An analysis of the students' error in learning plural forms of nouns (A case study at the first year sudents of MTs Nurul Huda Bogor)

A “Skripsi”

Presented to the Faculty of Tarbiya and Teachers Training in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the degree of S.Pd. (Bachelor of Arts) in English Language Education

By:

ADE IRMA SURYANI NIM: 107014000693

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH EDUCATION

FACULTY OF TARBIYA AND TEACHERS TRAINING

‘SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH’ STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY

JAKARTA

2011

A "Skripsi"

Presented to the Faculty of Tarbiya and Teachers Training In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

for the Degree of S.pd (Bachelor of Arts) in English Language Education

By:

Ade Irma Survani 107014000693

Approved by the Advisor:

Drs. AM. Zaenuri. M.pd NIP: 19530304 197903 I 003

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH EDUCATION

FACULTY OF TARBIYA AND TEACHERS TRAINING

.SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH' STATE ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY

JAKARTA

20ll

Bogor" written by Ade Irma Suryani, students' registration number: 1017014000693, was examined by the committee on Thursday, December l5th 2011, and was declared to have passed and, therefore, fulfilled one of the requirements for academic title of 'S.Pd' in English language education at the department of English education.

Jakarta, 1 5 December, 2011 Examination Committee:

Date CHAIRMAN

Drs. Svauki. M.Pd

NIP. 19641212199103 | 002

SECRETARY

Neneng Sunengsih. M.Pd NrP. l s0 293 232

EXAMINER I

Dr. H. M Farkhan. M.Pd. N I P . r9 5 7 1 0 0 5 1 9 8 7 0 3 I 0 0 3

EXAMINER II

Drs. Nasrun Mahmud. M.Pd NIP. 1s0 041070

Dean of Facult

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Acknowledge by:

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Tempat/Tgl.Lahir N I M

Jurusan / Prodi Judul Skripsi

AN ANALYSIS Of THE STUDENTS' ERROR IN LEARNING PLURAL FOPJVIS OF NOUNS

(A Case _{Study at the First Year Students of MTs. Nurul Huda, Bogor)}

Dosen Penzbimbing _{:Drs. A.N,l. Zaenuri. M.pd.}

dengan ini menyatakan bahwa _{skripsi yang saya buat benar-benar hasil karya sendiri dan} saya bertanggung jawab secara akademis atas apa yang saya tulis.

Jakarta, I 9 Desemb er 201 1 Ade Irma Suryani

Bogor, 8 Mei i988 I 070 I 4000693

Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris

Ade Irma\Suryani

i

Bogor, Skripsi, English Education Department, the Faculty of Tarbiya and Teachers Training, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta.

Advisor: Drs.AM.Zaenuri, M.Pd

Key word: Error analysis, and plural forms of nouns

The objective of this study is to find out the errors made by the first year students

of MTs Nurul Huda Bogor in English plural. Sample of the research is 30 students of

the first year. The method of this research is used descriptive analysis method by analyzing student’s error through the data have been collected from the test about plural forms of nouns. According to the test result of simple statistical calculation it is obtained the average for regular forms is only 31.60%, while the average for irregular forms is 71.01%. It means that most students made most error in learning irregular forms of noun. It can be seen from the percentage of irregular forms which is higher than regular forms. Based on the finding of this research, it can be concluded that the students of the first year of MTs Nurul Huda made most error in learning irregular forms noun. It is because there are not certain rules to change singular forms to be irregular plural forms of noun. The English teacher should more give exercises and practice to the students in order the student more familiar with irregular plural.

ii

Bogor , Skripsi, English Education Department, the Faculty of Tarbiya and Teachers Training, Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta.

Advisor: Drs.AM.Zaenuri, M.Pd

Kata kunci: Error analysis, and plural forms of nouns

Tujuan dari penilitian ini adalah untuk mendapatkan kesalahan yang dibuat oleh siswa kelas tujuh di MTs Nurul Huda dalam mempelajari bentuk-bentuk kata benda jamak. Siswa yang termasuk dalam penelitian ini berjumlah 30 orang dari kelas tujuh. Penilitian ini menggunakan metode deskriptif analisis yaitu dengan menganalisa kesalahan siswa malalui data-data yang diperoleh dari test tentang bentuk-bentuk jamak. Berdasarkan hasil statistic, didapatkan rata-rata untuk bentuk kata benda yang beraturan yaitu 31.60%, sedangkan untuk kata benda yang tidak beraturan yaitu 71.01%. Ini berarti kebanyakan siswa membuat kesalahan dalam mempelajari bentuk-bentuk kata benda yang tidak beraturan. Ini dapat dilihat dari jumlah rata-rata dari bentuk kata benda yang tidak bertauran lebih besar dari kata benda yang beraturan. Berdasarkan dari hasil penelitian ini dapat disimpulkan bahwa siswa kelas tujuh MTs Nurul Huda membuat kesalahan dalam mempelajari bentuk-bentuk jamak dalam kata benda yang tidak beraturan. Ini disebabkan karena tidak ada aturan yang pasti dalam mengubah kata benda tunggal menjadi kata benda jamak yang tidak beraturan. Guru bahasa inggris harus lebih banyak memberikan latihan kepada siswa tentang bentuk-bentuk jamak terutama dalam bentuk jamak tidak braturan agar para siswa lebih akrab dan mengenal bentuk jamak tidak beraturan.

iv iii

“Skripsi”. Peace and blessing be upon to our prophet Muhammad SAW, his household, his companions, and his faithful followers.

The writer would like to say her great honor and deepest gratitude to her beloved parents: Arsyadi, S.Ag and Ida who always give their love, support, motivation, and advice to finish her study.

The writer also wants to say a lot of thanks to Drs. AM. Zaenuri, M.Pd as the writer advisor for his time, guidance, kindness, contributions, and patience in correcting and helping her to finish this paper.

The writer also realizes that she would never finish writing this paper without the help of some people around her. Therefore, she would like to give special gratitude to:

1. All lectures of English Department who have dedicated themselves for education and taught the writer during her study in State Islamic University Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta.

2. Drs. Syauki, M.Pd, the head of English Department

3. Nurlena Rifa’I, Ph.D, the Dean of Faculty of Tarbiya and Teacher’s Training 4. Syamsudin, SAg, The Headmaster of MTs Nurul Huda Bogor who permitted

the writer to do research.

5. All friends in English Department especially classmates of PBI class A for academic year 2007, who have endeavored together in improving English skill. May Allah bless them, Amin.

May this “Skripsi” can be useful for the writer in particular, and for the readers in general. The writer realizes that this “Skripsi” is far from being perfect. Therefore, the writer would like to accept suggestion for valuable improvement in another research.

iv

ACKNOWLEDGE . ... iii

TABLE OF CONTENT ... iv

LIST OF APPENDICES ... vi

CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION A. Background of the study ... 1

B. Limitation of the problem ... 4

C. Formulation of the problem ... 5

D. Objective of the study ... 5

CHAPTER II: THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK A. Error…... ... 6

1. Definition of Error ... 7

2. Types of Error ... 8

3. Causes of Error ... 9

4. Classification of Errors ... 11

5. Error Analysis………… ... 12

6. Procedures of Errors Analysis ... 14

7. Differences between error and mistake ... 15

B. Noun ... 17

1. Definitions of noun………. ... 17

2. Kinds of noun………. ... 17

3. Forms of noun……….. ... 19

C. Plural ... 22

1. Definitions of Plural Forms………. ... 22

v

CHAPTER III: THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RESEARCH

A. Research Methodology... 28

1. Objective of study..……… ... 28

2. Place and time of the research……….. ... 28

3. Technique of sample taking ……… ... 28

4. Method of the research……….. ... 28

5. Instrument of the research………….. ... 29

6. Technique of data collection………. ... 29

7. Technique of data analysis………….. ... 29

B. Research Findings ... 30

1. Data description……… ... 30

2. Data analysis………. ... 40

3. Data interpretation……….. ... 47

CHAPTER IV: CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION A. Conclusion………. ... 50

B. Suggestion……… ... 51

BIBLIOGRAPHY……….. ... 52

Table 3.3 The Students’ Response Distribution on Each Item of the Test ... 32

Table 3.4 The 1stIdentification of the Students’ Errors ... 33

Table 3.5 The 2ndIdentification of the Students’ Errors ... 34

Table 3.6 The 3rdIdentification of the Students’ Errors ... 35

Table 3.7 The 4thIdentification of the Students’ Errors ... 35

Table 3.8 The 5thIdentification of the Students’ Errors ... 36

Table 3.9 The 6thIdentification of the Students’ Errors ... 36

Table 3.10 The 7thIdentification of the Students’ Errors ... 37

Table 3.11 The 8thIdentification of the Students’ Errors ... 37

Table 3.12 The 9thIdentification of the Students’ Errors ... 37

Table 3.13 The 10thIdentification of the Students’ Errors ... 38

Table 3.14 Table of Number of Classification of Errors Explanation ... 39

Table 3.15 Table of Number of Causes of Errors Explanation ... 40

Table 3.16 The Frequency and Percentage of the Students’ Errors in Regular Plural ... 41

Table 3.17 The Frequency and Percentage of the Students’ Errors in Irregular Plural Forms ... 43

Table 3.18 The Sequence of Plural Forms Area Based on Their High Percentage of Errors ... 46

vii

LIST 2 Key Answer

LIST 3 Surat Pengajuan Judul LIST 4 Surat Bimbingan Skripsi

LIST 5 Surat Permohonan Izin Observasi

1

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A.

Background of the Study

Language is a means of communication used by people to communicate either through spoken or written. It has a big role for every individual in making a good relationship with others. Through language people can express their opinions, ideas and feelings to each other.

As H. Brown Douglas stated: “language is a system of arbitrary conventionalized vocal, written or gesture symbol that enable members of a given community to communicate intelligibly with others”. 1It shows that language is a tool of communication which can be expressed not only through verbal or oral communication but also through non-verbal communication; written form and gesture (body language).

“English is as a global language or an international language”. 2

As an international language, English has significant role in various fields, such as in communication, economy, education, technology, politics, and so on.

1

H. Brown Douglas, Principles of Language Learning and Teaching, (Englewood Cliffs: Addison Wesley Longman, Inc, 2000), p. 5.

2

Adrian Holliday, The Struggle to Teach English as an International Language, (New York: Oxford University Press, 2005), p. 8.

2

In this globalization era, everyone is demanded to prepare a great resource for his/her life particularly in science and technology. To complete the global requirement the people are hoped to have an adequate knowledge and good skills.

Indonesian government itself considers that mastering English is one way to absorb the sciences and technology in order to create the great human resources. The great human is important for Indonesian development and existence toward other nations. Therefore, English is one of the important subject taught at school.

Based on “the national education minister decree No. 22 of 2006 concerning the contents of the standard “states that the English language is introduced at the primary school level as the local content tailored to the conditions of the area itself. Whereas at junior high school up to senior high school English is compulsory subject that must be learnt by students at school”.3

In learning English, the students are expected to master English orally and in written

In addition, English language is the medium of instruction in teaching particular subject in certain schools. As in the international school and the school based on international standard.

By learning English, the students are expected to acquire some abilities, those are: the ability to listen, to speak, to read, and to write English correctly. And also to make Indonesian learners gain success in finding the right career in the future and get the knowledge that will be useful in their real life.

In learning English, there are four basic skills that should be mastered by the students: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Besides the four language skills, the students have capability in language components such as grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary.

Grammar is an important element to be learnt in learning a language. It plays an important role in improving our skill in English. It is a very basic knowledge and an important tool for students to master English. Through

3

Departemen Pendidikan Nasional. Peraturan Menteri Pendidikan Nasional no 22 Tahun 2006 tentang Standar Isi untuk Satuan Pendidkan Dasar dan Menengah.

3

learning of grammar the students will know system of language so they will be able to combine and build words into meaningful sentence.

As Penny Ur stated in her book A Course in Language Teaching Practice and Theory, “Grammar can be defined as words put together to make correct sentences”.4

It does not only affect how the units of words are combined in order to make correct sentence but also affects their meaning.

It can be concluded from the statements above, it is no doubt that by mastering grammar, the students will have a way to be able to speak, to read, and to write English correctly. Finally the students can create a good communication and interaction in English language actively both oral and written English between each other.

In English grammar, the students learnt about parts of speech that consist of noun, pronoun, adjective, verb, adverb, conjunction, preposition, and interjection.

One of parts of speech that will be discussed is noun. A noun is a kind of part of speech that describes a person, place, or thing. In learning about noun, the students are introduced with plural form; it means that we have to talk about number. Number is the name of the system contrasting singular and plural.

According to Laidlaw “A noun that names one person, place or thing is a singular noun. A noun that names more than one person, place or thing is a

plural noun”.5

A plural form of nouns has been taught since junior high school. However many students still do not understand and cannot apply singular and plural rules in English. They have difficulties to form plural in English. For example, the general rule for writing the plural in English nouns is to add –s to the singular form (boy-boys). However, this rule is only used for regular plural. For word like woman,

4

Penny Ur, A Course in Language Teaching Practice and Theory, (London: Cambridge University Press, 1996), p. 75.

5

4

foot, children, etc. These are irregular plural. The rule is complicated. The consequence is the students will make so many errors in their learning.

Making error during learning English is a natural process. It is normal because learning the second language is a process which involves the making of mistake, even errors. However it cannot be neglected. The teacher should be aware of this issue and do something to avoid their students to make the same error. The error they made should be regarded as necessary part of learning language. One of the strategies to prevent the students from making the same error is by analyzing the learners’ error itself.

Based on the background above, the writer interested in analysis the students’ error in learning plural forms of nouns under the title “An Analysis of

the Students’ Error in Learning Plural Forms of Nouns at the First year

students of MTs Nurul Huda Bogor”

B.

Limitation of Problem

To make this research easy to understand the writer limits the discussion on the errors made by the first year students of MTs Nurul Huda Bogor on English plural. The students „acquisition in English plural will be obtained from the result of test that given by the writer.

C.

Formulation of Problem

Based on the background of study describe above, the writer is interested in analyzing the error that made by the students in learning plural forms of nouns. Therefore the writer would like to formulate the problem as follows: “What types of error are commonly students made?

D.

The objective of the study

The objective of this study is the writers want to find out the errors made by the

first year students of MTs Nurul Huda Bogor and to know the reason why the students

5

CHAPTER II

THEORITICAL FRAMEWORK

A.

Error

When the students learnt English, they can make a lot of errors. It seems impossible if the learners or students have never been made some errors in their language learning process, because do some errors is natural.

1. Definition of error

Learning the second language is a process which involves the making of mistakes, even errors as in this new system of language a learner will directly connect with such a new vocabulary, a new grammatical pattern and a foreign pronunciation which differ from the learner’s native language. According to Jeremy harmer, errors are part of the learner inter language that is a version of the language which a learner has at any one stage of development and which is continually reshaped as he/she aims toward full mastery.1

According to Brown, “an error is a noticeable deviation from the adult grammar of a native speaker, reflecting the inter language competence of the learner.

Dullay defines error as “the flawed side of learner speech or writing. They are those parts of conversation or composition that deviate from some selected norm of

1

Jeremy Harmer, The Practice of English Language Teaching, (New York: Pearson Education Limited, 2001), p. 34.

mature language performance”2_{. Meanwhile, douglas brown defines “a noticeable}

deviation from the adult grammar of a native speaker, reflecting the inter language competence of the learner”.3

Error is usually compared with mistake, but there is distinction between them. Stephen Pit Corder distinguishes error from mistake: a mistake is random performance slip caused by fatigue, excitement, etc. mistake can be readily self- corrected, whereas an error is systematic deviation made by learners who have not yet mastered the rule of L2.

Error cannot be self –corrected because it is a product reflective of the learner’s current

stage of LT 2 development or underlying competence. Errors are not something to be prevented, but errors are sign that learners are actively engaged in hypothesis testing which would be the result in the acquisition of target language rules.

2. Types of Error

To know more about error, the writer tries to write the types of error from some sources. According to Corder, errors fall into four main categories. Omission, addition, selection, and misordering.

a. Omission

Certain linguistic forms may be omitted by the learner because of their complexity in production. Omission also occurs in morphology. Learner often leave out the third person singular morpheme –s , the plural marker-s and the past tense inflection-ed.

b. Addition

Learners not only omit element which they regard as redundant but they also add redundant element.

For example: two fishs c. Selection

Learner commit errors in pronunciation, morphology, syntax and vocabulary due to the selection of the wrong phoneme , morpheme, structure or vocabulary item.

2

Heidi Dullay et.al.,Langauge Two, (New York: Oxford University Press, 1982), p.138.

3

H Douglas Brown, Principle of Language and Teaching, (New York: Addison Wesley Longman.Inc,2000), p. 217.

d. Misordering

Misordering can occur in morphological level misordering of bound morpheme in English is perhaps less frequent, given their limited number.

There are some other types of error; Errors of competence are the result of the application of rules by the L2 learner which do not (yet) correspond to the L2 norm; Errors of performance are the result of mistakes in language use and manifest themselves as repeats, false, starts, corrections or slips of the tongue.

Error of performance occurs frequently in the speech of both native speakers and L2 learners. They are especially likely to occur when the speaker suffers from stress, indecision or fatigue. Corder has suggested the following operational criterion for differentiating between these two types of error: L2 learners can recognize and correct errors of performance, but not errors of competence.

However, identification of errors of competence will only be possible if we establish a difference between actual and intended L2 utterances.

Noam Chomsky made a distinction between competence and performance. Competence knows what is grammatically correct; performance is what actually occur in practice. He regarded performance as a faulty representation of competence, caused by psychological restrictions, such as memory lapses and limitations, distractions, changes of direction half-way through a sentence, hesitation and so on.

3. Cause of Error

The final step in the analysis of erroneous learner production is that of determining the sources of error. By trying to identify sources we can begin to arrive at an understanding how the learner’s cognitive and affective self relates to the linguistic system and to formulate an integrated understanding of the process of second language acquisition.

Errors-overt manifestation of learner’s system-arise from several possible general

sources: inter lingual errors of interference from the native language, inter lingual errors within the target language, sociolinguistic context of communication, psycholinguistic or cognitive strategies, and countless affective variables.

Pit Corder (Hubbard, 1933) claims that there are three major causes of error, which he labels “transfer errors”. “Analogical errors”, and “teaching-induced errors”. While Hubbard proposed a slightly different names;

a. Mother tongue interference

Although young children appear to be learn a foreign language quite easily and effectively but mostly older learner experience considerable difficulty. The sound system (phonology) and the grammar of the first language impose themselves on the new language and this lead to a foreign pronunciation, faulty grammatical patterns and occasionally, to the wrong choice of vocabulary. b. Overgeneralization

The mentalist theory claims that errors are inevitable because they reflect various stages in the language development of the learner. It claims that the learner processes new language data in his mind and produced rules for its production based on the evidence. Where the data are inadequate, or the evidence only partial, such rules may produce incorrect pattern.

c. Context of Learning

A third major source of error, through is overlaps both types of transfer, is the context of learning.

“Context” refers to the classroom with the teacher and the material in the case of school learning or the social situation. In the classroom context, the teacher or the textbook can lead the learner to make faulty hypothesis about the language what Richards called „false concept” and what Stenson termed “induced errors”. Students often make errors because of a misleading explanation from the teacher, faulty presentation of a structure or word in the textbook, or even because of a pattern, that was rote memorized in a drill but not properly contextualized.

As mentioned previously, brown claims that there are four sources of error in learning language.

a. Inter lingual error

Inter lingual error means errors attributed to the native language (LI). There are inter lingual errors when the learner first get language habits (pattern, system, or rules) which interfere or prevent the learners from acquiring the pattern and rules of the second language manifest some degree of different form and some degree of similarity with the equivalent item in learning the first language.

b. Intra lingual error

Intra lingual errors are errors due to the misunderstanding of the language being learned (L2), independent of the native language. The errors proceeded by the learner which reflects not the structure of the mother tongue, but generalization based on partial exposure to the target language.

c. Context of learning

Context refers to the classroom situation that is built by both teacher and material. This situation can urge the learner to make faulty hypotheses about the language. The teacher’s explanation also pushes the learners to make errors because sometimes the teacher provides the incorrect information by way of a misleading definition, word, or grammatical generalization. However, according to Stephen Pit Corder the idiosyncratic dialect applies well through social context. For example, a Japanese immigrant who lived in Mexican-American has produced a learner language that was an interesting blend of Mexican-American English and the standard English colored by his Japanese accent.

d. Communication strategies

According to Brown, “learners obviously use production strategy in order to enhance getting their message across. But at the same time these techniques can themselves become a source of error “. For example, an ESL learner said,” let us work for the well done of our country.” The sentence above had wrong approximation of the word welfare.

4. Classification of Errors

Azar in her book explains that there are thirteen kinds of errors that the students frequently make in their writing, as follows:

a. Singular- Plural

The sentence “He have been here for six months” should be replaced by “He has been here for six months”.

b. Word Form

The sentence “I saw a beauty picture” should be replaced by “I saw a beautiful picture”.

c. Word Choice

The sentence “She got on the taxi” should be replaced by “She got into the taxi. d. Verb Tense

The sentence “He is here since June” should be replaced by “He has been here since June”.

e. Add a Word

The sentence “I want __ go to the zoo” should be replaced by “I want to go to the zoo”.

f. Word Order

The sentence “I saw five times that movie” should be replaced by “I saw that movie five times”.

g. Incomplete Sentence

The sentence “I went to bed. Because I was tired” should be replaced by “I went to bed because I was tired”.

h. Spelling

The sentence “An accident occurred” should be replaced by “An accident occurred”.

i. Punctuation

The sentence “What did he say.” should be replaced by “What did he say?” j. Capitalization

The sentence “I am studying english” should be replaced by “I am studying English”.

k. Article

The sentence “I had accident” should be replaced by “I had an accident”. l. Meaning not clear

The sentence “He borrowed some smoke. ( ? ? ? )”. m.Run-on sentence

The sentence “My roommate was sleeping, we didn’t want to wake her up”

should be replaced by “My roommate was sleeping. We didn’t want to wake

her up”. 4

5. Error Analysis

It is impossible that learners never make some errors in language learning process. According to Peter Hubbard et.al., “ the behaviorists regarded language learning as the acquisition of skills, comparable to the process of learning to do something practical, like driving a car. The complex skill was broken down into a series of habits, which are drilled until they became automatic and unthinking. The habits were taught is a series of small steps, so as to avoid errors. In other words, to achieve the English acquisition, the students must get through some errors first, and they automatically they can learn from their own errors.

4

Bety Schrampfer Azar, Understanding and Using English Grammar, 2nd Edition, (New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1992), p. A29.

The teacher will also need to know which part of the subject matter that most

students do some errors and most students do not. Finding out the learners’ error then

analyzing it is called error analysis.

There are many definitions of error analysis. Oxford Concise Dictionary defined error analysis is “the analysis for practical but also potentially for scientific ends, of errors

made by students learning another language. 5

Error analysis is the process based on analysis of learners’ error in their process of second language learning. Sharma also wrote in an article in English Teaching Forum

that , “ error analysis is defined as a process based on analysis of learners’ error with one

clear objective, evolving a suitable and effective teaching learning strategy and remedial

measures necessary in certain clearly marked out areas of the foreign language. 6

According to Crystal, “error analysis in language teaching and learning, the study of the unacceptable forms produced by someone learning in a language, especially is meant to determine errors which are made by learners which are considered as indicators learners’ problems in learning a second language. 7

Longman Dictionary of language teaching and applied linguistics defines error

analysis as the study and analysis of the error made by the second language learners. 8

The fact that learners do make errors and that these errors can be observed, analyzed and classified to reveal something of the system operating within the learner, led to a surge of study of learners’ errors, called error analysis. Error analysis become distinguished from contrastive analysis by its examination of errors attributable to all possible sources, not just those which result from negative transfer of the native language. Error analysis easily superseded contrastive analysis, as we discovered that only some of the errors a learner makes are attributed to the mother tongue, that learners do not actually make all the errors that contrastive analysis predicted they should, and that learners from

5

Mathews, P.H, Oxford Concise Dictionary of Linguistic, (New York: Oxford University Press,1997), p. 117.

6

Heidi Dullay, et.al., Language Two, (New York: Oxford University Press,1982), p. 146-189

7

Nuril Huda, Language Learning and Teaching: Issues and Trends, (Malang: IKIP Malang Publisher,19990, p. 6.

8

JC Richard, et.al., Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistic, (London: Longman,1992), p. 127.

disparate language backgrounds tend to make similar errors in learning one target

language.9

Corder stated,” error analysis confirms or disproves the predictions of the theory

lying behind bilingual comparison10. In this sense error analysis is an experimental

technique for validating the theory of transfer. But error analysis goes beyond this; it aims at telling us something about the psycholinguistic processes of language learning. We hope to able to draw certain conclusion about the strategies adopted by the learner in the process of learning. In this sense, error analysis is part of the methodology of the psycholinguistic investigation of language learning.

6. Procedures of Errors Analysis

In the language teaching, either a native language or a second language teaching, study about the students’ errors is very important. Theo Van Els and friends states that there are some procedures in errors analysis, namely;

a. Identification of errors b. Description of errors c. Explanation of errors d. Evaluation of errors

e. Preventing/correction of errors11

The first step in the process of analysis is identification of errors. In this step, teachers recognize the students’ errors from the task given. The second step is the description of errors begun when identification stages have taken place. The description of the students’ errors involves classification of sort of errors made by the students.

The third step is explanation of errors that can be regarded as a linguistic problem. This step attempts to account for how the errors can happen and why the

9

Muhamad Farkhan, An Introduction to Linguistics, (Jakarta: UIN Jakarta Press,2006), p. 149

10

S.P.Corder, Error Analysis and inter-langauge,(Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1981), p. 35

11

Theo Van Els and friends, Applied Linguistics and the Learning and Teaching of Foreign Languages, (London: A Division of Hodder & Stoughton, 1983), p. 47.

errors occur. The fourth step is the evaluation of errors in which the teachers will give the task to the students.

Finally, the last step is the process of analysis is correction of errors where the teachers check the result from the task done by the students. Then, they correct the errors that the students made.

Example:

Table 2.1

The Examples of the Procedures of Errors Analysis Identification

of Errors

Classification of Errors Description

Explanation Correction Causes of Errors I not go to

school every Sunday

Omit a word „not’ should be preceded by „do’

I do not go to school every Sunday

Inter-lingual Transfer

I am want to buy that gorgeous stuff

Add a word „am’ should be omitted

I want to buy that gorgeous stuff

Context of Learning

7. Differences between error and mistake

In order to analyze learner language in an appropriate perspective, it is crucial to make distinction between mistake and error. Technically, error and mistake are different, but most of people still misunderstand about the definition of both. To clarify it, Peter Hubbard et al said that Error caused by lake of knowledge about the target language (English) or by incorrect hypothesis about it, while mistake caused by temporary lapses or memory, confusion, slips of the tongue and so on.

Jeremy Harmer in his book Principle of Language and Teaching distinguished between error and mistake as follow: “A mistake refers to performance error that is either a random guess or a slip of tongue, in that it is a failure to utilize a known system

correctly. Everybody can make a mistake, whether in native language or second language situation. Mistakes cannot be taken as reflections of the learner’s developing system, because they are only the result of the learner’s performance.

While errors are a noticeable deviation from the adult grammar of a native speaker and it reflects the competence of the learner. They are occurred consistently. The errors cannot be self corrected, because they reflect the learner’s competence. From the error that learners commit, it can give valuable needed by the teachers. Therefore error plays an important role in study of second language acquisition. It becomes the researcher object, curriculum guide, and used for indicator of learner stage.

In his book on mistake and correlation, Julian Edge suggest that we can divide mistake into two broad categories: “ slips (that is mistake which students can correct themselves and which therefore need explanation), and attempts ( that is when a student tries to say something but does not yet know the correct way of saying it).

Most teachers are perfectly well able to give an account of the typical errors made by the students who pass through their hands. They often build up a useful list of so-called common error.

B.

Noun

Noun is regarded as the important part in a sentence. In addition, it may function as the chief or head word in many structure of modification.

In English language, “nouns typically inflect for number (singular or plural) and case (plain or genitive)”.12

The singular nouns are words which indicate we are speaking of one or single thing. While plural nouns are words which indicate we are speaking of more than one certain number of things.

12

Rodney Huddleston and Geoffrey K. Pullum, A Student’s Introduction to English

1. Definition of Noun

“Nouns are commonly defined as words that refer to a person, place, thing, or idea”. 13 _{In other words, “a noun generally indicate}

s a person, place or thing”.14

“Noun is a word denoting substance, plan, animal, person or something which is considered as a substance”. 15

“Nouns are words that allow us to name and label the persons, entities, objects, places, and concepts that make up our world”.16

According to AS Hornby in Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English, “noun is word which can function as the subject or object a verb, or the object of preposition”.17

Other meaning of noun is “the name of a living or lifeless thing: Mary, John, horse, cow, dog; hat, house, tree; London, Chicago; virtue”. 18

From all the meanings above, we can summarize that noun is a word that one part of speech used to describe things, person, etc, and has certain function in the sentence structure.

2. Kinds of Noun

According to Marcella Frank in her book, Modern English: a Practical Reference Guide, nouns can be classified into four kinds of noun:19

13

Evelyn P. Altenberg and Robert M. Vago, English Grammar, (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010), p. 3.

14

Elly Van Gelderen, An Introduction to the Grammar of English, (Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2002), p. 12.

15

Akh. Kardimi, Basic Grammar for Your Better TOEFL, (Yogyakarta: Pustaka Widytama, 2005), p. 1 (Translated).

16 _{Marcel Danes., Basic American Grammar and Usage, (New York: Barron’s}

Educational Series, Inc, 2006), p. 22.

17

A.S Hornby, Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987), p. 574.

18

George O. Curme, English Grammar, (New York: Barnes and Noble Inc, 1966), p. 11.

19

1. Proper Nouns

A proper noun begins with a capital letter in writing. It includes (a) personal names (Mr. John Smith); (b) names of geographic units such as countries, cities, rivers, etc. (Holland, Paris); (c) names of nationalities and religions (a Dutchman, Christianity); (d) names of holidays (Easter, Thanksgiving Day); (e) names of time units ( Saturday, June); (f) words used for personification –a thing or abstraction treated as a person (Nature, Liberty)

2. Concrete or Abstract Nouns

A concrete noun is a word for a physical object that can be perceived by the senses (we can see, touch, and smell the object), for example flower, girls, etc. An abstract noun is a word for a concept; it is an idea that exists in our minds only (beauty, justice, and mankind)

3. Countable and uncountable nouns

A countable noun can usually be made plural by the addition of –s (One girl-two girls). Uncountable noun is not used in the plural.

A countable noun (or count noun) is a noun with both a singular and a plural form, and it names anything (or anyone) that you can count. Countable nouns are the opposite of non-countable nouns and collective nouns. A non-countable noun is a noun which does not have a plural form, and which refers to something that could (or would) not usually count. A non-countable noun always takes a singular verb in a sentence. Non-countable nouns are similar to collective nouns, and are the opposite of countable nouns.

4. Collective Noun

A collective noun is a word for a group of people, animals, or objects considered as a single unit (audience, committee, class, enemy, faculty, team, government, public, etc)

Collective nouns are countable nouns; they may be used in the plural.

According to A.J Thomson and A.V Martinet in A Practical English Grammar, there are four kinds of noun in English.20

1. Common nouns: dog, man, table

2. Proper nouns: France, Madrid, Mr Smith, Tom

3. Abstract nouns: beauty, charity, courage, fear, joy

4. Collective nouns: crowd, flock, group, swarm, team.

To sum up, kinds of nouns consist of proper noun which is begun with a capital letter, concrete noun describes physical object, countable noun and uncountable noun explain noun can count and noun cannot count, and the use of collective noun usually for animal, people, living and lifeless .

3. Forms of Nouns

According to Marcella Frank in her book, Modern English: a Practical Reference

Guide, forms of nouns can be divided into:21

1) Inflectional Forms

Inflectional forms of nouns may indicate:

 Gender. Special endings mark nouns as masculine, feminine or neuter, not necessarily according to actual sex

20

A.J Thomson and A.V Martinet, A Practical English Grammar, (London: Oxford University Press, 1987), p. 25.

21

 Case. Special endings mark nouns according to their function in the sentence subject, object of the verb, etc.

 Number. Special endings mark singular or plural nouns. 2) Plural Inflectional Forms

The general rule for writing the plural of English nouns is to add s to the singular form (boy-boys, apple-apples).However this rule is complicated because of the many exceptions below.

a. After a sibilant sound spelled as s, z, ch, sh,x,es is added (classes, churches, dishes).

b. After y preceded by consonant, the y is changed to i and es is added (lady-ladies, country-countries). If final y is preceded by a vowel, no change is made (attorney-attorneys, valley-valleys).

c. In one- syllable words, final f or fe becomes ves in the plural (wife-wives, thief-thieves)

d. After final o, es is added, especially in some common words (heroes, negroes, potatoes, echoes)

e. Irregular plurals based on older English may take the form of :

 An internal change (man-men, foot-feet, mouse-mice)

 An en ending (child-children, ox-oxen)

f. The plural has the same form as the singular (sheep-sheep, deer-deer)

g. The singular has the same form as the plural (series-series, means-means)

h. Many foreign words retain their foreign plurals in English

 Singular us ending becomes plural I ending (stimulus-stimuli, radius-radii)

 Singular a ending becomes plural ae ending ( larva-larvae, vertebra-vertebrae)

 Singular um ending becomes plural a ending (memorandum, memoranda, stratum- strata

 Singular is ending becomes plural es ending (crisis-crises, parenthesis-parentheses)

 Singular on ending becomes plural a ending (criterion-criteria, phenomenon-phenomena)

 Singular ex or ix ending becomes plural ices ending (vortex-vortices, matrix-matrices)

 Singular eau ending becomes eaux ending (bureau-bureaux, plateau-plateaux)

i. No plural is used for non-countable words such as information, advice, clothing, furniture.

j. Some words ending in s are singular non-countable nouns, especially names of diseases and fields of study (news, measles, and economics). However, when words that name fields of study are used for practical matters, such words are often considered plural- his business ethics are very questionable; the acoustics in this room are not good.

k. Some words ending in s are used chiefly as plurals (ashes, brains. Goods, riches). In this group are words for items that have two parts (scissors, spectacles, and trousers).

3) Possessive Inflectional Forms

A singular noun is changed to possessive form by the addition of „s (one boy’s mother). A plural noun becomes possessive by the addition of „alone to the final s (two boys’ mothers). If an irregular plural noun does not already end in s, then „s is added for the possessive (the children’s mother). Proper nouns ending in s may take either „or’s (Dickens’ novels or, less commonly, Dickens’s novels). With a group of words functioning as a unit,„s is placed after the last word in the group ( the Queen of England’s throne; his mother-in law’s interference; everyone else’s opinions)

4) Derivational Forms

Only nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs have derivational forms. These form may express some degree of lexical meaning, or they may be little more than part of speech indicators. Derivational forms consist chiefly of special ending that may:

a. Change one part of speech to another. This kind of ending is attached to a word that already exist (engage+ ment=engagement), perhaps with some change in the original word (destroy+tion= destruction). Sometimes the original word has several derivational endings, the last one of which determines the part of speech (nation+al+ize+ation= nationalization, a noun)

b. Distinguish one part of speech from another, without being added to an already existing word (distance-noun, distant-adjective)

To summarize, forms of nouns involve inflectional indicate as gender, case and number, plural inflectional in general rule is to add s to singular, possessive inflectional is functioning as a unit, „s is placed after the last word in the group and derivational form belongs only noun, verb, adjective, and adverb.

C.

Plural form

1. Definition of Plural Form

In English, “nouns typically inflect for number (singular or plural) and case (plain or genitive). Singular is referring to one person, thing and so on. Plural is referring to more than one”.22

.

In the first instance, it applies to noun inflection: noun typically have contrasting singular and plural forms. “A noun that names one person, place, or things is a singular noun. A noun that names more than one person, place, or thing is a plural noun”.23

Furthermore, “plural is consisting of, containing, or pertaining to more than one”.24

According to Oxford advanced learner’s dictionary, “plural is (form of word) used with reference to more than one”. 25_{While grammatically, “plural is}

the form of a noun that typically denotes more than one person, thing, or instance. Contrast with singular”.26

From the definitions about plural above, it can be concluded that plural do not described as a single thing or plural has more than one of the person, place, or thing in the real world.

22

Marcel Danesi, Basic American Grammar……., p. 31.

23

Laidlaw, Laidlaw English……., p. 60.

24

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/plural

25

A.S Hornby, Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary of Current English, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1987), p. 643.

26

2. Types of Plural Form

The plural of nouns is made in two ways: regular and irregular. Usually we pluralize a noun by adding an “s” to it, as in books; these nouns are called regular. There are a handful of nouns that are pluralized in other ways; these nouns are called irregular. 27

Regular plural is plural form arranged by adding “s” in general and has a certain formula; meanwhile irregular plural has not the exact rule and make the students remember about it.

According to Marcella Frank there are many ways of forming the plural of nouns:28

a. Regular Plural as follows:

1) The majority of nouns form their plural by adding s to the singular. table- tables

Book-books Flower- flowers

2) Nouns ending with the hissing sounds of s, x, sh, or ch form the plural by adding –es.

Box-boxes Church-churches Marsh-marshes

3) Nouns ending in –y preceded by a consonant change y into i before adding –es.

Country-countries Sky-skies

Berry-berries

4) Nouns ending in –o preceded by a consonant generally add –es to form the plural.

Hero-heroes Potato-potatoes Tomato-tomatoes

5) Nouns ending in –fe or –f, it generally changes the –fe or –f to – ves. There are as follows:

Beef calf elf life

27

Evelyn P. Altenberg and Robert M. Vago, English Grammar….., p. 9.

28

Knife leaf sheaf shelf Loaf self wolf

Thief wife half

b. Irregular Plural as follows:

1) Some nouns have the same form in the singular and the plural. Fish fish

Deer deer Sheep sheep

2) Some nouns have the same form in the plural and the singular Series series

3) Irregular –(e)n plurals

Ox oxen

Cow kine

Eye eyen

Shoe shoon House housen Brother brethren Child children

4) Umlaut plurals Foot feet Goose geese Louse lice

Man men

Mouse mice Tooth teeth Woman women

5) Irregular plurals from Latin and Greek

“Numerous nouns adopted from foreign languages, especially Latin and Greek, retain the foreign inflection for plural”. 29

a) Nouns inl –a with plural –ae alumna-alumnae

formula, formulae

b) Nouns in –ex or –ix with plural –ices

29

Sidney Greenbaum and Randolph Quirk, A Student’s Grammar of the English

index- indices matrix- matrices vertex-vertices

c) Nouns in –is with plural –es axis-axes

crisis-crises testis-testes

d) Nouns in –on with plural –a criterion-criteria

phenomenon- phenomena automaton-automata

e) Nouns in –um with plural – a agendum-agenda

datum, data

memorandum-memoranda

f) Nouns in –us with plural –i or –era or –ora alumnus- alumni

radius-radi genus-genera

g) Nouns in – us with plural – a Genus- genera

Corpus-corpora

h) Nouns in –eau with plural –eaux bureau-bureaux

plateau-plateaux

i) Nouns in –o wit plural –i Tempo-tempi

Libretto-libretti Virtuoso-virtuosi

6) Irregular plurals from other languages

a) Some nouns of French origin add –x:

Beau beaux

Bureau bureaus or bureau Chateau chateaux

b) Nouns of Slavic origin add –a or-i according to native rules, or just –s :

Kniazhestvo kniazhestva/kniazhestvos Kobzar kobzari/kobzars

Oblast oblasti/ oblasts

c) Nouns of Hebrew origin add –im or –ot (generally m/f) according to native rules, or just-s :

Matzoh matzot/matzos

Seraph seraphim/seraphs

d) Many nouns of Japanese origin have no plural form and do not change:

Benshi benshi Otaku otaku Samurai samurai

e) In New Zealand English, nouns of Maori origin can either take an –s or have no separate plural form. Words more connected to Maori culture and used in that context tend to retain the same form, while names of flora and fauna may or may not take an-s , depending on context. Omission is regarded by many as more correct:

Kiwi kiwi/kiwis Kowhai kowhai/kowhais

Maori maori ( occasionally Maoris) Marae marae

Tui tuis/tui Waka waka

f) In Canada and Alaska, some words borrowed from Inuktitut retain traditional plurals (see also plurals of names of people below):

Inuk inuit

Inukshuk inukshuit

g) Nouns from languages that have donated few words to English, and that are spoken by relatively few English speakers, generally form plurals as if they were native English words :

Canoe canoes Igloo igloos Kangaroo kangaroos Kayak kayaks Kindergarten kindergartens Pizza pizzas

7) Words better known in the plural

Original singular

Original plural/ common

singular

Common plural

Agendum Agenda Agendas

Alga Algae Algae

Bacterium Bacteria Bacteria

Biscotto Biscotti Biscotti

Candelabrum Candelabra Candelabras

Datum Data data (mass noun)

Graffito Graffiti graffiti (mass noun)

Insigne Insignia Insignias

Opus Opera Operas

Panino Panini paninis (currently

gaining use)

Paparazzo Paparazzi Paparazzi

27

CHAPTER III

THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RESEARCH

A.

Research Methodology

1. Objective of the Research

The objective of this research is intended to know students’ error and to know the reason why the students make errors in learning plural forms of nouns at MTs Nurul Huda Bogor.

2. Place and Time

The research was held at MTs Nurul Huda Bogor, which is located on Jl.Sumurwangi Desa Kayumanis Kec Tanah Sareal Bogor, focusing on first year students. She conducted this research 29 September up 8 October 2011.

3. Technique of Sample Taking

The respondent of this research is the first year students of MTs Nurul Huda Bogor. It consists of one class with the amount 30 students. So, the total respondent that the writer took is 30 students.

4. Method of The Research

The writer used the descriptive analysis method and used the procedures of errors analysis itself. The method was intended to analyze problems occurred. So, it

involved accumulating, analyzing, and classifying data, also interpreting data. On the final step, the writer had to conclude the result of research

5. Instrument of The Research

To get the data, the writer gave a test to the first year students of MTs Nurul Huda Bogor. The test a teacher made was used to know how well the students have already understood in learning plural forms of nouns.

6. Technique of Data Collecting

The technique of data collecting is one of the important parts in the research. In this research, writer used technique as book literature and test instrument. The writer conducted a test to know students’ error in learning plural forms of nouns. The test was given in the end of teaching learning process. It consists of 30 items.

7. Technique of Data Analysis

In this part, the writer analyzes the data which have been collected. First, the data are given the score. After scoring, the data are analyzed. The techniques of data analysis used by the writer in this research are descriptive analysis technique because the writer describes some students’ errors. Here is the formula:1

P: Percentage

F: Frequency of error occurred

N: Number of Cases

After getting the frequency and percentage of error, the writer analyzed the average score by using formula:

1

Anas Sudijono, Pengantar Statistik Pendidikan, ( Jakarta: PT Raja Grafindo Persada, 2004), p. 43 (Translated)

P= F X 100 % N

p : Percentage

F : Frequency of Error

N : Number of Students

n : Number of item test

B.

Research findings

1. Data Description

As the writer stated in preceding chapter, this “Skripsi” discussed about error made by the first year students of MTs Nurul Huda Bogor in learning plural forms of nouns. To get the data, the writer has given the test about plural forms noun to the 30 students of the first year. The test consists of 30 items, which are covered 17 items of regular forms and 13 items of irregular forms. The following tables are the classification of plural forms area into each item and the students’ score of the test result.

Table 3.1

Plural Forms Noun Area and Each Item No Plural forms noun area Number of items

1 Regular forms 5,9,13,23,4,6,7,19,14,17,21,1,11,12, 8,16,18

2 Irregular forms 2,3,20,10,15, 22,24,25,26, 27,28,29,30 P = FX100%

Table 3.2

Students’ Score of the Test Result

No Sample Score

1 Student 1 53

2 Student 2 76

3 Student 3 36

4 Student 4 76

5 Student 5 66

6 Student 6 83

7 Student 7 50

8 Student 8 53

9 Student 9 40

10 Student 10 63

11 Student 11 46

12 Student 12 63

13 Student 13 90

14 Student 14 63

15 Student 15 63

17 Student 17 56

18 Student 18 56

19 Student 19 43

20 Student 20 73

21 Student 21 33

22 Student 22 43

23 Student 23 36

24 Student 24 60

25 Student 25 43

26 Student 26 66

27 Student 27 63

28 Student 28 53

29 Student 29 60

30 Student 30 66

Total 1712

Average score 57

Highest score 90

Table 3.3

The Students’ Response Distribution on Each Item of the

Test

No Number of items Right Wrong

1 Number 1 23 7

2 Number 2 10 20

3 Number 3 11 19

4 Number 4 23 7

5 Number 5 25 5

6 Number 6 19 11

;7 Number 7 17 13

8 Number 8 19 11

9 Number 9 26 4

10 Number 10 10 20

11 Number 11 20 10

12 Number 12 19 11

13 Number 13 25 5

14 Number 14 16 14

16 Number 16 20 10

17 Number 17 19 11

18 Number 18 19 11

19 Number 19 17 13

20 Number 20 13 17

21 Number 21 20 10

22 Number 22 10 20

23 Number 23 25 5

24 Number 24 8 22

25 Number 25 8 22

26 Number 26 5 25

27 Number 27 4 26

28 Number 28 4 26

29 Number 29 4 26

30 Number 30 11 19

Table 3.4

The 1stIdentification of the Students’ Errors Test

Numbers

Identification of Errors

Classification of Errors Description

Explanations Corrections Causes of Errors 5 many opinion Omit a word The word

„opinion’ should be replaced by

Many opinions

Inter-lingual Transfer

„opinions’. 9 many

floweres

Add a word The word „floweres’ should be replaced by „flower’. many flowers Context of Learning

13 two birdes Add a word The word „birdes’ should be replaced by „birds’

two birds Context of Learning

23 two dolles Add a word The word „dolles’ should be replaced by „dolls’

two dolls Context of Learning

Table 3.5

The 2ndIdentification of the Students’ Errors Test Numbers Identification of Errors Classification of Errors Description

Explanations Corrections Causes of Errors 4 five classs. Omit a word The word

„classs’ should be replaced by „classes’.

five classes Inter-lingual transfer

6 two stitchs.

.

Omit a word The word „stitchs’ should be replaced by „stitches’

two stitches Inter-lingual transfer

7 three flashs. Omit a word The word „flashs’ should be replaced by „flashes’

three flashes Inter-lingual Transfer

19 a lot of taxs

.

Omit a word The word „taxs’ should

be replaced by

‘a taxes’

a lot of taxes

Inter-lingual Transfer

Table 3.6

The 3rdIdentification of the Students’ Errors

Test Numbers

Identification of Errors

Classification of Errors Description

Explanations Corrections Causes of

Errors

14 several possibilityes

Word choice The word „possibilityes ’ should be replaced by „possibilities’ . several possibilities Intra-lingual Transfer

17 many

dormitoryes.

Word choice The word „dormitoryes’ should be replaced by „dormitories’.

many dormitories Intra-lingual Transfer 21 many butterflyes

Word choice The word „butterflyes’ should be replaced by „butterflies’

many butterflies Intra-lingual Transfer Table 3.7

The 4thIdentification of the Students’ Errors Test

Number s

Identificatio n of Errors

Classificatio n of Errors Description Explanation s Correction s Causes of Errors 1. two mangos Omit a word The word

„mangos’ should be replaced by „mangoes’.

two mangos Inter-lingual Transfe r

11. few tomatos Omit a word The word „tomato’ should be replaced by „tomatoes’. few tomatoes Inter-lingual Transfe r

12 two heros Omit a word „heros’ should be replaced by „heroes’.

two heroes Inter-lingual Transfe r

Table 3.8

The 5thIdentification of the Students’ Errors Test Numbers Identification of Errors Classification of Errors Description

Explanations Corrections Causes of Errors 8 three

bookshelfes

Word choice The word „bookshelfes’ should be replaced by „bookshelves three bookshelves Intra-lingual Transfer

16 some wolfes Word choice The word „wolfes’ should be replaced by „wolves’.

some wolves Intra-lingual Transfer

18 three wifes Word choice „wifes’ should be replaced by „wives’.

three wives Intra-lingual Transfer

Table 3.9

The 6thIdentification of the Students’ Errors Test Number Identification of Errors Classification of Errors Description

Explanation Correction Causes of Errors 2 two fishs Add a word The word

„fishs’ should be replaced by „fish’.

two fish Context of Learning

3 three deers Add a word The word „deers’ should be replaced by „deer’.

Three deer Context of Learning

20 two sheeps Add a word The word „sheeps’ should be

Two sheep Context of Learning

replaced by „sheep’.

Table 3.10

The 7thIdentification of the Students’ Errors Test Numbers Identification of Errors Classification of Errors Description

Explanations Corrections Causes of Errors 10 three childs Word order The word

„childs’ should be replaced by „children’. three children Inter-lingual Transfer Table 3.11

The 8thIdentification of the Students’ Errors Test Numbers Identification of Errors Classification of Errors Description

Explanations Corrections Causes of Errors 15 two seriess Add a word The word

„seriess’ should be replaced by „series’.

two series Context of Learning

Table 3.12

The 9thIdentification of the Students’ Errors Test Numbers Identification of Errors Classification of Errors Description

Explanations Corrections Causes of Errors 30 Two foots Word order The word

„foots’ should be replaced by „feet’.

Two feet Inter-lingual Transfer

Table 3.13

The 10thIdentification of the Students’ Errors

Test Numbers Identification of Errors Classification of Errors Description

Explanations Corrections Causes

of Errors

25 some stimuluss

Word order The word „stimuluss’ should be replaced by „stimuli’.

some stimuli Inter-lingual Transfer

22 many memorandu ms

Word order The word’ memorandum’ should be replaced by „memoranda’

many

memoranda Inter-lingual Transfer

24 many criterions

Word order The word „criterions’ should be replaced by „criteria’ . many criterions Inter-lingual Transfer

26 some larvas Word choice The word „larvas’ should be replaced by „larvae’

. some larvae Intra-lingual Transfer

27 some crisis Word choice „crisis’ should be replaced by „crises’.

. some crises Intra-lingual Transfer

28 several vortexs

Word order „vortexs’ should be replaced by „vorteices’ several vorteices Inter-lingual Transfer

29 many plateaus

Word order „’plateaus should be replaced by „plateaux’

many plateau Inter-lingual Transfer

B. The Data Analysis

In this part the data was analyzed. The frequency and percentage of the

students’ errors in learning plural forms of nouns. The table below the errors explanation, as follows:

Table 3.14

Table of Number of Classification of Errors Explanation

No. Types

of Errors

Number of Errors

Percentage of Errors

1. Word choice 8 26.66%

2. Add a word 6 20%

3. Omit a word 8 26.66%

4 Word order 8 26.66%

Total 100%

From the table 3.14 above, there are 8 errors committed in word choice with 26.66% because the students put inappropriate words to be used in sentences. There are 6 errors committed in add a word with the percentage 20% because the students add inappropriate words in plural form. Also, there are 8 errors committed in omit a word errors with 26.66% because the students omit words items that should not happen in sentences on the test. At last, there are 8 errors committed in word order with the percentage 26.66% because the students less of knowledge. Here is the explanation regarding causes of errors described in the table below:

Table 3.15

Table of Number of Causes of Errors Explanation

No. Causes

of Errors

Number of Causes of

Errors

Percentage of Causes of

Errors 1. Inter-lingual

Transfer

15 50%

2. Intra-lingual Transfer

8 26.66%

3. Context of

Learning

7 23.33%

Total 100%

Based on the table 3.15 above, there are 15 errors caused by inter-lingual transfer with 50% because the students might be influenced by their mother tongue influences in terms of patterns, systems, or rules. There are 8 errors caused by intra-lingual transfer with 26.66% because the students strive to derive the rules behind the data to which has been exposed by the students, and develop hypotheses related neither to their mother tongue nor to their target language. Also, there are 7 errors caused by context of learning with 23.33% because the teachers or the textbooks may lead the students to create faulty hypotheses about the language. Students might make errors because of a misleading explanation from the teachers, textbooks, or patterns memorized rottenly. Here is the explanation about frequency and percentage of the students’ errors:

Table 3.16

The Frequency and Percentage of the Students’ Errors in Regular Plural

No Regular forms Number item Frequency of Error

Percentage of Error

1 The majority of plural noun

5

9

13

23

5

4

5

5

26.31%

21.05%

26.31%

26.31%

Total 4 19 100%

Average 15.83

2 Nouns ending with the hissing sounds of s,x,z, sh, or ch

4

6

7

19

7

11

13

13

15.90%

25%

29.54%

29.54%

Total 4 44 100%

Average 36.66

17

21

11

10

31.42%

28.57%

Total 3 35 100%

Average 38.88

4 Nouns ending in –o 1 11

12

7

10

11

25%

35.71%

39.28%

Total 3 28 100%

Average 31.11

5 Nouns ending in –f or –fe

8

16

18

11

10

11

34.37%

31.25%

34.37%

Total 3 32 100%

Average 35.55

It shows the first type of regular plural noun is the majority of plural noun with the average 15, 83. In item number 5, there are 5 students or 26, 31% who choose the wrong answer. Item 9, there are 4 students or 21, 05%, who choose the wrong answer. Number 13 and 23, there are 5 students or 26, 31%, who choose the wrong answer. These errors happen because the students are still confused in changing singular to plural noun in English pattern.

The second type of regular form is Nouns ending with the hissing sounds of s,x,z, sh, or ch with the average 36, 66. In this type, the items have varied frequencies. Number 7 and number 19 are the same frequency, with the percentage is 29, 54% or 13 students choose the wrong answer. While the frequency of difficulty in number 4 is 7 students or 15, 90%. In item number 6, there are 11 students who choose the wrong answer or 25%. These errors occur because the students did not understand well about the rule of regular plural.

The third type of regular form is Nouns ending in –y with the average 38, 88. In this type, at number 14, there are 14 students choose the wrong answer or 40%. Number 17, there are 11 students or 31, 42% and number 21, there are 10 students or 28, 57% who choose the wrong answer. Students are confused in changing “y” to “ies”, their comprehension in making plural only add “s”. It is because uncomprehending the rules.

The fourth type is Nouns ending in –o with the average 31, 11. In item number 1, there are 7 students or 25% who choose the wrong answer. In item number 11, there are 10 students or 35, 71% who choose the wrong answer. And item number 12, there are 11students or 39, 28% who choose the wrong answer. The students have not understood well the rules.

The last type is Nouns ending in –f or –fe with the average 35, 55. In this type, 11 students or 34, 37 % who choose the wrong answer in item number 8 and 18. Number 16, there are 10 students or 31, 25% get the difficulty in answering this number. The students made errors because they do not understand the formula until do not attention more about the changing “f or fe” becomes “ves”

Table 3.17

The Frequency and Percentage of the Students’ Errors in Irregular Plural Forms

Error of Error

1 Nouns with

identical plural and singular

2

3

20

20

19

17

35.71%

33.92%

30.35%

Total 3 56 100%

Average 62.22

2 Irregular –e(n) plural

10 20 100%

Total 1 20 100%

Average 66.66

3 Noun with identical singular and plural

15 25 100%

Total 1 25 100%

Average 83.33

4 Umlaut plural 30 19 100%

Total 1 19 100%

Average 63.33

5 Irregular plurals from Latin and

25 22

22 20

13.17% 11.97%

Greek 24 26 27 28 29

22 25 26 26 26

13.17% 14.97% 15.56% 15.56% 15.56%

Total 7 167 100%

Average 79.52

It can be concluded, the first type of irregular form is Noun with identical plural and singular with the average 62, 22. In item number 2, there are 20 students or 35, 71% who choose the wrong answer. In item number 3, there are 19 students or 33, 92% who choose the wrong answer. The students who choose the wrong answer are in item number 20, there are 17 students or 30, 35%. Based on students’ understanding to make plural form is just add s, but not all plural form adding by “s” in the end of the word because irregular plural has own structure.

The second type of irregular form is Irregular –e (n) plural with the average 66, 66. In this type, there is only one number item that is number 10 which of its percentage is 100% or 20 students who choose the wrong answer. It is caused the students have not memorized it. In understanding irregular plural, the students have to memorize it because there is not certain formula.

The third type of regular form is Noun with identical singular and plural with the average 83, 33. There are 25 students or 100% who choose the wrong answer in item number 15. Most of students made errors in this type because they are confused and have lack of knowledge about it.

The fourth type of regular form is Umlaut plural with the average 63, 33. There are 100 % or 19 students who choose the wrong answer in item number 30. These errors occur because they do not observe the rules.

Finally, Irregular plurals from Latin and Greek with the average 79, 52 In this type, there are 7 questions; item number 27, 28 and 29, there are 26 students or 15, 56 %. Number 24 and number 25, there are 22 students or.13, 17%. There are 20 students or 11, 97% who choose the wrong answer in number 22. At number 26 there are 25 students who choose the wrong answer. These errors occur because the students are still confused in understanding irregular plural. Understanding irregular plural is more complicated than regular plural.

C. Data interpretation

After classifying the items into area tested and explaining the frequency and percentage of error on each items, the following table describes the sequence of percentage of error on regular plural and irregular plural areas and their category of error.

Table 3.18

The Sequence of Plural Forms Area Based on Their High Percentage of Errors

No Plural forms area Percentage of error

1 Regular forms

a. The majority of plural nouns

b.Nouns ending with sounds of ss,x, sh, or ch c. Nouns ending in –y

d.Nouns ending in –o e. Nouns ending in –f or –fe

15,83% 36,66% 38,88% 31,11% 35,55%

Total 158,03%

Average 31,60%

2 Irregular forms

a. Noun with identical plural and singular

b.Noun with identical singular and plural

c. Irregular –(e) n plural d.Umlaut plurals

e. Irregular plurals from Latin and Greek

62,22% 66,66%

83,33%

63,33% 79,52%

Total 355,06%

Average 71,01%

The whole total 513,09

The whole average 102,61%

Based on the table above, it can be seen that on the regular forms, the highest percentage of errors is on type of nouns ending in –y with the average 38, 88%. The second level is ending with sounds of ss,x, sh, or ch with the average 36, 66% . The third level is nouns ending in –f or –fe with the average 35, 55%. The fourth level is noun ending in –o with the average 31, 11%. Andthe lowest percentage is on type the majority of plural nouns with the average 15, 83%. It is because regular plural forms have the exact rule and more easy to understand

Appendix II

ANSWER KEY 1. Mangoes

2. Fish

3. Deer

4. Classes

5. Opinions

6. Stitches

7. Flashes

8. Bookshelves

9. Flowers

10.Children

11.Tomatoes

12.Heroes

13.Birds

14.Possibilities

15.Series

16.Wolves

17.Dormitories

18.Wives

20.Sheep

21.Butterflies

22.Memoranda

23.Dolls

24.Criteria

25.Stimuli

26.Larvae

27.Crises

28.Vortices

29.Plateaux

Ciputat, 11 Mei 2011

No :Istimewa

L a m p : 1 ( s a t u ) b e r k a s

Hal : Pensaiuan Judul Skripsi

Nama NIM Fakultas

Jurusan/semester

Ade Irma Suryani 107014000693

Ilmu Tarbiyah dan Keguruan Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris / VIII A

Kepada Yth.

Ketua Jurusan Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Fakultas Ilmu Tarbiyah dan Keguruan UIN Syarif Hidayatull ah J akarta Di

Tempat

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Mengingat akan berakhirnya masa study saya di tingkat strata satu (S1), maka saya yang bertanda tangan dibawah ini:

Bermaksud mengajukan judul skripsi sebagai salah satu syarat menyelesaikan program strata satu (S-1) UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta, adapun judul yang saya ajukan adalah:

..AN ANALYSIS ON THE DIFFICULTIES FACEHBY THE STUDENTS IN LEARNING PLURAL FORMS NOUNg (A Case Study at the First year students of MTs Al-Mukhlisin Ciseeng) Bersama ini saya lampirkan satu berkas proposal skripsi yang terdiri dari: L Outline Skripsi

2. Abstract Skripsi, dan

3. Daftar Pustaka sementara

Demikian surat pengajuan ini saya sampaikan. Atas segala pertimbangan dan perhatiannya saya ucapkan banyak terima kasih.

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No. Dokumen : FITK-FR-AKD-081 Tgl. Terbit : 1 Maret 2010

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Kepada Yth.

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Fakultas Ilmu Tarbiyah dan Keguruan UIN Syarif Hidayatullah

Jakarta.

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Dengan ini diharapkan kesediaan Saudara untuk (materi/teknis) penulisan skripsi mahasiswa:

Jakarta, 2SMei 2011

rnenjadi pembirnbing IlIl

Nama NIM Jurusan Semester Judul Skripsi

''AN ANALYSIS ON TFIE DIFFICULTIES FACED BY THE STUDENTS IN LEARNING PLURAL FORMS OT'NOUNSJ'

( A Case Study at the First Year Students of MTs Al-Mukhlisin Ciseeng )

Judul tersebut telah disehrjui oleh Jurusan yang bersangkutan pada tanggal l9 Mei 2011, abstraksi/ozrtline terla;rtpir. Saudara dapat melakukan perubahan redaksional pada judul tersebttt. Apabila perubahan substansial dianggap perlu, mohon pembimbing menghubungi Jurusan terlebili dahulu.

Bimbingan skripsi ini diharapkan selesai dalarn waktr: 6 (enam) bulan, darr dapat cliperpanjang selama 6 (enam) bulan berikutnya tanpa surat perpanjangan.

Atas perhatian dan kerja sarna Saudara, karni ucapkan terima kasih.

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1 0 3 Ade Irma Suryani

1 070 I 4000693

Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris VIII ( Delapan ₎

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KEMENTERIAN AGAMA Gu@fu UIN JAKARTA

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I -ryY * .l Jl. lr. H. Juanda No gS Ciputat 15412 tndonesia

FORM (FR)

No. Dokumen : FITK-FR-AKD-082 Tgl. Terbit : 1 Maret 2010

No. Revisi: : 01

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SURAT

PERMOHONAN

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Nama N I M Jurusan Semester

Tembusan: 1. Dekan FITK

2. Pembantu Dekan Bidang Akademik 3. Mahasiswa yang bersangkutan

Jakarta, 29 September 2011

Kepada Yth.

Kepala Sekefah [ATs Nlusul bluda d i

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Dengan hormat kami sampaikan bahwa, : A d e lr m a S u r y a n i : 1 0 7 0 1 4 0 0 0 6 9 3

: Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris : lX (Sembilan)

Tahun Akademik :201012011

Judul Skripsi : AN ANALYSIS ON THE DIFFICULTIES FACED BY THE STUDENTS IN LEARNING PLURAL FORMS OF NOUNS

(Case study at the First Year students of MTs Nurul Huda)

adalah benar mahasiswa/i Fakultas llmu Tarbiyah dan Keguruan UIN Jakarta yang sedang menyusun skripsi, dan akan mengadakan penelitian (riset) di instansi/sekolah/madrasah yang Saudara pimpin.

Untuk itu kami mohon Saudara dapat mengizinkan mahasiswa tersebut melaksanakan penelitian dimaksud.

Atas perhatian dan kerja sama Saudara, kami ucapkan terima kasih. Wassal am u' al aiku m wr.wb.

a . n . D e

Kaihr didikan Bahasa Inggris T J

Drs. NIP.

v

auki. M.Pd

YAYASAN PENDIDIKAN ISLAM NURUL HUDA (YAPINDA)

MADRASAH TSANAWIYAH NURUL HUDA

TERAKREDITASI

SK. Kanwil Departemen Agama Propinsi Jawa Barat

No. B/KW. 10.4 lWl s / | 7 / 0A6 / /2000 NSM : 212.320.3 | .7 |

Jl. Sumurwangi Kelurahan Kayumanis Kecamatan Tanah Sareal Kota Bogor telp.(0251) 7537203

SURAT KETERANGAN

Dengan ini Nama NIM Semester

Fakultas/Jurusan

menerangkan bahwa:

Ade Irma Suryani r07014000693 IX (Sembilan)

Ilmu Tarbiyah dan Keguruan (FITK) / Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris

Adalah benar telah melakukan penelitian di MTs Nurul Huda pada tanggal 29 September sampai

dengan 8 Oktober 201 1

Demikian surat keterangan ini dibuat dengan sesungguhnya dan sebenar-benamya untuk dapat

digunakan sebagaimana mestinya.

9 Oktober 2011

s Nurul Huda