Identification of the Problem

is basically a process that involves the making of errors. Fortunately, the learner could learn from making those errors. Based on the statements above it shows that error analysis is a way to analyze errors that students make when they are in a process of the target language learning, as information for teachers, in which they can determine what next step in preventing their students from the same errors and improving their teaching effectiveness in language class.

1. Definition of Error

Learning a language is fundamentally a process that involves making mistakes or errors. The mistakes include vocabulary items, grammatical pattern, and sound patterns as well. Errors in a foreign language teaching especially in English are the cases which are difficult to avoid. Jeremy Harmer stated, “Errors are parts of the students’ inter-lingual that is the version of the language which a student has at any one stage of development”. 4 The fact that the students make errors and these errors can be observed and classified led to a surge of the study of students’ errors can be analyzed. 5 Based on the explanation above, the writer assumes that the student may make an error when they learnt o ther language. They can’t avoid making an error. Since they think that there are many differences grammatical form and they have a lack competence in this foreign language. Hubbard states “Errors caused by lack of knowledge about the target language English or by incorrect hypotheses about it; and mistakes caused by temporary lapses of memory, confusion, slips of the tongue and so on”. 6 James differentiates between errors and mistakes. He defines errors as a systematic mistakes due to lack of language competence while mistakes refer to 4 Jeremy Harmer, The Practice of Language Teaching, London: Longman Inc, 2001, p. 100. 5 Brown, op.cit, p. 259. 6 Peter Hubbard, A Training Course for TEFL, New York: Oxford University Press, 1983,p.134.