Table 4.7 The students’ achievement in preposition for
Type of Preposition
Number of errors Total
Number of Errors
Total Number of
Items Percentage
of errors Part A
Part B For
113 40
153 686
22,3
Based on the table showed above, the errors that the students produced in the preposition for is quite low, in which it achieves 22,3. It can be determined
that from 686 items that were tested, there were only 153 errors. Compared to the preposition to, the preposition for contributes to the easier type of preposition that
the students are familiar with and lower percentage of errors.
Table 4.8 The students’ achievement in preposition to
Type of Preposition
Number of errors Total
Number of Errors
Total Number of
Items Percentage
of errors Part A
Part B To
151 105
256 833
30,7
It can be concluded through the table above that the students’ achievement in the preposition to is relatively low. There were 256 numbers of errors that the
students made from the total number of items of preposition to 833. It also can be seen that the percentage of the errors were 30,7. Among the preposition for,
preposition to contributes to more difficult type of preposition and quite harder to apply in a sentence than preposition for.
4. The Discussion of the Students’ Mastery of Prepositions for and to
Considering the result of the test has been presented on the data analysis, it is found that, although most of the students 18 students can enter the category of
good, the main point to discuss about is the students’ difficulties in mastering the prepositions for and to, in which there are still many errors that the students have
made in the test. The discussion about students’ accuracy and difficulties in mastering the prepositions for and to is presented below.
a. The Students’ Accuracy in Mastering English Prepositions for and to
Throughout the data analysis, it is revealed that most of the students 18 have passed the category of “good”. Furthermore, their average score is 23
73,06, which is above the minimum passing score of the test 56. Thus, the mastery of the students in using English prepositions for and to is no longer
questioned. Granted that the students’ mastery in using the English prepositions for and to is satisfied, the fact is that there are many difficulties the students have faced
in applying those prepositions.
b. The Students’ Difficulties in Applying English Prepositions for and to
This part covers the detailed discussions concerning the students’ difficulties in mastering the English Prepositions for and to. This only focuses on
the discussion about the application of prepositions for and to in the test.
i. The Students’ Difficulties in Mastering The Preposition for
According to the description concerning the errors made by the students in using English preposition for see table 4.7, the total number of errors that the
students made in the test was 153. This preposition is considered to be easier compared to preposition to because the percentage of the errors is quite low, which
is 22,3 from the total number of items 686 items. In part A, there were 113 number of errors whereas in part B there were 40 number of errors. Some of the
errors are listed below: a Item number 3 Part A
They were eager __________ revenge. There were only 21 students 43 answered this item correctly. Then the
rest, which were 28 students 57, answered this item incorrectly because they filled the blank with preposition to. The incorrect sentence that the students made
during the test is: They were eager to revenge. It can be assumed that most of the students who answered this sentence
considered the preposition to was suitable to be put before the word revenge. The problem was the students might think that the word revenge is a verb, so that it
should be placed after preposition to to + infinitive. The fact is that, the word revenge refers to a noun pembalasan dendam. Therefore, the correct answer
should be: They were eager for revenge.
Based on the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary 8th Edition, the preposition for in this sentence is used to obtain something. The pronoun they
conveys a strong desire to obtain something, which is “having” a revenge. In conclusion, the appropriate preposition to be used in this sentence is for.
b Item number 5 Part A We had been talking __________ a good half hour.
It is revealed from the data that the students’ achievement in answering this item is high, in which there were only three students 6 who answered it
incorrectly. The rest, which was 46 students 94, could answer it correctly. It can be concluded that most of the students already have mastered one of the
function of preposition for, in which it is used to show length of time. When we discuss the time when something happens in a period of time, we would rather
use the preposition for rather than to. Thus, the correct answer should be: We had
been talking for a good half hour.
c Item number 6 Part A Shaking your head __________ “NO” is not universal.
The data reveals that there were only four students 8 who answered this item incorrectly, whereas most of the students 45 students could answer this item
correctly. It can be summed up that the students’ achievement through this item is high, in which the percentage reaches 92. The correct answer, in which most of
the students can use the preposition for correctly is: Shaking your head for “NO”
is not universal. According to Collin Cobuild English Guides, this sentence discusses the
use of preposition for; a word for another word or for a thing means the same as
that word, or refers to that thing 1991: 35. In this case, “shaking head” may reveal “the statement of NO”, yet it is not universal or may not always exist in everywhere.
