An Error Analysis of Using Present Progressive Tense and Past Progressive Tense in

Writing English Sentences of Second Year students of SMP N 2 Bukittinggi

Thesis Proposal

BY:

By:
YOLLA SURYANI PUTRI
15018085/2015

Advisor:
Prof. Dr. Jufrizal, M.Hum
NIP: 196707221992031003

ENGLISH DEPARTMENT
FACULTY OF LANGUAGES AND ARTS
UNIVERSITAS NEGERI PADANG
2019
 CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. Background of the Research Problem

English has become an important part of the school curriculum, which is learning as the

main subject that should be learnt by the students to develop technology, science, and culture. To

achieve those things, the students should mastered the four skills in English; they are speaking,

listening, reading and writing, and also English components such as grammar, vocabulary and

pronunciation. Learning English is not as easy as we thought because there is a set of rule that

should be learnt, called grammar. Grammar is one of English components which are thought to

every language learners. It has an important role in understanding English language. Without

proper knowledge about grammar, students will find difficulties in building and expressing their

ideas in communication. However, if they have good grammar, they will be confident in both

speaking and writing, so that they can use English correctly and clearly.

Harmer (1983) defines that “grammar as the description of the ways in which words can

change their forms and can be combined into a sentence in that language.” It means that

grammar is the rule that we use in English to combine, arrange or change the word to show the

different meaning. The grammar used to differentiate every sentence which is important in

giving understanding to both listener and reader. In writing, grammar is needed to get the reader

to understand the written form because they are not on face to face conversation. It will quite

difficult for the reader to understand our written form if we pass the grammar pattern.

There are so many aspects that had been taught in grammar, one of them is tenses. Tenses

are a part of the grammar, so tenses are very important students to make a good sentence. Tenses
or sentence form in English is a pattern of sentences in English language that is we can know the

time of an event or action done by the subject in that sentence though there is no time. In

English, there are 16 tenses that should be learning fit to their use. And all of them are grouped

into 4 groups (Supono, Cahya. 2004), there are Past Tense, Present Tense, Future Tense, and

Conditional Tense.

Based on the curriculum, there are six tenses which are taught in the Junior High School

include progressive tense. Progressive tense gives the idea that an action is in progress during a

particular time. The tenses say that the action begins before, is in progress, during and continues

after another time action (Azar, 2002). There are two types of progressive tense, the first one is

present progressive tense which is express an activity that is in progress at the moment of

speaking. It is a temporary activity that begins in the past, is continuing at present and will

probably end at some point in the future (Azar, 2002). For example, I am taking five courses this

semester. This sentence explains that the subject has already taking the courses for the semester

and running in the moment of speaking and will be ended at the end of the semester. Meanwhile,

the second one is past progressive tense which is express two activities occurred at the same

time, but one action began earlier and was in progress when the other action occurred.

Sometimes the past progressive tense is used in both parts of a sentence when two actions are in

progress simultaneously (Azar, 2002). For example, I was walking down the street when it began

to rain. This sentence explains that the two actions happened when the walking action in began

before the rain comes.

Based on the example and explanation above it can be concluded that English needs

tenses to change the verb based on time indicators. From those conclusions, it shows students

cannot understand tenses in English by using Indonesian paradigm. Therefore, tenses are
considered as one of the difficult materials when students learn grammar and it is natural for

students confused and making errors and mistake.

There are many errors and mistakes in learning English tenses but making errors and

mistakes is normal and unavoidable. This problem is as Norrish (1983) notes “it’s natural for the

students as a human being to make error, even many native speakers produce many mistakes in

speaking and they would be unaware of the way they speak unless they heard the recording of

themselves.”

Generally, base on curriculum 2013, the junior high school students have to master some

tenses that taught starting from grade seven. This study focuses on present progressive tense and

past progressive tense which are taught in grade eight. In the syllabus, students are expected to

master the progressive tense in the first semester. In fact, when the writer became a practice

teacher in the SMP N 2 Bukittinggi, more than half of students still lack understanding the

present progressive and past progressive tense. It means that the students are not able to apply

those tenses even though they have learnt it.

In the learning process, the students understand the lesson well; it is proved with their

good participation and their understanding of the pattern of present progressive tense and past

progressive tense. However, when they faced the test and the result shows that the students are

not able to produce those two tenses as well as they do in the learning process which is means

the students tend to make errors in their writing.

Academically, SMP N 2 Bukittinggi known as one of the superior school in Bukittinggi

which means students can enter these schools only if they have achievements and good grades in

elementary school. SMP N 2 Bukittinggi dividing the student classes based on the student rank

wherever the students with the good rank in grade seven will put on the first class. That is why
the writer would do the error analysis focused on the present progressive tense and the past

progressive tense of grade eight in SMP N 2 Bukitinggi.

B. Identification of problem

Based on the background above there are several problems identified in using present

progressive tense and past progressive tense faced by the second year SMPN 2 Bukittinggi

students such as students’ ability in using present progressive tense and past progressive tense,

students’ error in using present progressive tense and past progressive tense, students’ difficulties

in using present progressive tense and past progressive tense and cause of error in using present

progressive tense and past progressive tense

C. The Limitation of the Problem

Based on the identification of the problem above, this study focuses on error analysis of

using present progressive tense and past progressive tense in writing English sentences by the

second-year students. By describing errors, the writer will know clearly the problem faced by the

students in making progressive sentences. This study will be analyzed by using surface strategy

taxonomy; omission, addition, misinformation and misordering.

D. Formulation of the Problem

Based on the limitation above, the formulation of the problem state is to find the types of

errors and to find the most frequent types of errors made by the students in using present

progressive tense and past progressive tense.

E. Research Questions

The writer in her research formulates the research questions as follow:

1. What are the types of errors on present progressive tense and past progressive tense made by

senior high school students?

2. Which is the most frequent type of errors of present progressive tense and past progressive

tense made by senior high school students?

F. Significance of the Study

It is expected that this study will give some valuable contributions to the process of teaching

and learning English grammar and writing, especially in learning subject progressive tense. To

be successful, students need to master subject both present progressive tense and past progressive

tense in making sentences. Therefore, the study hopefully can be beneficial for the English

teachers; the result of the study will build the teachers’ awareness about the students’ difficulties

in learning progressive tense. Hopefully, the teacher can improve their techniques in teaching

progressive tense, and also the students can master progressive tense exactly so that they can

reduce their errors in their writing.

G. Definition of Key Term

1. Error

Errors that occur in using present progressive tense and past progressive tense

2. Error analysis

Error analysis refers to a process of analyzing one’s error.

3. Progressive tense

Refers to tenses that identified an action that is in progress during a particular time

4. Present progressive tense

 Tense that express and activity is in progress at the moment of speaking and will

probably end at some point time in the future.

5. Past progressive tense

Past progressive tense express two activities occurred at the same time, but one action

began earlier and was in progress when the other action occurred.