A Research Report

A RESEARCH REPORT
AN ERROR ANALYSIS IN USING SINGULAR AND PLURAL NOUNS IN WRITING SENTENCE AT THE FIRST SEMESTER ENGLISH DEPARTMENT STUDENTS OF STKIP PGRI LUBUKLINGGAU

A research report by: Group 4
The Researchers
Ameliana 2113048
Bahya Alfitri 2113061
Dwi Susanto 2113054
Meli Astriyani 2113030
Neli Suryani 2113009
Windi Virgia 2113006

Lecturer: Sastika Seli, S.Pd, M.A

ENGLISH EDUCATION STUDY PROGRAM
LANGUAGE AND ARTS EDUCATION DEPARTMENT
INSTITUTE OF TEACHERS TRAINING AND EDUCATION
TEACHER ASSOCIATION OF REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA
STKIP-PGRI LUBUKLINGGAU
2015/2016
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
Alhamdullillah, in the name of Allah SWT, for the most Gracious and the most merciful. Thanks to Allah as our big power to live for giving us the health and strength in completing the final assignment of Second Language Acquisition with title " An Error Analysis in Using Singular and Plural Nouns in Writing Sentence at The First Semester English Department Students of STKIP PGRI Lubukliggau".
The researchers would like to say a lot of thanks to miss Sastika Seli S.Pd., M.A as our lecturer in this subject who always correcting and helping the researchers to finish this final assignment. The researchers also would like to give thanks for the first semester English department students class A of STKIP PGRI Lubuklinggau as subject of this research.
May this research can be useful for the researchers in particular, and for the readers in general. The researchers realize that this research is far from being perfect. Therefore, the researchers would like to accept suggestion for valuable improvement in another research.

Lubuklinggau, December 2015


The Researchers





TABLE OF CONTENTS

COVER i
ACKNOWLEDGMENT ii
ABSTRACT iii
TABLE OF CONTENTS iv
CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION 1
Background 1
Formulation of Problems 1
The Scopes of Research 2
Technique for Collecting The data 2
Population of Problem 2
Sample and Sampling Technique 3

CHAPTER II THEORITICAL DESCRIPTIONS 4
Language Learning 4
Error Analysis 4
Grammatical Error 4
Causes of Errors 5
Writing 5
Recount Text 6

CHAPTER III FINDING AND DISCUSSION 7
Kinds of Error 7
Causes of Error 9

CHAPTER IV CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION 11
Conclusion 11
Suggestion 11
REFERENCES 12
APPENDICES 13
ABSTRACT
The objective of this research is to find out the students' error in using singular and plural nouns in writing sentence. The subject of this research is the first semester English department students class A of STKIP PGRI Lubuklinggau in academic year 2015/2016. The subject consists of twenty students. In collect the data, the researchers applied the objective test by analyzing the students' error through the data that have been collected from the test about singular and plural nouns, consisting 20 items. Based on the finding, the students made errors for omission error, addition error, and misformation error. Misformation error is the highest error that made by the students, especially in misformation irregular forms nouns. It is because there are not certain rules to change singular forms to be irregular plural forms of nouns. The English teacher should more give exercises and practice to the students in order the students more familiar in using irregular nouns.
Key words: Error analysis, singular and plural forms of nouns












Background
In this global era, English is one of the important languages in the world to be mastered. English which had decided as the International Language, automatically it is used to communicate around the world. Therefore in Indonesia, English becomes one of the main subjects in every school which taught from elementary school up to the university level. English talks about all of component itself. In English, there are language elements and language skills. According to Pollard (2008: 13). English elements talk about grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, functions, and levels of formality; English skills that should be mastered are listening, reading, writing, and speaking. All of language elements and language skills have correlation, such as grammar and writing.
For English skills, writing is one of the most important means of communication. It is not just to write, but how the students will express their ideas, expression, and opinion. According to Broadmen and Frydenberg (2002:2) the purpose of writing is to communicate massage. It means that the writer has to pay much attention to convey ideas in written form to make the reader understand about the meaning of massages that the writer intended to deliver. However, it is difficult for students to write because they need to think critically and have to be aware of expressing their ideas. In order to achieve it, the students should be aware of the grammar use in writing.
According to Richards, et al (1985:125) grammar is description of structure of a language and the way in which linguistic units, such as word and phrases are combined to produce sentences in language. There are so many topics in grammar that should be learned by the students at school. They are tenses, verb, gerund, adjective, singular and plural, clauses, and so on. In learning grammar, some students ever make errors of the words in sentences, especially in plural nouns.
As a part of grammar, plural noun is important to be learned and mastered. In plural nouns, sometimes a noun just add the suffix "-es/-s" in the end of latter, for example "piano" become "pianos", but there are some words which using plural have changing of latter in adding "-es/-s", for example "baby" become "babies", " knife" become "knives"; for irregular nouns in using plural do not add the suffix "-es/-s", for example "man" become "men"; the other hand, singular noun form is same as plural noun form, for example "fish" in singular same as "fish" as plural. In this case, the students are still confused and faced the problems of plural nouns. They often made errors in this case. Therefore, by mastering the rule of plural nouns, the students can use singular and plural nouns well.
Based on the interviewed with the writing lecturer in STKIP PGRI Lubuklinggau, the researchers found that students still confuse in grammar part, especially in using singular and plural nouns. It is because there are some rules that must known .
Based on the reason, the researchers interested in analysis the students' error in using singular and plural noun under the title "An Error Analysis in Using Singular and Plural Nouns in Writing Sentence at The First Semester English Department Students of STKIP PGRI Lubuklinggau.

Formulation of Problem
The formulation of problem in this research is:
What are the students' errors in using singular and plural nouns at the first semester English department students of STKIP PGRI Lubuklinggau.

Scope of Research
To make this research easy to understand the researchers limit the problem in the following points:
The subject of this research is the first semester English department students of STKIP PGRI Lubuklinggau in the academic year 2015/2016.
The problem that will be investigated is the students' errors in using singular and plural nouns, with the kinds of errors such us omission, addition, misformation, and misordering.
Subject of Research
The subject of this research is the first semester English department students of STKIP PGRI Lubuklinggau in the academic year 2015/2016.

Respondents
The respondents are the first semester English department students class A of STKIP PGRI Lubuklinggau in academic year 2015/2016. The researchers took twenty students randomly as the respondents in this research, but just ninety samples that can be used, because there is one student that his answers did not suitable with the instruction.
Number
Name
SRN
1
Febi Rahim
2115004
2
Berti Arimbi
2115047
3
Aliando
2115034
4
Dwi Kurnia
2115016
5
Nur Azizah
2115017
6
Novitasari
2115023
7
Yuliana Damayanti
2115025
8
Salwa Hayati
2115062
9
Retno .R
2115022
10
Yulianti
2115015
11
Silka Kristi
2115009
12
Anshor Hasyim
2115041
13
Kiara Alvionita
2115060
14
Wahyu Karningsih
2115021
15
Laima
2115033
16
Dia Anggraini
2115038
17
Sri Wulandari
2115008
18
Merlin Juliani
2115020
19
Edi Latip
2115005
20
Oktaria Sintia
2115002

Data Collection
In collect the data, the researchers applied the objective test. Objective test is a test that has right or wrong answer and it can be marked objectively. The researchers use some pictures in the test, than the students make a sentence using singular and plural nouns based on the pictures. There are twenty pictures that are consisting of nine pictures are about singular nouns and eleven pictures are about plural nouns.

Theoretical Framework
Language Theory
Language learning
In the middle of the 20th century, learning theory was dominated by the principles of behavioral psychology exemplified by the work of B.F Skinner (1938,1957,1974). Which maintains that learning should be described as changes in the observable behavior of a learner made as function of events in the environment. In the 1970, the behavioral paradigm began to be expanded by the ideas of cognitive psychology, which maintains that complete explanation of human learning also requires recourse to non observable constructs such as memory and motivation.
Conscious language learning, on the other hand, is thought to be helped a great deal by error correction and the presentation of explicit rules (Krashen and Seliger, 1975). Error correction it is maintained helps the learner come to the correct mental representation of the linguistic generalization. Whether such feedback has this effect to a significant degree remains an open question (Fanselow, 1977; Long, 1977). No invariant order of learning is claimed, although syllabi implicitly claim that learners proceed from simple to complex, a sequence that may not be identical to the acquisition sequence.

Language Acquisition
Acquisition requires meaningful interaction in the target language - natural communication - in which speakers are concerned not with the form of their utterances but with the messages they are conveying and understanding.
According to Krashen the theory of second language acquisition consists of five main hypotheses:
The Acquisition-Learning hypothesis
According to Krashen there are two independent systems of second language performance: 'the acquired system' and 'the learned system'. The 'acquired system' or 'acquisition' is the product of a subconscious process very similar to the process children undergo when they acquire their first language. It requires meaningful interaction in the target language - natural communication - in which speakers are concentrated not in the form of their utterances, but in the communicative act.
The "learned system" or "learning" is the product of formal instruction and it comprises a conscious process which results in conscious knowledge 'about' the language, for example knowledge of grammar rules. According to Krashen 'learning' is less important than 'acquisition'.
The Monitor hypothesis
According to Krashen, the acquisition system is the utterance initiator, while the learning system performs the role of the 'monitor' or the 'editor'. The 'monitor' acts in a planning, editing and correcting function when three specific conditions are met: that is, the second language learner has sufficient time at his/her disposal, he/she focuses on form or thinks about correctness, and he/she knows the rule.
It appears that the role of conscious learning is somewhat limited in second language performance. According to Krashen, the role of the monitor is - or should be - minor, being used only to correct deviations from "normal" speech and to give speech a more 'polished' appearance.
Krashen also suggests that there is individual variation among language learners with regard to 'monitor' use. He distinguishes those learners that use the 'monitor' all the time (over-users); those learners who have not learned or who prefer not to use their conscious knowledge (under-users); and those learners that use the 'monitor' appropriately (optimal users). An evaluation of the person's psychological profile can help to determine to what group they belong. Usually extroverts are under-users, while introverts and perfectionists are over-users. Lack of self-confidence is frequently related to the over-use of the "monitor".
The Natural Order hypothesis
The Natural Order hypothesis is based on research findings (Dulay & Burt, 1974; Fathman, 1975; Makino, 1980 cited in Krashen, 1987) which suggested that the acquisition of grammatical structures follows a 'natural order' which is predictable. For a given language, some grammatical structures tend to be acquired early while others late. This order seemed to be independent of the learners' age, L1 background, conditions of exposure, and although the agreement between individual acquirers was not always 100% in the studies, there were statistically significant similarities that reinforced the existence of a Natural Order of language acquisition. Krashen however points out that the implication of the natural order hypothesis is not that a language program syllabus should be based on the order found in the studies. In fact, he rejects grammatical sequencing when the goal is language acquisition.
The Input hypothesis
The Input this hypothesis is Krashen's explanation of how second language acquisition takes place. So, the Input hypothesis is only concerned with 'acquisition', not 'learning'. According to this hypothesis, the learner improves and progresses along the 'natural order' when he/she receives second language 'input' that is one step beyond his/her current stage of linguistic competence.
The Affective Filter hypothesis.
The Affective Filter hypothesis embodies Krashen's view that a number of'affective variables' play a facilitative, but non-causal, role in second language acquisition. These variables include: motivation, self-confidence and anxiety. Krashen claims that learners with high motivation, self-confidence, a good self-image, and a low level of anxiety are better equipped for success in second language acquisition. Low motivation, low self-esteem, and debilitating anxiety can combine to 'raise' the affective filter and form a 'mental block' that prevents comprehensible input from being used for acquisition. In other words, when the filter is 'up' it impedes language acquisition. On the other hand, positive affect is necessary, but not sufficient on its own, for acquisition to take place.

English writing
Generally, writing is a way in sending message from the writer to the reader. Similar to Donald Hall said on his book "Writing Well" that writing is pretentious and wordy, but a message comes through. Writing also is a way the writer think or a way of thinking which is shared to the reader, like Robert Scholes and Nancy R. Comley (1985) said that writing is a way of thinking as well as a means of communication. Fred D. White (1986) also said that writing is more than public communication; it is a way of thinking. Writing is an individual activity similar to Jo McDonough and Christopher Shaw (1993) said that writing, like reading, is in many ways an individual, solitary activity.
Similarly, Trisha Phelps-Gunn and Diana Phelps-Terasaki (1982) said that writing is a useful, effective, enjoyable, and above all necessary component of the modern world. It provides the pleasure of sending a personal message to a friend. It assumes career and financial importance in the composition of a resume or a business letter.
They also said that writing is the most complex language mode, being four times removed from inner language, and adds the component of written expression to the earlier abilities. To Myklebust (1960), writing is composed of successful development in three other language modes, deriving its focus from aural, oral, and visual receptive components.
From the opinions above, writing is the way of thinking or sending message from the writer to the reader which becomes the part of language or language skills and it also means communication.

Grammar in English
The word "grammar" derives from Greek and means "art of letters" (gramma = letter). The term "grammar" is used in two meanings. On the one hand, in its wide sense, the term refers to the explicit theory constructed by the linguist to describe the speaker's linguistic competence. On the other hand, in its narrow sense, the term "grammar" refers to the study of morphology (i.e. the rules of word formation, parts of speech and their grammatical categories) and syntax (i.e. the rules of sentence formation), often complemented by phonology, lexicology, semantics and pragmatics (Fromkin et al. 2003: 14). Our ability to speak and understand, and to make judgments about the well-forkedness of sentences, reveals our Knowledge of the grammar of our language.
In 1957 Noam Chomsky developed a theory of Transformational Grammar, sometimes called Transformational-Generative Grammar in his work Syntactic Structures. This theory revolutionized the scientific study of language. According to this theory, Instead of starting with minimal sounds, Chomsky began with kernel, i.e. elementary sentences, the number of which is limited in any language.

Error Analysis
Learning the second language is a process which involves the making of mistakes, even errors as in this new system of language a learner will directly connect with such a new vocabulary, a new grammatical pattern and a foreign pronunciation which differ from the learner s native language. According to Jeremy harmer, errors are part of the learner inter language that is a version of the language which a learner has at any one stage of development and which is continually reshaped as he/she aims toward full mastery.
According to Brown, "an error is a noticeable deviation from the adult grammar of a native speaker, reflecting the inter language competence of the learner.
Dullay defines error as "the flawed side of learner speech or writing. They are those parts of conversation or composition that deviate from some selected norm of mature language performance". Meanwhile, douglas brown defines "a noticeable deviation from the adult grammar of a native speaker, reflecting the inter language competence of the learner".
According to Ellis (1999:56), errors are divided into four kids. They are:
Omission
Omission errors are characterized by the absence of an item that must appear in a well-formed utterance. Although any morpheme or word in sentence is potential of candidate for omission.
Addition
Addition errors are characterized by the presence of an item that must not appear in a well-formed utterance. The subtypes of addition are:
Double marking, are the failures to delete certain items.
Regularization, is a rule of typically applies to a class of linguistics items, such as the class of main verbs on the class of nouns.
Simple addition is the grab bag subcategory of addition error is not a double marking or regularization, it is called simple addition.
Misformation
Misformation errors are characterized by use of wrong form of the morpheme or structure.
Misordering
Misordering errors are characterized by incorrect placement of morpheme or a group of morphemes in an utterance.

Theory of Noun and Plural Nouns
According to Richard et.al. (1985: 196), noun is a word which (a) can occur as the subect or the object (complement) of preposition, (b) can modified by an adjective, (c) can be used determiners. based on Manser (1995: 281), noun means word that is the names of a thing, quality person and can be the subject or the object of verb.
Manser states that plural is form of word used for referring to more than one (1995: 381). according to Hariono (2002: 24), plural nouns is the nouns which is used to show that more than one. in generally, it's made by singular noun which added the suffix –s/-es for the noun. for plural nouns, it isn't allowed the article a or an, but it's allowed article the.
Formulation of plural nouns
some of plural is made by singular nouns with add the suffix "-s", for Example :
Singular Plural
Hat 1. Hats
Letter 2. Letters
Pencil 3. Pencils

Suffix –ch, -s, -sh, -x, or, -z
when there are some words that the endsof the letter are –ch,-s, -sh, -x, or, -z, to change the word from singular to plural nouns is by adding the suffix " es ", for example :
Singular Plural
Branch 1. Branches
Bus 2. Buses
Fox 3. Foxes
Suffix "-y"
When there are some words that the end of the letter is –y and before "y" is consonant, to change the word from singular to plural nouns are by changing the suffix "y" into suffix "-i" and then adding the suffix "-es" for example :
Singular Plural
Candy 1. Candies
Fly 2. flies
Enemy 3. Enemies
Note : when there are some words that the end of the letter is –y and before "y" is vowel, to change the word from singular to plural nouns are by adding the ssuffix "-s", for example:
Singular Plural
Boy 1. Boys
Key 2. Keys
Toy 3. Keys
Suffix " - f " or " –fe"
When there are some words that the end of the letter is "-f/ -fe", to change the words from singular to plural nouns are by changing the suffix "-f/ fe " to suffix
" –ves" , for example :
Singular Plural
Thief 1. Thieves
Wolf 2. Wolves
leaf 3. leaves
Note : there are some words which the end of the letter is the word –f-fe, to show those are plural just add the suffix –s, for example :
Singular Plural
Roof 1. Roofs
Chief 2. Chiefs
Poof 3. Poofs
Suffix "- o"
When there are some words that the end of the letter is "-o" to change the words from singular to plural nouns are by adding the suffix "-es", for example:
Singular Plural
Hero 1. Heroes
Mango 2. Mangoes
Potato 3. Potatoes
Note: there are some words which the end of latter is the word – o, but to show those are plural just add the suffix –s, for example:
Singular Plural
Radio 1. Radios
Photos 2. Photos
Piano 3. Pianos
Words which same for plural and singular
In English there are same words which show that the words of plural and singular, for example:
Singular Plural
Sheep 1. Sheep
Fish 2. Fish
Deer 3. Deer
Word which always shoe plural, doesn't have singular
In English there are same words which show always plural because it doesn't have singular, for example:
Singular Plural
Shoes 1. Shoes
Arms 2. Arms
Glasses 3. Glasses
Hyphenated nouns
The other hands for nouns which is formed by two or more words that correlated by dash (-) to form it because plural just for the main noun of that words adding suffix"-s", for example:
Singular Plural
Brother-in low 1. Brothers-in law
Runner-up 2. Runners-up
Sister-in law 3. Sisters-in law
Irregular Plurals
In English, not only by adding "s/es" to show that those are plural. Some of irregular words in English that show plural are:
Singular Plural
Child 1. Children
Foot 2. Feet
Man 3. Men
Note: some of the words which the end of the words "men", for plural is changing "man" into "men", for example:
Singular Plural
Policeman 1. Policemen
Gentleman 2. Gentlemen
Finding discussion
The researcher described the result of the test and students' errors in using singular and plural nouns. The researcher analyzed based on the kinds of errors. According to Ellis (1999:56), errors are divided into four kids, they are omission, addition, misformation, and misordering.
The researcher found that the students made errors in their sentences. The result of test items shown in bellow:
Omission
Omission errors are characterized by the absence of an item that must appear in a well-formed utterance. The Omission errors that made by students are omission suffix "-s" and suffix "-es":
Omission Suffix "-s"
I have three umbrella in my house ( false)
Based on the sentence, the student made an error. The student omitted suffix "-s" in his plural noun. In English grammar rule, the construction of plural noun can be done by putting "-s" at the singular noun. So, the correct sentence is "I have three umbrellas in my house".
Omission Suffix "-es"
There are three hero (false)
Based on the sentence, the student made an error. The student omitted suffix "-es" in his plural noun. In English grammar rule, for the singular noun which is ended by the letter "-o" and the noun is not made by human being, we add suffix "-es". So, the correct sentence is "There are three heroes".

Addition
Addition errors are characterized by the presence of an item that must not appear in a well-formed utterance. The subtypes of addition are:
Double marking
I want collection shoeses (false)
Based on the sentence, the student made an error. The student added redundant item in his plural noun. He added suffix "–es" too. Actually, the word "shoes" indicates the plural nouns, the student does not need to added suffix "-es" too. He cannot add double suffix (-s and -es) in one plural noun. So, the correct sentence is "I want to collect the shoes"
Addition determiner
I have a new umbrellas (false)
Based on the sentence, the student made an error. The student added determiner article "a" before the word "new"in his plural noun. Actually, plural noun does not need the article "a/an", but it can use the article "the". So, the correct answer is "I have the new umbrellas".
Regularization
I see the sheeps in the meadow (false)
Based on the sentence, the student made an error. The student added suffix "-s" in his noun. In English grammar rule, the word "sheep" is the kind of noun which is in plural there is no changing. It is include in irregular plural nouns. So, the correct answer is " I see the sheep in the meadow".
Misformation
Misformation errors are characterized by use of the wrong form of the morpheme or structure.
Those are three louses (false)
Based on the sentence, the student made an error. The student made the wrong form of the morpheme in his plural noun. Actually, the louse include as irregular plural. So, the correct answer is "those are three lice".
I have many knifes in the kitchen (false)
Based on the sentence, the student made an error. The student made the wrong form of the morpheme in his plural noun. Actually, for the plural noun which is the singular ended by the letter "-f / –fe", the letter "-f" is change with the letter "-v" added by "-s/-es". So, the correct answer is "I have many knives in the kitchen".
Conclution
Based on the result of written test, it can be seen some errors that made by the first semester students of English department STKIP PGRI Lubuklinggau. The result of the test was classified in the four kinds of error. The students made seventeen omission errors, twenty four addition errors, and forty four misformation errors in their writing sentence by using singular and plural nouns. The students did not make an error in the kind of misordering error.
It means that, the kind of misformation errors is the highest errors that made by the students. The students made misformation errors in their sentence, especially misformation in irregular nouns. It is because there are not certain rules to change singular forms to be irregular plural forms of nouns, the students have to memorize the word and practice more.
Suggestion
To reduce these errors, the students have to learn and master more about the rule, do more plural forms exercises in English plural and practice more in learning plural form. The English teacher also should more give exercises and practice to the students in order the students more familiar in using irregular nouns.







REFERENCES
Ade, I. S (2011). Journal of singular and plural nouns: An analysis of the students' error in learning plural forms of nouns. Retrieved from
http://repository.uinjkt.ac.id/dspace/bitstream/123456789/3091/1/ADE%20IRMA%20SURYANI-FITK.pdf

Altenberg , Evelyn P. and M. Vago, Robert. English Grammar, (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2010)

Nichols (1984). Functional Theories of Grammar - Annual Review of Anthropology, 13(1) 97. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.an.13.100184.000525

Pariati (2013). Basic grammar for English language learners. Lubuklinggau: Indonesia.

Theory of Second Language Acquisition. Retrieved December 10, 2015, from http://Stephen Krashen's Theory of Second Language Acquisition.
S.P.Corder, Error Analysis and inter-langauge,(Oxford: Oxford University Press,1981)

Gelderen, Elly Van . An Introduction to the Grammar of English, (Amsterdam:
John Benjamins Publishing Company, 2002)








APPENDICES
GROUP IV























TESTER