Thesis 1

ERROR ANALYSIS OF THE ENGLISH SENTENCES CONSTRUCTED
BY THE STUDENTS AT SMP NEGERI 1 BIDUK-BIDUK
ZAKIYA AYU NENGSIH
19.11.0110.0036
ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF TARBIYAH SEKOLAH

TINGGI ILMU TARBIYAH MUHAMMADIYAH TANJUNG REDEB
2023
ERROR ANALYSIS OF THE ENGLISH SENTENCES CONSTRUCTED
BY THE STUDENTS AT SMP NEGERI 1 BIDUK-BIDUK
AN UNDERGRADUATE THESIS
Presented to
English Education Department of Tarbiyah
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of Sarjana Pendidikan in English Language
Education
by
ZAKIYA AYU NENGSIH
19.11.0110.0036
ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF TARBIYAH SEKOLAH

TINGGI ILMU TARBIYAH MUHAMMADIYAH TANJUNG REDEB
2023
APPROVAL
Title : Error Analysis Of The English Sentences Constructed By

The Students At Smp Negeri 1 Biduk-Biduk
Name : Zakiya Ayu Nengsih
NIM : 19.11.0110.0036
NIRM : 19.11.21.0110.00490
Place/Date of Birth : Berau, 09 Februari 2001
Address : Jl. Belimbing RT.002 Kel.Biduk-Biduk Kec. Biduk-
Biduk, Berau, Kalimantan Timur
Program : Undergraduate Study (S-1)
Department : English Education Department
Academic Year : 2023
Have been checked and revised properly, we hereby approved it to be
submitted and examined in front of the Thesis Examining Team of Sekolah Tinggi
Ilmu Tarbiyah Muhammadiyah Tanjung Redeb for partial fulfillment of the
assignments and requirements to obtain the Bachelor of Education in the academic
year 2023.
Tanjung Redeb, 2023
Advisor I Advisor II
Usman, S.Pd, M.Pd

NBM. 1 176 545
Approved by
The Head of Muhammadiyah Islamic
Education Institute berau
Dr. Damsuki, M.Pd

NIDK. 8895430017
i
VALIDATION
This thesis has been completely examined by paper Examination board of English
Department Institute of Islamic Education written by Zakiya Ayu Nengsih, on:
Day :
Date :
With Category of Score :
The Head of Muhammadiyah
Islamic Education Institute Berau
Dr. Damsuki, M.Pd

NIDK. 8895430017
Examiners
Name Signature
1. 1.
The Chairman
2. 2.
Secretary
3. 3.
The Members
4. 4.
The Members
ii
STATEMENT OF AUTHENTICITY
I, the undersigned, Zakiya Ayu Nengsih, declare that this undergraduate thesis is
my original work, gathered and utilized, especially to fulfill the purposes and
adjectives of this study, and has not been previously submitted to any other
university for any degree or other purposes. I also declare that the publications
cited in this work have been properly acknowledged. If someday, it is proven
otherwise, I understand that my degree will revoked.
Tanjung Redeb, 2023
The Researcher,
ZAKIYA AYU NENGSIH
NIM 19.11.0110.0036
iii
ABSTRACT
Zakiya Ayu Nengsih. 2023. Error Analysis of The English Sentences Constructed
By The Students at SMP Negeri 1 Biduk-Biduk. Thesis. English Education
Department, Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Tarbiyah Muhammdiyah Tanjung Redeb.
Advisors: (I)...., (II) Usman, M.Pd.
Keywords: Error Analysis, Sentence
The objective of the research was to analyze the types of errors made by the
students in constructing English sentences at SMP Negeri 1 Biduk-biduk. This
research used descriptive quantitative research method by using Surface Strategy
Taxonomy to analyze the data. The research was conducted in SMP Negeri 1
Biduk-Biduk. The sample of this study was 32 eighth grade students who were
selected using cluster sampling technique. The instruments used by researchers in
this study were rearrangement and translation tests. The researcher found 61
misordering errors in the rearrangement test made by the students. Meanwhile, in
translation test, the researcher found 34 errors made by students. Those errors
were 15 errors of omission, 6 errors of addition, 9 errors of misformation, and 4
errors of misordering.
iv
ABSTRAK
Zakiya Ayu Nengsih. 2023. Error Analysis of The English Sentences Constructed
By The Students at SMP Negeri 1 Biduk-Biduk. Thesis. English Education
Department, Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Tarbiyah Muhammdiyah Tanjung Redeb.
Advisors: (I)...., (II) Usman, M.Pd.
Kata Kunci: Analisis Kesalahan, Kalimat
Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah menganalisis jenis-jenis kesalahan yang
dilakukan oleh siswa dalam menyusun kalimat bahasa Inggris di SMP Negeri 1
Biduk-Biduk. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode penelitian deskriptif kuantitatif
dengan menggunakan Surface Strategy Taxonomy untuk menganalisis data.
Penelitian ini dilaksanakan di SMP Negeri 1 Biduk-Biduk. Sampel penelitian ini
adalah 32 siswa kelas delapan yang dipilih dengan menggunakan teknik cluster
sampling. Instrumen yang digunakan peneliti dalam penilitian ini adalah tes
rearrangement dan translation. Peneliti menemukan 61 kesalahan misordering
dalam tes rearrangement yang dilakukan siswa. Sedangkan pada tes translation,
peneliti menemukan 34 kesalahan yang dilakukan siswa. Kesalahan tersebut
adalah 15 kesalahan omission, 6 kesalahan addition, 9 kesalahan misformation,
dan 4 misordering.
v
MOTTO
“The best way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”
vi
DEDICATION
I dedicate this thesis for:
1. My beloved mother, Ernawati, who always give me endless love, supports in
mentally, spiritually, and materially during the time of study and the process of
making this thesis.
2. My lovely sisters, Putri Ayu Lestari and Aqilah Humairah that has been always
blessed for the laughs and happiness. They are such life amusement for me.
3. My beloved big family, grandparents, uncles, aunts, and all my cousins, thank
you all the support and love.
4. My thesis mates’ warriors, Farah Asila and Siti Ruswana Sholehah. Keep
believing to pursue our dreams.
5. All of my friends in STIT Muhammadiyah Tanjung Redeb who have given me
supports and love for completing my study.
vii
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
Praise and gratitude for the presence of Allah, the Most Gracious and Most
Merciful, for His mercy and guidance, so that the researcher can prepare and
complete this thesis on time.
Shalawat is also sent to our lord, the Prophet of the End Times, Prophet
Muhammad saw, who has guided us from the darkness into the lightness namely
Islam, and who has moved us from the Jahiliyah era.
This thesis is one of the requirements to complete the undergraduate
education level of Strata 1 (S-1), English Education Department at Sekolah Tinggi
Ilmu Tarbiyah Muhammadiyah Tanjung Redeb. In preparing this thesis, the
researcher realized that there were still many mistakes that the researcher made.
Therefore, the researcher expects constructive criticism and suggestions as to the
next learning material.
The researcher hopes that this thesis can be useful and properly utilized by
readers, including examiners and students at Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Tarbiyah
Muhammadiyah Tanjung Redeb who will carry out the preparation of the thesis in
the years to come. On this occasion, the researcher would also like to express her
deepest respect and gratitude to:
1. Mr. Dr. Damsuki, M.Pd., as the Head of STIT Muhammadiyah Tanjung Redeb.
2. Mrs. Yuli Puji Astutik, M.Pd., as the head of English Education Department of
STIT Muhammadiyah Tanjung Redeb.
3. Mr. Usman, M.Pd., as the advisor II who has been patient and sincere in
guiding the researcher so that this thesis can be structured and completed.
viii
4. All academic staff of STIT Muhammadiyah Tanjung Redeb who have provided
assistance and support in the form of providing the files needed in this research.
Tanjung Redeb, 2023
The Researcher,
ZAKIYA AYU NENGSIH
NIM 19.11.0110.0036
ix
CONTENTS
COVER PAGE
TITLE PAGE
APPROVAL........................................................................................................ i
VALIDATION .................................................................................................... ii
STATEMENT OF AUTHENTICITY ................................................................ iii
ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................ iv
ACSTRAK .......................................................................................................... v
MOTTO .............................................................................................................. vi
DEDICATION .................................................................................................... vii
ACKNOWLEDGMENT ..................................................................................... viii
CONTENTS ........................................................................................................ x
LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................. xii
LIST OF APPENDICES ..................................................................................... xiv
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION
A. Background of Study ................................................................................ 1
B. Research Questions ................................................................................... 4
C. Objective of Study..................................................................................... 4
D. Significance of Study ................................................................................ 4
E. Definition of Key Terms ........................................................................... 5
CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW
A. Error .......................................................................................................... 6
B. Sentence .................................................................................................... 15
x
C. Review of Previous Studies ...................................................................... 28
CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHOD
A. Research Design ........................................................................................ 30
B. Research Setting ........................................................................................ 30
C. Participants ................................................................................................ 30
D. Population and Sample.............................................................................. 31
E. Research Instruments ................................................................................ 31
F. Data Collection Procedure ........................................................................ 32
G. Data Analysis ............................................................................................ 32
CHAPTER IV FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
A. Findings ..................................................................................................... 33
B. Discussion ................................................................................................. 54
CHAPTER V CLOSURE
A. Conclusion ................................................................................................ 58
B. Suggestion ................................................................................................. 58
REFERENCES
APPENDICES
CURRICULUM VITAE
xi
LIST OF TABLES
Table 4.1 The Total of Misordering Errors in Rearrangment Test ....................... 33
Table 4.2 The Misordering Error in Question Number 1...................................... 34

Table 4.10 The Misordering Error in Question Number 9.................................... 38
Table 4.11 The Misordering Error in Question Number 10.................................. 38
Table 4.17 The Total of Errors in Translation Test .............................................. 42
Table 4.18 The Percentage of Errors..................................................................... 43
Table 4.19 The Error in Question Number 1 ........................................................ 43
xii
Table 4.28 The Error in Question Number 10 ...................................................... 50
xiii
LIST OF APPENDICES
Appendix 1 Recommendation Letter .................................................................... 62
Appendix 2 Research Permission Letter ............................................................... 63
Appendix 3 Research Completion Letter .............................................................. 64
Appendix 4 Rearrangement Test Questions .......................................................... 65
Appendix 5 Translation Test Questions ................................................................ 67
Appendix 6 Thesis Consultation Card .................................................................. 68
Appendix 7 Originality Report.............................................................................. 70
Appendix 8 Documentation .................................................................................. 79
xiv
CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
A. Background of Research
English is widely used by people all over the world to communicate.
English has a great contribution in accommodating many people to enrich their
knowledge and skills in several fields, such as education, tourism, technology,
and the world economy. Therefore, Indonesia, as a developing country,
established English as the first foreign language and put English as one of the
subjects that are compulsory in formal schools from elementary school to
university.
Knowing the important role of English today, student must be equipped
with the skills to communicate in English, both orally and written. Listening,
speaking, reading, and Writing are the four main skills of English
All of the English language skills, writing seems to be a little difficult for
students as a language skill which requires high ability to express ideas,
thought, feelings, and create written texts. Nunan (1999), who claims that
learning to write smoothly and expressively is the most challenging macro skill
for all language users, whether they are first, second, or foreign language
learners, supports this claim.
Writing is a process that needs to be learned in stages, from simple to
complex, from a single sentence to a complete composition. The fundamental
skill of writing is the capacity to construct sentences because they are the
simplest expression of thought, feeling, and opinion. Because many students
1
2
translate from Indonesia to English, they often find it challenging to put the
words together in coherent phrases. This is especially true because the
grammar of English differs from that of Indonesian language. Swan (2005)
defined grammar as the rules that specify how words are put together, ordered,
or modified to indicate particular types of meaning. The variances make it
challenging for learners to improve their writing abilities because English
sentence structure is influenced by Indonesian grammar.
In constructing correct sentences, many students get difficulty. However,
because of the structural differences between Indonesian and English, students
have trouble constructing sentences. They will therefore use incorrect grammar.
Sentence error makes writing difficult for readers to understand, and even the
text's intended meaning can be obscured.
Making error is prevalence in learning process. As the Prophet Muhammad
‫ ﷺ‬said as follows.
َّ ‫طا ٌء َو َخي ُْر ْال َخ‬

. َ‫طائِيْيَ التَّ َّواب ُْوى‬ َّ ‫ُك ُّل بٌَِي آدَ َم َخ‬
"Every son of Adam must make mistakes, and the best of those who make
mistakes are those who repent". (HR Tirmidzi 2499, Sahih at-Targhib 3139)
This hadith explains that every human being must make mistakes. Therefore,
students in learning must make mistakes and errors. Errors are very important
to recognize in learning process. To determine progress in learning, the error or
mistake can be used as a matrix. In the case of writing classes, teachers
struggle to find the challenges that students face. This is because sometimes
when students do not understand something, they have difficulty expressing

3
their problems. Therefore, it is helpful to know the errors. Teachers can use
errors to find out students’ achievements and lack. Teachers can see more
specific difficulties or problems faced by students by recognizing the errors or
mistakes. In addition, by knowing the lack of students, teacher can improve
some specific points of students.
In addition, by knowing mistakes, students can learn from them and will not
repeat them. As Abu Hurairah said that the Prophet Muhammad ‫ ﷺ‬said,
ِ ‫غ ْال ُوْؤْ ِهيُ ِه ْي ُُْْ ر َو‬

‫اِذ‬ ُ َ‫سلَّ َن أًََّهُ قَا َل ََل ي ُْلذ‬
َ ‫علَ ْي ِه َو‬ َّ ‫صلَّى‬
َ ُ‫َّللا‬ َ ُ‫َّللاُ َع ٌْه‬
ّ ‫ع ْي الٌَّ ِب‬
َ ِ‫ي‬ َّ ‫ي‬ ِ ‫َع ْي أ َ ِبي ه َُري َْرة َ َر‬
َ ‫ض‬
‫َه َّرتَي ِْي‬
“The believer will not fall twice into the same pit." (Sahih Bukhari Hadith No.
2023)
The hadith contains a message that a Muslim needs to learn from the
mistakes he has made. Because mistakes that occurred in the past can be used
as a valuable lesson and not repeat the mistakes that were made in the past.
Therefore, knowing the students’ error is very important.
To find out students’ errors, especially in writing, error analysis can be used.
According to Dulay et al. (1982), Error analysis is a technique to examine the
negative aspects of learner errors in speech or writing.In addition, Yang (2010)
stated that error analysis is the process of identifying the frequency, kind, and
causes of poor language. Thus, it can be concluded that error analysis is crucial
for identifying students' challenges and evaluating them during the language-
learning process. It is regarded as one of the processes analysis for gathering

4
information about students' strengths and weaknesses in language acquisition,
particularly students' errors in language.
Related to the explanation of introduction above, the goal of this study is to
identify and analyze the types of errors that students made in constructing
English Sentences at SMP Negeri 1 Biduk-biduk. It is required to be able to
offer data and evaluations that serve as a guide for an English instructor as they
choose the best teaching strategy to improve students' writing abilities and cut
down on their usage of incomplete sentences.
B. Question of Research
Based on the research’s background, the researcher formulated the research
problem as “What types of errors made by the students in constructing English
sentences at SMP Negeri 1 Biduk-biduk?”
C. Objective of Research
The objective of the research is to analyze the types of errors made by the
students in constructing English sentences at SMP Negeri 1 Biduk-biduk.
D. Significance of Research
The result of this study are expected to provide benefits to all parties,
including the following.
1. For English teachers, this research can be used as a reference to find out the
tendency of errors in conctructing English sentences so that teacher can help
students to corrert their errors.
2. For School, this research is expected to be used as a positive input for
school in order to improve the English learning process.

5
3. For other researchers, this research is expected to be used as information or
comparison material to conduct similar research.
E. Definition of Key Terms
Definition of terms are used to avoid misunderstanding in the
interpretation of term. The term that need to be difined in this research are as
follow.
1. Error
According to Ellis (1997), error results from a learner's lack of
awareness of the proper answer, which exposes gaps in their language
expertise.
In the researcher’s view, error is a failure to use the wrong rules in
grammar caused by the student’s lack of competence.
2. Sentence
According to Eggenschwiler, Biggs, and Reinhardt (2013: 80), a
sentence is a combination of words that expresses a complete idea and
includes a subject and a predicate.
In the researcher’s view, A sentence is a grouping of words with
meaning that includes, at the at least, a subject and a predicate.

CHAPTER II
THEORITICAL REVIEW
A. Error
1. Definiton of Error
In the process of teaching and learning a language, making error is a
common occurrence. According to Hedge (2000) an important component
of language learning is errors. Errors are now seen as a reflection of the
learner’s stage of interlanguage development. Furthermore, Norrish (1983)
asserted that making error is seen as a crucial component of language
development. Therefore, the error plays a vital role in illustrating the degree
or level of a student's proficiency in learning language.
Error reflect differences in student’s ability to learn the language at
certain stages (Larsen-freeman and Micheal, 1992). Errors can occur when
students do not learn the rules of a language. Errors made by students will
show their development in learning the language. This allows for
improvement in the language learning and teaching process, especially in
writing by the teacher.
According to Norrish (1983), errors occur when students have not
learned something and this leads to systematic deviations. It is because
students have not learned or acquired the correct form that they make errors
regularly especially in learners learning English as a foreign language.
In summary, error happens when learners have not learnt or grasped an
issue despite having covered it in class. For example, a teacher may have
6
7
taught students to utilize the simple present tense, yet they still get it wrong
when writing a statement. In this example, it appears that the students are
unable to remedy their errors on their own, even when using the rules that
they are familiar with.
2. Differences between Error and Mistake
The error occurs when the learners learn the language inconsistently and
it is a systematic deviation. Due to their lack of comprehension of the
appropriate linguistic form, students who studied English as a second
language would frequently make the mistake (Norrish, 1983). The error is a
visible variation that shows the learners' ability. It is a systematic deviation
made by learners who have not yet dominated the rules of the target
language. Because the mistake is a reflection of the learners' present level of
L2 development or underlying competency, they are unable to remedy it on
their own. (Larsen-freeman & Micheal, 1992).
The mistake is made when students occasionally choose the right word or
the wrong one when speaking and writing. Meanwhile, they already are
aware of the proper form. It most likely occurs when they speak quickly.
(Watkins, 2005). Additionally, the error alludes to a performance error, but
they are aware of how to fix it. In truth, many people make mistake when
speaking a second language as well as their original one (Rustipa, 2011).
The mistake is a sporadic departure, and occasionally students utilize the
appropriate or inappropriate words (Norrish, 1983).

8
The mistake occurs as a result of various reasons, including poor memory,
exhaustion, and emotional stress, among others (Suhono, 2016).
Furthermore, mistakes were made by students who grasped the proper rules
but were unable to apply them competently. A slip of the tongue plus
physical factors, such as exhaustion, inattention, and intense emotion, led to
the mistake. However, the students might remedy it (Novita, 2014).
Moreover, the mistake is distinct from the error. The mistake was made
because the language learners lacked the necessary information to fix it right
away. Due to student's insufficient information acquisition, the error
occurred during their study. The students would be able to fix the issue once
they had more information. In fact, as learners make more errors and rectify
them, they will become more aware of the importance of language learning
(Rustipa, 2011).
On the other hand, mistake, according to Brown (2007), is a glaring
departure from the adult grammar of a native speaker and indicates the
interlanguage proficiency of the learner. Error is the incorrect response
because the students do not know the proper response, whereas mistake is
the incorrect response yet they will understand the proper response.
Furthermore, Brown (2007) stated that a mistake is a performance error that
is either a guess made at random or a slip. Despite being a failure, they are
aware of the solution.
There are two ways to discern between a mistake and and error,
according to Ellis (1997). Verifying the constancy of students' performance

9
is the first step. When students use the right objects in the wrong way, it is
sometimes referred to as a mistake. However, it is an error if the students
repeatedly employ the erroneous items. The second method is demonstrated
by their independence in reversing their deviance. It is an error if the
students are unable to fix it. They are effective in reversing the deviation,
which is a mistake, in the interim.
Based on these explanations, the researcher concludes that the errors and
mistakes are different. The learners will make mistakes when learning a
language. The mistake occurs due to lack of awareness in language use, but
once learners realize the mistakes they can correct them immediately. In
addition, errors occur when students cannot make corrections to the errors
they make and they need sxplanations and help to correct them. Thus errors
are a very important issue to recognize and analyze.
3. Types of Error
Errors can be classified into some types of errors. Dulay, Burt, and
Krashen (1982) classified types of error based on Surface Strategy
Taxonomy, there are omission, addition, misformation, and misordering.
The explanation of these types of error is as follows:
a. Omission
Omission occurs when the writer or speaker omits some morphemes
or word in speech or writing. Omission is charaterized by the absence of
a part in a good sentences. This causes the sentence to be meaningless

10
and causes conjugation errors. Students often make these errors. Here are
the errors that often occur:
1) Omission of "to be /copular verb"
The omission of “to be" is so common that almost every student
who learns English must make this error. For Indonesian speakers
learning English, this comes extremely naturally. The absence of “to
be/ copular verb” in Indonesian sentence grammar is the root of this
errors. For example: She not a teacher. The correct sentence should be
“She is not a teacher.
2) Omission of article
Learners frequently fail to distinguish the single form of a noun
when the article is omitted. This error frequently results from
Indonesian’s sentence structure, which doesn’t particularly care
whether a term is used in singular or plural form. This type of mistake
typically happens when the article a/an is not used as a singular form
in a phrase with a singular noun form. For example: He has book. The
correct sentence should be “He has a book”.
3) Omission of - s as plural marker
In this situation, students frequently fail to comprehend the
necessity of following a plural countable noun with the -s phoneme,
which serves as a plural marker. The example: She has five book. The
correct sentence is “She has five books”.

11
4) Omission of - s as possessive
The possessive marking, the -s morpheme, was left out by students.
This is fairly typical, especially among people who speak Indonesian
as their first language. There is no unique morpheme for expressing
possession in Indonesian grammar. In other words, the -s morpheme is
not recognized by Indonesian syntax as a possessive marker. The
example: Any dress is beautiful. The correct sentence is “Any's dress
is beautiful”.
5) Omission of - s in verb of the third singular person of Present Tense
The verb in the Simple Present Tense must have the -s phoneme
appended after the third singular person. The example: She cook rice.
The correct sentence is “She cooks rice”.
6) Omission of preposition
In this case, students do not regonize that a preposition must be
used before a noun that shows place, time and others. students usually
omit the preposition in a sentence such as the use of in, at, and on. For
example: We woke up 10 am. This sentence should be “We woke up
at 10 am.
b. Addition
Addition is the opposite of omission. Addition occurs when there is
addition in the sentence that makes it grammatically incorrect. Krashen
(1982) mentions that addition occurs due to appearance of things that
break the integrity od the sentence.

12
There are three types of errors of addition; double markings,
regularization, and simple additions.
1) Double markings
Double markings frequently result from mistakes in the removal of
certain things that are sometimes necessary but not always in
linguistic constructions. For instance, in the sentences "She doesn't
know his class." and "We didn't went here". Although the intent is
clear in both statements, it is not specific enough. She is proper in
using the auxiliary term doesn't in the first sentence to negate the
subject. However, the error is in knows, a third person singular verb
marker that should simply be know since doesn't already represents it.
The identical problem is present in the second sentence where the past
tense word "went" is added rather than the present tense verb "go".
2) Regularization
Regularizing erroneously involves changing a thing by converting
irregular into regular rules. For instance, the irregular verb "eat"
becomes "eated" in the past tense when it should be "ate," and the
plural form of the noun "foot" becomes "foots" when it should be
"feet."
3) Simple addition
Other than double markings and regularization, adding error is
what defines simple addition. As in the statement "The fishes doesn't

13
live in the water." By adding the -es phoneme to fish, the statement is
incorrect.
c. Misformation
Misformation errors occur due tothe application of a morpheme or
structure in the incorrect form. Misformation divided into three types
those are regularization, archi-forms, and alternating forms.
1) Regularization
A regularization marker, such as eated for ate, tooths for teeth, and
foots for feet, expresses regularity when applied to irregular forms.
2) Archi-forms
Errors in the choice of a form to communicate something else are
known as archi-forms. For instance, using the incorrect determiners in
a statement (this, that, these, those). The example: That are naughty
dogs. The correct sentence is Those are naughty dogs
3) Alternating forms
The incorrect word choice that characterizes this inaccuracy. This
error happens while a second language student is still in the beginning
stages of vocabulary and grammar. For instance, using "she" in the
object position when "her" should be used instead.
d. Misordering
Misordering occurs due to incorrect placement of morphemes in the
utterance. Misondering occurs due to the confusion that occurs when
constructing sentences. English learners are still heavily influenced by

14
sentence contruction in their mother tongue which result in errors in
English sentence contruction. For example: “He has a body tall.” It is
misordering error, the correct sentence is “He has a tall body.”
4. Error Analysis
Brown (2007) mentioned that the ability of error to be observed,
evaluated, and classed to provide information about a learner's internal
operating system has caused a spike in the study of learners' errors, known
as error analysis. Furthermore, Gass, Behney, and Plonsky (2013)
mentioned that language analysis that focuses on mistakes students make is
known as error analysis. In addition, Keshavarz (2012) said that the goal of
error analysis is to take into consideration how well students perform in
terms of the cognitive processes they employ to understand the input they
get from the target language. Error analysis primarily focuses on the data
that learners' mistakes offer to a comprehension of the fundamental
mechanisms underpinning second language acquisition. It studies the
unacceptable from produced by the second or foreign language learners.
Yang (2010) stated error analysis is the process of identifying the
frequency, kind, and causes of poor language. According to Ellis (1997),
both researchers and educators use the technique of error analysis It entails
gathering samples of learner language, spotting faults in the samples,
explaining the errors, categorizing them in accordance with their potential
causes, and judging the importance of the errors.

15
Thus, it can be concluded that error analysis is crucial for identifying
students' challenges and evaluating them during the language-learning
process. It is regarded as one of the processes analysis for gathering
information about students' strengths and weaknesses in language
acquisition, particularly students' errors in language.
B. Sentence
1. Definition of Sentence
According to Eggenschwiler, Biggs, and Reinhardt (2013), a sentence is
a combination of words that expresses a complete idea and includes a
subject and a predicate. Futhermore, Fromkin et al. (2014) stated that a
sentence is a sequence of words that is grammatically organized to convey
complete meaning and serves as a unit of communication in human
language. In addition, Yule (2016) mentioned that a sentence is a linguistic
sign has a syntactical structure and is built by elements such as subject,
predicate, object, and other elements to convey a message or information to
the listener or reader.
From those explanations, it can be said that a sentence is an expressing of
complete thought that at least consist of a subject and a verb. The English
learners must understand about sentence well, so they can make an
appropriate sentence. It is important for the learners to know about the
elements and types of sentence.

16
2. Elements of Sentence
Greenbaum and Nelson (2015:24) said that the sentence elements are
grammatical, not semantic, categories. However, they are associated with
certain meaning. Greenbaum and Nelson (2015:10), state that the subject
and the predicate are the two fundamental parts of a sentence. The verb and
any other parts of the phrase other than the subject make up the predicate. In
addition, Greenbaum and Nelson (2015:22) explained the elements (major
sentence constituents) include subject, verb, object, complement. These
elements of sentence explained as follows:
a. Subject
Eggenschwiler, Biggs, and Reinhardt (2013: 80) stated that the subject
refers to whom or what the sentence is about. There are simple subject
and complete subject. A noun or pronoun is the simple subject, while the
whole subject is made up of the noun or pronoun and the words that
change it.
b. Verb
According to Eggenschwiler, Biggs, and Reinhardt (2013:17), A verb
is an element of speech that connects a subject to a complement or
communicates action or a state of being. Verbs specify whether the
subject gives or receives an action. Both transitive and intransitive verbs
are used. Verb tenses are determined by the tense, person, and number.
17
Verbs can have moods that reflect the speaker's attitude. Several
writers struggle with verbs because they use the wrong tense or irregular
verbs. Sentence construction depends heavily on verbs.
c. Object
There are two types of object in a sentence called direct object and
indirect object.
1) Direct Object
Greenbaum and Nelson (2015:19) stated that to make a statement
using a transitive verb, a direct object is required. Additionally, the
direct object could also be something that results from the action. For
example:
The family hugged their dog.
The students eat cake.
2) Indirect Object
Greenbaum and Nelson (2015:19) stated that a person who is
indirectly impacted by the activity described in the sentence is referred
to as the indirect object. Usually, the person gets something or gains
from something. The indirect object is typically the same as a sentence
beginning with to or for, although the sentence is typically used after
the direct object. For example:
The manager gave him no choice.

18
d. Complement
Greenbaum and Nelson (2015:26) stated that the complement plays
the attribute. It assigns a designation or description to the adverb, object,
and subject.
3. Classification of Sentence
Sentences can be classified in two ways, namely classification according
to type, and classification according to the number of subjects and
predicates.
a. Classification by Types
Sentence classification according to type consists of declarative
sentences (statements), interrogative sentences (questions), imperative
sentences (commands and requests), and exclamatory sentences
(exclamation).
1) Declarative Sentence
Declarative Sentences (Statements) are used to give information or
opinions. Declarative sentences have a normal subject and predicate in
a certain order, namely subject, predicate, and complement. In written
language, declarative sentences end with a full stop (.), for example
the following.
a) Carol is happy.
b) Johan is playing with his toys.
c) An amoeba is a one-celled animal.
d) Green plants need sun and water.

19
e) The child ate his dinner.
f) I have just bought my books.
g) Mathematics is a difficult subject.
2) Interrogative Sentence
Interrogative sentences are used to ask for information. In
interrogative sentences, the subject and auxiliary verb are reversed. In
a statement, the subject is at the beginning of the sentence. But in an
interrogative sentence, the auxiliary verb begins the sentence.
Interrogative sentences end with a question mark (?) in written
language. In contrast, in spoken language, interrogative sentences,
especially interrogative sentences with yes-no answers, are spoken
with rising intonation, while interrogative sentences with question-
word questions are spoken with falling intonation. Here are the
examples:
Yes-no Questions:
a) Did the child eat his dinner?
b) Is it your dictionary?
c) Are you Malik?
d) Have you ever been to New Zealand?
e) Does she drink milk?
Question - word Questions:
a) What is your name?
b) Why do you go out alone at night?

20
c) Where did you buy this?
d) When will you leave for Tokyo?
e) How do you go there?
3) Imperative Sentence
A command sentence or request sentence is used to provide
information about what the interlocutor should do. The difference
between commands and requests is only in the way they are delivered.
In request sentences, the word please is usually used to make it sound
more polite. In a command or request sentence, only the predicate is
expressed/spoken without mentioning the subject. The predicate used
is the simple form without regard to the subject, namely you.
Imperative sentences end with an exclamation mark (!), and in spoken
language imperative sentences are spoken with a descending
intonation. For examples:
a) Stop that bus!
b) Be quiet, please!
c) Eat your dinner!
d) Open the window, please!
e) Don’t go away!
Sometimes imperative sentences use only one word, the verb or
predicate. One-word imperative sentences are usually spoken with
rising intonation. The punctuation mark used is the exclamation mark
(!), for example the following.

21
a) Go!
b) Stop!
c) Help!
4) Exclamatory Sentence
Exclamatory sentences are used to express emotions, such as
wonder, joy or other emotions. It starts with an exclamatory phrase
that consists of what or how and part of the predicate. The
exclamatory phrase is followed by the subject and predicate, then ends
with an exclamation mark (!). The following examples.
a) What a good dinner that was!
b) What a pretty dress you have!
c) What beautiful hair she has!
d) What beautiful eyes she has!
e) How beautiful she is!
f) How beautifully she behaves!
g) How far his house is!
h) How beautifully she sang!
What a is used when the exclamatory phrase ends with a singular
countable noun. What without (a) is used when the exclamatory
phrase ends with a singular uncountable noun. How is used when the
exclamatory phrase ends with an adjective or adverb.

22
b. Classification by The Number of Full Predication
According to the number of subjects and predicates contained in the
sentence, sentences can be classified into four types, namely simple
sentences, compound sentences, complex sentences, and compound
complex sentences.
1) Simple Sentence
A simple sentence consists of only one clause, the main
(independent) clause, and can have only one subject and one predicate,
such as the following.
a) Tedi bought a house.
b) Ratih is happy.
c) Rita sings beautifully.
d) Marta swims a lot.
e) Rony is a clever student.
These five simple sentences have only one subject and one
predicate. However, simple sentences can also have more than one
subject and predicate which is called compound subject or compound
predicate. For example:
a) Ratih and Rita swim every day.
b) The boys and the girls are friendly.
c) Ratih, Rita and I swim and hike every day.
d) Tedi and Johan often sing and dance at the company party.
23
The example sentences (a) and (b) has more than one subject
consisting of two nouns, namely Ratih and Rita (a) and the boys and
the girls (b). The example sentences (c) and (d) have 2 subjects and
two predicates. The sentence (c) has three subjects, namely Ratih, Rita
and I, and has two predicates, namely swim and hike. Likewise, the
example sentence (d) with compound subject Tedi and Johan, and has
compound predicate sing and dance.
2) Compound Sentence
A compound sentence is a combination of two simple sentences or
two or more main clauses, such as the following.
a) The rain fell, and the wind blew.
b) Rani attended the concert, and Rini went to the dance.
c) Mrs. Sugito is a house wife, but Mrs. Bintoro is a career woman.
d) We played basketball, and then we went swimming.
e) One of the students writes the sentences on the board, and the
others work in pairs.
In an equivalent compound sentence each independent clause has a
subject, and each subject has a verb or predicate. Thus a compound
sentence consists of main clauses that express different thoughts.
From the example sentences given, it can be seen that each main
clause has a subject and a predicate.
Two or more main clauses combined into one sentence are called
an equivalent compound sentence. To combine these two main clauses,

24
it is necessary to use certain linking words, which are called
coordinate (equal) conjunctions. Coordinate conjunctions that are
often used are and, but, yet, for, so and or. Coordinate conjunctions
are used to join two clauses that are equivalent (Azar, 1989). More
examples of equivalent compound sentences follow.
a) The phone rang, and at the same time the door opened.
b) Learning a language is a complex task, yet most people learn to
speak.
c) Maria and Jusi overheard the confidential statement, for they were
sitting nearby.
d) Take care of yourself now, or you will suffer the consequences
later.
e) I want to go away to school, but my family needs me at home.
f) He was tired, so he went to bed.
When combining two simple sentences or two main clauses into an
equivalent compound sentence using the conjunction and, but, or, yet,
for or so, a comma (,) must be used before the conjunction. And is
used to add information, but and yet are used to express contrast. Or is
used to express a choice or provide an alternative. For is the same as
because, which is used to show the cause or proof of a statement. So is
used to express effect.
The comma (,) can be omitted if the equivalent compound sentence
is very short. However, if the equivalent compound sentence is a long

25
sentence, the comma must be used. To make equivalent compound
sentences we can use other types of linking words, called transitions.
Commonly used transitions include also, besides, moreover,
nevertheless, however, accordingly, still, then, therefore, thus,
consequently, furthermore, otherwise, and on the other hand.
When using a transition to join two main clauses, it is necessary to
use a semicolon (;) before the transition and a comma (,) after the
transition. The following examples:
a) Mr. Haryanto is the richest man in his town; moreover, he is very
helpful.
b) The city provides many cultural opportunities; besides, it has an
excellent central of art and culture.
c) The players tried their best to win; nevertheless, they lost.
d) My friends are playing volley ball for the office; however, I do not
expect them to win.
e) He has been late for classes for several times; therefore, the teacher
punished him.
Also, besides, still, furthermore, and moreover are used to provide
information other than what has been mentioned in the first clause.
Therefore, thus, accordingly and consequently are used to express the
relationship of effect. However, nevertheless, and on the other hand
are used to show opposition. Then is used to express the continuation
of a situation. Otherwise has the same meaning as or and is used to

26
express a condition or a supposition, i.e. if the opposite is true then a
certain effect will occur.
3) Complex Sentence
A complex sentence consists of one main (independent) clause and
one or more dependent (subordinate) clauses, such as the following.
a) You should lock the doors before you leave the house.
b) The student who delivers magazines before he goes to school is the
cleverest student in this class.
c) Although John is a good athlete, he does not spend too much time
in sports.
d) When the conductor appeared on the stage, the audience applauded
loudly.
e) Since that happened a long time ago, I would not hold it again.
These five example sentences consist of one main clause (one
independent clause) and at least one dependent (subordinate clause). If
the dependent clause comes after the main clause or at the end of the
sentence, the comma (,) is not used. But if the dependent clause is at
the beginning of the sentence, the comma (,) is used.
4) Compound-Complex Sentence
Compound - Complex Sentence consists of two or more main
clauses and one or more dependent clauses. For examples:

27
a) Although the farmers always work long hours, they seem to enjoy
their work, and they usually have a long time rest during the dry
season.
b) The teachers seem to enjoy their work, and they usually have high
dedication although they get very low salary.
c) Some people fell on other people, and some people landed on the
floor when the bus stopped abruptly.
d) Whenever I feel sad, I choose a humorous book to read, but it never
cheers me up.
e) Although I enjoy English courses, I failed English 102, but I
receive an “A” in all my Math courses.
From the five example sentences given, in the first example
sentence (sentence a), the comma (,) is used to separate the dependent
clause from the independent clause, and the independent clause from
the compound clause. In sentence a, the dependent clause at the
beginning of the sentence, namely Although the farmers always work
long hours, while they seem to enjoy their work and and they usually
have a long time rest during the dry season are two independent
clauses or called compound sentences. If the dependent clause is at the
beginning of the sentence, a comma (,) is used. In sentences a, d, and e
there are two commas. The first comma is used to connect a
dependent clause with an independent clause, while the second

28
comma is used to connect two independent clauses, which is called a
compound sentence.
Compound-complex sentences consist of at least two main clauses
connected by coordinate conjunctions and, but, or and so or what is
called a compound sentence, and at least one clause preceded by
subordinate conjunctions, such as whenever, although, and when.
C. Review of Previous Studies
The first related study is “An Error Analysis of Students’ Sentence
Structure in Paragraph Writing Based on Surface Strategy Taxonomy at The
Second Year of SMA Nasional Makassar” by Anugrawati & Burhanuddin
(2021). The purpose of this research was to identify the types of errors in
sentence sructure in paragraph based on surface strategy taxonomy at the
second year of SMA Nasional Makassar. The research method was descriptive
quantitative . The sample was the 30 students. The result of this research
showed there are 52 errors made by students at the second year of SMA
Nasional Makassar.
The second related studies is “ An Error Analysis of English Sentence
Construction in Writing Subject.” by Sari et al, (2022). The aim of this study
was to know the types of errors found in English sentence constructed by the
student of the English Department at Sriwijaya State Polytechnics. The sample
was 50 students from the first year, 25 students from second year, and 25
students fron third year. The method of this research was descriptive qualitative.
29
The result of this study indicate that students made the most error in ommision
by 107.
There are some similarities and differences between the two earlier studies
and this study. The similarities can be found in the fact that both previous
studies and this research’s objectives were to identify the tyes of errors in
constructing English sentence. The Research design, aims, and participant of
this study different from those of the other studies in important ways.
However, in this study, the researcher focused on the error in constructing
English sentence. This study mainly analyzes the type of errors in constructing
English sentence. Furthermore, this research method was applied descriptive
quantitative and to analyze the data using by Surface Strategy Taxonomy. The
participants of this study were the students of SMP Negeri 1 Biduk-Biduk.

CHAPTER III
RESEARCH METHOD
A. Research Design
This research used a quantitative research where it applied number and
statistic during collecting and analysing data. This research method was chosen
by the researcher to collect, process and analyze the data in order to get a
suitable conclusion on the research question.
In order to fulfill the aim of this research which is to analyze the types of
errors in constructing English sentences, the researcher chose to conduct a
descriptive design.
The researcher chose the descriptive qualitative method to identify the types
of errors in constructing English sentences made by students of SMP Negeri 1
Biduk-Biduk based on the Surface Strategy Taxonomy by Dulay et al (1982)
because the researcher want to describe clearly the object under study.
B. Research Setting
This research was conducted at SMP Negeri 1 Biduk-Biduk. The school is
located in Jl. Pendidikan, Biduk-Biduk, Berau, Kalimantan Timur.
C. Participant
This research was done by a few parties including the researcher herself,
the teachers, and the students.
30
31
D. Population and Sample
1. Population
The population of this research was the students of SMP Negeri 1 Biduk-
Biduk. There were three classes of SMP Negeri 1 Biduk-Biduk. The total
numbers of students were 100.
2. Sample
The sampling frame that used in this research is cluster sampling which
the sample taken from the eighth class of high school students in SMP
Negeri 1 Biduk-Biduk, Berau and the total number of samples were 32
students.
E. Research Instrument
The instrument used in the research was a test. The test consisted of a
rearrangement test and translation test. In the rearrangement test, students were
asked to reorder the randomized words into correct sentences. In the translation
test, students were asked to translate Indonesian sentences into English. Each
test consisted of 15 question. This means that the total number of question is 30.
The paper was collected, then the researcher checked the students’ answers.
The sentences were analyzed and various kinds of errors that appeared in them
were identified. The errors that appeared in the sentences were categorized into
the errors included in the Surface Strategy Taxonomy described by Dulay et al
(1982).
32
F. Data Collection Procedure
The data of this research was collected using test. The test consisted of a
rearrangement test and transation test. Students were asked to do the test. Data
was obtained by collecting all documents (papers) done by student.
G. Data Analysis
The Data was analyzed using the flow model, it is data reduction, data
display, conclusion/verification (Miles and Hubberman, 1994). The data
obtained was analyzed according to the following steps:
1. Data Reduction
Collecting the data from the students test.
2. Data Display
a. Identifying and categorizing the data of students’ error according to its
type based on surface strategy taxonomy.
b. Displaying and presenting the data in table form. The table percentage
used the formula:
P= Percentage of error
F= Frequency of error made by the students
N= Total number of errors
3. Conclusion drawing
The result of the data was reported by describing the data.

CHAPTER IV
FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION
A. Findings
1. Findings from Rearrangement Test
From the rearrangement test, the researcher found the type of error
made by students in constructing sentence was misordering.
Table 4.1 The Total of Misordering Errors in Rearrangment Test
Number of
Frequency
Question
1 1
2 3
3 5
4 4
5 4
6 2
7 5
8 5
9 2
10 5
11 3
12 5
13 6
14 4
15 7
Total 61
The table above showed the total of students’ error in rearrangement
sentences. The rearrangement test consisted of 15 question. The students
made 61 errors of misordering. This error occurs because students wrote the
33
34
sentences in the incorrect placement. The analysis of misordering errors
made by students in the rearragement test was as follows.
a. Students’ misordering error in question number 1
From table 4.1, the misordering error made by students in question
number 1 in the rearrangement test was 1 errors. The table below showed
the misordering error in question number 1.
Table 4.2 The Misordering Error in Question Number 1
No Students’ Errors Suggested Correction

1. Are you today how? How are you today?
b. Students’ misordering error in question number 2

1. Thanks for help your.
2. Thanks help for your. Thanks for your help.
3. Thanks your for help
c. Students’ misordering error in question number 3

35

1. Have a do you pencil?
2. Have do you a pencil?
3. Do a have you pencil? Do you have a pencil?
4. You do a have pencil?
5. You have pencil a do?
d. Students’ misordering error in question number 4

1. What do you to like drink?
2. What do you drink to like?
What do you like to drink?
3. What drink you to do like?
4. What do you like drink to?
e. Students’ misordering error in question number 5

36

1. Can I this book read?
2. This book I can read?
Can I read this book?
3. This I can read book?
4. I can read this book?
f. Students’ misordering error in question number 6

1. My favorite are colors blue and
yellow. My favorite colors are blue
2. My colors favorite are blue and and Yellow.
yellow.
g. Students’ misordering error in question number 7

37

1. Do you have many how pens?
2. Do you have many pens how?
How many pens do you
3. How do you have many pens?
have?
4. You have many pens do how?
5. How do you many have pens?
h. Students’ misordering error in question number 8

1. What is the next to building the
bank?
2. What next to the building is the
bank?
3. What the building is the bank What is the building next
next to? to the bank?
4. What the bank next to the
building is?
5. The next to bank what
building the is?
38
i. Students’ misordering error in question number 9

1. Always I study everyday
I always study everyday.
2. I everyday study always.
j. Students’ misordering error in question number 10
number 10 in the rearrangement test was 5 errors. The table below
showed the misordering error in question number 10.

1. I am sorry for your ruler
breaking.
2. I am breaking for your ruler
sorry.
3. I am sorrry for your breaking I am sorry for breaking
ruler. your ruler.
4. I am sorry your breaking for
ruler.
5. Am sorry for I breaking your
ruler.
39
k. Students’ misordering error in question number 11

1. My mother is the cooking in
kitchen.
2. My mother is in cooking the My mother is cooking in
kitchen. the kitchen.
3. My mother the is cooking in
kitchen.
l. Students’ misordering error in question number 12

1. There one sofa is the big
behind picture.
2. The behind picture there sofa
There is one big picture
is one big.
behind the sofa.
3. The picture is behind there
one big sofa.
4. Behind the sofa is there big
40

one picture.
5. Behind the sofa is big one
picture there.
m. Students’ misordering error in question number 13

1. My birthday is the ninth on
twenty of January.
2. My birthday is on January the
twenty of ninth.
3. My birthday is January on the
My birthday is on the
ninth of twenty.
twenty ninth of January.
4. My birthday of the ninth on
January is twenty.
5. Is my birthday on January of
the twenty ninth.
6. My birthday on is the of ninth
twenty January.
41
n. Students’ misordering error in question number 14

1. Your have very large hamsters
cheeks.
2. Have very your hamsters
cheeks large. Your hamsters have very
3. Have your hamsters very large cheeks.
cheeks large.
4. Your hamsters very cheeks
have large.
o. Students’ misordering error in question number 15

1. My father go to the market I
with usually.
2. My father usually go to the I usually go to the market
market with I. with my father.
3. My father the usually go to
market I with.
42
4. My father usually go market

with I to the
5. My I go to the market with
father usually.
6. My father usually with I to go
the market.
7. My father I usually go with to
the market.
2. Findings from Translation Test
Based on this test, the researcher found that students made four types of
errors, those are omission, addition, misformation, and misordering in
translating the sentence from Indonesia into English.
Table 4.17 The Total of Errors in Translation Test
Number of Types of Errors

Question Omission Addition Misformation Misordering
1 1 1 0 1
2 0 0 1 1
3 2 1 1 0
4 1 0 2 0
5 1 0 0 0
6 0 0 0 1
7 1 0 1 0
8 1 2 0 0
9 0 1 1 0
10 2 0 0 0
11 0 0 2 0
12 2 0 0 0
13 2 0 0 0
14 0 0 1 1
15 2 1 0 0
Total 15 6 9 4
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Table 4.18 The Percentage of Errors
Types of Errors Frequency Percentage
Omission 15 44,12%
Addition 6 17,65%
Misformation 9 26,47%
Misordering 4 11,76%
Total 34 100%
The table above showed the total of students’ errors in translating
sentences. As was presented in the table, the students made 15 (44,12%).
errors of omission, 6 (17,65%) errors of addition, 9 (26,47%) errors of
misformation, and 4 (11,76%) errors of misordering. Therefore, a number
of errors were 34 errors in translating sentences. The analysis of errors made
by students in the translation test was as follows.
a. Students’ errors in question number 1
Based on table 4.17, students made 3 errors in question number 1 in
the translation test. The table below showed the error in question number
1.
Table 4.19 The Error in Question Number 1

1. I am student.
2. I am is a student. I am a student.
3. Am I a student.
The table above showed three different errors. The first error, “I am
student” was an omission error of acticle. The first sentence was wrong
44
because it lacks the article “a”. The second error, “I am is a student” was
an addition error. The sentence was wrong because there were two “to be”
which it was double marking. The third error, “am I a student” was a
misordering error. The sentence was wrong because the placement of the
subject and to be was wrong or mixed up. In addition, the sentece should
be in the form of a statement not a question.
b. Students’ errors in question number 2
2.

1. Am she a student?
Is she a student?
2. She is a student?
The table above showed two different errors. The first error, “Am she
a student?” was a misformation error. The first sentence was wrong
because the incorrect form of to be “am” should be “is”. The second error,
“She is a student?” was a misordering error. The sentence was wrong
because the placement of the subject and to be was wrong or mixed up.
In addition, the sentece should be in the form of a question not a
statement.
45
c. Students’ errors in question number 3
3.

1. My hobby a reading and
cooking.
2. My hobby are reading and
cooking. My hobbies are reading
3. My hobby a reading and and cooking.
cooking.
4. My hobbies is reading and
cooking.
The table above showed four different errors. The first error, “My
hobby a reading and cooking” was an omission error of to be. The first
sentence was wrong because it lacks to be “are”. The second error, “My
hobby are reading and cooking” was an omission error of s/es as plural
marker. The sentence was wrong because there was no addition of “es” to
the word “hobby”. The third error, “My hobby a reading and cooking”
was an addition error. The sentence was incorrect due to the presence of
the word “a” which should not be in the sentence. This error was a simple
addition. The fourth error, “My hobbies is reading and cooking” was a
46
misformation error. The sentence was wrong because the incorrect form
of to be “is” should be “are”.
d. Students’ errors in question number 4
4.

1. Nina live in Jalan Belimbing
Nina lives on Jalan
2. Nina live in Jalan Belimbing
Belimbing
3. Nina leaving in Jalan Belimbing
The table above showed three different errors. The first error, “Nina
live in Jalan Belimbing” was an omission error of s/es in verb of third
singular person. The first sentence was wrong because there was no
addition of “s” to the word “live”. The subject in the sentence was third
singular person. Therefore, it is necessary to add s/es to the verb. The
second error, “Nina live in Jalan Belimbing” was a misformation error.
The sentence was wrong because the incorrect form of preposition “in”
should be “on”. The third error, “Nina leaving in Jalan Belimbing” was a
of verb “leaving” should be “lives”.

47
e. Students’ errors in question number 5
Based on table 4.17, students made one error in question number 5 in
5.

1. Why you late? Why are you late?
The table above showed one error. The error, “Why you late?” was an
omission error of to be. The sentence was wrong because it lacks to be
“are”.
f. Students’ errors in question number 6
Based on table 4.17, students made one error in question number 6 in
6.

1. We study language English We study English
every Saturday. language every Saturday.
The table above showed one error. The error, “We study language
English every Saturday” was a misordering error. The sentence was
wrong because the incorrect placement of word “language” and
“English”.
48
g. Students’ errors in question number 7
7.

1. Ruli have three pen.
Ruli has three pens.
2. Ruli have three pen.
The table above showed two different errors. The first error, “Ruli
have three pen” was an omission error of s/es as plural marker. The
sentence was wrong because there was no addition of “s” to the word
“pen”. The second error, “Ruli have three pen” was a misformation error.
The sentence was wrong because the incorrect form of verb “have”
should be “has”.
h. Students’ errors in question number 8
8.

1. Siti do not go to school.
Siti does not go to school.
2. Siti doesn’t not go to school.
49
3. Siti do not going to chool
The table above showed three different errors. The first error, “Siti do
not go to school” was an omission error of s/es in verb of third singular
person. The first sentence was wrong because there was no addition of
“es” to the word “do”. The subject in the sentence was third singular
person. Therefore, it is necessary to add s/es to the auxiliary verb. The
second error, “Siti doesn’t not go to school” was an addition error. The
sentence was wrong because there were two “not” which it was double
marking. The third error, “Siti do not going to school” was an addition
error. The sentence was incorrect due to the presence of “ing” in the
word “go” which should not be in the sentence. This error was a simple
addition.
i. Students’ errors in question number 9
9.

1. What do you like it?
Do you like it?
2. Are you like him?
50
The table above showed two different errors. The first error, “What do
you like it?” was an addition error. The sentence was incorrect due to the
presence of word “what” which should not be in the sentence. This error
was a simple addition. The second error, “Are you like him?” was a
“are” should be “do”.
j. Students’ errors in question number 10
10.

1. She not a teacher.
She is not a teacher.
2. She is not teacher.
The table above showed two different errors. The first error, “She not
a teacher” was an omission error of to be. The sentence was incorrect
because it lacks to be “is”. The second error, “She is not teacher” was an
omission error of article. The sentence was wrong because it lacks the
article “a”.
k. Students’ errors in question number 11
11.
51

1. There is four rat in my house.
There are four mice in my
2. There are four mouse in my
house.
house.
The table above showed two different errors. The first error, “There is
four rat in my house.” was a misformation error. The sentence was wrong
because the incorrect form of to be “is” should be “are”. The second error,
“There are four mouse in my house.” was a misformation error. The
sentence was wrong because the incorrect form of noun “mouse” should
be “mice”.
l. Students’ errors in question number 12
12.

1. Made usually wake up five
o’clock. Made usually wakes up at
2. Made usually wake up five five o’clock.
o’clock.
The table above showed two different errors. The first error, “Made
usually wake up five o’clock.” was an omission error of s/es in verb of

52
third singular person. The sentence was wrong because there was no
addition of “s” to the word “wake”. The subject in the sentence was third
singular person. Therefore, it is necessary to add s/es to the verb. The
second error, “Made usually wake up five o’clock.” was an omission
error of preposition. The sentence was wrong because it lacks the
preposition “at”.
m. Students’ errors in question number 13
13.

1. Hospital next to hotel. The hospital is next to the
2. Hospital next to hotel. hotel.
The table above showed two different errors. The first error, “Hospital
next to hotel.” was an omission error of to be. The sentence was incorrect
because it lacks to be “is”. The second error, “Hospital next to hotel.”
was an omission error of article. The sentence was wrong because it lacks
the article “the” in word “hospital” and “hotel”.
n. Students’ errors in question number 14
14.
53

1. My sister have short hair.
My sister has short hair.
2. My sister have hair short.
The table above showed two different errors. The first error, “My
sister have short hair” was a misformation error. The sentence was
wrong because the incorrect form of verb “have” should be “has”. The
second error, “My sister have hair short” was a misordering error. The
sentence was wrong because the incorrect placement of word “hair” and
“short”.
o. Students’ errors in question number 15
15.

1. He need eraser and pencil to
drawing.
2. He need eraser and pencil to He needs an eraser and a
drawing. pencil to draw.
3. He need eraser and pencil to
drawing.
54
The table above showed three different errors. The first error, “He
need eraser and pencil to drawing” was an omission error of s/es in verb
of third singular person. The first sentence was wrong because there was
no addition of “s” to the word “need”. The subject in the sentence was
third singular person. Therefore, it is necessary to add s/es to the verb.
The second error, “He need eraser and pencil to drawing” was an
omission error of article. The sentence was wrong because it lacks the
article “an” in word “eraser” and article “a” in word “pencil”. The third
error, “He need eraser and pencil to drawing.” was an addition error. The
sentence was incorrect due to the presence of “ing” in the word “draw”
which should not be in the sentence. This error was a simple addition.
B. Discussion
This study aimed to analyze the types of errors made by students in
constructing sentences based on Surface Strategy Taxonomy. The researcher
was conducted tests to answer the question of research. The researcher was
conducted 2 tests, rearrangement test and translation test to collect data.
Regarding the analysis of the two data collections, the researcher outlines an
explanation of the research data.
1. Students’ Errors on Rearrangement Test
The result of rearrangment test showed the type of error made by
students in constructing sentence was misordering. The students made 61
errors of misordering. For example “Thanks for help your” the correct
sentence shoud be “Thanks for your help”.

55
The other three types of errors based on Surface Strategy Taxonomy,
they were not made by students. Because this test was done by
rearrangement random words into correct sentences. Therefore, the error
that arises was the wrong placement of morphemes in the sentence. This
mean that rearrangement test could only find out one type of error made by
students in constructing sentences.
2. Students’ Errors on Translation Test
The result of translation test showed the types of errors made by
students in constructing sentence were omission, addition, misformation,
and misordering. Omission error occurs when a component that is
necessary for properly constructed utterences is missing. In this case the
student still face problem to be, article, s/es as plural marker, s/es in verb of
third singular person, and preposition. For example, “She is not teacher”
the correct sentence should be “She is not a teacher”. This errors shows that
students lack an understanding of English grammar. In this test was found
15 errors of omission.
The second error students made was addition. An item that should not
be present in a well-formed utterance characterizes addition errors. There
are two kinds of addition made by students: double marking and simple
addition. The regularization which is another one of the addition errors was
not made by the students. For example, “I am is a student” the correct
sentence should be “I am a student”. Thus, this test was found 6 errors of

56
addition. These errors occured because of the students lack knowledge of
the English rules.
The third error made by students was misformation. Misformation error
is occurs made by students when using the incorrect form in a sentence.
The type of misformation error that students made was archi form. The
regularization and alternating form which is another of misformation errors
were not made by the students. For example, “My hobbies is reading and
cooking.” the correct sentence should be “My hobbies are reading and
cooking”. In this test was found 9 errors of misformation. These errors
appeared because the students misunderstanding in using some form in
English.
The last error made by students was misordering error. The erroneous
placement of a morpheme or collection of morphemes in an utterance is
known as a misordering error. For example, “We study language English
every Saturday” the correct sentence should be “We study English
language every Saturday”. In this test was found 4 error of misordering. It
occured due to the students used the Indonesian word order to translate into
English.
Based on the result above, the total numbers of errors found in the
translation test were 34 errors which the error divided into four types of
errors those are omission, addition, misordering and misformation. After
analyzing the results of two data collections, rearrangement and translation
test, the question of research had been answered through the results of the
57
analysis of both. Thus, types of errors made by the students in constructing
English sentences at SMP Negeri 1 Biduk-biduk were omission, addition,
misformation, and misordering.

CHAPTER V
CLOSURE
A. Conclusion
Based on the explanation of the findings and discussion in the previous
chapter, the researcher concluded that the types of errors made by students of
SMP Negeri 1 Biduk-Biduk in constructing sentences based on the results of
the rearrangement test was misordering. The number of misordering errors
found was 61 errors. Meanwhile, the types of errors found based on the results
of the translation test were omission, addition, misformation, and misordering.
The number of errors found were 15 errors of omission, 6 errors of addition, 9
errors of misformation, and 4 errors of misordering.
B. Suggestion
Based on the result and the conclusions obtained, the reasearcher would
suggest:
1. Students should learn more and practice using grammar in order to
constructing well-formed English sentences.
2. The teachers should analyze students’ ability in constructing English
sentences so the students can know their progress and reduce their errors.
3. The other researcher suggested to use more research instruments in order to
find out the factors that cause students to make errors in constructing
sentences. The other researcher can also conduct other research to find
other types of errors.
58
REFERENCES
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Sentence Structure in Paragraph Writing Based on Surface Strategy
Taxonomy at The Second Year Of SMA Nasional Makassar. Jurnal
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Azar, B.S. (1989). Understanding and Using English Grammar. New Jersey:
Prentice Hall.
Brown, H. D. (2007). Principles of Language Learning and Teaching. New York:
Pearson Education, Inc.
Dulay, H., Burt, M., & Krashen, S. (1982). Language Two. New York: Oxford
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Eggenschwiler, J., M.A., Biggs, E. D., & Reinhardt, C. L. W. (2013). Cliffsnotes
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APPENDICES
Appendix 1 Recommendation Letter
62
63
Appendix 2 Research Permission Letter

64
Appendix 3 Research Completion Letter

65
Appendix 4 Rearrangement Test Questions
REARRANGEMENT TEST
Rearrange the following jumbled words into the correct order!
1. A : Good morning. are – today - you – how?

:
B : I am fine. Thank you.
2. A : for – help – your – thanks.

:
B : No problem.
3. A : have – pencil – you – do – a?

:
B : Yes. I do.
4. A : do – to – like – what – drink – you?

:
B : I like avocado juice.
5. A : this – I – book – can - read?

:
B : Sure, go ahead.
6. A : What is your favorite color?

B : and – my – blue – favorite – yellow – are – colors.
:
7. A : you – many – have – how – pens – do?

:
B : I have three pens.
8. A : the – bank – what – the – next to – bulding – is?

:
B : That is a hospital.
9. A : Do you study everyday?

B : Yes, I do. study – I – everyday – always.
66
10. A : for – ruler – I – your – breaking – sorry – am.

:
B : Never mind.
11. A : What is your mother doing now?

B : the – is – mother – in – cooking – kitchen – my.
:
12. A : What is behind the sofa?

B : behind – big – there – sofa – one – is – picture – the.
:
13. A : When is your birthday?

B : on – ninth – birthday – of – twenty – is – my – January – the.
:
14. A : very – cheeks – hamsters – large – your – have.

:
B : Yes, they do.
15. A : What do you usually do on Sunday morning?

B : the – father – go – my – usually – market – with – I – to
:
67
Appendix 5 Translation Test Questions
TRANSLATION TEST
Translate into English!
1. Saya adalah seorang siswa =
2. Apakah dia (perempuan) seorang pelajar? =
3. Hobi saya adalah membaca dan memasak =
4. Nina tinggal dijalan belimbing =
5. Mengapa kamu terlambat? =
6. Kami belajar bahasa Inggris setiap hari sabtu =
7. Ruli mempunyai tiga pulpen =
8. Siti tidak pergi ke sekolah =
9. Apakah kamu menyukainya? =
10. Dia (perempuan) bukan seorang guru =
11. Ada empat tikus di rumahku =
12. Made biasanya bangun jam lima =
13. Rumah sakit berada disamping hotel =
14. Saudara perempuanku mempunyai rambut pendek =
15. Dia (laki-laki) membutuhkan penghapus dan pensil untuk menggambar =

68
Appendix 6 Thesis Consultation Card

69
70
Appendix 7 Originality Report

71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
Appendix 8 Documentation
CURRICULUM VITAE
Personal Data
1. Name : Zakiya Ayu Nengsih

2. NIM/NIRM : 19.11.0110.0036
3. NIK : 6403124902010001
4. Place/Date of Birth : Berau, 09 Februari 2001
5. Gender : Female
6. Religion : Islam
7. Nationality : Indonesia
8. Address : Jl. Belimbing RT.002, Kelurahan Biduk-Biduk,
Kecamatan Biduk-Biduk, Kabupaten Berau,
Kalimantan Timur
Educational Background
1. Elementary School : Graduated in 2012
2. Junior High School : Graduated in 2015
3. Senior High School : Graduated in 2018
80

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ERROR ANALYSIS OF THE ENGLISH SENTENCES CONSTRUCTED

BY THE STUDENTS AT SMP NEGERI 1 BIDUK-BIDUK

ZAKIYA AYU NENGSIH

ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF TARBIYAH SEKOLAH

BY THE STUDENTS AT SMP NEGERI 1 BIDUK-BIDUK

English Education Department of Tarbiyah

in partial fulfillment of the requirements

for the degree of Sarjana Pendidikan in English Language

ZAKIYA AYU NENGSIH

ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT OF TARBIYAH SEKOLAH

Title : Error Analysis Of The English Sentences Constructed By

Tanjung Redeb, 2023

Usman, S.Pd, M.Pd

Dr. Damsuki, M.Pd

Department Institute of Islamic Education written by Zakiya Ayu Nengsih, on:

With Category of Score :

The Head of Muhammadiyah

Islamic Education Institute Berau

Dr. Damsuki, M.Pd

cited in this work have been properly acknowledged. If someday, it is proven

otherwise, I understand that my degree will revoked.

Tanjung Redeb, 2023

ZAKIYA AYU NENGSIH

I dedicate this thesis for:

1. My beloved mother, Ernawati, who always give me endless love, supports in

making this thesis.

you all the support and love.

believing to pursue our dreams.

5. All of my friends in STIT Muhammadiyah Tanjung Redeb who have given me

supports and love for completing my study.

complete this thesis on time.

Islam, and who has moved us from the Jahiliyah era.

This thesis is one of the requirements to complete the undergraduate

education level of Strata 1 (S-1), English Education Department at Sekolah Tinggi

Ilmu Tarbiyah Muhammadiyah Tanjung Redeb. In preparing this thesis, the

Therefore, the researcher expects constructive criticism and suggestions as to the

next learning material.

readers, including examiners and students at Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Tarbiyah

deepest respect and gratitude to:

STIT Muhammadiyah Tanjung Redeb.

Tanjung Redeb, 2023

ZAKIYA AYU NENGSIH

STATEMENT OF AUTHENTICITY ................................................................ iii

DEDICATION .................................................................................................... vii

ACKNOWLEDGMENT ..................................................................................... viii

LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................. xii

LIST OF APPENDICES ..................................................................................... xiv

A. Background of Study ................................................................................ 1

B. Research Questions ................................................................................... 4

D. Significance of Study ................................................................................ 4

E. Definition of Key Terms ........................................................................... 5

CHAPTER II THEORETICAL REVIEW

CHAPTER III RESEARCH METHOD

A. Research Design ........................................................................................ 30

B. Research Setting ........................................................................................ 30

D. Population and Sample.............................................................................. 31

E. Research Instruments ................................................................................ 31

F. Data Collection Procedure ........................................................................ 32

G. Data Analysis ............................................................................................ 32