Sources of Error Error Analysis

4. Procedures of Error Analysis

According to Muriel Saville said that there are several steps in the procedure for analyzing learner errors. They are collection of a sample of learner language, identification of errors, description of errors, explanation of errors, and evaluation of errors. a. Collection of a sample of learner language In this step, the data are collected from some learners who answer the task or test that is suitable to the objective of the study. b. Identification of errors In the identification of errors the researchers are determinate the sample of the learner which deviate from the target language in some way. c. Description of errors In this step, the errors are usually classified according to language level whether an error is phonological, morphological, syntactic, etc, general linguistic category auxiliary system, passive sentence, etc, or more specific linguistic elements e.g. articles, preposition, etc. d. Explanation of errors In the explanation of errors, the researchers have to analyze why an error was made by the learners. The researchers also have to find the causes or sources of error that made by the learners. e. Evaluation of errors This step involves analysis of what effect the error has on whoever is being addressed. 27 In another theory, Penny Ur said there are four stages to analyze the learner errors. They are gathering samples, classifying, ordering, and reordering. 27 Muriel Saville Troike, Introducing Second Language Acquisition, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2008, p. 39 a. Gathering samples In this step, the researcher has to gather several learners’ writing sample to analyze. b. Classifying In the second step, the researcher has to classify or categorize the students mistake or errors that the most common. c. Ordering Then, the researcher makes a list of the most common mistakes or error that learners made. d. Reordering In the last st ep rearrange the list of student’s error to make sure and it is very necessary for the error correction. 28

B. General Concept of Verb

1. Understanding of Verbs

The verb is indispensable: without it no sentence can be made. A verb is needed to express the thought, and the verb is the only part of speech that can by itself express a thought. So, because of their prime importance, verbs must be thoroughly studied and mastered. 29 Verb has an important role in a sentence to express our thought, because of it the learners have to study and master it. The basic building blocks of English sentences are subject and verbs. Mastering both of them is an important step toward mastering a number of sentences. All sentences consist of a subject and a verb. Subject means who or what the sentence speaks about, and verb means what the sentence says about the subject. 30 When people just write or speak the 28 Penny Ur, A Course in Language Teaching: Practice and Theory, London: Cambridge University Press, 1996, p.86 29 James C. Fernald, English Grammar Simplified, New York: Barnes Noble Books, 1979 p. 79 30 John Langan, English skills Seventh Addition, New York: Mc Graw Hill, 2001, p. 411 subject in hisher writing or speaking, it means that heshe doesn’t speak a sentence. Silvia Robertson said that a verb in general is the key to the meaning of the sentence. 31 The verb is the most important thing in a sentence because a verb is a keyword to express the meaning in a sentence. So, without verb, it cannot be called as a sentence. Verb is one of part of speech that consists of noun, pronoun, verb, adverb, preposition, preposition, conjunction, and interjection. In the book “how to teach” by Jeremy Harmer, verb is a word or group of words which is used in describing an action experience or state. 32 So, verbs have the functions in a sentence to express an action, experience, state, etc. The verb is the chief determinant of what kind of situation it is: an action I opened the window, some other event the building collapsed, a state They know the rules, and so on. 33 This definition is almost similar with the definition from Penny Ur and James C. Fernald as follows:  Penny Ur said that verbs are often called words of doing, such as walk, write, read etc. they also indicate a state of being such as seems , state of feeling such as regret, and a state of being in relationship to. 34  According to James C. Fernald, verb is a word that expresses action or state of being. Among verbs expressing action are walk, run, ride, go, come, look, see, call, etc. Among verbs expressing emotion and state of being are be, exist, seem, appear, remain, etc. 35 Actually the three of them give a definition that verbs express an action, event, state of being, feeling or emotion etc. So, verb has many functions to express our thought in a sentence. 31 Hodder Stoughton, Parken Verboten Teach Yourself : German Verbs, German: Hodder Headline, 2003, p. 2 32 Jeremy Harmer, op cit., p. 65 33 Rodney Huddleston and Geoffrey K. Pullum, A Student’s Introduction to English Grammar, Cambridge: Cambridge, 2010, p. 17 34 Penny Ur, op. cit., p. 80 35 James C. Fernald, op. cit., p. 79 From a semantic standpoint, verbs serve several purposes, such as to equate X with Y, to indicate state or condition and to indicate the performance of action. 36 For example: Table 2.5 The example of verbs purposes in the semantic 1. To equate X with Y Nasya is a nurse 2. To indicate state or condition Talitha seems sick today 3. To indicate the performance of action Salsa read a book.

2. Kinds of Verb

The term main verb refers to the word that expresses action or helps to make a statement complete. Even though the main verb consists of one word, it may have helping verbs in front of it. 37 Without verb, a statement or sentence cannot be a complete statement or complete sentence. Verbs are variable lexemes. They have a number of different inflectional forms that are required or permitted in various grammatical contexts. 38 The most distinctive grammatical property of verbs is their inflection. 39 Inflectional is variation in the form of a lexeme determined by syntactic properties like singular and plural number in nouns, preterite and present tense in verbs. 40 Actually, the preterite form is similar to the past form of verb, such as watch – watched – watched. 36 Richard V. Teschner and Eston Evans, Analyzing the Grammar of English A Brief Undergradate Textbook, Second Edition, Washington: Georgetown University Press, 2000, p. 11 37 Barbara Hansen and Rebecca McDaniel, Simplifed Sentence Skills, Chicago: NTC Publishing Group, 1998, p. 4 38 Rodney Huddleston and Geoffrey K. Pullum, op. cit., p. 29 39 Ibid., p. 17 40 Ibid., p. 301