11. Simple Past Tense
S+ main verb (past)
We use the past simple tense to talk about an action
or a situation - an event - in the past. The event can be
short or long. Notice that it does not matter how long
ago the event is: it can be a few minutes or seconds in
the past, or millions of years in the past. Also it does
not matter how long the event is. It can be a few
milliseconds (car explosion) or millions of years
(Jurassic period).
12. We use the past simple tense when:
• the event is in the past
• the event is completely finished
• we say (or understand) the time and/or place
of the event
13. Example
The Raja wanted to get rid of the boy.
Main verb (past)
Main verb (past)
Subject
They found a strange old
Subject woman.
15. The Red Hill
Many years ago, wild swordfish filled the sea around
Singapore. The people were very afraid of these fierce fish.
They attacked the fishermen out at sea and scared people
away from the beaches. Raja Iskandar, the ruler of
Singapore, decided that something must be done. “Kill the
swordfish!” The Raja ordered his soldiers. The soldiers tried to
stab the fish with their sharp spears. But the swordfish
defeated them. The killed and injured many soldiers. The Raja
walked sadly up the beach. “What can I do to stop these
dreadful swordfish?” he exclaimed aloud. “I have an idea,”
whispered a little voice. The Raja turned around and saw a
young boy sitting on a rock. “Build a wall of banana stems in
the water,” suggested the little boy.
16. “Then, when the fish come in on the tide, their sharp
swords will pierce the soft stems and they will be trapped.”
“What a great idea,” the Raja thought. So, he ordered his
soldiers to cut down all the banana trees they could find.
Then, they built a long wall of banana stems along the
beach. At high tide, the fish swam towards the shore and
their swords stuck fast to the sticky stems of the banana
trees. The soldiers quickly killed the trapped fish. What a
feast of the fish the people had that day! No soldier had
died and no swordfish remained to frighten them. The
people felt safe and happy again. The Raja, however, felt
uneasy. “That little boy is too clever,” he told his Captain.
17. “I fear he will be more powerful than me one day.” The
captain thought the Raja wanted him to get rid of the boy.
The next night, he ordered four men to kill the little boy.
They crept up the hill to the boy’s hut and kicked the door
open. To their surprise, they found a strange old woman
with long white hair there. The boy was nowhere to be seen.
“You wicked men!” she screamed. “The boy helped you and
yet you want to kill him. I will not let the world forget how
ungrateful you are!” The terrified soldiers fled at once.
Suddenly, a hole opened up in the ground before them!
Thick red blood gushed from it and streamed down the hill
after them. It stained the ground red. From that day on, the
hill has been called Red Hill or Bukit Merah.
18. -
-Why Raja wanted to kill swordfish?
-Why they were afraid of the swordfish?
-Who suggested Raja the way to kill
swordfish?
21. Activity 1: Setting
Direction
-Make a group of four people
-Write down the events that are relevant to the setting
of the Red Hill
-Come up with your idea and present in front of the
class
-15 minutes to do the activity
24. Direction Activity 2: Initiating event
-Make a group of three people
-Then compete with your friends
to classify the parts of initiating
events from the mixed piece of
the story.
-Put the events onto the given
paper.
-Come up with your idea in front
of the class
25. Guideline questions
-What happen at the
beginning of the
story?
-What happen to the
Raja?
-Why does the Raja
want to kill the
swordfish?
26. Activity 3: Internal response
Direction
-Make a group of four people
-Write down the events that are relevant to
the Internal response of the Red Hill
-Come up with your idea and present in front
of the class
-15 minutes to do the activity
28. Activity 4: Attempt
Direction
-Make a group of four people
-Write down the events that are
relevant to the Attempt of the Red
Hill
-Come up with your idea and
present in front of the class
-15 minutes to do the activity
30. Activity 5: Consequence
Direction
-Make a group of four people
-Write down the events that are
relevant to the Consequence
of the Red Hill
-Come up with your idea and present
in front of the class
-15 minutes to do the activity
31. Guideline questions
-Does the Raja achieve his goals? Why?
-Does the boy succeed killing the
swordfish?
-Do the Raja’s soldiers succeed killing
the little boy?
32. Activity 6: Reaction
Direction
-Make a group of four people
-Write down the events that are relevant to the
Resolution of the Red Hill
Then, Summarize the Red Hill using the element of
Story Grammar: Setting, Initiating event, Internal
Response, ----Attempt, Consequence, and Resolution
-Discuss in your own group.
-Come up with your idea and present in front of the
class (equal share in presenting)
-15 minutes to do the activity
33. Guideline questions
-What happens in the end?
-How is the problem solved?
-What important bit of information
does the narrator finally reveal to
the reader?
