An Error Analysis Of Simple Past In Writing Recount Text At The Twelfth Grade

Abstract

The objectives of the research written as following: 1) to identify the types of errors made by students on using simple past tense in writing recount text and; 2) to find out the causes of error made by students on using simple past tense in writing recount text. The researcher conducted the research at MAPN 04 Medan. The subjects of the study were the students of the twelfth grade of MAPN 04 Medan. There were about 31 students in the class. Researcher as the key instrument gave two tests to complete the data in the field. The data analysis uses descriptive qualitative to describe and convey the result of data which will be obtained during the process of the research in the field. The data of this research was words. Researcher had found a violence of students’ result in writing recount text using simple past tense, it was the way most students wrote an adverb/conjunction at the beginning of the sentence and straightly followed by the past form of the verb, which is absolutely wrong in grammatical. The researcher realized the error occurred due to cultural effect of interpreting the adverbs/conjunctions followed with verbs. For example, ’after swam’ was supposed to follow the pattern of S + V2 + O/C + CONJ. + S + V2 + O/C, but instead writing it as CONJ. + V2. Researcher did the analysis in the correct way as CONJ. + S + V2 became after we swam. For the most dominant cause made by students was Translation due to lack of attention of the changing verbs and to be in using simple past tense.