17
3 General Truth
In conditional sentences, the truth and the conditional sentences may be different. In type 1, the fact in the conditional sentences is true in the present and
future or there is possibility to be true in the future, so it uses the present forms. Examples:
[1] If I do not study hard, I will fail in the test. The above sentence has two possible facts. The first fact is that it is true
that I do not study hard, I will fail in the test, but there is another fact. The second fact is that there is possibility for me to fail in the test.
[2] If I had a lot of money, I would buy a big house. The fact is that I have no money.
[3] If I had had enough time, I would have gone for picnic. The fact is that I had no enough time.
4 Connectors
In conditional sentences, connector is an important thing. The related connectors which are usually used in conditional sentences are:
a Only if and Unless
“Both only if and unless mark conditions that are exclusive; that is, no other condition will bring about the stated result. If and if … not, on the other
hand, express weaker or more neutral conditions in that they do not exclude the possibility that other conditions might also bring about the same result” Celce-
18 Murcia and Larsen-Freeman, 1999: 553. The semantic relationships are
presented in Table 2.2.
Table 2.2: The Semantic Relationships Expressed by Conditional Subordinators in English Celce-Murcia and Larsen-Freeman, 1999: 553
Affirmative Negative
open unmarked conditions If
if … not exclusive marked conditions
only if sometimes: if and only if unless =except if
Examples: [4] I will stay home if it rains. unmarked
[5] I will stay home only if it rains. exclusive [6] I will stay home even if it rains. emphatic
[7] I will stay home if it doesn’t rain. negative [8] I will stay home unless it rains. exclusive negative
2. Error
This part is divided into two. The first discusses the definition of errors which are proposed by some writers. The second part discusses the purpose of the
study of errors.
a Definition
“Errors are the flawed side of learner speech or writing” Dullay et al., 1982: 138. They are those parts of conversation or composition that deviate from
some selected norm of mature language performance. Dullay et al. 1982: 139 distinguish errors become two, such as “errors caused by fact such as fatigue and
inattention called performance factors and errors resulting from lack of knowledge the rules of the language called competence factors. ”
19 Dullay 1982: 145 has another description of errors which is named as
accurate description of error. He says that error is “a separate activity from the task of inferring the sources of those errors.” On the other hand, Brown 2000:
217 says that errors can reflect a competence of the learner. He gives the definition of an error as “a noticeable deviation from the adult grammar of a
native speaker, reflects the competence of the learner.” Ellis 2003: 47 stated that “learners make errors in both comprehension and production.”
b The Purpose of the Study of Errors
Studying learner’s errors serves two major purposes, such as: 1 “it provides data from which inferences about the nature of the language learning
process can be made; and 2 it indicates to teachers and curriculum developers which part of the target language students have most difficulty producing
correctly and which error types detract most from a learner’s ability to communicate effectively” Dullay et al., 1982:138.
3. Mistake
Brown 2000: 217 states in his book that a mistake “refers to a performance error that is either a random guess or a “slip,” in that it is a failure to
utilize a known system correctly.” It means that a mistake is not caused by the lack of knowledge. A mistake is caused by unintentional error.
4. Errors Versus Mistakes
There is a difference between errors and mistakes. Many people are confused to differentiate error and mistake. According to James 1998: 83, “an
20 error cannot be self-corrected, while mistakes can be self-corrected if the
deviation is pointed out to the speaker.” On the other hand, Brown 2000: 218 states that “the learner’s capacity for self correction is objectively observable only
if the learner actually self-corrects; therefore, if no such self-correction occurs, we are still left with no means to identify errors versus mistake.”
Lewis 2002: 8 also gives an explanation that “an error arises when students communicate in more complicated language than they have so far
learned, where as a mistake is something they can correct for themselves if they take the time.” It means that a mistake can still be corrected because it is not
caused by the lack of knowledge. Moreover, error cannot be self corrected because knowledge has the role. It needs somebody else to correct it.
B. Theoretical Framework
One of the language elements which should be learnt by the English Language Education Study Program students is grammar. A conditional sentence
is one of them. Conditional sentence is one of the difficult topics. Conditional sentences topic has been taught in the second grade of senior high school, but it is
explained clearer and deeper in the third semester. A conditional sentence is a complex sentence that consists of a main clause
and a subordinate clause; they latter typically begins with the adverbial subordinator if. It has two parts: the main clause and sub-clause. In this study,
conditional sentence is one of the materials that should be learnt by the students of
21 the English Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University in semester
three. In this study, there are two problems regarding the fifth semester students’
mastery and errors of conditional sentences. This study uses a test to collect the information and also to discuss the problem formulations. For the first problem,
which is to figure out how far the fifth semester students have mastered conditional sentences, this study performs necessary statistical computation. The
result of the test is obtained by counting the correct answer. Furthermore, the focus in this study is the errors made by the students. Therefore, any wrong
answers in the test are considered as errors without considering whether they are mistakes or errors. Later, the result of the computation is compared to the standard
of mastery stated in the academic regulation of Sanata Dharma University. The students’ mastery on conditional sentences is found out from their scores in the
test. These scores are then compared to the minimum standard of mastery stated in the academic regulation of Sanata Dharma University. If their achievement in
conditional sentences is low according to that academic regulation, it means that they still have difficulties in mastering conditional sentences. If their achievement
is high and fulfilled the minimum standard score of mastery written in academic regulation of Sanata Dharma University, they are considered to master the
material of conditional sentences. Concerning the second problem, which is to figure out the types of errors
that students made in conditional sentences, this study uses the students’ answers to analyze what types of errors they made. The fifth semester students are also
22 asked to complete the questionnaire by answering the questions. Then, the
students’ answers will be analyzed and it will answer the question on the students’ problems in learning conditional sentences.
