CHAPTER TWO

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

Syntax refers to the rules that govern the ways in which words combine to

form phrases, clauses, and sentences. To make correct sentences is put in much
concern for learners (Basrah, 2013) learning grammar implies that language
learning is directed to focus on form and that is the issue argued by Krashen
(1985) in Pazever and Wang (2009).

2.1 Previous Studies

There are some previous studies related to grammatical error Firstly, a

research done by Hamid; Zarandi, Fatemeh Mahmoudi; Shariati, Mohammad
(2011) “Grammatical Errors Produced by English Majors: The Translation Task”
A total of 60 junior EFL students (30 literature and 30 translation), all studied at
Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman, participated in this survey. Four
translation tests, three in Persian and one in English, were given to the participants
to investigate the difficulties of the Persian native speakers learning English. This
study showed that the students had the most number of errors in preposition
(100.0%), relative pronoun (56.7%), article (25.0%), and tense (6.7%)
respectively

The second research by Lisa Yuniza , Lisa Tavriyanti, Fatimah Tanjung

(2014) “ Gramatical Error in Translating Short Story: Indonesia to English” The
grammatical errors of the fourth year students of Bung Hatta University in
translating short story from Indonesian into English was high correlation. 58%
students errors in omission, 14% students errors in addition 21% students errors in
misformation, 7% students errors in misordering 14% students errors in addition
21% students errors in misformation, 7% students errors in misordering

The other research by Ibrahim Abushihab (2014) “An Analysis of

Grammatical Errors in Writing Made by Turkish Learners of English as a
Foreign Language ”This study investigates and classifies grammatical errors in
writing made by twenty second-year students at the Department of English
Language learning English as a foreign language in Gazi University of Turkey.
The students are enrolled in a writing course in the first semester of the
academic year 2011 – 2012. They were asked to write about the difficulties
they face while learning English. The errors committed by the subjects are
classified under five categories. They are errors in tenses, in the use of
prepositions, in the use of articles, in the use of active and passive, and
morphological errors. The results show that the participants made 179
grammatical errors of which 27 errors are in tenses, 50 errors in the use of
prepositions,52 errors in the use of articles, 17 errors in the use of passive and
active voice and 33 were morphological errors.

2.2 Error
Error was something that was incorrect, caused by a lack of competence and “a
noticeable deviation from the adult grammar of a native speaker” (Brown, 1994,
p. 205), errors should not be viewed entirely negatively (Corder 1967), but seen as
a sign of progress in the development of the new language, later called
interlanguage by Selinker (1972). From this perspective, errors are a natural and
necessary feature of language development, whether it be a first or a subsequent
language.

2.2.1Distinguishing of Error and Mistake

Some errors can be attributed to weaknesses or failure of memory (Gorbet,

1979) According to Dulay and Burt (in Brown, 1994: 205), error is considered as
“goofs”. An error is a deviation from the adult grammar of a native speaker which
reflects the learner’s inter language competence. It is called competence error
when learners make errors because they lack knowledge of the rules of the target
language. They will not be able to correct the errors by themselves quickly.
Meanwhile According Corder in Kao, Chyi-Ching (1998:5) says that error
analysis has practical uses and applications for language teachers: Errors Enable
the teacher to decide whether he can move on to the next item on the syllabus or
whether he must devote more time to the item he has been working on. This is the
day-to-day value of errors. But in terms of broader planning and with a new group
of learners they provide the information of teaching.

According to Ellis (1997:17), mistakes reflects occasional lapses in

performance, they occur because, in a particular instance, the learner is unable to
perform what she or he knows while errors reflect gaps in leaners knowledge that
occur because learners do not know what is correct and they are still in the
learning process. Mistakes refer to performance errors or nonsystematic errors
which are caused by inattention while errors refer to competence.

From definitions above, it can be concluded that the mistakes are different
from errors. Mistakes are the wrong use of language because the user is not aware
of the mistakes they makes whereas he knows the correct form of its rules.
Mistakes need help other person to help it.

2.2.2Causes of Errors

Language errors as identified by Norrish (1983, p.21-42) arise from carelessness,

interference from the learners’ first language, translation from the first language,
contrastive analysis, general order of difficulty, overgeneralization, incomplete
application of rules, material-induced errors and a part of language creativity.
Thammasat Review In writing, learners easily make errors because information
has to be transmitted without any aid from sources other than the language itself.
However, there is a danger that the language learner will tend to focus on the
errors rather than on the presumed aim of the piece of writing: communication
(Norrish, 1983, p. 65).

Cause of error Classified by Richard (1973) who divided them into four:

1. Overgeneralization

2. Incomplete application of rules

3. False concept hypothesized

4. Ignorance of rules restriction

1) Overgeneralization

Overgeneralization generally involved the creation of one deviant structure in

place of two regular structures, for examples, “He can sings”, “We are hope”, “it

is occurs”.

2) Incomplete Application of rules

An example of incomplete application of rules could be seen in the question

forms. Very often they were used, not to find out something, as they should, but

as a means of eliciting questions through a transform exercise. The use of question

might also be unrelated to the skills it was meant to establish.

Teacher’s questions

Ask her how long it takes

How much does it cost?
What does he have to do?

Student’s responses

How long it take?

It cost five dollar
He have to do write the address
3) False concepts hypothesized

False concepts hypothesized were something due to poor gradation of teaching

items. The form ‘was’ for example, might be interpreted as the marker of the past

tense, as in “one day it was happened”.

4) Ignorance of rule restriction

Closely related to the generalization of deviant structures was the failure to

observe the restriction of existing structures, that is, the application of rules to

context where they did not apply. They man who I saw him violated the

limitation on subjects in a structure with who. This was again a type of

generalization of transfer, since the learners were making use of previously

acquired rule in a new situation.

2.2.3 Category Classification

Errors can occur because of change in surface structure in specific and systematic

ways (Dulay et al., 1982, p. 150). Based on this taxonomy, there are four ways in

which learners “modify” target forms in specific and systematic ways:

1) Omission

Learners in the early stages of learning tend to omit function words rather than

content words. More advanced learners tend to be aware of their ignorance of

content words and rather than omit one, they resort to compensatory strategies to

express their idea (Kasper and Kellerman, 1997). For example, “be” is left out in

the sentence “My sisters very pretty.”

2) Addition

This manifestation of error, according to Dulay, Burt and Krashen, is the ‘result

of all-too-faithful use of certain rules’ (1982, p.156) and they suggest there are

subtypes.

Example : “teached for taught”

“She more better than them for she better than them”