Elesp students errors in using english tenses.
vii ABSTRACT
Rini, Yusta Dwi Novita. 2009. ELESP Students’ Errors in Using English Tenses. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Sanata Dharma University.
The students of the English Language Education Study Program are being prepared to be qualified teachers. As teacher candidates, they should be able to communicate well in English. Grammar provides rules to produce correct utterances. Therefore, as teacher candidates, it is important for them to be proficient in using grammar, especially the tenses. Measuring their ability in using tenses is important because in learning English, tense cannot be avoided. The study discussed two problems. They were (1) What are the errors that the students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta make in using tenses? (2) What is the mastery of tenses of the students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta?
There were ten tenses used in this study. They were simple present tense, present progressive tense, simple past tense, past progressive tense, present perfect tense, present perfect progressive tense, past perfect tense, past perfect progressive tense, simple future tense, and future progressive tense. To answer the first problem formulation, the errors made by the students were classified into three categories. They were context-related errors, form-related errors and other errors. Those three categories were then divided into sub categories based on the errors that the writer found in each tense. Context-related errors consisted of the students’ answers that deviated from the context or function in a given tense. Form-related errors consisted of the students’ answers that deviated from the form or pattern in a given tense. Other errors consisted of the students’ answers that did not belong to two previous categories because they deviated from the intended context and form. To answer the second problem formulation, the mean score of the test was calculated. The results of the research showed that the students’ mean score was 53 out of 100. The score was below the minimum standard of mastery which is 56% from the maximum score. Based on the scoring category, it was categorized into Insufficient (D).
The study was a survey research. To answer those questions, a test was used as the instrument to gather the data. The test was administered to three classes of the third semester students in the academic year of 2008/2009. They were chosen because they had learned the tenses at the first semester, in Structure 1.
Based on the research results, the writer proposes some suggestions. First, the students of the English Language Education Study Program should participate actively in learning tenses, study by themselves by practicing more in order to understand not only the context and functions of each tense but also the form, and to be more aware of their errors. Second, the lecturers of Structure class of the English Language Education Study Program need to review about English tenses
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at the beginning of the semester, they should teach from the basic, be aware of the difficult tenses and parts of the tenses, give drills or exercises, and give the attention not only to the most frequently used but also to the less frequently used tenses. Third, future researchers should develop the research by conducting class observation to gather data to obtain more accurate data, may improve and modify the test or specify the tenses, find out the significance of tenses in building the mastery of English related to the four basic skills; listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
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ix ABSTRAK
Rini, Yusta Dwi Novita. 2009. ELESP Students’ Errors in Using English Tenses. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Mahasiswa Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris disiapkan untuk menjadi guru yang berkualitas. Sebagai calon guru mereka disiapkan untuk mampu berkomunikasi dalam bahasa Inggris dengan baik. Tata bahasa menyediakan aturan-aturan agar menghasilkan ucapan yang benar. Oleh karena itu, sebagai calon guru, penting bagi mereka untuk pandai dalam menggunakan tata bahasa, khususnya tenses. Mengukur kemampuan mereka dalam menggunakan tenses adalah penting karena dalam belajar bahasa Inggris, tense
tidak bisa dihindari. Penelitian ini membahas dua permasalahan. Permasalahan tersebut adalah (1) Apa saja kesalahan yang dibuat oleh mahasiswa Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Universitas Sanata Dharma? (2) Bagaimana kemampuan mahasiswa Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Universitas Sanata Dharma?
Ada sepuluh tenses yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini, yaitu simple present tense, present progressive tense, simple past tense, past progressive tense, present perfect tense, present perfect progressive tense, past perfect tense, past perfect progressive tense, simple future tense, and future progressive tense. Untuk menjawab rumusan masalah pertama, kesalahan yang dibuat mahasiswa dikelompokkan menjadi tiga kategori. Kategori tersebut adalah kesalahan yang berkaitan dengan konteks, kesalahan yang berkaitan dengan bentuk, dan kesalahan lain-lain. Ketiga kategori tersebut kemudian dibagi menjadi sub kategori berdasarkan kesalahan yang penulis temukan pada setiap tenses. Kesalahan yang berkaitan dengan konteks terdiri dari jawaban mahasiswa yang menyimpang dari konteks atau fungsi dari tenses yang dimaksud. Kesalahan yang berkaitan dengan bentuk terdiri dari jawaban mahasiswa yang menyimpang dari bentuk atau pola dari tenses yang dimaksud. Kesalahan lain-lain terdiri dari jawaban mahasiswa yang tidak termasuk ke dalam dua kategori sebelumnya karena kesalahan tersebut menyimpang dari konteks atau bentuk yang dimaksud. Untuk menjawab rumusan masalah kedua, rerata nilai dari hasil tes dihitung. Hasil dari penelitian menunjukkan bahwa rerata nilai mahasiswa adalah 53 dari 100. Nilai tersebut berada di bawah standar minimum penguasaan, yaitu 56% dari nilai maksimum. Berdasarkan kategori penilaian, nilai tersebut dikategorikan sebagai tidak cukup (D).
Studi ini merupakan penelitian survei. Untuk menjawab kedua pertanyaan tersebut, tes digunakan sebagai alat untuk mengumpulkan data. Tes dilaksanakan terhadap tiga kelas pada mahasiswa semester tiga tahun akademik 2008/2009. Mereka dipilih karena telah belajar tenses pada awal semester, di kelas Structure I.
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Berdasarkan hasil penelitian, penulis mengajukan beberapa saran. Pertama, mahasiswa Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris seharusnya berpartisipasi secara aktif dalam belajar tenses. Mereka sebaiknya belajar sendiri dengan lebih banyak berlatih agar memahami konteks dan fungsi tiap tenses, tidak hanya pada bentuk, serta menjadi lebih sadar akan kesalahan mereka. Kedua, dosen kelas
Structure Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris perlu mengulang kembali tentang tenses bahasa Inggris pada awal semester. Mereka seharusnya mengajarkan tenses dari dasar, menyadari bagian-bagian yang sukar, memberikan
drills atau latihan-latihan, dan memberikan perhatian tidak hanya pada tenses yang paling sering digunakan tapi juga pada tenses yang sedikit digunakan. Ketiga, para peneliti di masa yang akan datang seharusnya mengembangkan penelitian dengan melaksanakan observasi kelas untuk memperoleh data yang lebih akurat. Mereka dapat meningkatkan dan memodifikasi tes atau menetapkan
tenses, mencari pentingnya tenses dalam mengembangkan kemampuan bahasa Inggris terkait dengan empat kemampuan dasar; mendengarkan, berbicara, membaca, dan menulis.
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i
ELESP STUDENTS’ ERRORS IN USING ENGLISH TENSES
A THESIS
Presented as Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements to Obtain the Sarjana Pendidikan Degree
in English Language Education
By
Yusta Dwi Novita Rini Student Number: 031214101
ENGLISH LANGUAGE EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM DEPARTMENT OF LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION FACULTY OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
SANATA DHARMA UNIVERSITY YOGYAKARTA
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ii A Thesis on
ELESP STUDENTS’ ERRORS IN USING ENGLISH TENSES By
Yusta Dwi Novita Rini Student Number: 03 1214 101
Approved by
Made Frida Yulia, S.Pd., M.Pd. 25July 2009 Sponsor
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iii A
ATThheessiissoonn
E
ELLEESSPP SSTTUUDDEENNTTSS’ ’ EERRRROORRSS IINN UUSSIINNGG EENNGGLLIISSHH TTEENNSSEESS
B Byy Y
YUUSSTTAADDWWIINNOOVVIITTAARRIINNII S
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iv
I dedicate this thesis to
My beloved father, mother, and sisters
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v
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY
I honestly declare that this thesis, which I have written, does not contain the work or parts of the work of other people, except those cited in the quotations and references, as a scientific paper should.
Yogyakarta, 25 July 2009
The Writer
Yusta Dwi Novita Rini 03 1214 101
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vi
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN
PUBLIKASI KARYA ILMIAH UNTUK KEPENTINGAN AKADEMIS
Yang bertanda tangan di bawah ini, saya mahasiswa Universitas Sanata Dharma:
Nama : Yusta Dwi Novita Rini
Nomor Mahasiswa : 03 1214 101
Demi pengembangan ilmu pengetahuan, saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma karya ilmiah saya yang berjudul:
“ELESP STUDENTS’ ERRORS IN USING ENGLISH TENSES” beserta perangkat yang diperlukan (bila ada). Dengan demikian saya memberikan kepada Perpustakaan Universitas Sanata Dharma hak untuk menyimpan, me-ngalihkan dalam bentuk media lain, mengelolanya dalam bentuk pangkalan data, mendistribusikan secara terbatas, dan mempublikasikannya di Internet atau media lain untuk kepentingan akademis tanpa perlu meminta ijin dari saya maupun memberikan royalti kepada saya selama tetap mencantumkan nama saya sebagai penulis.
Demikian pernyataan ini yang saya buat dengan sebenarnya. Dibuat di Yogyakarta
Pada tanggal : 22 Agustus 2009
Yang menyatakan
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vii ABSTRACT
Rini, Yusta Dwi Novita. 2009. ELESP Students’ Errors in Using English Tenses. Yogyakarta: English Language Education Study Program, Sanata Dharma University.
The students of the English Language Education Study Program are being prepared to be qualified teachers. As teacher candidates, they should be able to communicate well in English. Grammar provides rules to produce correct utterances. Therefore, as teacher candidates, it is important for them to be proficient in using grammar, especially the tenses. Measuring their ability in using tenses is important because in learning English, tense cannot be avoided. The study discussed two problems. They were (1) What are the errors that the students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta make in using tenses? (2) What is the mastery of tenses of the students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta?
There were ten tenses used in this study. They were simple present tense, present progressive tense, simple past tense, past progressive tense, present perfect tense, present perfect progressive tense, past perfect tense, past perfect progressive tense, simple future tense, and future progressive tense. To answer the first problem formulation, the errors made by the students were classified into three categories. They were context-related errors, form-related errors and other errors. Those three categories were then divided into sub categories based on the errors that the writer found in each tense. Context-related errors consisted of the students’ answers that deviated from the context or function in a given tense. Form-related errors consisted of the students’ answers that deviated from the form or pattern in a given tense. Other errors consisted of the students’ answers that did not belong to two previous categories because they deviated from the intended context and form. To answer the second problem formulation, the mean score of the test was calculated. The results of the research showed that the students’ mean score was 53 out of 100. The score was below the minimum standard of mastery which is 56% from the maximum score. Based on the scoring category, it was categorized into Insufficient (D).
The study was a survey research. To answer those questions, a test was used as the instrument to gather the data. The test was administered to three classes of the third semester students in the academic year of 2008/2009. They were chosen because they had learned the tenses at the first semester, in Structure 1.
Based on the research results, the writer proposes some suggestions. First, the students of the English Language Education Study Program should participate actively in learning tenses, study by themselves by practicing more in order to understand not only the context and functions of each tense but also the form, and to be more aware of their errors. Second, the lecturers of Structure class of the English Language Education Study Program need to review about English tenses
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at the beginning of the semester, they should teach from the basic, be aware of the difficult tenses and parts of the tenses, give drills or exercises, and give the attention not only to the most frequently used but also to the less frequently used tenses. Third, future researchers should develop the research by conducting class observation to gather data to obtain more accurate data, may improve and modify the test or specify the tenses, find out the significance of tenses in building the mastery of English related to the four basic skills; listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
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ix ABSTRAK
Rini, Yusta Dwi Novita. 2009. ELESP Students’ Errors in Using English Tenses. Yogyakarta: Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris, Universitas Sanata Dharma.
Mahasiswa Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris disiapkan untuk menjadi guru yang berkualitas. Sebagai calon guru mereka disiapkan untuk mampu berkomunikasi dalam bahasa Inggris dengan baik. Tata bahasa menyediakan aturan-aturan agar menghasilkan ucapan yang benar. Oleh karena itu, sebagai calon guru, penting bagi mereka untuk pandai dalam menggunakan tata bahasa, khususnya tenses. Mengukur kemampuan mereka dalam menggunakan tenses adalah penting karena dalam belajar bahasa Inggris, tense
tidak bisa dihindari. Penelitian ini membahas dua permasalahan. Permasalahan tersebut adalah (1) Apa saja kesalahan yang dibuat oleh mahasiswa Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Universitas Sanata Dharma? (2) Bagaimana kemampuan mahasiswa Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris Universitas Sanata Dharma?
Ada sepuluh tenses yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini, yaitu simple present tense, present progressive tense, simple past tense, past progressive tense, present perfect tense, present perfect progressive tense, past perfect tense, past perfect progressive tense, simple future tense, and future progressive tense. Untuk menjawab rumusan masalah pertama, kesalahan yang dibuat mahasiswa dikelompokkan menjadi tiga kategori. Kategori tersebut adalah kesalahan yang berkaitan dengan konteks, kesalahan yang berkaitan dengan bentuk, dan kesalahan lain-lain. Ketiga kategori tersebut kemudian dibagi menjadi sub kategori berdasarkan kesalahan yang penulis temukan pada setiap tenses. Kesalahan yang berkaitan dengan konteks terdiri dari jawaban mahasiswa yang menyimpang dari konteks atau fungsi dari tenses yang dimaksud. Kesalahan yang berkaitan dengan bentuk terdiri dari jawaban mahasiswa yang menyimpang dari bentuk atau pola dari tenses yang dimaksud. Kesalahan lain-lain terdiri dari jawaban mahasiswa yang tidak termasuk ke dalam dua kategori sebelumnya karena kesalahan tersebut menyimpang dari konteks atau bentuk yang dimaksud. Untuk menjawab rumusan masalah kedua, rerata nilai dari hasil tes dihitung. Hasil dari penelitian menunjukkan bahwa rerata nilai mahasiswa adalah 53 dari 100. Nilai tersebut berada di bawah standar minimum penguasaan, yaitu 56% dari nilai maksimum. Berdasarkan kategori penilaian, nilai tersebut dikategorikan sebagai tidak cukup (D).
Studi ini merupakan penelitian survei. Untuk menjawab kedua pertanyaan tersebut, tes digunakan sebagai alat untuk mengumpulkan data. Tes dilaksanakan terhadap tiga kelas pada mahasiswa semester tiga tahun akademik 2008/2009. Mereka dipilih karena telah belajar tenses pada awal semester, di kelas Structure I.
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Berdasarkan hasil penelitian, penulis mengajukan beberapa saran. Pertama, mahasiswa Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris seharusnya berpartisipasi secara aktif dalam belajar tenses. Mereka sebaiknya belajar sendiri dengan lebih banyak berlatih agar memahami konteks dan fungsi tiap tenses, tidak hanya pada bentuk, serta menjadi lebih sadar akan kesalahan mereka. Kedua, dosen kelas
Structure Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris perlu mengulang kembali tentang tenses bahasa Inggris pada awal semester. Mereka seharusnya mengajarkan tenses dari dasar, menyadari bagian-bagian yang sukar, memberikan
drills atau latihan-latihan, dan memberikan perhatian tidak hanya pada tenses yang paling sering digunakan tapi juga pada tenses yang sedikit digunakan. Ketiga, para peneliti di masa yang akan datang seharusnya mengembangkan penelitian dengan melaksanakan observasi kelas untuk memperoleh data yang lebih akurat. Mereka dapat meningkatkan dan memodifikasi tes atau menetapkan
tenses, mencari pentingnya tenses dalam mengembangkan kemampuan bahasa Inggris terkait dengan empat kemampuan dasar; mendengarkan, berbicara, membaca, dan menulis.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
There is no biggest love except from Jesus Christ. I would like to express my greatest gratitude to Jesus Christ for everything that He has given me. With His love, wonderful blessing, loyalty, finally I could finish this thesis. I thank Mother Mary for accompanying me every single time.
My deepest gratitude goes to my sponsor, Made Frida Yulia, S.Pd., M.Pd., for her willingness to spend her time to read and check my thesis thoroughly. Her advice and suggestions are useful for me in writing this thesis. I also thank her for her patience and willingness to guide me during the consultation.
I would like to express my sincere appreciation to Drs. J.B. Gunawan, M.A., and Yohana Veniranda, S.Pd., M.Hum., for the permission to administer the test in their classes. I would like to thank the third semester students who joined Structure classes in the academic year of 2008/2009 for their willingness to be the respondents of this research.
I also thank all lecturers of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University for guiding me and providing me with knowledge and experience during my study. I also thank Mbak Dhanniek and Mbak Tari for all their help during my study.
I would like to express my deepest appreciation and love to my beloved parents, Ignatius Iskandar, S.Pd. and Christiana Mujilah. I could not have finished this thesis without all their love, supports, patience, and never ending
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prayers. My sincere gratitude goes to my beloved sisters, Dhita and Sari, Lulu and my big family for always encouraging me to finish my study.
My special thanks go to my best friends Eko, Ratih, Bamz, Dika, Tere, Ayu, Sevi, Siska, Ngoreyan Lor family for the beautiful, unforgettable moments, encouragement, and support. My special thanks also go to Grace, Linda Marbun, Ana, Mbak Nica, Mbak Indri, Irsa, 2003 PBI students, LINK (Datu, Utik, Anas, Nina, Wiwid, Linda), Mas Deddy, Tomo, Brojowikalpo 1 family (Mas Bebe, Mas Goez, and others) for their sharing, friendship, and support. I also express my big thanks to Sr. Margareth, Dono, Widya, Tika, Edu, Upi, Putri, Tuti for their willingness to help me in writing my thesis. I express my gratitude to my friends during consultation time: Gabo, Ratri, Mbak Ayuk, Anas, Danti, Toni, Nita, I thank them for their sharing.
I would also like to express my deepest gratitude to Stephanus Tri Ariwibowo, S.Pd. and Pandan family who always give me support, happiness, togetherness and prayers. My special thanks also go to Dr. Susento, M.S., Dra. Sri Prapti J., P4 staff, Dialogue staff, who have given me precious experiences, knowledge, support and prayers.
Finally, I would like to express my gratitude to everyone I could not mention here one by one, who has helped and supported me during the process of writing the thesis. May God bless them all.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
TITLE PAGE ... i
APPROVAL PAGES ... ii
DEDICATION PAGE ... iv
STATEMENT OF WORK’S ORIGINALITY ... v
LEMBAR PERNYATAAN PERSETUJUAN PUBLIKASI... vi
ABSTRACT ... vii
ABSTRAK ... ix
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ... xi
TABLE OF CONTENTS ... xiii
LIST OF TABLES ... xix
LIST OF FIGURES ... xx
LIST OF APPENDICES ... xxi
CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION A. Background of the Study ... 1
B. Problem Formulation ... 3
C. Problem Limitation ... 4
D. Objectives of the Study ... 5
E. Benefits of the Study ... 5
F. Definition of Terms... 6
CHAPTER II. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE A. Theoretical Description ... 9
1. A Brief Review on Language Errors ... 9
a. Definition of Errors ... 9
b. Mistakes and Errors ... 10
2. Mastery of a Language ... 11
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b. Criteria of Mastery ... 12
3. Tenses ... 12
a. Simple Present Tense ... 13
b. Present Progressive Tense ... 16
c. Simple Past Tense ... 19
d. Past Progressive Tense ... 21
e. Present Perfect Tense ... 22
f. Present Perfect Progressive Tense ... 24
g. Past Perfect Tense ... 25
h. Past Perfect Progressive Tense ... 26
i. Simple Future Tense ... 26
j. Future Progressive Tense... 29
B. Theoretical Framework ... 30
CHAPTER III. METHODOLOGY A. Research Method ... 32
B. Research Participants ... 33
C. Research Instrument ... 34
1. Validity ... 34
a. Face Validity ... 35
b. Content Validity ... 35
c. Construct Validity ... 36
2. Reliability ... 36
D. Data Gathering Techniques ... 38
E. Data Analysis Techniques ... 38
F. Research Procedure ... 40
CHAPTER IV. RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION A. Data Presentation ... 43
1. The Students’ Achievement in the Test ... 43
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B. Discussion ... 47
1. The Errors Made by the Students ... 48
a. Errors in Simple Present Tense ... 48
1) Context-Related Errors ... 49
a) Wrong Choice of Tenses ... 49
b) The Use of Passive in Active Sentence... 50
2) Form-Related Errors ... 51
a) The Use of be with Ordinary Verb ... 51
b) Omission of -s ... 51
c) Problem in Using be ... 51
d) Subject and Verb Disagreement... 52
e) Wrong Order of Adverb of Frequency ... 52
3) Other Errors in Simple Present Tense ... 53
a) Wrong Verb Form in Auxiliary have ... 53
b) Mixed Tenses ... 53
b. Errors in Present Progressive Tense ... 53
1) Context-Related Errors ... 54
a) Wrong Choice of Tenses ... 54
2) Form-Related Errors ... 56
a) Omission of be ... 56
3) Other Errors in Present Progressive Tense ... 56
a) Subject and Verb Disagreement ... 56
b) The Use of be with Ordinary Verb ... 56
c) Wrong Verb Form in Auxiliary has ... 57
d) The Use of Passive in Active Sentence ... 57
e) The Use of Negative in Affirmative Sentences ... 57
c. Errors in Simple Past Tense ... 58
1) Context-Related Errors ... 58
a) Wrong Choice of Tenses... 58
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a) Problem in Using used to ... 60
b) Wrong Use of Verb ... 60
c) Subject and Verb Disagreement ... 60
d) Mixed Tenses ... 61
3) Other Errors in Simple Past Tense ... 61
a) Omission of Verb (Verbless) ... b) Wrong Verb Form in Auxiliary have ... 61
c) Wrong Context and Word Order ... 62
d. Errors in Past Progressive Tense ... 62
1) Context-Related Errors ... 63
a) Wrong Choice of Tenses... 63
b) The Use of Passive in Active Sentence ... 64
2) Form-Related Errors ... 64
a) Subject and Verb Disagreement ... 64
b) Omission of be ... 65
c) Wrong Spelling ... 65
3) Another Error in Past Progressive Tense ... 65
a) Subject and Verb Disagreement ... 65
e. Errors in Present Perfect Tense ... 65
1) Context-Related Errors ... 66
a) Wrong Choice of Tenses... 66
b) The Use of Passive in Active Sentence ... 67
2) Form-Related Error ... 67
a) Wrong Verb Form in Auxiliary have ... 67
f. Errors in Present Perfect Progressive Tense ... 67
1) Context-Related Errors ... 68
a) Wrong Choice of Tenses... 68
b) The Use of Passive in Active Sentence ... 70
2) Form-Related Errors ... 70
a) Wrong Verb Form in Auxiliary have ... 70
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c) Subject and Verb Disagreement ... 71
3) Other Errors in Present Perfect Progressive Tense ... 71
a) Subject and Verb Disagreement ... 71
b) The Use of be with Ordinary Verb ... 71
c) The Use of Passive and Subject and Verb Disagreement... 72
g. Errors in Past Perfect Tense ... 72
1) Context-Related Errors ... 73
a) Wrong Choice of Tenses... 73
b) The Use of Passive in Active Sentence ... 73
2) Form-Related Errors ... 73
a) Wrong Verb Form in Auxiliary had ... 73
3) Other Errors in Past Perfect Tense ... 74
a) Subject and Verb Disagreement ... 74
b) Wrong Verb Form in Auxiliary have ... 74
c) The Use of Passive in Active Sentence ... 75
h. Errors in Past Perfect Progressive Tense ... 75
1) Context-Related Errors ... 75
a) Wrong Choice of Tenses... 75
2) Other Errors in Past Perfect Progressive Tense ... 76
a) Subject and Verb Disagreement ... 76
b) Wrong Verb Form in Auxiliary had ... 77
c) The Use of Passive in Active Sentence ... 77
d) The Use of be with Ordinary Verb ... 77
i. Errors in Simple Future Tense ... 78
1) Context-Related Errors ... 78
a) In Simple Present to Express Future Time ... 78
b) The Use of will in Prior Plan Activity ... 78
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d) The Use of Passive in Active Sentence ... 79 2) Form-Related Errors ... 80 a) Wrong Verb Form in Auxiliary will ... 80 b) The Use of be with Ordinary Verb ... 80 c) Subject and Verb Disagreement ... 80 j. Errors in Future Progressive Tense ... 81
1) Context-Related Errors ... 81 a) Wrong Choice of Tenses... 81 2) Form-Related Errors ... 82 a) Wrong Order of Adverb still ... 82 b) Omission of be ... 83 c) The Use of be with Ordinary Verb ... 83 3) Other Errors in Future Progressive Tense ... 83 a) Subject and Verb Disagreement ... 83 b) Wrong Verb Form in Auxiliary has ... 84 c) Misuse of be going to ... 84 d) The Use of Passive in Active Sentence ... 85 e) Wrong Verb Form in Auxiliary will ... 85 2. The Students’ Mastery on Tenses ... 85
CHAPTER V. CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
A. Conclusions ... 87 B. Suggestions ... 89
1. Suggestions for the Students of the English Language
Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University .. 89 2. Suggestions for the Lecturers of the English Language
Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University .. 90 3. Suggestions for Future Researchers ... 91 REFERENCES ... 92
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LIST OF TABLES
Table Page 3.1 The Classification of Reliability Coefficient ... 37 4.1 The Students’ Scores in the Test ... 44 4.2 The Students’ Scores in Relation to the Category ... 45 4.3 The Students’ Achievement in Each Tense ... 46 4.4 Errors in Simple Present Tense ... 49 4.5 Errors in Present Progressive Tense ... 54 4.6 Errors in Simple Past Tense ... 58 4.7 Errors in Past Progressive Tense ... 63 4.8 Errors in Present Perfect Tense ... 66 4.9 Errors in Present Perfect Progressive Tense ... 68 4.10 Errors in Past Perfect Tense ... 72 4.11 Errors in Past Perfect Progressive Tense ... 75 4.12 Errors in Simple Future Tense ... 78 4.13 Errors in Future Progressive Tense ... 81
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LIST OF FIGURES
Figure Page 2.1 The Summary of Formulation of the Simple Present Tense ... 14 2.2 The Summary of Formulation of Present Progressive Tense... 17 2.3 Non-Progressive Tense Verbs ... 18 2.4 The Summary of Formulation of Simple Past Tense ... 20 2.5 The Summary of Formulation of Past Progressive Tense ... 22 2.6 The Summary of Formulation of Present Perfect Tense ... 23 2.7 The Summary of Formulation
of Present Perfect Progressive Tense ... 24 2.8 The Summary of Formulation of Past Perfect Tense ... 25 2.9 The Summary of Formulation of Simple Future Tense ... 27
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LIST OF APPENDICES
Page
Appendix A: Surat Permohonan Ijin Penelitian ... 95 Appendix B: The Test ... 96 Appendix C: Key to the Test ... 100 Appendix D: The Sample of the Students’ Sheets ... 102 Appendix E: The Students’ Test Scores... 110 Appendix F: The Content and Distribution of the Test
in Each Number... 114 Appendix G: The Students’ Erroneous Answers ... 117
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1 CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
This chapter consists of six parts which present the introduction of the study. It includes background of the study, problem formulation, problem limitation, objectives of the study, benefits of the study, and definition of terms.
A. Background of the Study
English is widely used around the world. It is used for communicating and interacting among nations because English is an international language. Furthermore, in globalization era, people are demanded to be able to use English in many aspects. Therefore, they need to learn English.
In learning English, the students learn the four basic skills namely listening, speaking, reading, and writing. In addition to learning the four basic skills, the students also learn the elements of language namely vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. These elements of language give a contribution to the four basic skills. The examples are vocabulary as in speaking, writing, reading and listening; pronunciation as in speaking; and grammar as in writing and speaking. Having good vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation helps people to communicate well. Those four basic skills and three elements of language are important in building the mastery of English.
Grammar is one of the important elements in building the mastery of a language. By learning grammar, the students know the rules of the language.
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When the students want to convey information, grammar is one of the important things to be considered in order that the information can be understood well. It is supported by Nunan (1991: 153), he states that grammar is present to make us understand and possible to communicate beyond a rudimentary level. Using grammar, people are able to communicate appropriately, correctly, and meaningfully. Ur (1988), as cited in (Nunan, 1991: 154), also argues that the elements of a language, be they lexical, phonological or grammatical, are essential toward the ability to communicate in the language. It means that grammar is one of the elements that should be paid attention to in communication. Purpura (2004, ix) also argues that grammar is the rule of language, the heart of language use, which is used in speaking, listening, reading or writing.
There are a lot of aspects in grammar. One of them is tense. In learning grammar, English tense is important because in English, tense or time cannot be avoided. According to Nesfield as cited in Mas‟ud (2005: 18), “tense is a form of a verb that shows time of happening of an event or an action and it shows the level of perfection of an action at the time it happened.” According to Jackson (1982: 74), time is divided into past, present and future. In English, each tense indicates the time; therefore it is clear whether he spoke in the past, he speaks in the present or he will speak in the future.
The study discusses the ELESP students‟ errors and mastery in using tenses. ELESP stands for the English Language Education Study Program. The students of the English Language Education Study Program are prepared to be qualified English teachers. To be a teacher, people should be able to communicate well,
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moreover for a language teacher, in this case an English teacher. S/he is expected to communicate well in English. To communicate well and correctly, it needs rules. Grammar provides rules to produce communicative and effective utterances. Therefore, as teacher candidates, it is important for them to be proficient in using grammar, especially the tenses. It is needed, for example in teaching learning processes, when the teacher explains the lesson in the past, present, or future time. Based on the writer‟s experience, the students of the English Language Education Study Program still have difficulties in mastering English tenses. Considering that English tenses are essential, measuring the students‟ ability on tenses is important. The study is conducted to find out the students‟ mastery of the tenses of ELESP students. This study is conducted to the third semester students of the English Language Education Study Program students in the academic year of 2008/2009. The third semester students are considered to have enough knowledge about tenses during the learning processes for one semester at the first semester in the English Language Education Study Program. In addition to finding out the students‟ mastery, the writer also tries to find out the students‟ errors on tenses. Since their errors are recognized in the early stage of the study program, the lecturer will be able to do remedial actions.
B. Problem Formulation
The questions of the research are formulated as follows.
1. What are the errors that the students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta make in using the tenses?
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2. What is the mastery of tenses of the students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta?
C. Problem Limitation
The study aims to find out the ELESP students‟ errors and mastery in using tenses. The subjects of the study are the third semester students of the English Language Education Study Program in the academic year of 2008/2009. The reason why the writer chooses the third semester students is because they have enough knowledge about tenses during the learning processes at the first semester in the English Language Education Study Program.
In the study, the writer limits the discussion on the mastery of the ten tenses. It is based on the consideration of the syllabus used in the English Language Education Study Program. The ten tenses that are taught in the first semester are simple present tense, present progressive tense, simple past tense, past progressive tense, present perfect tense, present perfect progressive tense, past perfect tense, past perfect progressive tense, simple future tense, and future progressive tense. The study focuses on the use of each tense in relevance to its functions.
To find out the students' errors and mastery, the writer administers a test to the third semester students of the English Language Education Study Program in the academic year of 2008/2009. The study emphasizes on the ability of the students in using the tenses. It focuses on the use of each tense in relevance to its functions. In other words, it emphasizes on the functions rather than the form of
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each tense. However, forms or patterns of each tense are included in the error analysis.
D. Objectives of the Study
This research aims to answer the research questions formulated in the problem formulation. The objectives are as follows.
1. To find out the errors that the students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta make in using the tenses.
2. To find out the mastery of tenses of the students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta.
E. Benefits of the Study
The study is useful for the students of the English Language Education Study Program. They are expected to be able to improve their learning of English tenses. As teacher candidates, they are expected to master the grammar, in which tense is included. They are also expected to be aware of their errors so that they are able to remedy their errors. By realizing their weaknesses, they should not make mistakes anymore.
The study is also useful for the lecturers. The study on the mastery of tenses of the students of the English Language Education Study Program helps to find the students‟ errors and mastery in using tenses. The results of the study can be
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used as feedback for the Structure class lecturers in the teaching learning processes, and thus hopefully be able to improve the teaching of English tenses.
The study also, hopefully, gives benefits to future researchers and readers. It is expected that the study gives sufficient information about the research on mastery of tenses, thus they can explore more. It is hoped that the study will help the future researchers and readers in understanding the tenses, especially the ten tenses. For future researcher, it is expected that they can develop the research by improving and modifying the test. They may find the significance of tenses in building the mastery of a language related to four basic skills; listening, speaking, reading, and writing.
F. Definition of Terms
To avoid misunderstanding, there are some terms that need to be explained. The terms that will be defined are mastery, tenses, and errors.
1. ELESP Students
ELESP stands for the English Language Education Study Program. The subject of this research is the third semester students of the English Language Education Study Program in the academic year of 2008/2009. The study is conducted at Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta.
2. Errors
According to Dulay, Burt and Krashen (1982: 138), errors are the deviation parts of learner in spoken and written from rules of language. In the study, the writer tries to find out the errors the students make in using the tenses.
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There are three categories of errors in the study. They are „context-related errors‟, „form-related errors‟ and „other errors‟. Those three categories are then divided into sub categories based on the errors that the writer found in each tense. Context-related errors consist of the students‟ answers that deviate from the context or function in a given tense. Form-related errors consist of the students‟ answers that deviate from the form or pattern in a given tense. Other errors consist of the students‟ answers that do not belong to two previous categories because they deviate from the intended context and form.
3. Tense
According to Jackson (1982: 74), “the grammatical category of tense is related to real-world time.” He divides time into past, present and future. According to Asher (1994: 4558), there are two important facets of tenses. First, from a formal point of view, tense is a grammatical category expressed overtly on the verb. Second, from a semantic point of view, tense serves to locate situations in time. The study focuses on ten tenses. They are simple present tense, present progressive tense, simple past tense, past progressive tense, present perfect tense, present perfect progressive tense, past perfect tense, past perfect progressive tense, simple future tense, and future progressive tense.
4. Mastery
In this study, definition of mastery refers to Fries (1948: 3). He says that “a person has learned a foreign language when he has thus first, within a limited vocabulary mastered the sound system, that is, when he can understand the stream of speech and achieve an understandable production of it and has, second, made
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the structural devices or the basic arrangements of the utterances as a matter of automatic habit.” A person is said to have mastered a language if within the limitation of vocabulary that he has, he understands the sound system and produces the understandable sound system, and moreover, he is able to produce sentences. In the study, the writer wants to find out the students’ mastery of tenses. It is related to the second requirement of mastery; that is, the mastery of structural devices in which the students are expected to be able to recognize the form and use of tenses.
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9 CHAPTER II
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
This chapter consists of two sections. First, the writer presents the theoretical description. It includes the theory of errors, the mastery of a language, and English tenses, which consists of ten tenses used in the study. They are simple present tense, present progressive tense, simple past tense, past progressive tense, present perfect tense, present perfect progressive tense, past perfect tense, past perfect progressive tense, simple future tense, and future progressive tense. Second, the writer presents the theoretical framework.
A. Theoretical Description
In the theoretical description, the writer discusses a brief review on errors, the mastery of a language, and English tenses. There are ten tenses used in the study. They are simple present tense, present progressive tense, simple past tense, past progressive tense, present perfect tense, present perfect progressive tense, past perfect tense, past perfect progressive tense, simple future tense, and future progressive tense.
1. A Brief Review on Language Errors a. Definition of Errors
According to Dulay, Burt, and Krashen (1982: 138), errors are “the flawed side of learner speech or writing.” A learner makes error if he deviates from the rules in speaking or writing. In learning a language, making errors cannot be
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avoided. A learner cannot learn a language without making errors. The errors are used as feedback in teaching-learning processes.
Dulay, Burt, and Krashen (1982: 138) serve two major purposes of studying
learners‟ errors. First, it provides data about the nature of a language learning.
Second, it gives contribution to the teacher to know the difficulties of their students in learning a target language. It can be used as feedback in teaching learning. In the study, besides knowing the students‟ mastery, the writer also wants to know the errors that the students make in using tenses. Knowing the
students‟ errors, a teacher can do a remedial action to corrret their errors. In the
study, the writer focuses on the errors the students make in using ten tenses. b. Mistakes and Errors
Sometimes people are difficult to differentiate between mistakes and errors. Those two terms are slightly different. It is important to differentiate both of the terms in order to make them clear. Chomsky (1965) as stated in Dulay et al. (1982: 139) distinguishes between errors caused by fatigue and inattention and errors resulting from lack of knowledge of the rules of the language. Errors caused by fatigue and inattention is called “performance factors”, while errors resulting
from lack of knowledge of the rules of the language is called “competence”.
Corder (1967) as stated in Dulay et al. (1982: 139) says that “performance errors
have been called „mistakes‟, while the term „errors‟ was reserved for the systematic deviations due to the learner‟s still developing knowledge of the L2 rule system.”
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The writer does not differentiate both mistakes and errors because it is difficult to judge whether the students‟ answers are caused by performance factors or competence factors. In the study, the writer uses the term errors which refer to
the students‟ answers which are deviate from the rules of tenses. The errors are
classified into some categories based on the errors that the writer found in each tense.
2. Mastery of a Language a. Definition
In this study, definition of mastery refers to Fries (1948: 3). Fries says that a person has learned a foreign language when he has thus first, within a limited vocabulary mastered the sound system, that is, when he can understand the stream of speech and can achieve an understandable production of it and has, second, made the structural devices or the basic arrangements of the utterances as a matter of automatic habit. A person is said to have mastered a language if within the limitation of vocabulary that he has, he understands the sound system and produces the understandable sound system, and moreover, he is able to produce sentences as his automatic habit. In relation to the study, one of the elements that should be mastered is grammar or structural devices. It is the basic arrangement of utterances.
Grammar has a lot of aspects. One of them is tense. The study focuses on ten tenses on which the writer tries to find out the students‟ mastery on them. Grammar is needed in order to communicate effectively, correctly, appropriately, and meaningfully because it provides rules.
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b. Criteria of Mastery
As it is written in Peraturan Akademik Universitas Sanata Dharma Yogyakarta (2002: 14), the minimum standard of mastery is 56 percent. The
following is the list of score category which is used to classify the students‟
scores.
Score Category 80-100 very good (A)
70-79 good (B)
56-69 sufficient (C) 50-55 insufficient (D)
≤ 49 poor (E)
Based on the list above, if the students‟ scores are below the minimum standard of
mastery, it means that they still have difficulties and they have not mastered the ten tenses.
3. Tenses
There are ten tenses used in the study. They are simple present tense, present progressive tense, simple past tense, past progressive tense, present perfect tense, present perfect progressive tense, past perfect tense, past perfect progressive tense, simple future tense, and future progressive tense. Those tenses will be explained further in accordance to the form and function of the tenses.
Greenbaum and Quirk (1990: 47) state, "Tense is a grammatical category that is realized by verb inflection.” English is reduced to two tenses: the present and the past tense. It refers to present and past time. According to Jackson (1982:
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74), the grammatical category of tense is related to real-world time. Time is divided into past, present and future. According to Asher (1994: 4558), there are two important aspects of tenses. First, from a formal point of view, tense is a grammatical category expressed overtly on the verb. Second, from a semantic point of view, tense serves to locate situations in time. This study not only focuses on the form but also on the use of the tenses. According to Curme (1931: 354), there are four absolute tenses. They are present, past, perfect, and future, which express time from the moment in which speaker is speaking without reference to some other acts. Celce-Murcia (1999: 110) divides tense into four aspects. They are simple which is called zero aspect, perfect, progressive, and their combination, perfect progressive. Based on some definitions above, the tenses used in the study are based on the syllabus used by English Language Education Study Program. They are past, present, future which have the combination of four aspects. The study focuses on ten tenses which are presented as follows.
a. Simple Present Tense
Azar (1985: 3) explains the formulations of the simple present tense. The formulation is presented in Figure 2.1.
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Statement (affirmative)
I
You work We
They
He
She works It
If the subject is the third person singular (e.g. he, she, it, John, the animal), the verb is added by a final –s (or –es)
Negative
I
We do not You (don‟t) They work
He does not She (doesn‟t) It work
Do not add final –s (or –es) to the main verb (e.g. work) in negative sentence
Questions
I
Do we work? you
they
he
Does she work? it
Do not add a final –s (or – es) to the main verb in a question.
Short answer
I
Yes, you do we
they
he
Yes, she does It
I
No, you don‟t we
they
he
No, she doesn‟t It
Figure 2.1: The Summary of Formulations of the Simple Present Tense
In the formulation of simple present tense, the –s /-es adding is used for the third person singular, such as he, she, and it. There are some rules in the spelling of verbs used for the third person singular. Azar (1992: 8) explains the rules as follows:
a) Final –s, is added to most verbs For example:
visit-visits speak-speaks answer-answers happen-happens
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b) Final –es is added in the verbs ending with –ch, -sh, -s, -x, or –z For example:
watch – watches
wash – washes
pass – passes fix – fixes
buzz - buzzes
c) Final –es is also added to do and go For example:
go – goes do – does
d) Many verbs end in –e. Final –s is simply added For example:
Hope-hopes Write-writes
e) If the word ends in a consonant –y. Change the –y to –i and add –es. For example:
study - studies fly - flies try – tries
f) If the word ends in a consonant –y and it is preceded by a vowel, simply add –s.
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say - says pay - pays buy – buys
According to Azar (1989: 11), simple present tense has several functions. First, it expresses general statements of facts. It means that simple present tense expresses something that was true in the past, is true in the present, and will be true in the future. It also refers to events, actions or situations which are true in present period of time and may continue indefinitely (Alexander, 1988: 163). Second, it is used to express habitual or every day activity. Third, certain common verbs are not used in progressive tense, with these verbs may indicate a situation that exists right now, at the moment of speaking. The examples are:
[1] It snows in Alaska. (Azar, 1989: 2) = It expresses a fact or general truth. [2] I watch television every day. (Azar, 1989: 2) = It expresses a habitual action. [3] I don‟t recognize that man. (Azar, 1989: 11) = simple present that may
indicate a situation that exists right now, at the moment of speaking.
b. Present Progressive Tense
Generally, present progressive tense is used for action in progress at the time of the speaking. According to Corder (1960: 74), present progressive may be used without any adverbs of time because what is happening at the time of speaking is an evident that does not need an explanation. The adverbs that are sometimes used in this tense are now, at present, at this moment, and still.
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The forms of the present progressive tense according to Azar (1985: 4) are presented in Figure 2.2.
STATEMENT I am working
He
She is working It
You
We are working They
NEGATIVE I am not working
He
She is not (isn‟t) It working
You
We are not (aren‟t) They working
QUESTION Am I working?
he
Is she working? It
you
Are we working? they
SHORT ANSWER
Yes, I am No, I‟m not
he Yes, she is it he No, she isn‟t It
you Yes, we are It he
No, she aren‟t it
Figure 2.2: The Summary of Formulations of the Present Progressive Tense
In present progressive form, a sentence needs be as auxiliary verb. Present forms of Be are: am, is, are. They are followed by verb –ing.
The examples of present progressive tense are:
[4] I am not wearing a coat as it isn‟t cold. (Thomson and Martinet, 1986: 154)
[5] John is trying to improve his work habits. (Azar, 1989: 11)
[6] He is always leaving his dirty dishes on the table! (Azar, 1989: 16) Present progressive tense has some functions. First, it expresses an activity that is in progress, that is occurring, is happening, right now. Sentence [4] is an example of this situation. The event began in the past, is in progress now, and will
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probably continue into the future. Second, it is often to express the activity of a general nature: something generally in progress this week, this month, this year. Sentence [5] may show a general nature activity. It may mean that trying to improve his work habit is a general activity he is engaged in at present, but it does not mean that it happens at the moment of speaking. Third, the adverbs such as always, forever and constantly are used with the present progressive to express annoyance or anger. Sentence [6] is the example of an action that expresses annoyance or anger.
There are some common verbs which are not used in the progressive tense (Azar, 1989: 13). Although they may be used for describing an action at the moment of speaking, simple present is used. Some common verbs which are not used in progressive tense are described in Figure 2.3.
Mental State
know imagine realize doubt
understand remember recognize forget believe want feel need suppose prefer think* mean Emotional State
love fear dislike like envy care appreciate mind hate Possession possess own
have* belong Sense Perceptions
taste* feel* smell* see* hear
Other Existing States
seem be* look* exist
appear* consist of cost contain owe include weigh*
The verbs with an asterisk are also commonly used as progressive verbs, with a difference in meaning.
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c. Simple Past Tense
Simple past tense is used for actions completed in the past at a definite time. It began and ended at a particular time in the past (Azar, 1989: 24). It is also used to express a past situation or habit that no longer exists at present. Form used to is used to express it. The examples of simple past tense are:
[7] I met him yesterday. [8] Pasteur died in 1895.
In sentences [7] and [8], the adverbs of time yesterday and in 1895 are clear. Those sentences show actions which began and ended at a particular time in the past.
[9] When did you meet him?
Sentence [9] asks the time when you met him. The meeting happened in the past. [10] The train was ten minutes late.
[11] I bought this car in Montreal.
Sentences [10] and [11] show actions happened in the past although there is no specific time mentioned in the verb bought and was.
[12] Where have you been? ~ I've been to the opera. ~ Did you enjoy it? Sometimes simple past tense is used as a result of a question and answer in the present perfect. Sentence [12] is the example of it.
[13] I used to live with my parents. Now, I live in my own apartment.
Sentence [13] is the example of a past habit that no longer exists at present. In the past, I lived with parents, but now I do not live with them anymore. I live in my apartment.
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The forms of the simple past are described in Figure 2.4.
STATEMENT I You He
She worked yesterday It We They QUESTION I you he
Did she work yesterday it we they NEGATIVE I You He
She did not (didn’t)work yesterday It We They SHORT ANSWER
I I you you he he
Yes, she did No, she didn’t It It
we we they they
Figure 2.4: The Summary of Formulations of the Simple Past Tense
Past time also can be expressed using time clause:
[14] When I was in Chicago, I visited the art museum. (Azar, 1984: 29) time clause main clause
There are two clauses in sentence [14]. They are time clause and main clause. When means at that time, after, before, and while means during that time are used in the time clause. The pattern can be seen as follows.
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when
after + subject and verb = a time clause before
while
d. Past Progressive Tense
According to Azar (1989: 24), past progressive tense has some functions. The past progressive expresses an activity that was in progress, was occurring, was happening at a particular time in the past. It is also used to express two actions that occured at the same time, but one action began earlier and was in progress when the other action occurred. Sometimes, it is used in both parts of a sentence when two actions are in progress simultaneously.
For examples:
[15] I sat down at the dinner table at 6:00 p.m. yesterday. My friend came to my house at 6:10 p.m. I was eating dinner when my friend came.
Sentence [15] shows an action that eating was in progress at 6:10 p.m when my friend came.
[16] While I was studying in one room of our apartment, my roommate was having a party in the other room. (Azar, 1989: 24)
Sentence [16] shows two actions which both parts of clauses were in progress. It happened simultaneously.
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STATEMENT
I
He was working when the phone rang. She
It
You
We were working They when the phone rang.
NEGATIVE
I
He was not(wasn’t) working when the She phone rang
It
You
We were not working They when the phone
rang
QUESTION
I
Was he working when the phone rang? she
It
You
Were We working They when the phone rang?
SHORT ANSWER
I Yes, he was.
she it I
No, he wasn’t. she
it
you
Yes, we were. they
you
No, we weren’t. they
Figure 2.5: The Summary of Formulations of the Past Progressive Tense
Past progressive form needs past form of be. They are was, were. They are followed by verb –ing.
e. Present Perfect Tense
The present perfect expresses the idea that something happened or never happened before now, at an unspecified time in the past. The exact time it happened is not important (Azar, 1989: 29).
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STATEMENT
(a) I havefinished my work. (b) Jim has eaten lunch.
The basic form of the present perfect:
Have/Has+Past Participle
NEGATIVE
(a) I have not (haven’t) finished my work.
(b) Jim has not (hasn’t) eaten lunch.
Have + not = haven‟t Has + not = hasn‟t
QUESTION
(Question word) + helping verb + Subject + Main Verb
have you finished your work? How long has Jim eaten lunch? have you lived here? A: Have you seen that movie?
B: Yes, I have. OR No, I haven’t. A: Has Jim eaten lunch?
B: Yes, he has. OR No, he hasn’t.
The helping verb (have or has) is used in the short
answer to a yes/no
question.
Figure 2.6: The Summary of Formulations of the Present Perfect Tense
The examples of Present Perfect sentences are as follows. [17] They have moved into a new apartment.
[18] Have you ever visited Mexico? [19] I have never seen snow.
Present Perfect Tense also expresses the repetition of an activity before now. The exact time is also not important.
[20] We have had four tests so far this semester. [21] I have flown on an airplane many times.
When it used with for or since, it expresses a situation that began in the past and continues to the present. There are differences between since and for. Since is used for a particular time. Since is followed by the mention of a specific point in time: an hour, a day, a month, a year, and others. Since expresses the idea that an activity began at a specific time in the past and continues to the present. Since
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may also introduce a time clause, a subject and verb may follow since. The present perfect is used in the main clause; the simple past is used in the since clause. For is used for duration of time. For is followed by the mention of a length of time: two minutes, three hours, four days, five weeks, and others. The use of present perfect in a sentence with for + a length of time means that the action began in the past and continues to the present. For examples:
[23] I have been here since seven o‟clock. [24] We have been here for two weeks.
f. Present Perfect Progressive Tense
The tense is used to indicate the duration of an activity that began in the past and continues to the present. When it has this meaning, it is used with time words such as for, since, all morning, all day, all week.
The forms of the present perfect progressive tense are as follows. HAVE/HAS + BEEN + -ING
I have been living here since January. Bob has been studying for two hours.
Form of the present perfect progressive:
Have/has + been + -ing How long have you been living here?
How long has Bob been studying?
Question form:
Have/has + subject + been + -ing
Figure 2.7: The Summary of Formulations of the Present Perfect Progressive Tense
[25] I have been sitting here since seven o‟clock. [26] I have been sitting here for two hours.
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When the tense is used without any specific mention of time, it expresses a general activity in progress recently, lately. For examples:
[28] I have been thinking about changing my major.
[29] All of the students have been studying hard. Final exams start next week. With certain verbs for example live, work, teach, there is little or no difference in meaning between the two tenses (present perfect and present perfect progressive) when since or for is used.
[30] He has worked at the same store for ten years. [31] He has been working at the same store for ten years.
Both sentence [30] and sentence [31] have no difference. They have essentially the same meaning.
g. Past Perfect Tense
This tense is used to express an activity that was completed before another activity or time in the past. The forms of the past perfect tense are as follows.
AFFIRMATIVE CONTRACTIONS NEGATIVE Form of the past
perfect tense: Had + past participle
I You He
She had eaten. It
We They
I + had = I‟d You + had = you‟d He + had = he‟d She + had = she‟d It + had = It‟d We + had = we‟d They + had = they‟d
Had + not=hadn’t
I hadn’t eaten.
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The examples of past perfect tense are sentences [32] and [33]. [32] My parents had already eaten by the time I got home. [33] Until yesterday, I had never heard about it.
These two sentences show activities that were completed before other activities in the past.
h. Past Perfect Progressive Tense
The past perfect progressive emphasizes the duration of an activity that was in progress before another activity or time in the past. The basic form of the past perfect progressive tense is as follows.
The tense may also express an activity in progress recent to another time or activity in the past. The examples of past perfect progressive tense are as follows. [34] He finally came at six o‟clock. I had been waiting for him since four-thirty. [35] Her eyes were red because she had been crying.
i. Simple Future Tense
The forms of simple future tense are described in Figure 2.9. HAD + BEEN + - ING
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STATEMENT I You He
She will work It tomorrow. We They QUESTION I You He
Will She work It tomorrow? We They NEGATIVE I You He
She will not (won’t) It work tomorrow. We They SHORT ANSWER I You He Yes She will. It We They I You He
No She won’t. It
We They
Figure 2.9: The Summary of Formulations of the Simple Future Tense
There are two forms, will and be going to. Will and be going to are used to express future time. The differences between will and be goingto are:
1) To express a prediction, either will or be going to is used: [36] According to the weather report, it will be cloudy tomorrow. [37] According to the weather report, it is going to be cloudy tomorrow.
There is no difference in meaning between [36] and [37]. It shows prediction that is a statement about something s/he thinks will be true or will occur in the future, either will or be going to is possible.
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[38] I talked to Bob yesterday. He is tired of taking the bus to work. He is going to buy a car. That‟s what he told me.
In sentence [38] the speaker intends to do an action in the future because in the past s/he has made a plan or decision to do it. Only be going to is used. The
speaker knows Bob‟s intention to buy a car. Bob made the decision in the past and
he intends to act on this decision in the future. 3) To express willingness, only will is used: [39] A: The phone is ringing
B: I will get it.
The conversation shows willingness. “I am willing, I am happy to get the phone.”
He has made no prior plan. He is not making a prediction. He is willing to answer the phone.
a) The Present Progressive and the Simple Present Tense to Express Future Time 1) Present Progressive Tense
[40] Sam has already made his plans. He is leaving at noon tomorrow.
The present progressive may be used to express future time when the idea of the sentence concerns a planned event or definite intention. A future meaning for the present progressive tense is indicated either by future time words in the sentence or by the context. Verbs such as come, go, stay, arrive, leave are frequently used in the present progressive to express future time. Such verbs express definite plans. Verbs expressing planned means of transportation in the future are frequently used in the present progressive, for example: fly, walk, ride, drive, take a bus or taxi, and many others.
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Sometimes it is used when the speaker wants to make a very strong statement about a future activity
2) Simple Present
[41] The museum opens at ten tomorrow morning.
The simple present can be used to express future time in sentences that concern events that are on a definite schedule or timetable. Only a few words are used in this way such as open, close, begin, end, start, finish, arrive, leave, come, return.
j. Future Progressive Tense
The future progressive expresses an activity that will be in progress at a time in the future.
[42] I will begin to study at seven. You will come at eight. I will be studying when you come.
The form of future progressive tense is S + will/shall + be + the -ing form while the progressive form of be going to is be going to + be + -ing. Sometimes there is little or no difference between the future progressive and the simple future, especially when the future event will occur at an indefinite time in the future as in the following examples:
[43] Don‟t get impatient. She will be coming soon. [44] Don‟t get impatient. She will come soon.
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B. Theoretical Framework
In globalization era people are demanded to be able to use English in many aspects. Therefore, they need to learn English. In learning English, the students learn the four basic skills namely listening, speaking, reading, and writing. In addition to learning the four basic skills, the students also learn vocabulary, grammar, and pronunciation. Those are the elements of language. One of the important things needs to be mastered is grammar because it provides rules. There are many aspects in grammar. One of them is tense. It is needed to master tenses when studying English because in learning English, time or tense cannot be avoided.
The study focuses on ten tenses. They are simple present tense, present progressive tense, simple past tense, past progressive tense, present perfect tense, present perfect progressive tense, past perfect tense, past perfect progressive tense, simple future tense, and future progressive tense. The writer conducts the study on the ten tenses because they are taught at the first semester in the English Language Education Study Program. The study also puts emphasis on the use of functions of each tense. Hence, the students not only know the forms of each tense but also the functions and meaning of each tense.
It is important to know their weaknesses or errors that they make in using tenses to enhance the mastery of tenses. Richard Shawstack in a book entitled Essential English Grammar (Mas‟ud, 2005: 18) states, “to learn a new language, he must practice, and the more he practices, the more mistakes he is likely to
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The writer categorizes the errors into three categories. They are context-related errors, form-context-related errors and other errors. Those three categories are then divided into sub categories based on the errors that the writer found in each tense. The categorizations are based on the errors that the writer found from the
students‟ answers. Then, the writer relates them to the theory of tenses.
Context-related errors consist of the students‟ answers that deviate from the context or
function in a given tense. Form-related errors consist of the students‟ answers that deviate from the form or pattern in a given tense. Other errors consist of the
students‟ answers that do not belong to two previous categories because they deviate from the intended context and form.
To measure their mastery, the writer administers a test. The test is a production test because the study focused on the use of tenses. The test is administered to the students in written form. They are asked to fill in the blanks
using the correct verbs form based on the context of each sentence. The students‟
errors show their weaknesses. It is used as feedback in learning grammar, particularly English tense. The test results are also used to show their level of mastery in using tenses based on the scoring category of Peraturan Akademik Universitas Sanata Dharma Yogyakarta 2002.
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32
CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
This chapter discusses the methodology used in the study. It consists of six parts. The methodology includes research method, research participants, research instrument, data gathering technique, data analysis technique, and research procedures.
A. Research Method
There were two problems to be solved as mentioned in chapter one. First, the research was aimed to find out the errors that the students of the English Language Education Study Program made in using the tenses. Second, the research was conducted to find out the mastery of the tenses of the students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta.
The study was a survey research. According to Ary, Jacobs, and Razavieh (2002: 374), survey is “a research technique in which data are gathered by asking questions of a group of individuals called respondents.” In the study, the writer used a test to gather the data. The test was administered to the third semester students of the English Language Education Study Program of Sanata Dharma University Yogyakarta in the academic year of 2008/2009. From the test results, the writer tried to find out the errors that the students made in using the tenses. The writer also analyzed the mastery of the tenses of the students.
(1)
26.
Cathy: This letter is in French, and I don't speak a word of French. Can you help me?Diane: Sure. I (translate) will translate it for you.
62
Correct
Translate 1
Incorrect
Can translate 1
Incorrect
27.
It (always, be) is always cold in Antarctic. 51Correct
Always be 4
Incorrect
Will always be 1
Incorrect
Always 1
Incorrect
Always will be 1
Incorrect
Always been 1
Incorrect
Is always be 2
Incorrect
Is always being 1
Incorrect
Has always 1
Incorrect
Will always been 1
Incorrect
28.
She (write) is writing another book this year. 21Correct
Wrote 8
Incorrect
Has written 6
Incorrect
Write 2
Incorrect
Writes 11
Incorrect
Has been writing 4
Incorrect
Has wrote 1
Incorrect
Is going to write 7
Incorrect
Will write 1
Incorrect
Have written 1
Incorrect
Had been writing 1
Incorrect
Is write 1
Incorrect
29.
I called Roger at nine last night, but he (be, not) was not at home.55
Correct
Did not 3
Incorrect
Had not been 1
Incorrect
Were not 1
Incorrect
Were not being 1
Incorrect
Is did not 1
Incorrect
Was not be 1
Incorrect
Must be not 1
Incorrect
30.
The boys (play) were playing cards when they heard their father's step.48
Correct
Was playing 10
Incorrect
(2)
Played 3
Incorrect
Have played 1
Incorrect
31.
My wife and I came here two months ago. We (be) have been in this city for two months.37
Correct
Have been being 1
Incorrect
blank 1
Incorrect
Will be 6
Incorrect
Are 2
Incorrect
Were 9
Incorrect
Had been 5
Incorrect
Have been living 1
Incorrect
Are going to be 1
Incorrect
Had been being 1
Incorrect
32.
My eyes are getting tired. I (read) have been reading for two hours. I think I'll take a break.30
Correct
Have read 31
Incorrect
Am reading 1
Incorrect
Had been reading 1
Incorrect
Have been read 1
Incorrect
33.
Her eyes were red because she (cry) had been crying.14
Correct
Had cried 9
Incorrect
Has been crying 9
Incorrect
Was cried 1
Incorrect
Have been cried 2
Incorrect
Cries 1
Incorrect
Was crying 10
Incorrect
Has cried 4
Incorrect
Have been crying 4
Incorrect
Has been cried 1
Incorrect
Cried 5
Incorrect
Has cry 1
Incorrect
Is crying 1
Incorrect
Have cried 1
Incorrect
Has crying 1
Incorrect
34.
I talked to Bob yesterday. He is tired of taking the bus to work. He (buy) is going to buy a car. That's what he told me.13
Correct
Will buy 13
Incorrect
(3)
Bought 19
Incorrect
Has bought 2
Incorrect
Should buy 1
Incorrect
Buys 4
Incorrect
Had bought 2
Incorrect
Was going to buy 1
Incorrect
35.
He (speak, usually) usually speaks so quickly that I do not understand.54
Correct
Is usually speak 2
Incorrect
Usually speak 6
Incorrect
Has usually speaks 1
Incorrect
Speaks usually 1
Incorrect
36.
Tom can't have the newspaper now because his aunt (read) is reading it.55
Correct
Had read 1
Incorrect
Reads 2
Incorrect
Are reading 1
Incorrect
Has not read 1
Incorrect
Have read 2
Incorrect
Read 1
Incorrect
Has been read 1
Incorrect
37.
I went to bed at ten. The phone rang at eleven. I (sleep) was sleeping when the phone rang.45
Correct
Was slept 1
Incorrect
Have slept 1
Incorrect
Had been sleeping 4
Incorrect
Were sleeping 1
Incorrect
Had slept 10
Incorrect
Had been slept 1
Incorrect
Sleep 1
Incorrect
38.
(I, meet, never) have never met Nancy's parents. I hope I get the chance to meet them soon.41
Correct
I never met 7
Incorrect
I had never met 1
Incorrect
I never have meet 3
Incorrect
I never meet 10
Incorrect
I have never been meet 1
Incorrect
(4)
39.
He (work) has worked/has been working at the same office for two years.40
Correct
Blank 1
Incorrect
Works 7
Incorrect
Worked 3
Incorrect
Is working 2
Incorrect
Have been working 1
Incorrect
Has working 1
Incorrect
Will work 1
Incorrect
Had worked 2
Incorrect
Was working 2
Incorrect
Had been working 3
Incorrect
Has work 1
Incorrect
40.
According to the weather report, it (be) will be/is going to be cloudy tomorrow.52
Correct
Was 1
Incorrect
Is 8
Incorrect
Is going to 2
Incorrect
Is going be 1
Incorrect
41.
Right now I am looking at Janet. She (look) looks angry.54
Correct
Is looked 1
Incorrect
Is looking 9
Incorrect
42.
I (take) am taking five courses this semester. 24Correct
Take 15
Incorrect
Have taken 10
Incorrect
Took 4
Incorrect
Am going to take 2
Incorrect
Am take 1
Incorrect
Takes 1
Incorrect
Have taking 1
Incorrect
Have been taken 1
Incorrect
Will take 2
Incorrect
Have took 2
Incorrect
Had took 1
Incorrect
43.
While I (study) was studying in one room of our apartment, my roommate was having a party in the other room.46
Correct
Studied 16
Incorrect
(5)
Was studying 1
Incorrect
44.
We (have) have had four tests so far thissemester.
42
Correct
Had have 2
Incorrect
Have 5
Incorrect
Are going to have 3
Incorrect
Are having 6
Incorrect
Blank 1
Incorrect
Will have 2
Incorrect
Had 2
Incorrect
Have been having 1
Incorrect
45.
I (live) have been living/have lived in Yogyakarta since 1999.40
Correct
Live 3
Incorrect
Has been lived 1
Incorrect
Had been living 2
Incorrect
Lived 3
Incorrect
Was living 3
Incorrect
Have been live 3
Incorrect
Lives 3
Incorrect
Have left 1
Incorrect
Have been lived 2
Incorrect
Have live 1
Incorrect
Have been leaving 1
Incorrect
Had lived 1
Incorrect
46.
Sue has already made his plans. She (leave) is leaving/is going to leave at noon tomorrow.28
Correct
Has left 1
Incorrect
Will leave 21
Incorrect
Leaves 1
Incorrect
Is going to leaving 1
Incorrect
Will left 3
Incorrect
Left 1
Incorrect
Will leaving 1
Incorrect
Is going to leave 7
Incorrect
47.
She (need) needs a pen right now. 53Correct
Is need 3
Incorrect
Need 1
Incorrect
Is needing 6
Incorrect
(6)
48.
He (always, mess up) is always messing up the kitchen!7
Correct
Always messes up 35
Incorrect
Is always mess up 4
Incorrect
Always mess up 17
Incorrect
Always messing up 1
Incorrect
49.
The damage we do to our environment today (affect) will affect/is going to affect the quality of life of future generations.23
Correct
Affects 24
Incorrect
Is affect 1
Incorrect
Will be affecting 3
Incorrect
Is affecting 4
Incorrect
Will be affected 3
Incorrect
Affecting 1
Incorrect
Has been affecting 1
Incorrect
Will affects 1
Incorrect
Affect 1
Incorrect
Affected 1
Incorrect
Will be affect 1
Incorrect
50.
A: It’s cold in hereB: I agree. I (turn) will turn the heater on.
A: That’s a good idea.
57
Correct
Blank 1
Incorrect
Will turns 1
Incorrect
Will turning 1