication. Error
analysis is important in language learning process because it can help teacher to
know the strengths and weaknesses of the students. It can also improve teachers’
effectiveness in teaching. For the students, it helps them to reduce the errors and
improve their abilities in learning target language. Error analysis gives some
advantages to the teachers and students. It can help them to achieve the goal of
language learning process. Based on the description above, the researcher

15
intends to analyse the students’ errors in understanding simple past tense and
present perfect tense in the next chapter.
2.8. The Sources of Errors:
To enumerate all possible sources of second language errors would be an
impossible task, for there are surely hundreds of such sources. According to
Brown (2006:23) distinguishes the sources of errors into four. They are
Interlingual Transfer, Intralingual Transfer, Context of Learning, and
Communication Strategies.
1. Interlingual Transfer
Interlingual transfer is a significant source of error for all learners. The
beginning stages of learning a second language are especially vulnerable
to interlingual transfer from the native language, or interference. In these
stages, before the system of the second language is familiar, the native
language is the only previous linguistics system upon which the learner
can draw. We have all heard English learners sat “sheep” for “ship”, or
“the book of jack” instead of “jack’s book”. Interlingual errors occur
because of the interference of the learners’ mother tongue into the target
language.
2. Intralingual Transfer
Intralingual transfer is a major factor in a second language learning. This
error occurs when learners undergo progress in the second language and
their previous experience and their existing sub summers begin to include
structures within the target language itself. Intralingual error happens in
the target language itself.
3. Context of Learning
“Context” refers to the classroom with its teacher and its materials in the
case of school learning or the social situation in the case of untutored
second language learning. In a classroom context the teacher or the text
book can lead the learner to make faulty hypotheses about the language.

16
 Students often make errors because of misleading explanation from the
teacher, faulty presentation of a structure or word in a textbook, or even
because of a pattern that was rotely memorized in a drill but improperly
contextualized.

4. Communication Strategies
Communication strategies were defined and related to learning styles.
Learners obviously use production strategies in order to enhance getting
their messages across. But at times these techniques can themselves
become a source of error.

17
 Chapter Three
Data Collection and Analysis

3.1. introduction:

This chapter discusses the study’s methodology and findings regarding the
confusion experienced by Libyan learners when distinguishing between the
simple present perfect and simple past tenses. Our goal is to identify common
errors and explore their underlying causes.

3.2. Selection of participants

The study group comprised ten students from Al-wasaya Institute. These
students were similar age and shared a common educational background, having
all graduated from high school. The primary objective was to assess their
understanding of the past simple and present perfect simple tenses. Each student
was given a grammar written test consisting of 15 sentences. The sentences were
sourced from “English Grammar B.”

3.3. Instrument of The Research

We employed a sentence completion test as the research instrument. The test

comprises 15 sentences covering materials related to both past tense and present
perfect tense. These test sentences were thoughtfully crafted to assess students'

18
ability to differentiate between the past simple tense and the present perfect
simple tense, using material from 'Grammar B' as previously mentioned.

3.4. Method of Research

The processes of this research are;

"In the initial phase of the study, the researcher administered a pre-test to the
students. The purpose of this pre-test was twofold:

first, to assess their existing knowledge, background, and areas of difficulty; and
second, to determine the most effective instructional materials for addressing
the challenges faced by Libyan learners in distinguishing between the past
simple and present perfect tenses. “Following the detailed explanation provided
by the researcher, the students underwent a post-test to assess their progress and
determine whether they had made improvements in their understanding between
the past simple and present perfect tenses. The post-test aimed to measure their
development and reinforce the effectiveness of the instructional materials used
during the study.

Subsequently, the researcher meticulously analyzed the errors identified

in both the pretest and post-test. This comparative analysis allowed for a
comprehensive understanding of the differences between the students’
performance before and after the instructional intervention. The errors were
systematically categorized into different types, drawing upon Brown’s theory of
language acquisition. Additionally, the researcher explored potential causes

19
underlying these errors. Finally, the data relate to the most frequent error types
was interpreted, shedding light on the reasons behind students’ errors.

3.5. Technique of Data Analysis

In this research, the researcher uses descriptive qualitative analysis.

At first, the researcher analyzed the students’ errors by coding students’ names,
identifying students’ errors, then she classified students’ errors based on the
kinds of errors, the causes of errors, tabulated the data of students’ errors,
corrected their errors, calculated them and gave percentage of all the errors they
made. The last, the researcher interpreted the data and concluded them to know
most types and causes of errors that made by the students. The percentage will
be described in the table percentage and the formula as follows

P = F/N*100=

P = Percentage

F = Frequency of error made

N = Number of students’ errors

20
3.6. Pre-test

Q. Fill in the blanks with the present perfect or past simple form of the
verbs:

1.The meeting last night (begin) _________________ at eight and

ended at ten.

2. We are living on 72nd street where we (live) _________________

since 2014.

3. I (Leave)_________________ my bag in the shop yesterday.

4. I have a cold. Last night I (feel) _________________ terrible, but

I'm feeling better today.

5. It's (rain) _________________ three times so far this week.

6. Rachel and I are good friends. in fact, we (be) _________________

good friends for more than ten years.

7. Ali (be) _________________ in the hospital since the accident.

8. You (go) _________________ to the grammar class yesterday?

9.You (hear) _________________ from your father recently?

10.jack (break)________________ his arm when he

_______________(fall) off a horse in 2005.
21
11. Great! It's 10:30 am and you (do)_________________ a lot of work
this morning.

12.I (live)______________________ in Benghazi since 1980.

13.I (be)___________________________to Tokyo before.

14.I (see) _______________________ her an hour ago.

15.She (go) _______________________ to London today.

3.7. The Classification of Errors

Dulay et.al in (James 1996:106) proposes the surface strategy taxanomy. Surface
strategy taxonomy highlights the ways surface structures are altered. Learners
may omit necessary items or add unnecessary ones; they may misselect items or
misorder them. Analyzing errors from a surface strategy perspective holds much
promise for researchers concerned with identifying cognitive processes that
underlie the learner’s reconstruction of the new language. It also makes us aware
that learner’s errors are based on some logic. They are not the result of laziness
or sloppy thinking, but of the learners’ use of interim principles to produce a
new language. This formulation would imply that he or she knew the correct
from all along, in which case he or she would not have produced an error in the
first place.

3.7.1. Description of Errors in the pre-test:

The next step is description of errors. The researcher described the total
and the percentage of errors in Omission, addition, misselection, and
misordering.

Here is the table:

Table 3.1. Descriptive of Errors in the pre-test

22
 Types of Error Frequency Percentage (%)
Omission 40 36.03%
Misselectoin 64 57.03%
Addition 4 3.60%
Missordering 3 2.70%
Total 111 100%

From the table above, it could be known that the total of the type of errors was
111 errors. And the table described that the errors in missselection was the most
frequent errors in understanding simple past tense and present perfect tense
which is committed by the students 64 errors or 57.03%, and it was followed by
omission which consists of 40 errors or 36.03%. Then, errors in addition
consisted of 4 errors or 3.60%. Last is errors in misordering, there are 3 errors
or 2.70%. From the table above the researcher can conclude that the most type
of errors made by the students in understanding simple past tense and present
perfect tense was misselection, which consists of 64 errors or 57.03%. Here, the
researcher interpreted the errors based on its types:

1. Percentage of students„ errors based on the frequency of the types of errors

(P = F/N*100%):

A. Omission: 40/111*100%=36.03%

B. Addition: 4/111*100%=3.60%

C. Misselection: 64/111*100%=57.65%

23
 D. Misordering:3/111*100%=2.70%

Here is the figure of students‟ errors based on its modification type of error

Figure 3.1. Percentage of Errors

srorrE 'stnedutS fo egatnecreP

noitcelessiM
noissimO
gniredrosiM
noiitddA

24
3.8. Lesson plan:

after analyzing the pre-test data, the researcher identified a common challenge
faced by students: distinguishing between the past simple and present perfect
tenses. To address this, the researcher implemented the following strategies:

1. Diagnostic Assessment:
o The researcher administered a pre-test to assess students’ existing
knowledge of the two tenses. This allowed them to identify specific
areas of confusion and tailor their teaching accordingly.
2. Corrective Feedback:
o Based on the pre-test results, the researcher provided targeted
feedback to students. They clarified misconceptions and
highlighted key differences between the past simple and present
perfect.
o For example, students learned that the past simple tense is used for
actions completed at a specific point in the past, while the present
perfect tense indicates a connection between past actions and the
present moment.
3. Multimedia Resources:
o To enhance understanding, the researcher utilized multimedia
materials. These included:
 PowerPoint Presentations: Visual aids helped illustrate the
rules and usage of each tense. Slides contained clear
examples, highlighting verb forms and time expressions.
 YouTube Videos: Engaging videos demonstrated real-life
scenarios where the past simple and present perfect tenses
are used. Students observed native speakers in context,
reinforcing their learning.

25
4. Focused Content:

o The materials emphasized essential aspects:

 Definitions: Clear definitions of both tenses were provided,
emphasizing their distinct purposes.
 Form Cases: Students practiced constructing sentences in
both tenses. They learned about regular and irregular verb
forms.
 Common Irregular Verbs: The researcher highlighted
frequently used irregular verbs (e.g., “have,” “be,” “go”) and
their conjugations in both tenses.
 Also, some examples of contrasting pairs using the past
simple tense and the present perfect tense like:

Past Simple: "I met John at the party last night.

Present Perfect: "I have met John before.

26
Figure 3.2. The lesson plans in slices by Microsoft Power point

27
Figure3.4. Educational videos and pictures

28
 3.9. Post-test:

After completing the instructional program, students participated in a post-test to

assess program effectiveness. The post-test evaluated their understanding of
distinguishing between the past simple and present perfect tenses. This
assessment helped measure the knowledge and skills acquired after instruction.

To ensure consistency and validity, the post-test was exactly like the pre-test.
This approach allowed us to directly compare students’ initial knowledge (pre-
test) with their knowledge after completing the program (post-test).

The parallel structure of the two assessments minimized confounding factors,

making the evaluation more reliable.

3.9.1. Post-test data analysis

After providing students with clear guidelines and strategies for distinguishing
between the past simple and present perfect tenses, we observed a significant
reduction in errors. Equipping students with the correct approaches and essential
cues have positively impacted their language skills. Additionally, it’s worth
noting that the total errors decreased from 111 errors (74%) in the pre-test to 16
errors (10.66%) in the post-test, which demonstrates a substantial
improvement.”

29
Figure3.4. Comparative Analysis of Error Rates in Pre-Test and Post-Test
Assessments

elitT trahC
07

06

05

04

03

02

01

0
noitcelessim noissimo noitdda gmiredrosim

tset-erp tset-tsop

30
 Chapter Four
Conclusions and Recommendations
:Conclusion .4.1
In this study, we investigated the use of the Present Perfect and past simple tense
by Al-wasaya Institute students. Our findings reveal several key points. First,
expressing past events poses challenges for students, as they struggle to
differentiate between the past simple tense and the present perfect tense. Second,
negative transfer from Arabic contributes to difficulties in identifying the past
simple tense. Third, errors are particularly common when using the present
perfect tense, with students often focusing on syntactic components while
neglecting meaning and other non-linguistic factors. Fourth, inadequate learning
and teaching contexts play a role in these errors. Finally, it’s important to
recognize that students at this stage are still in their interlanguage development,
.and errors are an inherent part of this process

:Recommendation .4.2

1. Extension of Grammar: Extend grammar teaching to third- and fourth-year

levels to provide more opportunities for practicing and understanding the
present perfect tense.
2. Collaborative Teaching: Foster collaboration among teachers across
modules to ensure students receive consistent instruction on grammar
conventions, techniques, and rules.
3. Motivation for Present Perfect: Motivate students to recognize and produce
the present perfect tense by making grammar topics interesting and relevant
to their needs and levels.
4. Technology Integration: Leverage technology (computers, internet) to
enhance students’ grammar skills and higher-order thinking abilities.

31
5. Selective Correction and Feedback: Use selective correction techniques to
avoid overwhelming students with red ink. Provide constructive feedback to
highlight strengths and weaknesses in grammar.

Additionally:

 Arabic-English Differences: Teachers should address the structural

differences between Arabic and English when teaching past events.
 Effective Testing Methods: Teachers should reconsider their testing
methods and avoid fossilization, especially in questions related to tenses.
 Outside-Class Exposure: Encourage students to engage with English
outside the classroom to enhance their language skills.

Bibliography
Azar, B. (1992). Fundamentals of English Grammar. New York: Longman, 3rd
.edition, p. 25

Biber et al. Biber, D., Johansson, S., Leech, G., Conrad, S., Finegan, E. (1999).
Longman grammar of spoken and written English. Harlow: Pearson Education
.Limited. Pp. 460

Brown, H. (2000). Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. New York:

.Pearson/Longman

Brown, H. (2006). Principle of Language Learning and Teaching. San Fransisco

.State University

32
Comrie, B. (1976). Aspect: Anintroduction to the study of verbal aspect and
.related problems. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

.Comrie, B. (1985). Tense. UK, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Hamm, F. & Bott, O. (2014). Tense and aspect. The Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy. (2018, June 4) Retrieved from
/https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/tense-aspect

Hammill, D. Leigh. J. McNutt. G. & Larsen. S. (1981). A New Definition of

.Learning Disabilities. Learning Disability Quarterly, 4, 336-342

Huddleston, R. & Pullum, G. (2005). A student’s introduction to English

.grammar. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Khaljoo, A. (2013). Problems in Teaching and Learning English for Students.

International Journal of Engineering Research and Development. Vol. 7. Issue 3.
May 2013. Pp. 56-58. www.ijerd.com

James, C. (1996). Error in language Learning and Use. New York: Wesly
.Longman

Marcella frank, Modern English a Practical Reference Guide, (New Jersey:

Prentice Hall, 1972), p. 73

Michael Swan, Practical English Usage, (London: Oxford University Press,

.1980) p. 495

Nasrun Mahmud, English for Muslim University students, (Jakarta: PT.

.Siwinakti Darma, 2003), p. 88

33
Parrot, M. (2010). Grammar for English Language Teachers, 2nd Edition.
.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Quirk, G. Leech, G. and Svartvik, J. (1985). A comprehensive grammar of the

.English language. London, New York: Longman

Raymond Murphy, English Grammar in Use, (Cambridge: Cambridge

.University Press, 1994) 2nd edition, p. 14

Supono, Idi. (2007). English Grammar. Jakarta: Wahyu Media

Suryani, Y. (2010). Kesulitan Belajar. Magistra. No. 73. Th. XXII. September
.2010

.Sujiono, A. (2006). Past Uses. Jakarta: PT. Raja Grafindo Persada

Swan, M. (2005). Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language. Oxford:

Oxford University Press. http//www.tesl-ej.org/ej37/r8.pdf

Wicaksono, A. (2010). The New Complete English Grammar. Jakarta: Pustaka

.ilmu

Appendix
Pre-test
Post test
Instruments

34