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B. Types of Errors found in the Students’ Translation Result of Relative Clauses from Indonesian into English
The second research question seeks to find out the students’ errors in translating relative clauses from Indonesian into English. In answering the
question the writer categorized the errors into two major types according to the subject being studied, i.e. relative clauses construction and the translation of
relative clauses. The error categorization adapts the categorization of errors proposed by Dulay et al. 1982.
1. Students’ Errors in Relative Clauses Construction
Students’ errors in constructing relative clauses are divided into two parts based on the two points being analyzed. The two parts are errors in relative
pronoun and errors in comma use. These points are considered to be essential features of relative clauses, hence influence the participants’ production of relative
clauses.
a. Errors in Relative Pronouns
As stated before, one of the difficulties in learning relative clauses is because there are many kinds of relative pronouns used in the construction of
relative clauses in English. This often causes students making errors because of the complexity of the relative pronouns.
From the result of the test the writer had conducted, the participants showed some errors in using relative pronouns in the relative clauses construction.
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44 The percentage of the participants’ errors in relative pronouns in the test can be
seen in Table 4.3 below.
Table 4.3 Percentage of Errors in Relative Pronouns
Error in Subject Relative
Categ o
ry Relative
Pronoun The First Half
The Equal Half Item No
Correct Incorrect
Item No Correct
Incorrect
Def ini
n g
whothat item 1
29 45 35 55
item 20 52 81
12 19 item 5
61 95 3 5
item 16 49 77
15 23
No n-
defi ning
who item 7
59 92 5 8
item 14 58 91
6 9 which
item 9 52 81
12 19 item 12
52 81 12 19
Error in Object Relative
Catego ry
Relative Pronoun
The First Half The Equal Half
Item No Correct
Incorrect Item No
Correct Incorrect
Defini ng
who whom
thatø item 11
63 98 1 2
item 10 61 95
3 5 which
thatø item 3
61 95 3 5
item 18 63 98
1 2 item 13
64 100 0 0 item 8
64 100 0 0 whothat
ø item 15
53 83 11 17
item 6 62 97
2 3
Non- def
ini n
g who
whom item 17
54 84 10 16
item 4 55 86
9 14 which
item 19 45 70
19 30 item 2
46 72 18 28
1 Errors in Subject Relative Pronouns
In the blueprint of the test, it is shown the distribution of the relative pronouns in the test. The distribution is categorized into two main distinctions,
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45 defining and non-defining relative clauses. Each category is divided into two
subcategories, subject and object relatives. According to Yule 2004 relative pronouns that can be used in subject relative clauses are who, that and which. In
item 1, 5, 16 and 20 there are more than one option of relative pronouns that can be used in the relative clause. This is because relative pronoun that can be used to
refer to both person and things. However, this relative pronoun that can only be used in defining relative clauses, while in non-defining relative clauses item 7, 9,
12 and 14 relative pronoun that cannot be used . As seen in Table 4.3, the highest number for the incorrect answers in
subject relative clauses is in item 1, 55 in percentage. Item 1 is in the category of defining relative clauses. While the highest number for category of non-
defining relative clauses are in item 9 and item 12 19. Although the number of incorrect answers is high for item 1, it does not happen for the other items in the
defining relative clauses category item 5, 16, and 20. From this result, it can be concluded that the students have understood the
use of relative pronouns who and that in defining relative clauses construction. The students are also assumed to have understood clearly the use of relative
pronoun who in non-defining relative clauses construction. In the other hand, it seems that the use of relative pronoun which in non-defining relative clauses is
still problematic for them.
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2 Errors in Object Relative Pronouns
In Table 4.3, the highest number for the incorrect answers for object relative pronouns is in item 19, 30 in percentage. This item is in the category of
non-defining relative clauses, using relative pronoun which. Because the number of incorrect answers in non-defining relative clauses category in item 7, 9, 12, and
14 are quite high in percentage, it is assumed that the use of relative pronoun which
in non-defining relative clauses functioning as object relative is still problematic for the participants.
However, in the category of defining relative clauses, the number for the incorrect answers in item 3, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 15 and 18 are quite low in
percentage. The relative pronouns used are who, whom, which, that, and ø. Hence, it is assumed that the use of relative pronouns who, whom, which, that, and ø in
defining relative clauses functioning as object relative is not problematic for the participants.
Nonetheless, there are some inappropriate relative pronouns that some of the participants used in the test which are not included as subject or object relative
pronouns, thus resulted incorrect answers. The relative pronouns are to whom, of whom, at whom, when, where, whoever, whose, what,
and of which. Although the number of the participants who used the inappropriate relative pronouns are very
small, it proofed that those small number of students are actually did not really understand the concept of relative pronouns in the relative clauses construction.
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b. Errors in Commas Use
