Data Description Research Finding
swimming tense is
“don’t or doesn’t”. 17
Every night the watchman turns on all the lights and walk
around the building every half an hour.
The subject of the sentence is watchman singular. So that the
verb should be added by “s”.
24 The chef arranges the menu
and served drinks to the table in the bar.
Since the subject of the sentence is singular, the verb should be
arranges and “serves”.
25 Do your brother go to school
everyday? In interrogative form of Simple
Present “do” used for plural
subject while “does” used for
singular subject. 29
She go to school by car everyday.
The subject of this sentence is singular form, so that the verb
should be “goes”.
From those students’ answer above it can be seen that some students have not been able yet to analyzed the rule of Simple Present in positive,
negative and interrogative pattern. It is signed by the absence of an item “s” that must appear in the sentence “omitting grammatical morphemes”
as mentioned above e.g. The sun rise in the east, She go to school by car everyday. Besides that, the students are still confused to identify the
sentences since the writer uses the long dialog or complex sentence number 24 and 25.
Table 3.4 Frequency of Error of Present Progressive
No Problem area
Item number
Frequency of error
Percentage of error
2 Present Progressive
5 26
86.6 6
8 26.6
11 8
26.6 21
10 33.3
27 8
26.6 Total
5 items 39.94
From the table above it is shown that the highest frequency of error comes from number 5 with 26 students 86.6 , 8 students 26.6
made error in the item number 6 and 11, 10 students 33.3 made error in the item number 21, and 8 students 26.6 made error in the item
number 27. On the average, the percentage of error in this tense is 39.94.
Table 3.5 The
Students’ Answer and Its Explanation No
Students’ answer Explanation
5 Does your father going to
school now ? In interrogative form of Present
Progressive “is, am, and are” are
used. The sentence should be is your father ...
6 Watch out That man drives
on the wrong side of the road. The sentence shows an activity
that is in progress at the moment of speaking. So that,
“Verb-ing” should be used.
11 Be quite The baby was
sleeping now. The verb should be
“is sleeping” since it shows an activity that is
in progress at the moment of speaking.
21 She teaches English in my
class now. The sentence shows an action in
progress. The verb should be “is
teaching ”.
27 What is Santi read?
The sentence should be “what is
Santi reading? ”
Mother-tongue interference gives much influence to the students answer. It can be seen that some students are still confused in changing
the verb based on adverb of each sentence. Besides that, the different grammar of the first language bears faulty grammar pattern.
Table 3.6 Frequency of Error of Simple Past
No Problem area
Item number
Frequency of error
Percentage of error
3 Simple Past
2 18
60 8
11 36.6
13 3
10 26
11 36.6
30 13
43.3 Total
5 items 37.3
Those items are about simple Past Tense. There were 18 students 60 who made error in the item number 2, and it’s the highest frequency
of error. 11 students 36.6 made error in the items number 8 and 26, 3 students 10 made error in the item number 13, and 13 students 43.3
made error in the item number 30. On the average, the percentage of error in this tense is 37.3 .
Table 3.7 The
Students’ Answer and Its Explanation No
Students’ answer Explanation
2 Does he drive to school
yesterday? In interrogative sentence of
Simple Past “did” should be
used.