The above sentences are definitely wrong because the students use the wrong form of verbs. Go and buy are the irregular verbs, but the students just add
–edd to the verb that they know as the way to make the past form. Actually, the verb Go will be changed into go-went-gone and the verb Buy will be changed into
buy-bought-bought. The correct sentences are: They went to Bali last Sunday.
She bought a new bag two days ago.
In this case, students think that to change the verbs into past form, they have to add
–edd to all kinds of verbs. It means they did not understand that verbs are divided into two kinds regular and irregular and both of them have different
way to be the past form. The writer also found the other errors in using regular and irregular verbs,
as follows: c.
We studyied English yesterday. d.
He moveed to Solo last Wednesday. Those sentences are wrong, because the students cannot apply the past
form of verb study and move perfectly. They give the addition one letter to the past form of study and move. They make the past form of study becomes studyied
by adding “y” and move becomes moveed by adding “e”. The correct sentences are:
We studied English yesterday. He moved to Solo last Wednesday.
In this case, the students have to change the verb into past form appropriately. Such as, study become studied not studyied, and move become
moved not moveed. Actually, in using the regular verbs with ending “y” as in
study , students should omit the “y” letter and change it become “i” and then add –
ed to s how the past form. For the regular verbs with ending “e” as in move, they
way that student have to do in changing the verbs into past form just by adding –d
not –ed.
There are also other errors in using regular and irregular verbs, such as: e.
He admited his mistakes last night. f.
My family picniced to Puncak last holiday.
Those sentences are incorrect because both of them have imperfect writing of verbs. The past forms of verbs admit and picnic should become admitted and
picnicked. For the verb admit , the students should add a letter “t” before –ed, and
for the verb picnic , the students should add a letter “k” before –ed.
The correct sentences are: He admitted his mistakes last night.
My family picnicked to Puncak last holiday.
In this case the students omit a letter that should be admitted they just wrote admited, and the past verb of picnic that should be picnicked, they just
wrote picniced. All of those errors are some cases that happened in the process of learning
regular and irregular verbs. Those cases commonly because of several reasons, such as the influence of their native language, lack of knowledge about the target
language or other reasons. Actually, there are many types of error based on the different area.
According to Dulay, Burt, and Krashen, errors are classified into four categories plus a fifth by James based on the surface structure taxonomy. They are omission,
addition, misformation, misordering and blends.
11
The source of errors are various in the process of learning foreign language, especially in learning English. Peter
Hubbart divided a source of error into three parts. They are mother-tongue interference, overgeneralization, and errors encouraged by teaching material or
method.
12
11
Carl James, Errors in Language Learning and Use, New York: Longman, 1998, p. 106-111
12
Peter Hubbard et,al. A Training Course for TEFL, New York: Oxford University Press, 1983, p. 140
So, in this study the writer would like to analyze common error that happen in the process of learning regular and irregular verbs. Then, the writer also
would like to analyze the sources of error that happen in the process of learning both verbs.
Based on the background of the study above, the writer would like to discuss about: “AN ERROR ANALYSIS OF STUDENTS’ ABILITY IN USING
REGULAR AND IRREGULAR VERBS A Case Study at the Second Grade of SMP YPN Bojong Gede”.
B. Identification of The Problem
Based the background study above, there are some problems which can be identified, such as:
1. The students’ ability to differentiate regular and irregular verbs.
2. The students’ ability in using verbs in the simple past tense.
3. The kinds of errors which students made in using regular and irregular
verbs. 4.
The sources of student’s errors in using regular and irregular verbs.
C. Limitation of the Study
Based the identification above, the writer only focuses the problem on regular and irregular verbs in simple past form.
D. Formulation of the Problem
Based on the description above, the writer would like to formulate the problem as follows:
1. What types of errors do students make in using regular and irregular
verbs? 2.
What sources of errors do students make in using regular and irregular verbs?
E. Objectives of The Study
According to the statement of the problem above, the objective of the study are as follows:
a. To classify the types of errors which students made in using regular and
irregular verbs. b.
To classify the sources of errors which students made in using regular and irregular verbs.
F. Significance of the Study
The significances of this study are expected to provide useful information for students, the English teacher, and the further researcher.
1. The Students
The result of this study is expected to give an input to them to improve their knowledge.
2. The English Teacher
The result of this study is expected to give useful information to the English teacher about the student’s mastery in regular and irregular verbs
to improve their quality in teaching English. 3.
The Further Researcher This study is expected can be used by other researcher to do better
research of teaching and learning cases.
8
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
A. Error Analysis
1. Understanding of Error Analysis
English is a foreign language for Indonesian students. In the process of learning English, they sometimes do some mistakes or errors. As H.
Douglas Brown said in his book that learning is fundamentally a process that involves the making of mistakes. Mistakes, misjudgments, miscalculations
and erroneous assumption form an important aspect of learning virtually any skill or acquiring information.
1
Sometimes researchers distinguish between errors are caused by factors such as fatigue and inattention that Chomsky
called “performance” factors, and errors resulting from lack of knowledge that Chomsky called
“competence”. In some of the second language literature, performance errors have been called “mistakes” while the term “errors” was reserved for
systematic deviations due to the learner’s still-developing knowledge of the
L
2
rule system.
2
Peter Hubbard et al. differentiate between error and mistakes as follows: errors are 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.
3
Errors and mistakes are different. Errors are caused by lack of knowledge of the
learners or incorrect hypotheses, and mistakes are caused by some factors such as slips of tongue, confusion etc.
1
H. Douglas Brown, Principles of Language Learning and Teaching Forth Edition, New York: Pearson Education, 2006, p. 257
2
Heidy Dulay et al., Language Two, New York: Oxford University Press, 1982, p. 139
3
Peter Hubbard et al., A Training Course for TEFL, New York: Oxford University Press, 1983, p. 130
Heidi Dulay said that errors are the flawed side of learner speech or writing. They are those parts of conversation or composition that deviate from
some selected norm of mature language performance.
4
We use “error” to refer
to any deviation from a selected norm of language performance, no matter what the characteristics or causes of the deviation might be. According to
Peter Hubbard et al, so far all incorrect forms produced by the student we have called “errors”.
5
Carl James defines Error Analysis as the process of determining the incidence, nature, causes and also the consequences of unsuccessful
language.
6
According to H. Douglas Brown, The fact that learners do make errors, and that these errors can be observed, analyzed, and classified to
reveal something of the system operating within the learner, led to a surge of
study of learners’ errors, called error analysis.
7
So, in this study the writer would like to observe, analyze and classify
learner’s error in mastering regular and irregular verbs.
2. Types of Error
Basically, there are many classifications about types of errors in learning English that classify by Corder and Heidi Dulay et, al.
According to Corder, errors are classified into four basic such as errors of omission, errors of addition, errors of selection, and errors of
ordering. If some element is omitted which should be present, it is called errors of omission. If some element is present which should not be there, it is
called errors of addition. Next, if the wrong item has been chosen in place of the right one, it is called errors of selection. And the last, where the elements
presented are correct but wrongly sequenced, it called errors of ordering.
8
4
Dulay, et al., op. cit., p. 138
5
Hubbard et al., op. cit., p. 136
6
Carl James, op. cit., p. 1
7
Brown, op. cit., p.259
8
S. P. Corder. Error Analysis and Interlanguage. New York: Oxford University Press, 1981, p. 36
