STUDENTS’ ERRORS IN USING SIMPLE PRESENT TENSE IN WRITING DESCRIPTIVE TEXT
Abstrak
ABSTRACT
This study analyzes students’ errors in using the simple present tense in writing descriptive texts at SMAN 1 Baso. Mastery of the simple present tense is essential because it is the basic tense commonly used in descriptive writing. However, preliminary observations showed that many students still struggled with its application. The objective of this research was to identify the types and frequency of errors made by students when applying the simple present tense in writing descriptive texts. The research employed a quantitative method with a random sample of 14 students from class X.2. Data were collected through a writing test, and errors were classified based on surface strategy taxonomy into omission, addition, misordering, and misformation. The findings revealed a total of 52 errors consisting of omission (12 cases or 23.07%), addition (10 cases or 19.23%), misordering (5 cases or 9.63%), and misformation (25 cases or 48.07%). Misformation errors were found to be the most dominant, indicating that students had difficulties in using correct verb forms according to the subject. These results suggest the need for more explicit grammar instruction, especially regarding verb agreement and the use of auxiliary verbs, to help students reduce grammatical errors and improve their writing accuracy.
Keywords: Error analysis, simple present tense, descriptive text, student writing
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