STUDENTS’ ABILITY TO USE ENGLISH PUNCTUATION IN THE PROCESS OF WRITING AT ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF MUHAMMADIYAH UNIVERSITY OF YOGYAKARTA BATCH 2014
Students’ Ability to Use English Punctuation in the Process of Writing at English
Education Department of Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta Batch 2014
A Skripsi
Submitted to the Faculty of Language Education
In a Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
For the Degree
Sarjana Pendidikan
Didin Bagas Irawan
20120540060
English Education Departement
Faculty of Language Education
Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta
2016
2
Chapter One
Introduction
In this chapter, the researcher presents the introduction of this research
which is divided into seven parts. The parts are: background of the study,
statement of the problem, limitation of the problem, research questions, objectives
of the study, significance of the study, and outline of the study. Background of the
study provides some theories and reason as foundation of the research. In the
statement of the problem, the researcher shows the problems that will be
discussed. After that, the researcher limits the problem in limitation of the
problem. The researcher also provides two research questions. Then, the
researcher states the aim of the research in the objectives of the study. In the
significance of the study, the researcher writes the benefits of the research for the
lecturers, the students, and future researchers. The last is outline of the study that
contains all of the parts of this research.
Background of the Study
Punctuation mark is used to create good writers. Hourani (2008, p.36) said
“another prevalent belief is that teachers should focus in the mechanics of writing:
spelling, punctuation and sentence structure to create good writers”. Based on
Hourani, teachers should focus on punctuation to make the student become good
writers. Punctuation marks are rules that we should follow in writing to write
sentences correctly. It means that the writer must use punctuation correctly in the
writing and also know how to put punctuation marks in the right. Similar with the
3
opinion from Soule, Whiteley, and McIntosh (2007, p. 17-18) who said “this
insouciance, to publish professionally you need to write correctly punctuated,
formal English—and it is best to sort this out sooner rather than later. This
includes putting apostrophes in the right place in possessives (its, his vs. it’s, he’s;
dogs vomit, dog’s vomit, dogs’ vomit all mean different things) and knowing how
to use semi-colons. This is not just pedantry: appropriate punctuation allows a
reader to analyze a sentence efficiently and to read more quickly”. Another
definition comes from Straus. Straus (2008, p.52-68) said “the kinds of
punctuation are: periods, ellipsis mark, commas, semicolons, question mark,
exclamation points, parentheses, hyphen, dashes.” Sudilah (2015, p.88) stated
“punctuation marks are devices for making the writing clear and lucid”.
Punctuation is very important for English language learners. Sudilah
(2015, p.87) stated “punctuation, therefore, plays an important role in developing
writing skills”. Students should understand how to use punctuation marks
correctly. Similarly, the students should know the role of punctuation marks in a
paragraph or sentence. So, the teacher could make students aware that punctuation
is important part in writing sentence or a paragraph. The teacher should build
students’ awareness about the importance of punctuation mark. In the future,
students can know how to use punctuation mark correctly especially in writing
correctly. Sudilah (2015, p.88) also stated that “the exclamation mark, the
question marks, and the full stop are then, basic stop-and-go signals regarding the
grammatical traffic”.
4
In the other hand, punctuation have some functions in writing. In this
study the researcher shows the functions of using punctuation mark in writing.
Awad (2012, P.213) said that “punctuation has three important functions:
1.Phonetic Function: this is very important, since punctuation marks show clearly
the rhythm, pauses and tone inflexions in a written document : a written document
has a tone. 2. Grammatical Function: punctuation is used in direct style: to form
interrogations: to mark emphatic content; to highlight syntactic elements
displaced from their natural positions; and to build the structure of the sentences,
complex sentences, paragraph, document, etc. 3. Semantic Function: punctuation
helps learners understand the meaning of particular words/ phrases by marking/
highlighting, bolds, capitals, etc”. The Similar opinion comes from Benzer Ahmet
(2010, p.1879) that said” essential element of punctuation rules in written
language and spoken language are of great importance in the article reflected.
Incorrect use of punctuation rules causes both that the oral language is transferred
incorrectly to written one and the language is not used correctly. Without
punctuation marks, reading would be a very difficult task, as it should have been
for the earliest readers.” That is why we cannot leave punctuation mark in writing
paragraph.
Although punctuation is very important, the students still feel difficult
when they write paragraph using correct punctuation mark. According to Jung
(2013, p. 133), “Some students made several errors about punctuation: some felt it
hard to identify the proper punctuation with peer-review feedback.” Based on
Jung statements, we can see that some students made error and felt difficult in
5
identifying punctuation mark correctly. Then, Ulla (2014, P.43) stated that
“Pronoun-antecedent agreement and omission and misuse of punctuation marked
the highest number of errors in the composition of the respondents.” Malaysian
ESL Students also had a problem with punctuation marks. Ghabool, Edwina, and
Kashef (2012, p. 138) said, “According to the teachers’ responses, students
usually have problems or confusion in using question mark, colon or semicolon,
apostrophes, and commas while writing essays. It is necessary for teachers to take
punctuation problems of students into account, especially when they are
correcting students’ essays.” From these statement above, the researcher know
that some student had problem in using punctuation mark correctly. It means that
the student not master the skill in using punctuation mark correctly.
Based on the researcher experience when studying at English Education
Department of Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (EED UMY) especially
when the researcher did close book journal, the researcher found that some
students made mistakes when they wrote a paragraph especially in using
punctuation. They supposed to have mastered the skills in using punctuation when
they write a paragraph, because they already know and have more experience of
using punctuation in writing. However, EED students still make mistakes in their
writing using punctuation marks. So, the researcher was interested in carry out
research in EED students’ ability to use English Punctuation in the process of
writing English by taking batch 2014 students as the participants.
6
Statement of the Problem
Punctuation is the basic skill in writing English that EED students should
master. This skill is needed for EED students to make good paragraph writing.
However, some students still feel difficult in the writing of paragraph using
correct punctuation marks. There are some mistakes that students made in using
punctuation marks. This shows that students have not mastered the skill in using
correct punctuation marks in writing. So, the students probably will repeat their
mistakes when they write a paragraph. The problem in this study is that the
students commonly makes mistake in various kinds of punctuation marks as seen
in the background of this research
Limitation of the Problem
It is important to make the limitation of the problem to avoid
misunderstanding and to clarify the problem. As showed in the title, the researcher
focused on EED students in Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta Batch
2014. The kinds of punctuation mark that the researchers identified in students’
errors were the use of full stops, commas, question marks, apostrophes, and
quotation marks. The reason why the researcher chose these kinds of punctuation
mark was that these five kinds of punctuation marks should be mastered by the
students in writing and they are usually found in academic writing paragraph.
7
Research Questions
1. How is EED students’ ability in using punctuation in the process of
writing English?
2. What is the most common mistake made by the EED students in using
punctuation marks?
Objectives of the Study
The objectives in this study are:
-
To know the EED students’ ability in using punctuation mark in
writing.
-
To find the most common mistakes are made by EED students
when using punctuation in the process of writing English.
Significance of the Study
This research provide some information about the benefits of this research.
The benefits are for the lecturer of EED UMY. The second is for the students of
EED UMY batch 2014. The third is for the future researcher.
For the Lecturers. This research is beneficial for the lecturers. First,
based on this research, the lecturers of EED UMY can know the students’ ability
in using punctuation mark in the process of writing. Second, this research also
could be a review for the teachers to know how far the understanding of EED
UMY batch 2014 students’ ability in writing especially in using punctuation. So,
the lecturers also can evaluate their teaching especially in writing.
8
For the students. This research is beneficial for the students. First, this
study is beneficial for the students as an information of EED students’ ability in
using English punctuation in the process of learning language to make the
students more aware about how to use punctuation correctly. So, from this
research the students of EED UMY batch 2014 can evaluate themselves in using
punctuation mark.
For the future researchers. This study is also beneficial for the future
researchers to conduct and develop a research related to the topic. For the future
researcher, this research may be a reference to conduct a research that has relation
with this topic. So, other researchers can give contribution to find the solution for
the students.
Outline of the Study
In this study, the researcher divides this research report into five chapters.
The first chapter is introduction which consists of the background of study,
limitation of the study, objectives of the study, significance of the study, and
outline of the study.
The second chapter is literature review which consists of English
punctuation, punctuation in the writing, common error punctuation in the writing,
and review of related study. In English punctuation, the researcher shows the
definition of punctuation mark. It follow by punctuation in the writing, common
error punctuation in the writing, review of related study, factors of punctuation
error, writing, and the importance of punctuation mark in writing as additional
9
information in this research .The third chapter is about research methodology. The
research methodology discusses the research design, setting of the research, the
population of the research, the sample, research instrument, the data collection
method, and the data analysis.
The fourth chapter talks about the findings and discussion. In this part the
researcher concludes and discusses all the data and final result of the research.
The last chapter is conclusion and suggestion. In this section the researcher
discusses the conclusion of the research. The researcher also gives some
suggestions about using English punctuation in the process of writing English.
11
Chapter Two
Literature Review
In this study, the researcher shows definition and theory in literature
review. The researcher writes some definition of punctuation marks taken from
some researchers. Then, the researcher also adds review of related study that
contains some research results taken from some researchers. The last is conceptual
framework. The researcher takes summary from the theory from some researchers
before.
English Punctuation
According to Jones (1994, p.421) “punctuation, as we consider it, can be
defined as the central part of the range of non-lexical orthography”. Allthough
arguments could be made for including the sub-lexical marks (e.g. hyphens,
apostrolphes ) and structural marlcs (e.g. bullets in itemisations), they are
excluded since they tend to be lexicalised or rather difficult to represent,
respectively.
The other concept comes from Samson (2014, p.23). He said, “punctuation
enables us to clarify statements and communicate better with readers.” It is similar
with the opinion from Ritter (2001, p. 112) said that “Punctuation exists to clarify
meaning in the written word and to facilitate reading. Too much can hamper
understanding through an uneven, staccato text, while too little can lead to
misreading. Within the framework of a few basic rules (fewer still in fiction), an
12
author's choice of punctuation is an ingredient of style as personal as his or her
choice of words.”
Writing
Writing is an outward expression of what is going on in the writer’s mind
(Hussain, Hanif, Asif, and Rehman, 2013). Furthermore, according to Hussain et
al (2013), “writing is the visual medium through which graphical and grammatical
system of a language is manifested” (p.832). Another statement writing is a
“complex process which demands cognitive analysis and linguistic synthesis”
(Ridha, 2012, p.22). Yi, (2009, p. 53) said, “The definition of writing ability can
be formed depending as teachers and philosophy of writing, taken into
consideration characteristic of learners and aims in a given context.” Other
statement about writing come from Adas and Bakir. Adas and Bakir (2013, p.
254) said, “writing is an intricate and complex task; it is the most difficult of all
the language to aquire”.
However, writing also can improve the grammatical and lexical accuracy
in writing English. Chandler (2003, p. 272) said, students were given extensive
practice in reading and writing in a genre and about content they were familiar
with in order to focus on improving both their reading and writing fluency and the
grammatical and lexical accuracy of their self-expression in writing English.”
Younnes and Albalawi also said, (2015.p.8)“writing requires knowing the factors
that influence both its process and product.”
13
Punctuation in the Writing English
According to Noris (2015, p.53) punctuation term is “Period/ full stop (.),
comma (,), semicolon (:), hypen (-), “n” dash/ “m” dash (--), dot (for the net)
(www.hesinki.fi), decimal point (2.5), parentheses/ brackets ( () ), braces/ curly
brackets ( {} ), exclamation mark (!), question mark (?), Slash, slant line,
diagonal, stroke, virgule (/), backlash (\), apostrophe (‘), quotation marks (“” ; ‘’),
ellipsis dots(. . .) asterisk (not comic asterix!) (*), superscript (�
5
), subscript
(� �)”.
According to Starus (2008, p52) “the kinds of punctuation are: Periods,
Ellipsis Marks, Commas, Semicolons, Colons, Question Marks, Exclamation
Points, Quotation Marks, Parentheses, Apostrophes, Hyphen, Dashes”.
For more detail, there are of kinds of punctuation symbol with some
explanation and how to use it as explain by Straus (2008).
The Full Stop (.). The main of using full stop is to end of a sentence. Full
stop could not apply in question sentence or exclamation sentence. It usually has
two function there are: to end of a sentence and to write the title of degree. The
example of using full stop to end of a sentences: I know that you would never
break m trust. . Then, the example of full stop to write the tittle of degree: Dr,.
Sp.d., M.si., Prof.
The Comma (,). There are 8 function and example of using comma. First,
the coma also use to separate three or more words of the same part. Example: My
$20 million estate is to be split among my husband, daughter, son, and nephew.
Second, used comma is to separate two adjectives when the word “and” can be
14
inserted. Example: He is a strong, healthy man. Third, use comma to surrounding
the name or the title. Example: Will you, Aisha, do that assignment for me?
Fourth, to separate the day, year, and place. Example: Rico met her husband on
the December 5, 2003, in New York. Fifth, use comma to interrupt the flow of the
sentence and the example is: I am, as you have probably this, let me know. The
next, use comma to separate two sentences to avoid from confusion. Example: I
choose the colors yellow and green, and black was his first choice. Then, use full
stop to separate a statement from a question. Example: I can go, can’t I? And use
full stop to separate contrasting of a sentence. Example: This my money, not
yours.
The question mark (?). The question mark probably used to ask question.
It does not follow with the full stop in the end of the sentence .There are two
function using question mark. First, use question mark to ask only direct question.
Example: Will you go home with me. Secondly, question mark used when the
sentence is half statement or half question. Example: You trust me, don’t you?
Semicolon (;). Semicolons used to separate items in a list to divide two
sentences where the conjunction was not use. There are three function of using
semicolon. First, use semicolon to divide two sentences where the conjunction
was not use. There are two examples: Call me tomorrow; I will give you my
answer then; I have paid my dues; therefore, I except all the privileges listed in
the contract. Then, semicolon used to make sentences using semicolon before
introductory words. Example: You will want to bring many backpacking items;
for example, sleeping bags, pans and warm clothing will make the trip better.
15
Third, to separate units of a series when one or more of the units use comma.
Example: This conference has people who have come from Boise, Idaho; Los
Angeles, California; and Nashville, Tennessee.
Colons (:). Colons is one of many parts of punctuation marks. It usually
used to introduce a list of ideas or explanation. There are two functions and
examples of using colons. First, Use colon after a complete to introduce a list of
items. Example: You may be required to bring many items: sleeping bags, pans,
and warm clothing. Secondly, use to follow the salutation if a business letter
when addressing someone by his/ her first name. Example: Dear Ms. Rodriguez.
Exclamation points (!). Use exclamation points is to show expression of
surprise or emphasis. This kind of punctuation mark is very strong in showing
expression. So, we cannot use exclamation points in formal situations. Example:
I’m going to hit you! , I’m very shocked with your argument!
Quotation mark (“..”). Quotation marks is used to cite what the words
that the people have said or direct speech. Quotation marks also can used to
quoting someone else speech. There are three functions and examples using
quotation mark. First, period and comma always go inside quotation mark.
Example: The sign changed from “Walk,” to “Don’t walk,” to “Walk” again
within thirty seconds. Then, if a question is in quotation marks, the question mark
should be place inside the quotation marks. Example: She asked, “Will you still
be my friend?” Third, Use single quotation mark for quotes within quotes.
Example: He said, “Danea said, ‘Do not threat me that way.’”
16
Apostrophe (’). Apostrophe usually used to show possession. However,
apostrophe also have many functions in writing. There are six function and
example of using apostrophe in writing. First, Use apostrophe with contractions.
Example: She’s a great teacher. Secondly, Use apostrophe to show possession.
Example: One boy’s car. Third, use the apostrophes where the noun shows
possession. Example: This was his father’s, not his, wallet. Then, to show plural
possession. Example: Two children’s hat, Student’s ability. The next, use
apostrophe and s after the second name show two people possess the same item.
Example: Caesar and Maria’s job contracts will be renewed next year. Sixth, use
apostrophe for it’s. Example: It’s been great getting to know you, it’s a nice day.
Hyphens (-). Hyphens probably used to join words units. Meanwhile,
hyphen had various function. They are also used to join prefixes, suffixes, and
letters to words. There are 4 function and examples of using hyphen. First,
hyphenate all compound numbers from twenty-one through ninety-one. Example:
The teacher had thirty-two children in her classroom. Second, hyphenate prefixes.
Example: Un-American. Then, hyphenate all words with self at the beginning.
Example: Self-respect, self-assured. Fourth, use hyphen with the prefix ex.
Example: His ex-wife will come to your birthday.
From the explanation above, the researcher know that punctuation marks
have many various and different functions. A punctuation mark usually does not
have one function. A punctuation mark can have two or three function in writing
sentence with different aim of the sentence. English language learners should
know the function of punctuation mark. Especially in writing, English language
17
learner need to know what is the function in every kind of punctuation marks. The
students should understand how to apply every kind of punctuation in writing
English or in a sentence.
Common Error Punctuation in the Writing English
In this study, the researcher represent some results that taken from
researchers. From the results we know what kind of mistakes that the students
made, and how many the mistakes that made by students. There are all of the
results that the researcher taken from some sources
Secondly is research result from Sudilah (2015) that the tittle is
Punctuation Errors by The Fourth Semester Students of The English Department.
This research had been conducted in Ahmad Dahlan University Yogyakarta. The
participant of this research is 30 students and the researcher take 29 final
examination papers as the sample. According to Sudilah (2015,p92) “The study
indicates that from the 29 final examination papers: 1) there are 59 cases of errors
found, covering four kinds of punctuation marks – full stop (4 cases), commas (36
cases), apostrophe ( 5 cases), and quotation mark (4 cases). 2) The ability of
students in using punctuation marks ranges from to 9 kinds. Of the eleven kinds of
punctuation marks the majority of the students use 5 to 6 kinds in their
examination works. Only 1 student (3,44%) uses 9 kinds of punctuation, 2
students (6,90%) use 7 kinds,19 students (65,51%) use 5 to 6 kinds and 3 students
(10,34%) use 4 kinds, 4 students (13,80%) use 2 to 3 kinds of punctuation marks.”
Next, research from Awad (2012) that the title is The Most Common
Punctuation Errors Made by the English and the TEFL Majors at An-Najah
18
University. This research is to check the most common punctuation mistakes that
made by the English and the TEFL majors at AN-Najah Universities students. The
participant is 100 students from An-Najah University which consists of 45 males
and 55 females. This following table is the result of the research.
Table 1.0
Punctuation Marks
Comma
Frequencies
Percentage %
232
45%
Semicolon
25
4.80%
Period
83
16.26%
Quotation
65
12.64%
Capital Letters
109
21.20%
Total
514
100%
Table 9 shows that the most common mistakes made by the English and
the TEFL majors at An-Najah National University during the second semester
2009- 2010 were the comma, the capital letter, the period, quotation marks , and
semicolon respectively.
The findings from the Akampirigie and Benjamin’s research shows that 63
% of students could not identify more than 50 % of the question marks, 2, 10% of
the students could not identify the colon, 13 % of the students could not able to
semi colons, 4, 70 of the students failed to identify the quotation mark. The
19
statement shows full stop had the bigger mistake in using punctuation mark. It
means the students in Polytechnic in Ghana made a lot mistake using punctuation
mark in writing.
The last is research result from Khansir (2013). The title of this research is
Error Analysis and Second Language Writing. This research was conducted in
Bushehr University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Iran. The
participant of this research is 200 students in the age range of 20 to 24 at under
graduate level in Mysore, India as ESL learners and Bushehr, Iran as EFL
learners. Khansir (2013, p. 367) said that. “In punctuation, the largest number of
errors observed is the use of semi colon in this category. In this sub- category, the
number of the Iranian students‟ errors was 134 which came to 20% and their
Indian peers' errors were 140 that constituted 19.5% of errors in punctuation. The
minimum number of errors was quotation mark. In this sub- category, the Iranian
students committed 50 errors which came to 7.5% and the Indian students' errors
were 48. They constituted 6.7% of errors. These errors were essentially the result
of the learners did not know the basic rules of punctuation. They misused a series
of the punctuation marks at their appropriate places.”
According to Wati (2014)” types of addition error in using punctuation
mark in writing essay are: comma with the frequency and 6 (37,5%), Period with
frequency is are 3 (18,75%), Apostrophe, question mark and Exclamation mark
have same frequency and percentage are 2 (12,5%), and colon with frequency is 1
(6,25). Based on Wati’s statement, comma is the biggest mistake in using
20
punctuation in writing. It means that students made a lot mistake using comma in
the writing.
Based on the findings from some researcher above, there are some mistake
made by students in using punctuation mark in writing. The most common
mistake that students made from some researcher above is different. It means that
every students from some researcher above had different the most mistake in
using punctuation mark especially in writing. According on the findings above,
the students had still challenging using comma in the writing. From these
findings, using comma was dominate the mistake using punctuation correctly in
the writing with occupy the first and second place of the most mistake using
punctuation marks in the writing.
Factors of punctuation error
In this study, the researcher shows the factor of punctuation error made by
students. The researcher took from some other researcher statement to show the
factor the student made error using punctuation. According to Jung (2013, p.133)
“Many may believe using the appropriate punctuation is not important, so students
made a lot of errors with punctuation”. From this statement we know that the
students not aware in using punctuation correctly in writing. The students think
that using appropriate punctuation is not important.
Other factors show that students made mistakes in using punctuation mark
in writing. According to Afrin (2016, p.109) “sometimes their long sentences
became proper loaded sentence without proper punctuation”. The statement from
Afrin shows that students made mistake in using punctuation mark when students
21
write long sentences without proper punctuation mark. In the other words,
students could not put correct punctuation mark when they write long sentences.
Then, the factor of punctuation error was also caused by students’
confusion and difficulty when using punctuation mark in writing. Alamin and
Ahmed (2012, 7) said, “Experienced teachers of English as a second language
have noticed punctuation to be extremely difficult and confusing for many ESL/
EFL students”. This statement shows the factor of punctuation error the students
made is because students feel difficult and confused in using punctuation
correctly.
The Importance of Punctuation
Punctuation is very important for English language learner. The student
should know the role of using punctuation mark in writing. Doran (1998 p.)
“punctuation helps us to structure, and thus to understand text”. Based on Doran,
we know that punctuation mark could help the writer had good structure in written
sentence and make the sentence clearly.
Other statement the importance of punctuation come from Ritter. Ritter
(2002, p.10) stated “the wording, punctuation, and capitalization of part and
chapter titles must be consistent” Based on Ritter, writer must be consistent use
punctuation mark in writing. It mean that the writer must be consistent using
punctuation mark correctly in writing.
The similar opinion come from Benzer (2010, p. 1879) that said “without
punctuation marks, reading would be a very difficult task”. This opinion means
22
that the writer should put punctuation mark in their writing. Because the reader
feel difficult when they read the written text made by the writer.
The statement from Awad also show the importance of punctuation mark.
Awad (2012, p.213) said that ““punctuation has three important functions:
1.Phonetic Function: this is very important, since punctuation marks show clearly
the rhythm, pauses and tone inflexions in a written document : a written document
has a tone. 2. Grammatical Function: punctuation is used in direct style: to form
interrogations: to mark emphatic content; to highlight syntactic elements
displaced from their natural positions; and to build the structure of the sentences,
complex sentences, paragraph, document, etc. 3. Semantic Function: punctuation
helps learners understand the meaning of particular words/ phrases by marking/
highlighting, bolds, capitals, etc”.
Review of Related Study
In this part, the researcher will shows the statements from some
researcher. The statements from some researcher are to know that the problem of
using punctuation, the reason the students made mistake in using punctuation, and
potential of students made mistake using punctuation mark.
Based on Samson (2014, P.25-26) “Many writers have trouble punctuating
correctly because they have not read enough well-written prose to internalize the
principles of punctuation usage, or they were taught by the pause approach”.
According to the statement before, writers had problem using punctuation mark in
writing .It means that writers probably made mistake using punctuation marks
correctly.
23
Based on research from Awad (2012, p.227) “Students in the early
academic levels made punctuation errors more than students in the higher
academic levels. This finding is due to the impact of studying more courses. The
more exposure the students have to language, the fewer mistakes they make in
their dealing with the punctuation marks.” Based on the statement above, students
in the early semester potentially made a lot of mistake in using punctuation marks
than students in the higher academic level.
Based on Khansir (2013) “Iranian foreign language learners were not are
of rules of paragraph writing of English.” From this statement, the researcher
know that the Iranian learners does not aware with the rules of paragraph writing.
It means that the students made mistake in using punctuation might cause by
students not aware with the rules of paragraph writing of English. However one of
many rules of paragraph writing of English is punctuation mark.
Based on Akampirigie and Benjamin “Students of the Polytechnics in
Ghana still have greater challenges in identifying punctuation marks in written
text as well as using these punctuation marks appropriately I their own free
writing”. According to the statement, students of the Polytechnics in Ghana still
had difficulties when the students writing using punctuation mark correctly. It
means that the students still made mistake in using punctuation marks correctly.
Khansir, Ahrami, and Hajivandi stated that“ The maximum errors made by
the subjects were from the real of punctuation is (1387) The number of errors
made by the Indian students in the use of punctuation was 718which came to 22%
for errors in punctuation. Based on the statement before, Indian students made
24
some errors in using punctuation. It means that the students had difficulties in
using punctuation mark correctly.
From some statements above, the researcher could take some point from
these research. Many writers or students had problem using punctuation mark.
The students also still had greater challenges in identifying punctuation marks.
The students in early academic level potentially had more problem using
punctuation mark than student in the highest academic level. The students
probably made mistake cause the students not aware with the rule of paragraph
writing of English (punctuation mark).
Conceptual Framework
According to the researchs above, the researcher can take summary of the
definition of English Punctuation as the central part of the range of non-lexical
orthography. Punctuation also enables the writers to clarify statements and
communicate better with readers.
Following the theory above about punctuation in the English writing, the
researcher found some rule of punctuation that we use in English writing and
there are : capital letters, full stops, commas, semicolons, colons, apostrophes,
quotation marks, parentheses, brackets, and dashes.
From the theory above the researcher can know that some students had
some common mistakes when write English. As seen in the finding from Sudilah
(2015), student make mistake in using full stop (4 cases), commas (36 cases),
apostrophes (5 cases), and quotation mark (4 cases). Based on the theory
presented in the literature review, the researcher focused on finding the ability and
25
the mistakes in using full stop, comma, question mark, apostrophes, and quotation
mark. The conceptual framework of this research is presented on the following
chart 1.0.
26
Chart 1.0
Conceptual Framework
The test of paragraph writing used to identify the
types of errors for this study. The tests were chosen to
examine the ability of the subjects in selecting the
correct paragraph writing rules in English. (Khansir,
Ahrami, Hajivandi, 2013, P.233)
“The second exercise was an essay type
question which was meant to test
students’ ability to write on their own
using punctuation marks appropriately”
(Oscar & Benjamin, 2014, P.9,)
Test
Full Stop (.), Commas (,), Question Mark (?), Apostrophes (‘), quotation mark
(“..”)
1: Students’ ability in using punctuation marks
2: The most mistake in using punctuation made by the EED students
27
Chapter Three
Methodology
This chapter shows the methodology of this study, and discusses how the
study was conducted. It is divided into five parts: Research Design, Setting of the
Research, Population and Sample, Data Collection Method, and Data Analysis. In
the research design, the researcher explains about the design of the study and the
reason of choosing the design. The researcher also mentions the statements from
some researchers to support the idea. In population and sample, the researcher
mentions the number of the sample and the methods that the researcher used for
this study. In the data collection method, the researcher explains the ways to
gather the data. The last is data analysis. In this part the researcher shows some
steps in analyzing the data.
Research Design
This research used a quantitative research. Creswell (2008, p.249) defined
quantitative research as “any study using numerical data with an emphasis on
statistics to answer the research question”. The researcher chose quantitative
design because to answer the research questions, the researcher used the numbers
to represent the data. The data were the number of frequencies and percentage that
showed the student’s ability in using punctuation marks at English Education
Department of UMY batch 2014.
28
Setting of the Research
This research was conducted at EED UMY. The researcher chose EED
UMY because based on the researcher’s experience, the researcher found some
problems related to the study of this research. Since the researcher found some
problems related to the study based on the experience, the researcher wanted to
know the ability of EED UMY students in using punctuation mark. The research
was carried out in May 2016.
Population and Sample
In this study, the researcher shows population and sample the researcher
used in this research. Creswell (2012, p.142) said that “population is a group of
individual who have same characteristics”. In this study, the population is all
students of English Education Department of Universities Muhammadiyah of
Yogyakarta batch 2014. The researcher chose EED students batch 2014 because
the students had had taken Capita Selecta on Grammar and Academic Reading
and Writing classes. So, the students already have basic knowledge in using
punctuation marks and it was appropriate to give them a test to check their ability
in using punctuation marks. The researcher also believes that EED students’ batch
2014 need to know how to use punctuation marks especially in writing at early
semester. Therefore if they have not mastered it well they still have time to
improve their knowledge in using punctuation marks in their next semesters.
For sampling, the researcher used the guideline from Saleh. According to
Saleh (2012, p. 46) the number of sample from the population of 101 up to 500 is
29
30% to 50%. The total number of students’ batch 2014 was 160 students and the
researcher took 60 students as the sample of this study by convenience sampling.
Creswell (2012, p.619) explained convenience sampling is “quantitative sampling
procedure in which the researcher selects participants because they are willing and
available to be studied”. The researcher took 60 students because when the
researcher distributed the test, for the first time there were only 25 students in a
class accessible and available to be studied. This number of the participants did
not meet the required number of sample based on Saleh (2012). The students who
were available were 35. So the total of sample was 60.All the student was willing
to be tested in a class.
Research Instrument
In this study, the researcher used a test as the research instrument. First,
the researcher adopted a test on punctuation marks. The test was adapted from:
Straus J. (2008) “The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation: An Easy-to Use
Guide with Clear Rules, Real-World Examples, and Reproducible Quizzes” Tenth
Edition”. Jossey-Bass., and www.owl.english.purdue.edu. The test consists of 20
unpunctuated sentences and the students get instruction to complete the sentence
with punctuation mark. The items of punctuation marks are full stops, commas,
question mark, quotation mark, and apostrophes.
30
Data Collection Method
The purpose of this study was to identify the students’ ability to use
English punctuation in the process of writing at English Education Department of
Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta batch 2014. The data were collected by
testing the student. The test was adapted from the expertise.
The researcher used expert judgment to review the test. The researcher
consulted the EED lecturer considered as the expert to know the appropriateness
of the test before the test was spread. After the having approval, the researcher
spread the test. The researcher spread the test to the students batch 2014. Before
the researcher spread the test to the students, the researcher got permission from
the lecturer to conduct the test.
After the researcher collect the data, the researcher evaluate the data by
mark all the answer of the students using key answer. Then, the researcher got the
result of the test as the finding of the research. After the process in collecting data
was done, the researcher could answer the question of the research. The step that
the researcher collected the data is presented in the following chart.
31
Chart 1.1 Data Collection Method
The Researcher adopt a
test from the expertise in
punctuation.
The Researcher meet
supervisor to
consultation the test.
The researcher having
approval about the test.
The researcher spread the
test to 60 students.
The Researcher gets all
the data and evaluate the
The Researcher gets the result as
the finding of the research.
32
Data Analysis
The researcher marked all the test based on the key answer provided by
Straus J (2008) and owl English Purdue evaluated and analyzed the test using
assessment rubric to know the frequency of the mistakes that the students made
and the most common mistake made by the students. The first thing that the
researcher did was to mark all the students’ work based on the answer key
provided by Straus J (2008) and Writing Lab of OWL English Purdue. The
maximum score is 100. After the scores were gained, the researcher categorized
the correct and incorrect answers into five categories of punctuation as seen in
table assessment rubric.
Table 1.1
Assessment Rubric
NO
Participants
Full Stop
T
1
2
3
4
Total
T= True
F= False
F
Kinds of Punctuation
Quotation Question
Commas
Apostrophes
Mark
Mark
Score
T
F
T
F
T
F
T
F
33
The number of the correct answers of each category was totaled. The
incorrect answers of each category was also totaled. From here the researcher
knew the number of the mistakes the student made in each kind of punctuation.
The number also showed the most common mistake done by the students. To
make simple, the researcher analyzed the data using Ms. Excel. The researcher
chose Ms. Excel because the data were simple to process.
Table 1.2
Categorization Ability
Categorization of Ability
Range
Kind of Category
Grade
81-100
Excellent
A
66-79
Good
B
56-65
Satisfactory
C
40-55
Unsatisfactory
D
Education Department of Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta Batch 2014
A Skripsi
Submitted to the Faculty of Language Education
In a Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
For the Degree
Sarjana Pendidikan
Didin Bagas Irawan
20120540060
English Education Departement
Faculty of Language Education
Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta
2016
2
Chapter One
Introduction
In this chapter, the researcher presents the introduction of this research
which is divided into seven parts. The parts are: background of the study,
statement of the problem, limitation of the problem, research questions, objectives
of the study, significance of the study, and outline of the study. Background of the
study provides some theories and reason as foundation of the research. In the
statement of the problem, the researcher shows the problems that will be
discussed. After that, the researcher limits the problem in limitation of the
problem. The researcher also provides two research questions. Then, the
researcher states the aim of the research in the objectives of the study. In the
significance of the study, the researcher writes the benefits of the research for the
lecturers, the students, and future researchers. The last is outline of the study that
contains all of the parts of this research.
Background of the Study
Punctuation mark is used to create good writers. Hourani (2008, p.36) said
“another prevalent belief is that teachers should focus in the mechanics of writing:
spelling, punctuation and sentence structure to create good writers”. Based on
Hourani, teachers should focus on punctuation to make the student become good
writers. Punctuation marks are rules that we should follow in writing to write
sentences correctly. It means that the writer must use punctuation correctly in the
writing and also know how to put punctuation marks in the right. Similar with the
3
opinion from Soule, Whiteley, and McIntosh (2007, p. 17-18) who said “this
insouciance, to publish professionally you need to write correctly punctuated,
formal English—and it is best to sort this out sooner rather than later. This
includes putting apostrophes in the right place in possessives (its, his vs. it’s, he’s;
dogs vomit, dog’s vomit, dogs’ vomit all mean different things) and knowing how
to use semi-colons. This is not just pedantry: appropriate punctuation allows a
reader to analyze a sentence efficiently and to read more quickly”. Another
definition comes from Straus. Straus (2008, p.52-68) said “the kinds of
punctuation are: periods, ellipsis mark, commas, semicolons, question mark,
exclamation points, parentheses, hyphen, dashes.” Sudilah (2015, p.88) stated
“punctuation marks are devices for making the writing clear and lucid”.
Punctuation is very important for English language learners. Sudilah
(2015, p.87) stated “punctuation, therefore, plays an important role in developing
writing skills”. Students should understand how to use punctuation marks
correctly. Similarly, the students should know the role of punctuation marks in a
paragraph or sentence. So, the teacher could make students aware that punctuation
is important part in writing sentence or a paragraph. The teacher should build
students’ awareness about the importance of punctuation mark. In the future,
students can know how to use punctuation mark correctly especially in writing
correctly. Sudilah (2015, p.88) also stated that “the exclamation mark, the
question marks, and the full stop are then, basic stop-and-go signals regarding the
grammatical traffic”.
4
In the other hand, punctuation have some functions in writing. In this
study the researcher shows the functions of using punctuation mark in writing.
Awad (2012, P.213) said that “punctuation has three important functions:
1.Phonetic Function: this is very important, since punctuation marks show clearly
the rhythm, pauses and tone inflexions in a written document : a written document
has a tone. 2. Grammatical Function: punctuation is used in direct style: to form
interrogations: to mark emphatic content; to highlight syntactic elements
displaced from their natural positions; and to build the structure of the sentences,
complex sentences, paragraph, document, etc. 3. Semantic Function: punctuation
helps learners understand the meaning of particular words/ phrases by marking/
highlighting, bolds, capitals, etc”. The Similar opinion comes from Benzer Ahmet
(2010, p.1879) that said” essential element of punctuation rules in written
language and spoken language are of great importance in the article reflected.
Incorrect use of punctuation rules causes both that the oral language is transferred
incorrectly to written one and the language is not used correctly. Without
punctuation marks, reading would be a very difficult task, as it should have been
for the earliest readers.” That is why we cannot leave punctuation mark in writing
paragraph.
Although punctuation is very important, the students still feel difficult
when they write paragraph using correct punctuation mark. According to Jung
(2013, p. 133), “Some students made several errors about punctuation: some felt it
hard to identify the proper punctuation with peer-review feedback.” Based on
Jung statements, we can see that some students made error and felt difficult in
5
identifying punctuation mark correctly. Then, Ulla (2014, P.43) stated that
“Pronoun-antecedent agreement and omission and misuse of punctuation marked
the highest number of errors in the composition of the respondents.” Malaysian
ESL Students also had a problem with punctuation marks. Ghabool, Edwina, and
Kashef (2012, p. 138) said, “According to the teachers’ responses, students
usually have problems or confusion in using question mark, colon or semicolon,
apostrophes, and commas while writing essays. It is necessary for teachers to take
punctuation problems of students into account, especially when they are
correcting students’ essays.” From these statement above, the researcher know
that some student had problem in using punctuation mark correctly. It means that
the student not master the skill in using punctuation mark correctly.
Based on the researcher experience when studying at English Education
Department of Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (EED UMY) especially
when the researcher did close book journal, the researcher found that some
students made mistakes when they wrote a paragraph especially in using
punctuation. They supposed to have mastered the skills in using punctuation when
they write a paragraph, because they already know and have more experience of
using punctuation in writing. However, EED students still make mistakes in their
writing using punctuation marks. So, the researcher was interested in carry out
research in EED students’ ability to use English Punctuation in the process of
writing English by taking batch 2014 students as the participants.
6
Statement of the Problem
Punctuation is the basic skill in writing English that EED students should
master. This skill is needed for EED students to make good paragraph writing.
However, some students still feel difficult in the writing of paragraph using
correct punctuation marks. There are some mistakes that students made in using
punctuation marks. This shows that students have not mastered the skill in using
correct punctuation marks in writing. So, the students probably will repeat their
mistakes when they write a paragraph. The problem in this study is that the
students commonly makes mistake in various kinds of punctuation marks as seen
in the background of this research
Limitation of the Problem
It is important to make the limitation of the problem to avoid
misunderstanding and to clarify the problem. As showed in the title, the researcher
focused on EED students in Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta Batch
2014. The kinds of punctuation mark that the researchers identified in students’
errors were the use of full stops, commas, question marks, apostrophes, and
quotation marks. The reason why the researcher chose these kinds of punctuation
mark was that these five kinds of punctuation marks should be mastered by the
students in writing and they are usually found in academic writing paragraph.
7
Research Questions
1. How is EED students’ ability in using punctuation in the process of
writing English?
2. What is the most common mistake made by the EED students in using
punctuation marks?
Objectives of the Study
The objectives in this study are:
-
To know the EED students’ ability in using punctuation mark in
writing.
-
To find the most common mistakes are made by EED students
when using punctuation in the process of writing English.
Significance of the Study
This research provide some information about the benefits of this research.
The benefits are for the lecturer of EED UMY. The second is for the students of
EED UMY batch 2014. The third is for the future researcher.
For the Lecturers. This research is beneficial for the lecturers. First,
based on this research, the lecturers of EED UMY can know the students’ ability
in using punctuation mark in the process of writing. Second, this research also
could be a review for the teachers to know how far the understanding of EED
UMY batch 2014 students’ ability in writing especially in using punctuation. So,
the lecturers also can evaluate their teaching especially in writing.
8
For the students. This research is beneficial for the students. First, this
study is beneficial for the students as an information of EED students’ ability in
using English punctuation in the process of learning language to make the
students more aware about how to use punctuation correctly. So, from this
research the students of EED UMY batch 2014 can evaluate themselves in using
punctuation mark.
For the future researchers. This study is also beneficial for the future
researchers to conduct and develop a research related to the topic. For the future
researcher, this research may be a reference to conduct a research that has relation
with this topic. So, other researchers can give contribution to find the solution for
the students.
Outline of the Study
In this study, the researcher divides this research report into five chapters.
The first chapter is introduction which consists of the background of study,
limitation of the study, objectives of the study, significance of the study, and
outline of the study.
The second chapter is literature review which consists of English
punctuation, punctuation in the writing, common error punctuation in the writing,
and review of related study. In English punctuation, the researcher shows the
definition of punctuation mark. It follow by punctuation in the writing, common
error punctuation in the writing, review of related study, factors of punctuation
error, writing, and the importance of punctuation mark in writing as additional
9
information in this research .The third chapter is about research methodology. The
research methodology discusses the research design, setting of the research, the
population of the research, the sample, research instrument, the data collection
method, and the data analysis.
The fourth chapter talks about the findings and discussion. In this part the
researcher concludes and discusses all the data and final result of the research.
The last chapter is conclusion and suggestion. In this section the researcher
discusses the conclusion of the research. The researcher also gives some
suggestions about using English punctuation in the process of writing English.
11
Chapter Two
Literature Review
In this study, the researcher shows definition and theory in literature
review. The researcher writes some definition of punctuation marks taken from
some researchers. Then, the researcher also adds review of related study that
contains some research results taken from some researchers. The last is conceptual
framework. The researcher takes summary from the theory from some researchers
before.
English Punctuation
According to Jones (1994, p.421) “punctuation, as we consider it, can be
defined as the central part of the range of non-lexical orthography”. Allthough
arguments could be made for including the sub-lexical marks (e.g. hyphens,
apostrolphes ) and structural marlcs (e.g. bullets in itemisations), they are
excluded since they tend to be lexicalised or rather difficult to represent,
respectively.
The other concept comes from Samson (2014, p.23). He said, “punctuation
enables us to clarify statements and communicate better with readers.” It is similar
with the opinion from Ritter (2001, p. 112) said that “Punctuation exists to clarify
meaning in the written word and to facilitate reading. Too much can hamper
understanding through an uneven, staccato text, while too little can lead to
misreading. Within the framework of a few basic rules (fewer still in fiction), an
12
author's choice of punctuation is an ingredient of style as personal as his or her
choice of words.”
Writing
Writing is an outward expression of what is going on in the writer’s mind
(Hussain, Hanif, Asif, and Rehman, 2013). Furthermore, according to Hussain et
al (2013), “writing is the visual medium through which graphical and grammatical
system of a language is manifested” (p.832). Another statement writing is a
“complex process which demands cognitive analysis and linguistic synthesis”
(Ridha, 2012, p.22). Yi, (2009, p. 53) said, “The definition of writing ability can
be formed depending as teachers and philosophy of writing, taken into
consideration characteristic of learners and aims in a given context.” Other
statement about writing come from Adas and Bakir. Adas and Bakir (2013, p.
254) said, “writing is an intricate and complex task; it is the most difficult of all
the language to aquire”.
However, writing also can improve the grammatical and lexical accuracy
in writing English. Chandler (2003, p. 272) said, students were given extensive
practice in reading and writing in a genre and about content they were familiar
with in order to focus on improving both their reading and writing fluency and the
grammatical and lexical accuracy of their self-expression in writing English.”
Younnes and Albalawi also said, (2015.p.8)“writing requires knowing the factors
that influence both its process and product.”
13
Punctuation in the Writing English
According to Noris (2015, p.53) punctuation term is “Period/ full stop (.),
comma (,), semicolon (:), hypen (-), “n” dash/ “m” dash (--), dot (for the net)
(www.hesinki.fi), decimal point (2.5), parentheses/ brackets ( () ), braces/ curly
brackets ( {} ), exclamation mark (!), question mark (?), Slash, slant line,
diagonal, stroke, virgule (/), backlash (\), apostrophe (‘), quotation marks (“” ; ‘’),
ellipsis dots(. . .) asterisk (not comic asterix!) (*), superscript (�
5
), subscript
(� �)”.
According to Starus (2008, p52) “the kinds of punctuation are: Periods,
Ellipsis Marks, Commas, Semicolons, Colons, Question Marks, Exclamation
Points, Quotation Marks, Parentheses, Apostrophes, Hyphen, Dashes”.
For more detail, there are of kinds of punctuation symbol with some
explanation and how to use it as explain by Straus (2008).
The Full Stop (.). The main of using full stop is to end of a sentence. Full
stop could not apply in question sentence or exclamation sentence. It usually has
two function there are: to end of a sentence and to write the title of degree. The
example of using full stop to end of a sentences: I know that you would never
break m trust. . Then, the example of full stop to write the tittle of degree: Dr,.
Sp.d., M.si., Prof.
The Comma (,). There are 8 function and example of using comma. First,
the coma also use to separate three or more words of the same part. Example: My
$20 million estate is to be split among my husband, daughter, son, and nephew.
Second, used comma is to separate two adjectives when the word “and” can be
14
inserted. Example: He is a strong, healthy man. Third, use comma to surrounding
the name or the title. Example: Will you, Aisha, do that assignment for me?
Fourth, to separate the day, year, and place. Example: Rico met her husband on
the December 5, 2003, in New York. Fifth, use comma to interrupt the flow of the
sentence and the example is: I am, as you have probably this, let me know. The
next, use comma to separate two sentences to avoid from confusion. Example: I
choose the colors yellow and green, and black was his first choice. Then, use full
stop to separate a statement from a question. Example: I can go, can’t I? And use
full stop to separate contrasting of a sentence. Example: This my money, not
yours.
The question mark (?). The question mark probably used to ask question.
It does not follow with the full stop in the end of the sentence .There are two
function using question mark. First, use question mark to ask only direct question.
Example: Will you go home with me. Secondly, question mark used when the
sentence is half statement or half question. Example: You trust me, don’t you?
Semicolon (;). Semicolons used to separate items in a list to divide two
sentences where the conjunction was not use. There are three function of using
semicolon. First, use semicolon to divide two sentences where the conjunction
was not use. There are two examples: Call me tomorrow; I will give you my
answer then; I have paid my dues; therefore, I except all the privileges listed in
the contract. Then, semicolon used to make sentences using semicolon before
introductory words. Example: You will want to bring many backpacking items;
for example, sleeping bags, pans and warm clothing will make the trip better.
15
Third, to separate units of a series when one or more of the units use comma.
Example: This conference has people who have come from Boise, Idaho; Los
Angeles, California; and Nashville, Tennessee.
Colons (:). Colons is one of many parts of punctuation marks. It usually
used to introduce a list of ideas or explanation. There are two functions and
examples of using colons. First, Use colon after a complete to introduce a list of
items. Example: You may be required to bring many items: sleeping bags, pans,
and warm clothing. Secondly, use to follow the salutation if a business letter
when addressing someone by his/ her first name. Example: Dear Ms. Rodriguez.
Exclamation points (!). Use exclamation points is to show expression of
surprise or emphasis. This kind of punctuation mark is very strong in showing
expression. So, we cannot use exclamation points in formal situations. Example:
I’m going to hit you! , I’m very shocked with your argument!
Quotation mark (“..”). Quotation marks is used to cite what the words
that the people have said or direct speech. Quotation marks also can used to
quoting someone else speech. There are three functions and examples using
quotation mark. First, period and comma always go inside quotation mark.
Example: The sign changed from “Walk,” to “Don’t walk,” to “Walk” again
within thirty seconds. Then, if a question is in quotation marks, the question mark
should be place inside the quotation marks. Example: She asked, “Will you still
be my friend?” Third, Use single quotation mark for quotes within quotes.
Example: He said, “Danea said, ‘Do not threat me that way.’”
16
Apostrophe (’). Apostrophe usually used to show possession. However,
apostrophe also have many functions in writing. There are six function and
example of using apostrophe in writing. First, Use apostrophe with contractions.
Example: She’s a great teacher. Secondly, Use apostrophe to show possession.
Example: One boy’s car. Third, use the apostrophes where the noun shows
possession. Example: This was his father’s, not his, wallet. Then, to show plural
possession. Example: Two children’s hat, Student’s ability. The next, use
apostrophe and s after the second name show two people possess the same item.
Example: Caesar and Maria’s job contracts will be renewed next year. Sixth, use
apostrophe for it’s. Example: It’s been great getting to know you, it’s a nice day.
Hyphens (-). Hyphens probably used to join words units. Meanwhile,
hyphen had various function. They are also used to join prefixes, suffixes, and
letters to words. There are 4 function and examples of using hyphen. First,
hyphenate all compound numbers from twenty-one through ninety-one. Example:
The teacher had thirty-two children in her classroom. Second, hyphenate prefixes.
Example: Un-American. Then, hyphenate all words with self at the beginning.
Example: Self-respect, self-assured. Fourth, use hyphen with the prefix ex.
Example: His ex-wife will come to your birthday.
From the explanation above, the researcher know that punctuation marks
have many various and different functions. A punctuation mark usually does not
have one function. A punctuation mark can have two or three function in writing
sentence with different aim of the sentence. English language learners should
know the function of punctuation mark. Especially in writing, English language
17
learner need to know what is the function in every kind of punctuation marks. The
students should understand how to apply every kind of punctuation in writing
English or in a sentence.
Common Error Punctuation in the Writing English
In this study, the researcher represent some results that taken from
researchers. From the results we know what kind of mistakes that the students
made, and how many the mistakes that made by students. There are all of the
results that the researcher taken from some sources
Secondly is research result from Sudilah (2015) that the tittle is
Punctuation Errors by The Fourth Semester Students of The English Department.
This research had been conducted in Ahmad Dahlan University Yogyakarta. The
participant of this research is 30 students and the researcher take 29 final
examination papers as the sample. According to Sudilah (2015,p92) “The study
indicates that from the 29 final examination papers: 1) there are 59 cases of errors
found, covering four kinds of punctuation marks – full stop (4 cases), commas (36
cases), apostrophe ( 5 cases), and quotation mark (4 cases). 2) The ability of
students in using punctuation marks ranges from to 9 kinds. Of the eleven kinds of
punctuation marks the majority of the students use 5 to 6 kinds in their
examination works. Only 1 student (3,44%) uses 9 kinds of punctuation, 2
students (6,90%) use 7 kinds,19 students (65,51%) use 5 to 6 kinds and 3 students
(10,34%) use 4 kinds, 4 students (13,80%) use 2 to 3 kinds of punctuation marks.”
Next, research from Awad (2012) that the title is The Most Common
Punctuation Errors Made by the English and the TEFL Majors at An-Najah
18
University. This research is to check the most common punctuation mistakes that
made by the English and the TEFL majors at AN-Najah Universities students. The
participant is 100 students from An-Najah University which consists of 45 males
and 55 females. This following table is the result of the research.
Table 1.0
Punctuation Marks
Comma
Frequencies
Percentage %
232
45%
Semicolon
25
4.80%
Period
83
16.26%
Quotation
65
12.64%
Capital Letters
109
21.20%
Total
514
100%
Table 9 shows that the most common mistakes made by the English and
the TEFL majors at An-Najah National University during the second semester
2009- 2010 were the comma, the capital letter, the period, quotation marks , and
semicolon respectively.
The findings from the Akampirigie and Benjamin’s research shows that 63
% of students could not identify more than 50 % of the question marks, 2, 10% of
the students could not identify the colon, 13 % of the students could not able to
semi colons, 4, 70 of the students failed to identify the quotation mark. The
19
statement shows full stop had the bigger mistake in using punctuation mark. It
means the students in Polytechnic in Ghana made a lot mistake using punctuation
mark in writing.
The last is research result from Khansir (2013). The title of this research is
Error Analysis and Second Language Writing. This research was conducted in
Bushehr University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Iran. The
participant of this research is 200 students in the age range of 20 to 24 at under
graduate level in Mysore, India as ESL learners and Bushehr, Iran as EFL
learners. Khansir (2013, p. 367) said that. “In punctuation, the largest number of
errors observed is the use of semi colon in this category. In this sub- category, the
number of the Iranian students‟ errors was 134 which came to 20% and their
Indian peers' errors were 140 that constituted 19.5% of errors in punctuation. The
minimum number of errors was quotation mark. In this sub- category, the Iranian
students committed 50 errors which came to 7.5% and the Indian students' errors
were 48. They constituted 6.7% of errors. These errors were essentially the result
of the learners did not know the basic rules of punctuation. They misused a series
of the punctuation marks at their appropriate places.”
According to Wati (2014)” types of addition error in using punctuation
mark in writing essay are: comma with the frequency and 6 (37,5%), Period with
frequency is are 3 (18,75%), Apostrophe, question mark and Exclamation mark
have same frequency and percentage are 2 (12,5%), and colon with frequency is 1
(6,25). Based on Wati’s statement, comma is the biggest mistake in using
20
punctuation in writing. It means that students made a lot mistake using comma in
the writing.
Based on the findings from some researcher above, there are some mistake
made by students in using punctuation mark in writing. The most common
mistake that students made from some researcher above is different. It means that
every students from some researcher above had different the most mistake in
using punctuation mark especially in writing. According on the findings above,
the students had still challenging using comma in the writing. From these
findings, using comma was dominate the mistake using punctuation correctly in
the writing with occupy the first and second place of the most mistake using
punctuation marks in the writing.
Factors of punctuation error
In this study, the researcher shows the factor of punctuation error made by
students. The researcher took from some other researcher statement to show the
factor the student made error using punctuation. According to Jung (2013, p.133)
“Many may believe using the appropriate punctuation is not important, so students
made a lot of errors with punctuation”. From this statement we know that the
students not aware in using punctuation correctly in writing. The students think
that using appropriate punctuation is not important.
Other factors show that students made mistakes in using punctuation mark
in writing. According to Afrin (2016, p.109) “sometimes their long sentences
became proper loaded sentence without proper punctuation”. The statement from
Afrin shows that students made mistake in using punctuation mark when students
21
write long sentences without proper punctuation mark. In the other words,
students could not put correct punctuation mark when they write long sentences.
Then, the factor of punctuation error was also caused by students’
confusion and difficulty when using punctuation mark in writing. Alamin and
Ahmed (2012, 7) said, “Experienced teachers of English as a second language
have noticed punctuation to be extremely difficult and confusing for many ESL/
EFL students”. This statement shows the factor of punctuation error the students
made is because students feel difficult and confused in using punctuation
correctly.
The Importance of Punctuation
Punctuation is very important for English language learner. The student
should know the role of using punctuation mark in writing. Doran (1998 p.)
“punctuation helps us to structure, and thus to understand text”. Based on Doran,
we know that punctuation mark could help the writer had good structure in written
sentence and make the sentence clearly.
Other statement the importance of punctuation come from Ritter. Ritter
(2002, p.10) stated “the wording, punctuation, and capitalization of part and
chapter titles must be consistent” Based on Ritter, writer must be consistent use
punctuation mark in writing. It mean that the writer must be consistent using
punctuation mark correctly in writing.
The similar opinion come from Benzer (2010, p. 1879) that said “without
punctuation marks, reading would be a very difficult task”. This opinion means
22
that the writer should put punctuation mark in their writing. Because the reader
feel difficult when they read the written text made by the writer.
The statement from Awad also show the importance of punctuation mark.
Awad (2012, p.213) said that ““punctuation has three important functions:
1.Phonetic Function: this is very important, since punctuation marks show clearly
the rhythm, pauses and tone inflexions in a written document : a written document
has a tone. 2. Grammatical Function: punctuation is used in direct style: to form
interrogations: to mark emphatic content; to highlight syntactic elements
displaced from their natural positions; and to build the structure of the sentences,
complex sentences, paragraph, document, etc. 3. Semantic Function: punctuation
helps learners understand the meaning of particular words/ phrases by marking/
highlighting, bolds, capitals, etc”.
Review of Related Study
In this part, the researcher will shows the statements from some
researcher. The statements from some researcher are to know that the problem of
using punctuation, the reason the students made mistake in using punctuation, and
potential of students made mistake using punctuation mark.
Based on Samson (2014, P.25-26) “Many writers have trouble punctuating
correctly because they have not read enough well-written prose to internalize the
principles of punctuation usage, or they were taught by the pause approach”.
According to the statement before, writers had problem using punctuation mark in
writing .It means that writers probably made mistake using punctuation marks
correctly.
23
Based on research from Awad (2012, p.227) “Students in the early
academic levels made punctuation errors more than students in the higher
academic levels. This finding is due to the impact of studying more courses. The
more exposure the students have to language, the fewer mistakes they make in
their dealing with the punctuation marks.” Based on the statement above, students
in the early semester potentially made a lot of mistake in using punctuation marks
than students in the higher academic level.
Based on Khansir (2013) “Iranian foreign language learners were not are
of rules of paragraph writing of English.” From this statement, the researcher
know that the Iranian learners does not aware with the rules of paragraph writing.
It means that the students made mistake in using punctuation might cause by
students not aware with the rules of paragraph writing of English. However one of
many rules of paragraph writing of English is punctuation mark.
Based on Akampirigie and Benjamin “Students of the Polytechnics in
Ghana still have greater challenges in identifying punctuation marks in written
text as well as using these punctuation marks appropriately I their own free
writing”. According to the statement, students of the Polytechnics in Ghana still
had difficulties when the students writing using punctuation mark correctly. It
means that the students still made mistake in using punctuation marks correctly.
Khansir, Ahrami, and Hajivandi stated that“ The maximum errors made by
the subjects were from the real of punctuation is (1387) The number of errors
made by the Indian students in the use of punctuation was 718which came to 22%
for errors in punctuation. Based on the statement before, Indian students made
24
some errors in using punctuation. It means that the students had difficulties in
using punctuation mark correctly.
From some statements above, the researcher could take some point from
these research. Many writers or students had problem using punctuation mark.
The students also still had greater challenges in identifying punctuation marks.
The students in early academic level potentially had more problem using
punctuation mark than student in the highest academic level. The students
probably made mistake cause the students not aware with the rule of paragraph
writing of English (punctuation mark).
Conceptual Framework
According to the researchs above, the researcher can take summary of the
definition of English Punctuation as the central part of the range of non-lexical
orthography. Punctuation also enables the writers to clarify statements and
communicate better with readers.
Following the theory above about punctuation in the English writing, the
researcher found some rule of punctuation that we use in English writing and
there are : capital letters, full stops, commas, semicolons, colons, apostrophes,
quotation marks, parentheses, brackets, and dashes.
From the theory above the researcher can know that some students had
some common mistakes when write English. As seen in the finding from Sudilah
(2015), student make mistake in using full stop (4 cases), commas (36 cases),
apostrophes (5 cases), and quotation mark (4 cases). Based on the theory
presented in the literature review, the researcher focused on finding the ability and
25
the mistakes in using full stop, comma, question mark, apostrophes, and quotation
mark. The conceptual framework of this research is presented on the following
chart 1.0.
26
Chart 1.0
Conceptual Framework
The test of paragraph writing used to identify the
types of errors for this study. The tests were chosen to
examine the ability of the subjects in selecting the
correct paragraph writing rules in English. (Khansir,
Ahrami, Hajivandi, 2013, P.233)
“The second exercise was an essay type
question which was meant to test
students’ ability to write on their own
using punctuation marks appropriately”
(Oscar & Benjamin, 2014, P.9,)
Test
Full Stop (.), Commas (,), Question Mark (?), Apostrophes (‘), quotation mark
(“..”)
1: Students’ ability in using punctuation marks
2: The most mistake in using punctuation made by the EED students
27
Chapter Three
Methodology
This chapter shows the methodology of this study, and discusses how the
study was conducted. It is divided into five parts: Research Design, Setting of the
Research, Population and Sample, Data Collection Method, and Data Analysis. In
the research design, the researcher explains about the design of the study and the
reason of choosing the design. The researcher also mentions the statements from
some researchers to support the idea. In population and sample, the researcher
mentions the number of the sample and the methods that the researcher used for
this study. In the data collection method, the researcher explains the ways to
gather the data. The last is data analysis. In this part the researcher shows some
steps in analyzing the data.
Research Design
This research used a quantitative research. Creswell (2008, p.249) defined
quantitative research as “any study using numerical data with an emphasis on
statistics to answer the research question”. The researcher chose quantitative
design because to answer the research questions, the researcher used the numbers
to represent the data. The data were the number of frequencies and percentage that
showed the student’s ability in using punctuation marks at English Education
Department of UMY batch 2014.
28
Setting of the Research
This research was conducted at EED UMY. The researcher chose EED
UMY because based on the researcher’s experience, the researcher found some
problems related to the study of this research. Since the researcher found some
problems related to the study based on the experience, the researcher wanted to
know the ability of EED UMY students in using punctuation mark. The research
was carried out in May 2016.
Population and Sample
In this study, the researcher shows population and sample the researcher
used in this research. Creswell (2012, p.142) said that “population is a group of
individual who have same characteristics”. In this study, the population is all
students of English Education Department of Universities Muhammadiyah of
Yogyakarta batch 2014. The researcher chose EED students batch 2014 because
the students had had taken Capita Selecta on Grammar and Academic Reading
and Writing classes. So, the students already have basic knowledge in using
punctuation marks and it was appropriate to give them a test to check their ability
in using punctuation marks. The researcher also believes that EED students’ batch
2014 need to know how to use punctuation marks especially in writing at early
semester. Therefore if they have not mastered it well they still have time to
improve their knowledge in using punctuation marks in their next semesters.
For sampling, the researcher used the guideline from Saleh. According to
Saleh (2012, p. 46) the number of sample from the population of 101 up to 500 is
29
30% to 50%. The total number of students’ batch 2014 was 160 students and the
researcher took 60 students as the sample of this study by convenience sampling.
Creswell (2012, p.619) explained convenience sampling is “quantitative sampling
procedure in which the researcher selects participants because they are willing and
available to be studied”. The researcher took 60 students because when the
researcher distributed the test, for the first time there were only 25 students in a
class accessible and available to be studied. This number of the participants did
not meet the required number of sample based on Saleh (2012). The students who
were available were 35. So the total of sample was 60.All the student was willing
to be tested in a class.
Research Instrument
In this study, the researcher used a test as the research instrument. First,
the researcher adopted a test on punctuation marks. The test was adapted from:
Straus J. (2008) “The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation: An Easy-to Use
Guide with Clear Rules, Real-World Examples, and Reproducible Quizzes” Tenth
Edition”. Jossey-Bass., and www.owl.english.purdue.edu. The test consists of 20
unpunctuated sentences and the students get instruction to complete the sentence
with punctuation mark. The items of punctuation marks are full stops, commas,
question mark, quotation mark, and apostrophes.
30
Data Collection Method
The purpose of this study was to identify the students’ ability to use
English punctuation in the process of writing at English Education Department of
Muhammadiyah University of Yogyakarta batch 2014. The data were collected by
testing the student. The test was adapted from the expertise.
The researcher used expert judgment to review the test. The researcher
consulted the EED lecturer considered as the expert to know the appropriateness
of the test before the test was spread. After the having approval, the researcher
spread the test. The researcher spread the test to the students batch 2014. Before
the researcher spread the test to the students, the researcher got permission from
the lecturer to conduct the test.
After the researcher collect the data, the researcher evaluate the data by
mark all the answer of the students using key answer. Then, the researcher got the
result of the test as the finding of the research. After the process in collecting data
was done, the researcher could answer the question of the research. The step that
the researcher collected the data is presented in the following chart.
31
Chart 1.1 Data Collection Method
The Researcher adopt a
test from the expertise in
punctuation.
The Researcher meet
supervisor to
consultation the test.
The researcher having
approval about the test.
The researcher spread the
test to 60 students.
The Researcher gets all
the data and evaluate the
The Researcher gets the result as
the finding of the research.
32
Data Analysis
The researcher marked all the test based on the key answer provided by
Straus J (2008) and owl English Purdue evaluated and analyzed the test using
assessment rubric to know the frequency of the mistakes that the students made
and the most common mistake made by the students. The first thing that the
researcher did was to mark all the students’ work based on the answer key
provided by Straus J (2008) and Writing Lab of OWL English Purdue. The
maximum score is 100. After the scores were gained, the researcher categorized
the correct and incorrect answers into five categories of punctuation as seen in
table assessment rubric.
Table 1.1
Assessment Rubric
NO
Participants
Full Stop
T
1
2
3
4
Total
T= True
F= False
F
Kinds of Punctuation
Quotation Question
Commas
Apostrophes
Mark
Mark
Score
T
F
T
F
T
F
T
F
33
The number of the correct answers of each category was totaled. The
incorrect answers of each category was also totaled. From here the researcher
knew the number of the mistakes the student made in each kind of punctuation.
The number also showed the most common mistake done by the students. To
make simple, the researcher analyzed the data using Ms. Excel. The researcher
chose Ms. Excel because the data were simple to process.
Table 1.2
Categorization Ability
Categorization of Ability
Range
Kind of Category
Grade
81-100
Excellent
A
66-79
Good
B
56-65
Satisfactory
C
40-55
Unsatisfactory
D