The Error Analysis of Simple Past Tense in Recount Text Made by the Eighth Grade Students of SMP N 1 Buayan in the Academic Year of 2016/2017

Abstract

The objectives of this research are to identify the types of errors on the use of simple past tense in students’ recount text writing and to find out the sources of the errors on the use of simple past tense in students’ recount text writing. This research focused on the eighth grade students at SMP N 1 Buayan, Kebumen. The method used in this study was descriptive qualitative. The data of this research was grammatical error on the use of simple past tense and the source of this research was recount text writing from 32 students of VIII A. The steps of error analysis were collection the data, identification, description, explanation, and evaluation of errors. The writer used Surface Strategy Taxonomy proposed by Ellis (2005:61) in analyzing the data. From the result, the total of errors is 351 errors made by students. From the frequency of each error types, misformation is the error which most frequently produced by the students. They are 194 errors (55.27%). Moreover, omissions are 122 errors (34.76%); additions are 34 errors (9.69%); and misordering is 1 error (0.28%). They mostly make errors in misformation of irregular verb in simple past tense, 166 errors (47.29%). These errors come from the influence of their first language rules (interlingual), some errors occur because the students generalize the rule and apply it incompletely (intralingual). From the result of sources of error, there are 383 sources of error which are classified into 66 interlinguals (17.23%) and 317 intralinguals (82.77%). The higest frequently sources of error make by students is intralingual, which consisted of 317 errors (82.77%). They mostly make errors in intralingual of misformation, 194 errors (50.65%). Most errors made by students are influenced by their target language rules. Later, the result of this research could be used as a feedback for teachers to implement effective learning in teaching tenses, in particular to simple past tense.