negative sentence, modals need “not” between the modal and the verb, for example:
You may not go now. In interrogative sentences, they precede the subject of the sentence, for example:
May you go now?. May used to express:
1 Possibility
e.g.: He may tell his wife.
57
2 Permission
e.g.: The children may play here.
58
From above explanation, it is obviously clear that “can” and “may”,
can carry many functions or meanings. Can may be used to express
ability, to express permission, to show possibility, to offers something, and to make a request or orders, and
may can be used to express possibility and permission.
57
Thomphson, and Mariret 1986, op cit., p. 131
58
Robby Lou, English Tenses and How to Use The,. Jakarta: Mobile English Plus,
2006, p. 84
26
CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter presents the research of methodology which is consist of the place and the time, the method, the population, the sample of the research,
technique of data collecting and also technique of data analysis.
A. The Research Methodology
1. The Place and Time of the Research
The writer did the research at MTs Negeri Parung which is located on Jl. Raya Lebak Wangi, Parung- Bogor. The research was carried on May 6
th
– may 20
th
2011.
2. The Method of the Research
In this research, the writer used descriptive analysis method and used the procedures of errors analysis itself. This method is purposed to analyze the
students’ errors by interviewing and giving them the test to collect the data. Next, it involved accumulating, analyzing, and classifying data with various
techniques, also interpreting data. On the final step, the writer had to conclude the result of research.
3. The Population and Sample
The population of this research was the second grade students of MTs Negeri Parung Bogor. There are 193 students which are divided into five
classes; VIII-1, VIII-2, VIII-3, VIII-4, and VIII-5. The writer used purposive
sampling, in which she chose VIII-2 class as the sample of this research. There are 40 students.
4. The Technique of Data Collecting
In collecting the data, the writer used two techniques; they are test and interview.
