Analysing the students errors in using simple present (A case study at Junior High School in Makassar)

Abstract

The research method used a case study method. The subject of this research included the eighth grade students of Makassar Junior High School, which is comprised of 17 students. In analysing the data, the writer collected the data from the students, identified the grammatical errors, classified the errors of using simple present tense in the students' descriptive text to determine the frequency of errors, and calculated the data into percentages. The results demonstrate that the students' errors can be categorized into four kinds of errors, which include 16.79% errors of omission, 5.11% errors in addition, 75.18% errors in missed formation, and 2.92% errors in improper ordering. The writer observed 137 total errors. The writer concluded that missed formation was the dominant kind of error made by the eighth grade students of Makassar Junior High School. The teachers recommended practicing grammatical rules in simple present tense in order to minimize the errors. Moreover, other researchers can provide techniques to increase students' mastery of simple present tense.