AN ANALYSIS OF GRAMMATICAL ERRORS ON THE STUDENTS DESCRIPTIVE TEXT WRITING.A Case Study at First Grade of SMAN 1 Cibarusah, Bekasi.

ABSTRACT

Gestari, Rita. 2013. AN ANALYSIS OF GRAMMATICAL ERRORS ON THE
STUDENTS DESCRIPTIVE TEXT WRITING.A Case Study at First
Grade of SMAN 1 Cibarusah, Bekasi. Skripsi, English Education
Department Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teachers Training, UIN Syarif
Hidayatullah Jakarta.
Advisor: Dr. H. M. Farkhan, M.Pd.

Key words: Descriptive text, Grammatical Error Analysis, Writing, SMA Negeri
1 Cibarusah

The purpose of this skripsi is to analyze student’s grammatical error in
writing a descriptive text of the first grade of SMAN 1 Cibarusah, Bekasi. In this
research the writer used a qualitative method. The researcher asked the students to
make descriptive writing, and it is used as the materials of this research. The
collection of the descriptive texts is analyzed by the researcher in order to find out
the errors of theirs English writing.
The result of the study indicating that there are some errors such as
grammatical, capitalization, spelling, verb tenses, pronoun, singular-plural and
punctuation. From the classification result the researcher gets the data of the

student’s errors. The errors are capitalization: 18, spelling: 12, verb tenses: 11,
pronoun: 11, singular-plural: 7 and punctuation: 2.Tthese cases are used as source
of study for teachers, researcher and students so in the future these errors will not
repeat again. From the process of the study its can be summarized that writing a
descriptive text can improve student’s ability to write English and with this simple
analysis it is expected to give an experience to the student in SMAN 1 Cibarusah,
Bekasi in write English text.

i

ABSTRAK

Gestari, Rita. 2013. AN ANALYSIS OF GRAMMATICAL ERRORS ON THE
STUDENTS DESCRIPTIVE TEXT WRITING. A Case Study at First
Grade of SMAN 1 Cibarusah, Bekasi. Skripsi, English Education
Department Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teachers Training, UIN Syarif
Hidayatullah Jakarta.
Advisor: Dr. H. M. Farkhan, M.Pd.

Key words: Descriptive text, Error Analysis, Writing, SMA Negeri 1 Cibarusah


Tujuan dari skripsi ini adalah untuk menganalisa kesalahan gramatikal
siswa dalam menulis karangan deskripsi di kelas sepuluh SMAN 1 Cibarusah,
Bekasi. Di dalam penelitian ini penulis mengunakan metode qualitatif. Peneliti
meminta siswa untuk menulis karangan deskripsi yang digunakan sebagai bahan
penelitian. Pengumpulan karangan deskripsi ini kemudian di analisa oleh peneliti
dengan maksud untuk mencari kesalahan penulisan bahasa Inggris siswa.
Dari hasil penelitian ada indikasi beberapa kesalahan siswa seperti
penulisan grammar, huruf besar, pengejaan, kata kerja, kata ganti orang dan kata
jamak dan tunggal. Dari hasil pengelompokan kesalahan-kesalahan penulisan
peneliti kemudian memperoleh sebuah data. Data kesalahan itu terdiri-dari huruf
besar: 18, kata kerja: 11, pengejaan: 12 dan kata ganti orang: 7 dan tanda baca:2.
Kasus kesalahan ini kemudian dijadikan bahan pembelajaran bagi siswa dan guru
sehingga kesalahan tersebut tidak diulangi lagi kedepan. Dari proses penelitian ini
dapat disimpulkan bahwa penulisan naskah deskripsi bisa mengembangkan proses
tulisan bahasa Inggris siswa dan dengan penelitian sederhana ini diharapkan dapat
memberikan pengalaman menulis bahasa Inggris dengan benar bagi kelas sepuluh
di SMAN 1Cibarusah, Bekasi.

ii


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, the writer like to thank Almighty God Allah SWT, Who has blessed and
guided the writer so that she can accomplish this skripsi as a partial fulfillment of the
requirements for the degree of Sarjana Pendidikan at the faculty of Tarbiyah, State
Islamic University, Jakarta.
Her gratitude should also be addressed to his advisor, DR. H. M. Farkhan, M.Pd for
his patience, valuable guidance, comments, and suggestions in accomplishing her Skripsi.
The writer’s sincere gratitude also goes to:
1. Nurlena Rifa’I, MA. Ph, D. the Dean of Faculty of Tarbiyah and Teacher
Training Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University Jakarta.
2. Drs. Syauki, M. Pd., the Chairman of English Education Department.
3. Zahril Anasy, M.Hum. the Secretary of English Education Department.
4. Darwanto, M.M the Head Master of SMAN 1 Cibarusah Bekasi who have give
the writer an opportunity to do research in the school and special thanks for
students grade ten of senior high school for their corporation as the respondent
of this research.
5. All lectures English Department who have tough and given knowledge to the
writer whose name can not be men tioned one by one.

6. My beloved parents Jumardi and Sumami, my husband Sugeng Riyadi, sisters
Rina Wijayanti, and my daughter Princess Adeline Riyadi for their help and
encouragement.
7. All of my friends, especially B class of English Education Department year 2007
thanks for their supports, motivations and support.

iii

May Allah SWT bless them all, Amieen. Finally, the writer realizes that this
“skripsi” still has some weakness and mistake. Therefore, the writer would mind
accepting
Jakarta, 19 Desember 2013
The Writer

Rita Gestari

iv

TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE

APPROVAL
ENDORSEMENT SHEET
SURAT PERNYATAAN KARYA SENDIRI
ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………..........……i
ABSTRAK……………………………………………………………………………ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT………………………....……………………………….iii
TABLE OF CONTENT………………………....…………………………………..v
CHAPTER

: I. INTRODUCTION
A. The Background of Study……………………………...…1
B. The Limitation of the Study……………………………....3
C. The Formulation of Problem……………………………...3
D. The Objective of Study…………………………………...4
E. The Significance of the study...…………………………..4
F. Organization of the Study……………………….………..4

CHAPTER

: II. THEROTICAL FRAMEWORK

A. The Definition of Error……………………….…………..6
1. Description of Error Analysis……………………….7
2. Categorize of Error……………………………………8
3. Grammatical problem………………………………..9
v

B. Writing...……………………………………………..….11
1. Definition of Writing….…………………….………11
2. The Writing is Process...……………………………12
3. Purposes of Writing...………………………………13
C. Descriptive..…………………………..………………...14
1. Definition of Descriptive Text………………………14

2. Generic Features of Descriptive Text………..…….15
3. The Purposes of Descriptive Writing………..…….15
4. Characteristic of a Good description………..……..17

CHAPTER III. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND FINDINGS
A. Research Methodology…………………………………..26
1. Time and Location……………………………………26

2. Method of the Research...……………………………26
3. The Unit Analysis.……………………………………26
4. Techniques of Collecting Data………………………26
B. Research findings.…………………………………...…...27
1. Data Description…………………………………..…27
2. Data Analysis and Error Reconstruction……………28
3. Data Discussion…………………………………...…32
4. Data Analysis……………………………………...…35

CHAPTER IV. CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
A. Conclusion…………………..………………..………….36
B. Suggestions…………………..………………..…………36
BIBLIOGRAPHY………………….………………………………………………..i
APPENDICES….………………………………………………………..…………ii
vi

LIST OF THE TABLE
1. Table 1.1. purposes for Description………………………………………...18
2. Table 1.2: Description of the Students Error and Their Reconstruction……28
3. Table 1.3 The Students Error Finding………………………………………33


vii

1

CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of the Study
The function of language is to communicate ideas, feeling and desires. Language
is a tool of communication among people. By language, we can communicate with
other people not only local community but also international society. The local
community communicates between people in one area or even in one nation. They
used their local language or their national language. Meanwhile communication
between different countries in the world people will used international language. There
are some languages used for International communication today such as English
language.
Nowadays, in this globalisation era English as an International language has been
used by many people in the world. The English used as communication between
people in Asia, Africa, America, Europe, etc. This International language is very
important because English used by native and non-native to communicate. This

language uses for business, education, conferences, correspondences, etc. One of the
importances of English language functions because it gives solution for people in the
world who have different language in their life.
From this importance and function of English some people categorise it as their
second or foreign language such as Singaporean who born as Asian but used English
as their second communication. Furthermore in computer technology in this modern
time English is often use by people around the world. Because of this function and
importance some countries in the world put the English as the subject of the lesson at
school formal or informal. For example Indonesian government makes English as one
of the subject at school such as in Junior and Senior High School. In learning English
at school Indonesian students learn four skills listening, speaking, reading and writing.
1

2

One of important skills is writing, because with writing skill students can write a
simple text use English language.
According to Penny Ur “writing is the expression of idea”1 it means that when
students or human are able to write, they can express their feelings, ideas, thoughts and
their opinions to others people. However to able to write English people should try to

write and practice it every time.
In Senior High School level for example the students must able to make English
text such as narrative, descriptive, recount texts. The definition of descriptive
according to Mulyono and M. J. Ari Widayanti

2

“texts which are used to describe

particular place, person and thing. Relating with this statement it can be said that
descriptive text tell or describe detail information of place like Jakarta, person like
Barack Obama and thing like Samsung X50. The detail information when describe
about people are name, skin color, hair style, ages, nationality, address, job, etc.
They must explain in detail because the goal of descriptive text is to describe
something in detail so the reader will understand of their description. The outline of
descriptive texts consists of two part identification of the topic and the detail
description itself to tell the readers usually people, place, animal etc.
However when students make a descriptive text in writing, they often make a
mistakes such as verbs, tenses, capitalization etc, because those errors in writing is part
of the process and practices to be a good writer. Inside a process of study, when

student making an error, it is used as indicator of step to understand the English

1

Penny Ur, A course in Language Teaching: Practice and Theory, Cambridge (Cambridge University
Press, 1986), p163
2

Mulyono and M. J. Ari Wdayanti, Engilsh Alive for Senior High School, Yudhistira ( Yudhistira Jakarta Timur) ,
p98

3

language. An error also gives teacher information of students’ weakness in studying
English.
Errors and mistake are natural parts in teaching learning process. These errors
occurred in many aspect of language skill such as in writing. Writing is not easy
because writing is a complex process not only presents the idea of thought and feeling
but also need to master grammatical rules like tense. Because of this errors teacher is
trying to help students and guide them every times. According to Robert Keith Miller
“Writing can help you deepen your understanding of yourself as well as to achieve the
goals you set for yourself”3 It means with many writing practices, they will get an
understanding on how to write English correctly. However to write correct grammar is
not easy, the learners often make errors and these errors can be observed, analyzed and
classified. This study of this case is called errors analysis.
Relating to this case the writer is interesting to analyze the students errors when
they write a descriptive text, in SMAN 1 Cibarusah Bekasi, the writer would like to
find out what is the problem and the error of their writing.
B. Limitation of the Study
In order to limit the problems in this „skripsi’, the writer just focused on
discussion relating to the error analysis of the students in writing descriptive text at the
first grade of SMAN 1 Cibarusah bekasi. The material of analysation consist of verb
tense, spelling, singular-plural, capitalization, pronoun and preposition.
C. Formulation of Problem
Based on the explanation above, the writer would like to formulate research as
follow:
1. What kind of students eror in writing descriptive text?
3

Robert Keith Miller, Motives for Writing, Fifth edition (McGraw-Hill 2006)

4

2. What is the cause of the students error in SMAN 1 Cibarusah Bekasi?
3. What is the strategy to minimize the students error case in writing descriptive text.

D. The Objective of Study
The objective of the study is the writer would like to mention the objectives of this
study as follow:
1. To find out what are the most common errors made by the students in their
descriptive writing.
2. To investigate what is the cause of error made by students before and after write
the text.
3. To find out the solution of this students writing errors.

E. Significance of the Study
In this study of this error investigation is expected to give significancies to
1. Students are understand what are their error in writing descriptive text so which a
lot of practices can make improvement to their writing skill.
2. Teachers will get the data of the students error in writing so they can find out the
startegy to teach how to write descriptive text effectively.
3. The readers who read this case will get additionl information relating to the
Indonesian student problem in writing descriptive.

F. Organisation of the Study
This writing is divided into six chapters. The first chapter explains the
introduction, which contains the background of the study, the limitation and statement
of the study, the objective of the study, the significance of the study, the method of
research and the organization of the study.

5

The second chapter is divided into three sub-chapters. The first sub-chapter is
error and error analysis that contains of definition of error, error analysis, and types of
error, clarification of error, cause of error and goal of error analysis. The second subchapter is writing that consists of the concept of writing, the writing process and
purposes of writing. The third sub-chapter is descriptive that contains of the concept of
descriptive, purposes of descriptive, kinds of descriptive and characteristics of a good
description.
The third chapters divided into two sub-chapters. The first sub-chapter is research
methodology and findings consist of purposes of research, time and location,
population and sample, instrument of research and technique of data analysis. The
second sub-chapters is research finding consists of data description, data analysis and
data interpretation.
Finally, the fourth chapter is conclusion and suggestion. In this chapter, the writer
describes some conclusion and giving suggestion dealing with the matter. The writer
also encloses the appendixes and bibliography completing her research paper.

6

CHAPTER II
THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

A. Definition of Error
As we know, that learning the second language is different from
learning first language. Therefore, the students often made error during the
learning process. For the students foreign language, they get a new rules of
language, vocabulary, grammatical patterns and pronunciation which
different from their language. Error is natural for the students whom
learned the second language; because of English is second language for
them.
In addition, Heidy Dulay stated that “error is the flawed side of
learner speech or writing”.1 It means that there is some of not correct
action made by the students or learners when they learn to speak or write
the English language. The students make an incorrect speaking or writing
when they learn English.
And then Jeremy Harmer said that ”the errors are part of the learner
interlanguage, that is the version of the language which a learner has at
any one stage of development and which is continually reshaped as he/she
toward full mastery.2 It means that an error is connected with intralingual
process of the native language or bahasa Indonesia and the English as
foreign language. The process of learning, practices and step by step of
study will offer skill and fluency to the students who’s learn of the English
language.
There are many definition of error. According to James Carl “error
analysis is the process of determining the incidence, nature, causes and

1

Heidy Dulay, Language Two, (New York: Oxford University press, 1982), p. 138
Jeremy Harmer, The Practice of Language and Teaching, (London, Longman, 2001),
Third Edition, p. 34
2

6

7

consequences of unsuccessful language”.3 It means that an error is happen
because of wrong writing, speaking, ideas and action made by students
when they study English.
Then, it is important to make different between error and mistake.
Otherwise, some people still misunderstanding about the definition of
them. To make clear between error and mistakes, H. Douglas confirmed “a
mistake refers to a performance error that is either a random guess or a
“slip” in that it is failure to utilize a known system correctly”4 it means
that students writing and speaking performance base to their guessing
which they think correct, but actually its wrong then the guessing here its
call a mistake.
From those statements the writer concludes that eror analysis is the
study or investigation of an error which made by students when they learn
english. The error is important to investigate because it is useful for
teachers and students to find out the solution. Furthermore the study also
helps teachers to know the skill or the weakness of their students.
1. The Description of Error Analysis
Carl James wrote in his book that there are five procedures in
identification of error.
a. Error Detection
We check the sentence as items of analysis and the errors
finding suspicion.5
b. Locating Error
Error location is pointed in for examples the cases of (a)
preposition, (b) tenses and (c) said the errors is in this
words, however locating the errors isn’t always easy
because some of the cases are located in the sentence or the
whole paragraphs of the text that contain error.6

3

James Carl, Errors in Language Learning and Use, (London and New York, Longman,
1998), p. 1
4
H. Douglas brown, Principles of Language Learning and Teaching, (New York, Prentice
Hall, 1987), p. 170
5
James Carl, Errors in Language Learning and Use, (London and New York, Longman,
1998), p 91
6
ibid

8

c. Describing Error
Describe the error cases into others language standard, like
in the case of Brunian errors into Bahasa Melayu or
Indonesian English cases into American or British English.7
d. Classifying Error
We able to find and choose the best words to replace the
errors cases and put it in order 8
e. Counting Error
The analyst count the errors made by the students and
explained into per cent calculation.9
2. Categorize of Errors
a. Interlingua Transfer
Mother language of the learner has a great influence in
learning second language or foreign language. It is called
interference or interlingual transfer. As Brown stated “the
beginning stages of learning a second language are
characterized by a good deal of interlingual transfer from the
native speakers”
b. Intralingua Transfer
According to Brown “intralingua transfer is one of the
sources of error that must be recognized in second language
learning, because it’s now clear that intralingua transfer
(waiting
the
target
language
itself)
such
as
overgeneralization is a major factor in second language
learning.”10
c. Communication Strategy
1. Holistic Strategies
The term holistic refers to the learner’s assumption. If the
student can say X in the L2, then the student must be able to
say Y. The most general term of synonym, an example is the
L1 French learner of English who substitute credibility:
truth, or use super ordinate term of fruit: blackberries. These
assumption make leaner’s sometime don’t use correct words
but use the synonym. For example: you are so good: you are
so beautiful.
2. Analytic Strategies
According to James and Persidou (1993) Analytical
strategies are the concept of indirectly, by allusion rather
than by direct reference. Analytic strategy refers to the two
7

ibid
ibid
9
ibid
8

10

Brown C. The interrelation between speech perception and phonological
acquisition from infant to adult. (Oxford: Blackwell Publishers Limited.,2000)

9

types of learners whom studied different context of leaning.
The student who learned English in British council and
others who learned English informally (from tourist, movie,
music etc.) for example gimme your love: give me your
love. There are two differential style and result which taken
from them.
d. Induced
1. Material-Induced Error
The learning material should appropriate to the learners
level, don’t to difficult and don’t to easy. Give not
appropriate topic and lesson make students confuse and
committed error. For example the learning material for
Senior High School students in Indonesia should
appropriate to the students needs not contain many
difficulty English words which make them confuse.
2. Teacher-Talk Induced Error
One of the roles of teachers is to provide models of the
standard teaching language in the class. Sometime
teachers don’t speak English well and the quality of their
pronunciation giving differential sound to the originality.
English teacher from India with English teacher from
Australia will have differential pronunciation where the
non-native is often make an error pronunciation.
3. Look up Error
This common error (dis-order) is dictionary used to
translate L1 to L2. For example the Indonesian students
used Bahasa Indonesia the sentence Kucing hitam
berlari change into The Cat Black ran. This case
sometime happened because of L1 and L2 have differ
style and system.
3. Grammatical Problems
Each student has a different type in making errors when they made
paragraph.
a. Capitalization
The conventions of capitalization are so familiar for us. We put
capitals in the right places without even thinking about what we
are doing. Daniel Brown classify the errors in writing, there are:
1. Capitalize the first word of each sentence.
2. Capitalize words referring to God or other deities: Christ, the
Virgin Mary, Buddha, and Him and He (when referring to
God).

10

3. Capitalize proper names, the days of the week, the months,
and holiday.
4. Capitalize titles when they are used with a name. for example
Admiral Zumwalt, Governor Smith, Chief Justice Hughes,and
etc.11
b. Singular-plural
If a word refers to a single item it is singular. If it refers to lots of
things it is plural. For example, “potato” is singular “potatoes” is a
plural. According to George Braine “singular subjects take
singular verbs and plural subjects take plural verbs.”
Singular:
One student is standing under the tree.
She likes to play tennis on the weekends.
Plural:
Three students are standing under the tree
They like to play tennis on the weekends.12
c. Verb Tense
The tense or a verb is related to the time when the action takes
place. The most fundamental tenses (times) are past, present, and
future.
Past tense:
When I was five years old, I moved to Pakistan
Present tense:
I am studying my history textbook now,
Future tense:
I will be finished with these problems soon.13
d. Pronoun
Pronouns are he is for boy or man, she is for Linda, it is for thing
or noun like table, bag, and umbrella. They or theirs is for men or
boys. This is the example of pronoun
Lydia gave her assignment to the professor. (in this sentence the
pronoun her refers to the antecedent Lydia).
Another pronoun problem is agreement. The rule for pronoun
agreement is simple: A pronoun should agree with its antecedent.
This means singular nouns take singular pronoun, and plural
nouns take plural pronoun, for example:
The boy dropped his book.
The boys dropped their books.14
e. Spelling
11

Daniel Brown, A Contemporary Rhetoric, (Boston, USA: Houghton Mifflin
Company, 1984), p.309
12
George Braine and Claire may, Writing from sources, (London. California, McGraw Hill, 1996),
p.69
13
ibid
14
ibid

11

There are differential spelling between British and America The
example of English spelling are:
-t/ed (in the past tense) British English uses –t, as in burnt and
learnt; American English uses –ed, as in burned and learned.
-re/-er some British English words end in –re, such as metre,
theatre, and centre. In American English, these words end in –er,
such as meter, theater, and center.
B. Writing
1. Definition of Writing
Writing is one skill of language, like an athletic skill which comes
more naturally to some people, but which improves with practice for
everyone. Practice is necessity. Writing is important to express the idea
without sound. However, the students can channel their desire by writing.
People learn how communicate with the other people when the people is
not around them.
There are many different definitions about writing given by experts of
many resources. According to Barnet and Stubb’s said, “writing as a
physical act, it requires both performer material and energy and like most
physical acts, to be performed to bring pleasure, to both performer and
audience, it requires practice”.15 it means when we write sentence its need
thinking ideas, action, concentration, time and practice, so both of the
reader and writer is interest to read.
On other side, Rise B. Axelrod and Charles R. Cooper said “writing is
a complex process and such as contains element of mystery and
surprise”.16 It means when we write there are many steps to do like finding
ideas, topic, sentences, draft, revision, etc. it is often the writer write new
word which unpredictable.
Students are expected to convey their ideas, feelings, desire and
knowledge by writing. Sometimes the teacher feels difficult to ask the
Barnet and Stubbs’, Practical guide to Writing ,(Canada: Brown Company, fourth
edition 1983), p. 3
16
Rise B. Axelrod and Charles R. Cooper, The St.Martin;s Guide to writing, (New York: St
Martin’s press,1 5) p. 3
15

12

students to write. In fact, writing is more complicated because writing
needs many aspects not only grammatical and vocabulary but more than
that.
The important thing of writing for the students is to express their
feeling and produce in their own language on the paper. To be good writer,
the students must practice and try to write and to increase their capability.
Considering of definitions above, the writer conclude that writing is
important skill to improve the English knowledge, and also writing need
full concentration and it is not easy to convey something and make the
reader understand about our writing.
2. The Writing is Process
To understand how important this matter of playing attention to the
process of writing is, we need to consider just what a process involves. A
process is, of course, a series of actions. But it is not just any series of
actions; it is of deliberate steps carried out in a particular order and leading to
specific result. A process has a beginning, middle, and an end and one of the
keys to learning to write well is realizing a simple but often overlooked fact:
when we write, we go through a process. The more aware we are of steps we
go through in this process, and the better we are able to control them, the
more easily and successfully we will write.
Writing is not mysterious, but it can complex, depending on what we are
writing about. Often, the best way to handle complex tasks is to break them
down into steps, into a process, and that’s just as true of writing as of
anything else. If we are not aware of some of the basic steps in the writing
process, or we have not found the best order in which to carry them out, we
are likely to find writing much more frustrating than needs to be.
The process has two main steps: invitation and presentation or we can
be even more specific and say that the writing process involves the nine
steps listed below:
1) Gathering information
2) Finding ideas in the in formation
3) Choosing and narrowing a topic to write about

13

4) Forming a main idea about the topic
5) Selecting and arranging the supporting ideas from the gathered
information
6) Writing rough drafts
7) Revising the drafts
8) Writing a final drafts
9) Proofreading the paper.17
3. Purposes of Writing
Successful writers do not plan their writing in a vacuum. Instead, they
consider the context in which their writing occurs. The writing context includes
the reason for writing (the writer’s purpose). Purpose is an important element of
the collage essay because it influences our approach.
There are really only four common purposes in writing. Whether we are
writing a love letter or a term paper, we write to inform, to explain, or to
persuade, and to amuse others.18
a. Writing to inform
In the writing project we intend simply to inform our readers about
a subject. To inform is to send out necessary information about
subject to the readers, and usually this means just telling the
readers what the facts are or what happen. The writing also gives
description information to readers, to transfer important
information like news, story, and report is as the purposes. All
writing provides sort of information to however they should choose
or select it effectively. The information should be arranged in order
way so the reader easily to read it.
b. Writing to Explain
Writing to explain means give details description of
information or topic to readers so the readers will get clear
understanding after read the topic. There are three items of
explaining the writing: explain with example means to give
information by use an example relating to the topic for example
when we write of volcanoes eruption the writer should give an
example Merapi, Sinabung, explain on contrast or comparison is
give two differential or alternative understanding to readers like
bad or good, or alternative choices in the exam two compare
between true or false. Explain a process is give detail or step for
example on how to make coffee there is step to make it like
prepare the glass, sugar and hot water. Explain cause and effect is a
Daniel Brown and Bill Burnette, Connections ‘A Rhetoric/Short prose reader, (New
Jersey: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1984) P. 7
18
ibid
17

14

connection of reason and cause for example illegal logging with
forest destruction, animal extinction etc.19
c. Writing to Persuade
Writing gives important information with meaning and
impression to readers. Writing will interest the readers and
convince them when they read sentences, words and paragraphs
which supporting the main ideas. The interest sentences grow
strength from words to words when readers enjoy reading. The
writing able to persuade and convince them to accept the ideas,
even though it may be controversial.20

C. Descriptive
1. Definition of Descriptive Text
Descriptive text is a text that describes the features of someone,
something, or a certain place. According to Ari Widjayanti M.J. that
descriptions are the texts which are used to describe particular place,
person, or thing.21 It means the description is a detail of explanation to
show the specific object to reader or audience. For example the description
about Jokowi is (Jakarta governor, black hair, Indonesian, Javanese, kind
man, wise, familiar, brave, smart, etc.
Descriptive text has its own generic structure, having two
components: identification or classification, and description of features.
The generic structures of descriptive text:
a. Identification: identifies/introduction of phenomenon to be describe.
It means when describe something we explain base on the situation
in general. The general condition of the topic is like: mountain,
president, animal, city etc.
b. Description: describe features to order of importance, there are:
parts/things (physical appearance), qualities (degree of beauty,
excellence, or worth/value), and other characteristic (prominent
aspect that are unique). It means a description contain an important
picture or photo or words which give detail of physic appearance
like big body, thin, tall, medium, short etc. Meanwhile qualities are

19

ibid
ibid
21
Ari Widayanti M.J, English Alive, (East Jakarta: Yudhistira, 2010) p.98
20

15

good girl, pretty, polite, wise, strong, gentle etc. Unique in here
means differ with another.
From the definition above, the writer concludes that descriptive
text is a description of noun, people, place and others. The description is
start from the generality condition of the topic for example in the topic of
Mount Merapi the descriptive text is explain the generality of Volcanoes
Mountain in Indonesia, after that the second paragraph the writer will give
a detail of Mount Merapi like the location, high, rock, sand,etc. The goal
of the description is the reader or audiences will understand the detail of
the description of topic.
2. Generic Features of Descriptive Text
a. Use of Simple Present Tense
b. Frequent use classifiers in nominal groups.
c. Use of “be”: is, are, was, and were for the identification and showing
qualities.
d. Use of verb “have”: have, has, had to give detailed description of the
object’s features.
e. Use of action verb related to the topic, especially when describing
behaviors or personalities.
f. Use of adjectives in describing especially the qualities.
3. The Purposes of Descriptive Writing
Description adds an important dimension to our lives because it moves
our emotions and expands our experiences. When we read descriptions of
beautiful places and scenes, we are uplifted; when we read newspaper
accounts of the devastation of wars and natural disasters, we are saddened.
Description expands our experience by taking us to places we might not
otherwise know much about, which explains the popularity of descriptive
travel essays in magazines and newspapers. Description can also give us a
fresh appreciation for the familiar. For example, a description of a
neighborhood park we pass every day can help us rediscover its beauty.22
As social beings, we want to share our experience, so we write to
others to describe things such as vacations, childhood homes, and people
we encounter. We even use description to persuade others to think or act in
particular ways: advertisers describe products to persuade us to buy them;
22

Barbara Fine Clouse, The Students Writer, (New York, McGraw Hill Companies, 2002) p. 142

16

travel agents describe locales to entice us to visit them; and real estate
agents describe properties to stimulate a desire to see them. As the
examples in the following chart show, description enables us to entertain,
express feelings, relate experience, inform, and persuade.23
Table 1.1
Purposes for Description

No.

Purposes

Description

1

To entertain

An amusing description of a teenager’s
bedroom.

2

To express Feelings

A description of your favorite outdoor retreat
so your reader understand why you enjoy it
so much

3.

To relate experience

A description of your childhood home to
convey a sense of the poverty you grew up in

4.

To inform (for a reader unfamiliar A description of a newborn calf for a reader
with the subject)

5.

To

inform

(to

who has never seen one
create

a

fresh A description of an apple to help the reader

appreciation for the familiar)
6.

rediscover the joys of this simple fruit

To persuade convince the reader that A description of a degrading music video
some music videos degrade women

Although it can serve a variety of purposes as stated in the table above,
but description is most often helps writers share their perceptions, so it most
often helps writers share their perceptions. As human beings, we have a
compelling desire to connect with other people by sharing our experiences
with them. Description helps us do that. In addition, because well-written
description can be beautiful and therefore pleasurable to read, a secondary
purpose of description is often to entertain.
23

ibid

17

Since description helps the reader form mental pictures, writers often
rely on it to add interest and vividness. That is, description helps writers do
more than just tell that something is true, it allows them to show that
something is true. For this reason, writers often combine description with
order patterns of development.
4. Characteristic of a Good description
Good descriptions usually have three important qualities. They have a
dominant impression supported by specific details, clearly recognizable mood,
and logical development
a. Dominant Impression
The first sentence or even the first words of a description may
establish the dominant impression. Succeeding sentences will then
reinforce and expand it by supplying further information and filling in
details. In other words, the sentence which established the dominant
impression usually serves as the topic sentence of the paragraph.
b. A Mood
A mood is feeling that goes beyond measurable physical
appearances. Feeling and emotions such as joy, happiness, fear, and
anxiety evoke or create moods. Mention of good or bad qualities may
contribute to establishing the general mood.
c. Logical Development
A good piece of descriptive writing has some logical plan of
development. The writers have to try to give a picture or impression of a
person, place, or thing; but, unlike the photographer or the painter, who
has chemicals or pigments to work with; the writers have only words to
use. Therefore, to be effective, written descriptions should have an
efficient, sensible, carefully thought-out, logical plan. The writers must
have a vantage point from which they view what is being described. The
writers precede from that vantage point steps by steps. The writers may
begin with a dominant impression and proceed to specific details and

18

conclude with a dominant impression. Listed are some of steps that may
be followed in writing a description:
1) Establish the point of view. Make it clear to the reader where the writer
is in relation to the thing being described.
2) Give the general overall view or impression.
3) Give the details of the description in a logical sequence. One kind of
logical sequence is space sequence:
From near far or from far to near.
From left to right or from right to left.
Description can also be oriented from the general to the specific or
from the specific to the general.24
Furthermore, successful descriptions require a lot of specific
details. The more specific we make any piece of writing, the more
interesting, exiting, and effective it will be. Things are needed to make
a good descriptions, they are:


Knowing our subject
Gathering descriptive details becomes easier when we know the
person, place, or thing we’re describing. Of we need to learn more
about our subject, spend some time observing it. Use our five sensessight, hearing, touch, taste, and smell- to gather important information.
And don’t be afraid to take notes. Write our observations, reactions,
and impressions in our journal, or note cards, or at least scratch paper.



Using Language that Sows



Using language that shows makes any writing you do far more
concrete, specific, and vivid than simply telling your readers what
you mean. Such language is vital to description.
Use Concrete nouns and Adjective
The next thing to remember is to make your details as concrete as
possible. For example, if we’re describing a friends, don’t say that
“He’s not a neat dresser” or that his “wardrobe could be
improved”. Include concrete nouns and adjectives that will enable
George E. Wishon and Julia M. Burks, Let’s Write English, (New York: Litton
Educational Publishing, 1980), p. 128
24

19



our readers to come the same conclusion. Talk about “the red dirt
along the sides of his scuffed, torn shoes; the largest rips in the
knees of his faded blue jeans; and the many jelly spots on his shirt.
The same is true when describing objects and places.
Create Figures of Speech
One of the best ways to make our writing clear and vivid is to use
figures of speech, expression that conveys a meaning beyond their
literal sense. Writers rely heavily on figures of speech when they need
to explain or clarify abstract, complex, or unfamiliar ideas. Metaphor,
simile, and personification can be used to compare an aspect of the
person or thing being described to something with which readers are
already familiar.
In addition, figures of speech make it possible for writers to dramatize
or make vivid feelings, concepts, or ideas that would otherwise have
remained abstract and difficult to understand.
 Rely on Our Five Sense
A good way to gather information about any subject is through
observation. Observation is often through of a seeing, and the most
common details found in description are visual. However, observing
can also include information from the other four senses. Of course,
explaining what something sounds, feels, smells, or tastes like can be
harder than showing what it looks like. But the extra effort is
worthwhile. In fact, weather you describe people, places, or things,
and greater the variety of details you include, the more realistic and
convincing your description will be. Next to sight, hearing is the sense
writers rely on most. While tastes and smells are perhaps the most.

20

Example of Descriptive text
a. Descriptive Text of Animal
Hamster
I have a hamster. It is small and cute. I give him a name, Dion. I bought him
last month when I visited Jogjakarta. I really love him.
Dion has 3 different colours, white, orange and black. His eyes and ears are
small. He always squeaks in the time I come close to his cage. Every morning
I feed him. Dion likes to eat some grass and leaves. I take the grass from the
field near my house. Dion looks happy to eat it.

21

b. Descriptive text of people

Irene Kharisma Sukandar
Irene Karisma Sukandar is to be the most successful woman chess
player in our country. Just in her age of 17, she has become champions in
many tournaments. She has got many trophies and medals from both national
and international titles. She is the first Indonesia’s Woman Gran Master
(WGM).
First she was drawn to play chess by her elder brother, Kaisar Genius
Hakiki. Although she begins to play chess at relatively senior age of 7, her
talent becomes evident early on.
For Irene, playing chess is something good to do. She disagrees with
many Indonesian people who associate chess wit a lack of productively, for
example as a game for the unemployed. She proves that she earns many things
from that game. By playing she received Rp 500 million bonus prize money
for her contribution to her province at the national games.
Irene, who is still noted as a student at Nusantara Senior High School
Jakarta, enjoys reading, swimming, and learning Mandarin Language. She
does those activities when she is not notching up international chess titles.

22

c. Descriptive Text of Place
Prambanan Temple
The Prambanan Temple, which is well-known as the temple of Lara
jonggrang, is one of the vulture inheritances from the ancestors of Indonesian
people having worldwide international value. The Prambanan Temple is to be the

Identification

biggest Hindu in the world. This temple has been known well all over the world
since many years ago. Lots of local as well as foreign visitors have come for a
close at the temple.
Prambanan Temple, which is located in the village of Karang Asem, the ward
of Bokoharjo, the Prambanan district of Sleman Regency of Yogyakarta Province,
was built by Rakai pikatan, the second king of Mataram dynasty in 850 AC.
Recently, all of the land aaround the temple that covers not less than 20 hectars
has been freed from the inhabitants. Today, in this vast land has been built an
open theater, an indoor theater, offices, an archeological museum, a parking area,
a cafeteria, a souvenirs shop, asphalt road, and all other means supporting toursm.
The ornamental motifs chiseled in the Lara Jonggrang temple are very
luxurious and various: Prambanan motifs, flora motifs, and fauna motifs. The
carving of the Prambanan motifs are located between the lower frame and the
upper frame of the balustrades at the outside part of the foot of the temple. This
motif is one of the special characteristics fund in Lara Jonggrang temple and none
of the kind is found in other temples in Indonesia.
The very fine carving with extra-ordinary imagination has totals 135 panels
surrounding each of the balustrades in each temple. They can be classified as
follow:
1. Civa temple

: 32 panels

2. Brahma temple

: 23 panels

3. Wisnu temple

: 23 panels

4. Nandi temple

: 19 panels

5. Temple A (eagle)

: 19 panels

6. Temple B (goose)

: 19 panels

Description

23

The flora motifs or the motifs from the world of plants are numerous on the
foot as well as the body of the temple. Those motifs are especially the leaves of
the tree, which are depicted in naturalistic idealized form.
The fauna motifs or the animal world motifs are only found on the foot the
Civa, Wisnu, bahma, Wahana, and Apit temples. In this description, the fauna
motif are naturalistic. The kind of animals depicted are goose, dog, hen, squirrel,
crocodile, hawk, fish, elephant, tiger, reptile, cockatoo, horse, snail, crow, crab,
dove, parrot, deer, cow, rat, lion, and snake.

24

CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY AND FINDINGS

1. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
1. Time and Location
The writer conducted the research at SMAN 1 Cibarusah, Bekasi, the
school is located on JL. Cibarusah Raya, Cibarusah, Bekasi, West Java. The
researcher started the job from 14 until 28 of August 2012.
2. Method of The Research
In conducting this research the writer uses qualitative method. The writer
teaches the students to write a descriptive text and then find out the students
common error of English grammatical problem. The researcher then classified
the grammar error, these are capitalization, spelling, verb tenses, pronoun,
singular-plural and punctuation The identification and correction process in
the end is expected to find reliable data (student’s problems) during and after
learning of foreign language or L2.
3. The Unit Analysis
The scopes and unit of investigation in this research are (capitalization,
spelling, verb tenses, preposition, pronoun, singular-plural and punctuation).
These units area are functioned as filtered tool which carefully correcting
their writing test in case study research. The tool is aimed to find directly the
mistake and error of their descriptive project. The error will be investigated
carefully to find the students error.
4. Techniques of Collecting Data
There are many steps in collecting data used by the writer, they are
“observation, tests, error reconstruction. Test is to measure the student’s
achievement in learning descriptive paragraph writing; the teacher used an
independent essay test with the topic. It’s describes about animal live. The
students had to make paragraphs related to the topic. This test is used to find
the sources of errors that students made and know the reason why they did
such errors.
24
22

25

2.

RESEARCH FINDINGS

1.

Data Description
In this part the writer bring the data which taken from the students work
in school. There are many errors which researcher classified after the test, the
errors

classification

arecapitalization18,

spelling12,

verb

tenses11,

pronoun11, singular-plural7 and punctuation2.
The data and the discription of this error is put in the table of data
analysis and reconstruction. The researcher checked the students writing to
find out the error, after finish it shown that the highest rates of the student’s
error are capitalization18 cases followed by spelling12 cases. Meanwhile the
least data of the error made by students are singular-plural7and punctuation
cases2,word orders case the researcher found the highest data of the error is
capitalization and the least is punctuation.
These two problems is happened because students is often used
capitalization in the middle of sentence like in the case of Luthfi Nurhasanah
(It’s So funny. the rabbit is Very Much Liked by people. because its Very
annoy. Rabbit is also Very suitable to be Kept). Meanwhile the least case is
punctuation which taken from Mia Islamiati and (I’m have cat He name Nuno
Nuno Very Cute, and have fur soft). There aren’t comma and full stop which
used correctly from this sentence.
Student 01.

Student’s Error
pet very cute.

Kind of error

The reconstruction

Word order

1.

This error is categorized in interlingual error
because to write an English student still uses
his/her language word ord

Dokumen yang terkait

An Analysis on the grammatical errors in the students writing : a Case study of the first student s of sma negeri 1 cigudeg - bogor

1 7 66

An Analysis On Students’ Errors In Descriptive Writing (A Case Study At The First Grade Of Sma Negeri 37 Jakarta)

0 7 85

An Analysis On Grammatical Errors In Students’ Recount Text Writing (A Case Study At The Second Grade Students Of Man 10jakarta)

7 45 138

An Analysis On Students’ Errors In Using Present Perfect Continuous Tense (A Case Study at First Grade Students of SMAN 63 Jakarta)

1 6 116

AN ANALYSIS ON STUDENTS’ GRAMMATICAL ERRORS IN WRITING DESCRIPTIVE PARAGRAPH (A Case Study at the Second Grade of SMPN 3 Tangerang Selatan)

0 32 68

AN ANALYSIS OF STUDENTS’ GRAMMATICAL ERRORS IN RECOUNT TEXT WRITING AT THE FIRST GRADE OF SMA NEGERI 13 BANDAR LAMPUNG

1 20 76

AN ANALYSIS of students grammatical errors in RECOUNT TEXT WRITING AT THE FIRST GRADE OF SMA NEGERI 13 BANDAR LAMPUNG

3 26 75

AN ANALYSIS OF STUDENTS’ ERRORS IN WRITING OF RECOUNT TEXTS AT THE FIRST GRADE OF SMAN 1 PESISIR TENGAH

1 12 53

AN ANALYSIS OF GRAMMATICAL ERRORS ON THE STUDENTS’ DESCRIPTIVE TEXT WRITING (A Descriptive Research at the First Grade of SMA Negeri Ajibarang in Academic Year 2015/2016) - repository perpustakaan

0 0 13

2. Generic Structure of Descriptive Text - AN ANALYSIS OF GRAMMATICAL ERRORS ON THE STUDENTS’ DESCRIPTIVE TEXT WRITING (A Descriptive Research at the First Grade of SMA Negeri Ajibarang in Academic Year 2015/2016) - repository perpustakaan

0 0 14