CHAPTER I
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
Language plays an important role in human life. One tries to acquire, learn
and use language as a means of communication, and simultaneously as social symbol
of humanity. By using language someone could make statements, convey facts and
knowledge explain or report something, and keep social relations among the
language users. These indicate that by means of language, people can express their
ideas, feeling, information etc through communication.
As one of language in the world, English is considered and applied as
international language. Since then, it is very popular and has been spoken and learnt
by almost all people in the world. Generally, all students learning English language
want to be able to listen, to speak, to read, and to write English well. Nevertheless,
they sometimes find some difficulties in mastering all the aspects of English
language. English grammar is different from our mother tongue structure,
Indonesian. There are many rules used to correlate or to combine parts of speech for
making good sentences or phrase, just like concord, subjunctive, articles and
determiners, pronouns, direct and indirect sentences, prepositions, passive voice, etc.
In this thesis, the writer would like to focus more on the rule of English grammar,
the use of prepositions.
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A preposition is a word that shows the relationship between two words in a
sentence. Prepositions are always followed by nouns (or pronouns). They are
connective words that show the relationship between the nouns following them and
one of the basic sentences elements:subject, verb, object, or complement. They
usually indicate relationship, such as position, place, direction, time, manner, agent,
possession, and condition, between their objects and other parts of the sentences.
Prepositions have been called the biggest little words in English. There are
uasually quite short and insignificant looking, but they have very important
functions. It is difficult to learn to use preposition correctly in a foreign language.
Most english preposition have several different functions (for instance, one wellknown dictionary lists eighteen main uses of at), and these may correspond to several
different preposition in another language. At the same time, different preposition can
have very similiar uses (in the morning, on Monday morning, at night).
Many nouns, verbs, and adjectives are normally used in particular
preposition: people say the reason for, arrive at, angry with somebody, on a bus.
Often the correct preposition cannot be guessed, and one has to learn the expressions
as a whole.
Althougt preposition has been taught in school, university or even English
course about how to use it, to know the function and kind of preposition, but in
reality, many students still make mistakes of the use of preposition. In this case, they
still cannot differentiate which preposition is appropriate for each sentences form.
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According to the explanation about preposition above, it leads the writer to
focus her research to know the students’ ability in using some English preposition
and the difficulties that faced by students in using preposition.
1.2 Identification of Problem
Based on Micheal Swan, “It is difficult to learn to use prepositions correctly
in a foreign language. Most English prepositions have several different
functions (for instance, one well- known dictionary lists eighteen main uses of
at), and these may correspond to several different preposition in another
language. At the same time, different preposition can have very similiar uses
(in the morning, on Monday morning, at night)............”.
The identification of problem can be seen by answering these questions below:
1. what are the different functions of every preposition?
2. Do the different prepositions have similiar uses?
1.3 Scope of problem
The writer realizes that there are many problems in learning about English
preposition. The writer would like to discuss about the use of English preposition
with multiple meaning and preposition that are often confused in a sentences as
follows:
1.
e.g.
Preposition with multiple meanings:
around
at
by
on
with
without
for
in
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2.
Preposition that are often confused:
e.g. 1. Above, over
3.
2. Below, under
3. To, toward
4. Beside, besides
5. in, into
6. By, With
7. Between, among
8. On, In and At
Preposition after particular words and expressions.
e.g. Afraid of NOT afraid by
Depend on NOT depend from/for
Difficulty with NOT difficulty to
Clever at NOT clever in
Divided into NOT divided in
1.4 Research Question
The writer purposes the research questions, as follow:
1. How far is the level of student’s ability in using preposition?
2. what are the students’ difficulties in using preposition?
1.5 Objective of Research
The pursoses of this study are:
1. To measure the ability of students in using preposition and show the presentage of
student’s ability based on the test.
2. To investigate the difficulties of students in using preposition.
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1.6 Significances of the Research
The writer expects that this study will provide more information about
preposition and problems faced by the students in choosing preposition. The writer
also intends to show how far the students’ knowledge of preposition and indentify
the difficulties of students in using preposition. The last point is, the writer hopes that
this study can be additional reference for those who are interested to learn more
about preposition.
1.7 Sequences of Presentation
This part shows the composition of chapters, which are arrange as followes:
1. Chapter one is an introduction which is consist of The Background,
Identification of Problem, Scope of Problem, Research of Question,
Objective of Research, The significance of Research, and Sequence of
Presentation.
2. Chapter two describes a theoritical background. In this chapter, the writer will
provide some theories relating to the title that can support the content of this
study.
3. Chapter Three is about Methodology. The Method of Collecting Data,
Population, Sample, Method of Data Analysis.
4. Chapter four consist of Data Presentation and Analysis
5. Chapter five is closing chapter with conclution of the matters based on the
analysis and suggestion for future readings and writing.
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CHAPTER II
THEORYTICAL BACKGROUND
2.1 Previous Study
There have been some researches about preposition which can be references
for the writer, here they are:
Daniel Pagayang (1993) The Incorrect Use of English Preposition: A case
study at the faculty of Letter, Hasanuddin University. In this case, he tries to find the
incorrect use of English preposition by second grade students. According to the test,
he also devide them into three groups:preposition of place and position, preposition
of direction, and preposition of time.
Arisma (2006) The Use of Simple Preposition by the Third year students of
Pasantern Modern Immim Putra Makassar. She devides her test into two parts:
Multiple choice question and fill in the blank. In this term, she tries to find out the
capability of IMMIM students in using simple preposition.
Matlail Fajarianto (2010) Students’ Ability To Use English Preposition ( A
case Study at English Department of Hasanuddin University). In the research, the
writer tries to investigate the basic knowledge of English Departmen students about
preposition, to find the types of preposition that are usually incorrectly by the
students, and to investigate problems that are usually faced by students when they
decide to choose correct prepostion.
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3.
The all researches have relatively the same objectives and achievement. They
try to identify the ability of students in using English preposition. Those people
achieve the same thing namely they successfully figure out the students’ ability in
using English preposition.
What the writer is going to do in this research is a little bit different. In this
research, the writer limits the preposition that she wants to identify namely the
preposition with multiple meanings, preposition that often make the students
confused and fixed preposition.
2.2 Definition of Preposition
There are some definitions about preposition, they are:
1.
According to Wishon and Burks (285:396):
“Prepositions are always followed by nouns or pronouns. They are connective
words that show the relationship between the nouns following them and one
of the basic sentences elements: subject, verb, object, or complement.”
2.
According to Panca Prastowo (145:338),
“preposition atau preposisi adalah suatu kata yang tidak berubah bentuknya
dan umumnya terletak di depan kata benda atau dipandang seperti kata
benda(noun- equivalent), di mana pemakaiannya adalah untuk perlihatkan
hubungan tertentu. Jadi, dapat pula dikatakan bahwa preposition adalah
suatu kata yang dipergunakan untuk menunjukkan hubungan antara kata
benda atau kata ganti dengan kata- kata lainnya dalam kalimat”
3.
A preposition in English grammar is a word employed with a noun or
pronoun to form a phrase or a prepositional phrase. Prepositional phrases express
meaning closely related to the meaning expressed by adverbs and adjectives: where,
when, how, and what kind. Prepositional phrases can also express a sense of why or
who.
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e.g. : "He's in the jailhouse now." (where)
The word in is a preposition. The word jailhouse is a noun. The noun is called the
object of the preposition. This prepositional phrase provides a sense of location, a
sense of where something is located. (http://www.iscribe.org/english/prep.html)
1.3 The Function of Preposition
It is difficult to learn to use prepositions correctly in a foreign language. Most
English prepositions have several different functions (for instance, one well- known
dictionary lists eighteen main uses of at), and these may correspond to several
different prepositions in another language. At the same time, different prepositions
can have similiar uses( in the morning, on Monday morning, at night). Many nouns,
verbs, and adjactives are normally used with particular prepositions: we say the
reasons for, arrive at, angry with someday, on a bus. Often the correct preposition
cannot be guessed, and one has to learn the expression as a whole. In some
expressions English has no preposition where one may be used in another language;
in other expressions the opposite is true.
There are some functions of preposition:
1.
Preposition after particular words and expressions
It is not always easy to know which preposition to use after a particular noun,
verb or adjactive. Here are some of the most common combinations which cause
difficulty to students of English.
e.g.
drive into: Granny drove into a tree again yesterday.
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kind to: people have always been very kind to me.
laugh at: I hate being laughed at.
listen to: please listen to me!
nice to: You weren’t very nice to me last night.
2.
Preposition before particular words and expressions:
For other preposition + noun combinations;
At the cinema, at the theatre, at a part
By car/bike/bus/boat/plane/foot; I go to school by bus.
3. Preposition at the ends of clauses:
A preposition often connects two things: (1) a noun, adjective or verb that
comes before it, and (2) a ‘prepositional object’
A noun phrase or pronoun that comes after the preposition.
This is a present for you.
I’m really angry with Joe.
He is looking at her.
They live in a small village.
In some stuctures we may put the preposition object at or near the beginning
of a clause. In this case, the preposition does not always go with it. It may stay
togather with ‘its’ noun, adjactive or verb at the end of the clause.
This happenes especially in four cases:
Wh- question:
Relative structure:
Passives:
who’s the presents for?
Joe’s the person that I’m angry with
she likes to be looked at.
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Infinitive structure:
the village is pleasant to live in
a) Wh- questions:
When a question word is the object of a preposition, the preposition most
often comes at the end of the clause, especially in informal usage.
e.g. who’s the presents for?
b) Relative clauses:
When a relative pronoun(who,whom,which) is the object of a
preposition, the preposition also often goes at the end of the clause,
especially in informal usage.
e.g. this is the house that i told you about.
c) Passives:
In passive structures, preposition go with their verbs.
She likes to be looked at
d) Infinitive structures:
Infinitive complements can have prepositions with them.
The village is pleasants to live in.
4. Preposition before Conjunctions:
Preposition can be followed by conjuctions in some cases but not in others.
a) Indirect speech: Preposition dropped before that.
I knew about his problems
I knew that he had problems.
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b) Emotional reactions: prepositions dropped
Prepositions are also dropped before that after many common words that
refer to emotional reactions. Compare:
We are sorry about the delay  we are sorry that the train is late.
c) The fact that
In other cases (not involving indirect speech or words reffering to
emotional reactions) prepositions cannot so often be dropped before thatclauses. Instead, the expression the fact is generally put between the
preposition and that.
The judge paid a lot of attention to the fact that the child was unhappy at
home. Not: The judge paid a lot of attention (to) that the child)
d) Question words
After some very common words like tell, ask, depend, sure, idea, look,
prepositon can be dropped before who, which, what and other question
words. This is expecially common indirect question. Compare:
Tell me about your trip  not: tell me about where you went.
5. Preposition –ing forms and infinitives:
Preposition are not normally used before infinitive in English. After verb/
noun/ adjective + preposition, we usually use the –ing form of a following
verb.
I don’t like the idea of getting married not ....the idea of to get married.
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1.4 Use of Preposition Phrase in the sentence
1.
Prepositional phrases used as adverbs usually follow the verb, though like
adverbs, they can be moved to other position in the sentence.
2. Prepositional phrases used as adjectives usually follow the noun they modify.
3. Prepositional phrases used as nouns will be subject, object, or complements in
the sentence.
1.5 Meaning Categories
The following list illustrates the use of prepositional phrases to convey specific
kinds of information.
1. Place, position
Accross: Her house is across the street.
After: The first street after the bridge is state street.
Against: His bicycle was leaning against the fence.
Among: The letter might be among those papers.
Around: The shop is just around the corner.
At: He used to be a student at a North American University.
Before: I have your letter before me now.
Behind: The garage is behinde the house.
Below: They live in the apartment below ours.
Between: His shop is between the bank and the post office.
By: That house by the lake is my dream house.
In: She was dozing in an armchair when we got there.
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In front of: the ball stopped in front of the bus.
Inside: come in. It is warmer inside the house.
Near: You shouldn’t smoke near gasoline.
On: He found the book on the table.
On top of: I want whipped cream on top of my strawberries.
Opposite: The school is opposite the church.
Outside: There is a bird’s nest outside my window.
Over: The window is over the radiator.
To: Attach the rope to the bumper of the car.
Under: the book was under the desk.
Underneath: the book is underneath the papers.
2. Direction
Across: I am going across
At: The child threw a stone at the bear.
By way of: Can’t we drive to New york by way of philadelphia?
Down: we saw her walking down fifth Avenue.
Into: I saw her going into the theater a few minutes ago.
Out of: He took some money out of his pocket.
To: She went to the grocery store.
Through: The bird flew through the open window.
Toward: The road leads toward the sea.
Up: The salmon were swimming up the river.
Upon: The bird was perched upon his shoulder.
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3. Time
About: I think she will be away about a week.
After: Would you please call after eight.
Around: I get to my affice around nine every morning.
At: I told her to meet us at six o’clock sharp.
Before: Take this medicine before mealtime.
By: She should be back by seven at the latest.
During: During the winter, I think I’ll go to Florida.
From...to: Teh office will be open from nine to one every day.
From...until: She workes from eight until tow six days a week.
In: I’ll meet you in an hour.
4. Purpose,reason
For: Take this medicine for your headache.
5. Possession
Of: The leader of the scouts has not arrived yet.
6. Manner, instrument
By: I enjoy going there by train.
In: You can’t go to that restaurant in jean.
Like: That clown walks like a duck.
With: She writes with a pen.
7. Identification
At: The shop at the cornet sellss stamps.
By: That book by hemingway is a masterpiece.
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In: The man in the dark suit is my neighbor.
On: The apartment on the second floor is smaller than ours.
With: People with law degrees ofter go into politics.
8. Distance
For: We walked for miles and miles.
9. Agent
By: this film was directed by a czech director.
10. Material
With: I must fill my pen with ink.
11. Quantity
By: Meat is sold by the pound or by the kilo.
1.6 Preposition with Multiple Meanings
Some preposition are used to express a variety of meanings. These may present
difficulties. Some of the common preposition with their various meanings and their
most common uses are summarized as follows for reference purposes:
1. Around
“At approximately”
The police believe the man died around six o’clock.
The temperature has been around 32 celcius all day.
“In the vicinity”
People have reported seeing a stranger around the store.
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2. At
With a street address if the house number is given.
She lives at 18 Magnolia Street.
With points in time
He arrived at 08.00 o’clock.
Those farmers stop working at sunset.
With prices.
They are on sale at two dollars a dozen
I cannot afford to buy them at the prices.
See Meaning Categories in 1 and 2
3. By
“Alone”(with a reflexive pronoun)
He lives by himself
She did the homework by herself.
“Past”(with verbs of motion)
I always walk by that house on my way to work.
Several buses go by our house.
“At the lates”(with a maximum time limit)
He will be here by five o’clock
All classes will be over by June.
See Meaning Categories 6 and 9.
4. For
To indicate duration of time.
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She played the piano for two hours.
They lived in Washigton for two years.
“In exchanged for”
He rented the house for very little money.
I bought this book for two dollars.
With the beneficiary of an action.
Shall I open the window for you?
He baked a cake for me.
“Instead of”, “In place of”
When he was away, his neightbor did the work for him.
When the subject of an infinitive.
It is important for them to arrive early.
For him to go to a party is unusual.
See Meaning Categories 4 and 8.
5. In
With cities, states, countries, continents.
He lives in Cairo.
That river is in California.
Rice is grown in Thailand.
With period of time.
I saw him in January.
The mail comes in the morning.
With lengths of time.
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He will come in an hour.
He finished that cook in one evening.
With language
That opera was originally written in Italian.
See Meaning Categories 1 and 6
6. On
To indicate contact with a surface.
The book is on the table.
The picture is on the wall.
There is a light on the ceiling.
With days of the week and dates.
Summer begins on June 21.
We do not have classes on Sundays.
With the name of street.
She is visiting a friend on Magnolia Steet.
7. With
To indicate association
She is with a consulting firm.
I will stay with the car while you go for help.
See Meaning Categories 6,7 and 10
8. Without
To indicate the absence of something.
Nothing can live without water.
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I am without money today and cannot buy the tickets.
1.7 Preposition That Are Often Confused
In, on, and, at, discussed previously, are probably the most often confused
English prepositions. Following are some others:
1. Above, over
Above refers to a place higher than a certain point. Over refers to a place
directly above a certain point.
The temperature is well above freezing.
He held an umbrella over his head.
Over also means “more than” and “in the course of” a period of time.
He is over eight years old.
Over the years, he has proven to be a true friend.
2. Below, under
Below refers to a place lower that a certain point. Under refers to a place
directly below a certain point.
That valley is below sea level
His shoes are under the bed
Under also means “less than” and “under the supervision of”
The children in this class are under six years of age.
She works under the managing editor.
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3. To, toward
To is used with verbs of motion and definite destination. Toward means “in
the general direction of”
We walked to the station.
All mosques face toward Mecca.
4. Beside, besides
Beside means “next to”. Besides means “in addition to”.
He is sitting beside his brother
Two others won prizes besides us.
5. In, into
In ise used with location or condition. Into is used with verbs that show
motion (real or metaphorical) from one place or state to another.
The child is in the pool. The child jumped into the pool.
The patient is in a coma. The patient slipped into a coma.
6. Past, beyond
Past is used with verbs of motion to indicate approaching, then passing by a
certain point. Beyond refers to a location further away than some speacified
concrete or abstract point.
The car went past the monument at 10:00
He lives beyond the post office.
His generosity is beyond belief.
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7. Between, among
Between refers to position in relation to two persons or things. Among refers
to position in realtion to three or more persons or things.
I want to put the table between those two windows.
I found your letter among my school papers.
8. Through, throughout
Through refers to motion first into then out of something. Throughout is
used with something that is distributed in every part of something.
Let’s walk through the park.
The news spead throughout the country.
9. By and With
Use by when you want to refer to the doer of an action. Use with when you
want to refer to the instrument with which the action was performed.
The spider was killed by John. (John is the doer. He killed the spider.)
The spider was killed with a stone. (Stone is the instrument with
which the spider was killed.)
The spider was killed by John with a stone.
10. On, In and At
Use At with clock times.
I will meet you at 4 pm.
We had a party at 11 am.
Use on with days of the week and dates.
We met on a Monday.
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The meeting is on the 21st of this month.
Use in with morning, evening, afternoon, years, months and seasons.
She was born in October.
The postman brought this letter in the morning.
We visited Kashmir in the summer.
We bought this house in 2002.
Note that we use at with night.
The pattern of at, on, and in; time: at + clock time, in + part of day, on
+particular day, at +weekend, public holiday, in + longer period.
1.8 Preposition after particular words and expressions
It is not always easy to know which preposition to use after a particular noun,
verb, or adjective. Here are some of the most common combinations which cause
difficulty to students of English:
Accuse somebody of something (not for)
Afraid of (not by)
Agree with a person, opinion, or policy.
Agree about a subject of discussion.
Agree on a matter for decision.
Agree to a suggestion.
Angry with (sometimes at) a person for doing something.
Angry about ( sometimes at) something.
Anxious for (=eager to have)
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Anxious about ( worried about)
Apologise to somebody for something
Arrive at or in (Not to)
Bad at(not in)
Believe in God.
Belong in/on/etc(=go, fit, have its place in/on/etc)
Belong to (= be a member of)
Clever at (not in)
Congratulate/congratulation on something
Congratulate/ congratulation on/for doing something.
Depends on (not from or of)
Details of
Die of or from
Difficulty with something, (in) doing something (not difficulties to)
Eventhough prepositions are ususally quite short and insignificant looking, but
they have very important function. By looking the usage and kinds of preposition
above, it show that preposition must be learnt hardly.
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CHAPTER III
METHODOLOGY
Method has an important role in analyzing data. It must be related to the
object of research and must follow the rules of writing. Therefore, in relation to the
methodology of this study, the writer uses few things concerned to the writing of this
study namely;
3.1 Method of Collecting Data
3.1.1
Library Research
Library research is the way of collecting secondary data. In this case, the
writer needs some books, journals, essays, and research results related to the
problems being studied to have references and guidance’s in explaining the data.
3.1.2
Field Research
To support this research, the writer used field research in order to get a lot of
information and data that are relevant with this study. In collecting data, the writer
uses the following techniques:
1. Multiple- choice
In this part, the writer give 25 questions about English prepositions. There are
four choices for each qusetion to be choosen by the students to complete the
sentences. One of the choices is the correct answer.
2. Fill in the blanks
In the second part, the writer give 5 questions for the students to answer.
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The writer gave the test to all samples then they were given half an hour to answer
the all questions(Multiple-choice, Fill in the blanks, and quessionare).
3.
Quesionnare
writer also gives quesionnare to answer the second question of this research.
This question is to find out the students’ difficulties in using preposition.
The writer uses descriptive approach in order to know the criteria of the
students of Faculty of Letters of Hasanuddin University, based on the result of the
test. According to Soedjianto (1981;36), there are five criteria of students based on
the presentage of the result of the test, they are:
1. Excellent
86 – 100%
2. Good
76 – 85%
3. Fair
66 – 75%
4. Poor
56 – 65%
5. Very Poor
0 – 55%
Every students were given a score according to the criteria above and the
mean score also used these criteria.
3.2 Population and Sample.
The population and sample of this study are:
1. Population.
The writer collect data from the students of Faculty of Letters, Hasanuddin
University. They are chosen as research object because they generally have learnt
about English grammar since in the first semester.
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2. Sample
The writer tooks 15 students of the sixth grade in translation class. as the
sample of this research. The sample would be taken out by using simple random
sampling.
3.3 Method of Data Analysis
In this method, the writer analyzed data that is, the result of the tests which
were given to the sudents of Faculty of Letters by using descriptive analysis. There
are several steps in analysis data as followes;
Step one
: Studying all the data, which were gathered through some test and
quesionnare.
Step two
:The writer categorized the data according to the objective of this
research
Step three
: Percentage data by calculating the number of the correct answer and
the wrong answer, in order to know the ability and the error of the
students in using English preposition. To count the percentage of
every students, the writer used this pattern:
S = Fx X 100%
N
Where, S = Score
Fx = the sum of correct answer
N = total number of test
After that, the writer also count the mean score:
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m = Fx X 100
N
Where, Fx = Sum of total score
N = Number of sample
m = mean score
Step four
: Tabulation of the result of the tests will be put into table.
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CHAPTER IV
PRESENTATION AND ANALYSIS OF DATA
In this chapter, the writer would like to present and analyze the data taken
from the 15 students of English Departement Hasanuddin University. The data were
collected through a field- research by giving the students written test.
The tests consist two sections: They were given tests(multiple- choice and fill
in the blank). This test is to measure the ability of students in using prepositions. The
test consists 30 questions: 25 multiple-choice, and Five questions are fill in the blank.
The question in section ‘multiple- choice’ consist 25 questions(1-25). The questions
are about preposition and the writer limited the question according to the scope of
problem in chapter one namely preposition that always make confuse, and
preposition that has multiple meaning. The questions in section ‘fill in the blank’
consist five questions(1-5). The questions are about fixed preposition.
Then, all students/respondents were given a question about the difficulties
that faced by them in using preposition. The question: Do you think preposition is
difficult to study.
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4.1 Test Analysis (Multiple- Choice)
1.
Yesterday we went.................... the cinema.
There are four choices in this question. They are at, in, to, on and the correct
answer is C. All respondents answered C(to). At and in are generally used for
position; to is used for movement or direction.
(All students answered this question correctly).
2.
We arrived................ Bandung at six o’clock
These are four choices namely at, to, for, in. According to the sentence
above, the correct answer is D(in) because in is used for position inside large areas,
and in three- dimensional space ( when something is surrounded on all sides).
Sometime at can be used with the name of city to talk about the city’s university or
to say where people study. For is used to talk about somebody’s purpose in doing
something, but only when it is followed by a noun. For also can be used before –ing
form of a verb to express the ‘purpose’ of a thing- what it is used for- especially
when the thing is the subject.
(F,H, and K answered this question incorrectly)
3.
My grandfather is sick. He is lying...........the bed.
For this question, there are four choices namely up, over, behind, and above.
The answer of this question is B(over) but only nine students answer it correctly.
There are some students who answered A and D. Actually above and over can both
mean ‘higher than’ but Above is ‘not directly over’. Above is used when one thing is
29
not directly over another. But we prefer over when one thing covers and/or touches
another.
(B,G,J,L,M,O answered this question incorrectly)
4.
Some students go to school ..................... car.
For this question, there are four choices namely in, on, by, and at. The correct
answer is C(by) and all students answered it correctly. By can be used to talk about
an action- what we do to get the result.
(All students answered this question correctly)
5.
She died ..................... five o’clock last night.
There are four choices in this question. They are in, around, about, and with.
The correct answer is B(around) and C(About). About ( less often around) can
mean ‘approximately’, ‘not exactly’. Around and about are also used to refer to
movements or positions that are not very clear or define: ‘here and there’, ‘in lots of
places’, ‘in different parts of’, ‘somewhere in’ and similar ideas. About also used to
talk about ordinaary, more general kinds of comminication. In is used in part of the
day(in the morning), in also can be used to say how soon something will happened,
and to say how long something takes place (in three or four days). With is used in a
number of expressions which say how people are showing their emotions and
sensations.
(B, and N answered this question incorrectly)
30
6.
Next morning, Erick and dad walked ..................... the market.
There are four choices in this question namely at, on, toward, and to. The
correct answer is D(to) and most of students answered it correctly. Three students
answered A(at), one answered C(Toward) and two students answered B(on).
(A,B,L, and N answered this question incorrectly)?
7.
Tika lives ..................... 35 Sukamaju Raya Street, Makassar.
For this question, there are six students who answered this question correctly.
The Use in and on in this question can also be confusing. But in this case, at is the
correct answer because this sentences show a complete address. In is used for
position inside large areas, and in three- dimensional space ( when something is
surrounded on all sides).
(A,B,C,D,F,G,H,I, and O answered this question incorrectly)
8.
She sats ................. him.
There are four choices in this question. They are between, on, beside and
besides. The answer of this question is C(beside). Three students answered
D(besides). Besides can be used like as well as to add new information to what is
already known. As well as has a similiar meaning to ‘not only....but also’. Beside
also means ‘in addition to’.
(H,L, and N answered this question incorrectly)
31
9.
I killed the spider .................. a shoe.
These are four choices namely with, on, by, and in. The correct answer is
A(with). Eight students answered this question correctly. The others answered C(by).
By and with can both used to say how somebody does something, but there is an
important difference. We use by to talk about an action and we use with to talk about
a tool or other object. In this sentence is explain how ‘I’ killed the spider using a
shoe as a tool.
(A,B,C,F,H,I, and K answered this question incorrectly)
10. The man walkes ...................... the garden.
There are four choices in this question. They are during, toward, around, and
about. The correct answer is C(around) and 13 students answered this question
correctly. Two of them answered B(toward). Toward means ‘in the general direction
of’ and it is not suitable for this sentence.
(Only N answered this question incorrectly)
11. The temperature is three degree .................. zero.
For this question, there are four choices namely under, down, in, and below.
The correct answer is D(below). Three students answered this question correctly.
Eight students answered A(under). Prepositions below and under can both mean
‘lower than’ but we prefer below when one thing is not directly under another. under
is can be used when something is covered or hidden by what is over it, and when
thing are touching. Two students answered C(in) and it is incorrect answer because
32
if In is used, it would change the meaning of this sentence and it is not suitable fot
this contex.
(A,B,C,D,G,I,J,K,M,N, and O answered this question incorrectly)
12. I’m really angry ................ you.
For this question, there are four choices namely to, with, on, and at. The
correct answer is B(with). 11 students answered this question correctly. Angry with
is one of common combination/fixed preposition and we can not change it. Word
‘angry’ also can be followed by word ‘about’ something(e.g. what are you so angry
about). Two students answered on, one student answered to, and one students
answered at. On is used to talk about position on a line, position on a surface, for
position by a lake or sea, and on can mean ‘attached to’(eg. Why do you wear that
ring on your first finger?). At is generally used to talk position and it is not suitable
for this sentence.
(I,J,K, and M answered this question incorrectly)
13. We have got a little house .................. the lake.
These are four choices namely over, up, above, and on. The correct answer is
C(above) and only two students answered it correctly. Five students answered
A(over), and eight students answered D(on). Above and over can both mean ‘higher
than’ but Above is ‘not directly over’. We use above when one thing is not directly
over another. But we prefer over when one thing covers and/or touches another. On
is used for position on a surface(eg. That pic would look better on the other wall).
33
(A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,M, and N answered this question incorrectly)
14. I think the cat is .....................the bed.
There are four choices in this question. They are under, below, in, and into.
The correct answer is A(under). 12 students answered this question correctly. Two
students answered B(below) and one student answered C(in). Below is used when
one thing is not directly under another and also below is used in measurements of
temperature and height, and in other cases where we think of a vertical scale. In is
used for position inside large areas, and in three- dimensional space ( when
something is surrounded on all sides).
(A,C, and E answered this question incorrectly)
15. He held an umbrella ................ his head.
For this question, there are four choices namely above, up, on, and over. The
correct answer is D(over) and 11 students answered this question correctly. Three
students answered A(above) and one student answered C(on). Above is used in
measurement of temperature and height, and in other cases where we think of a
vertical scale. People use above when one thing is not directly over another. On is
used for position on a surface.
(D,F,G,and H answered this question incorrectly)
34
16. The lecture arriveed ................. 08.00 o’clock.
There are four choices in this question namely at, in, on, and by. The correct
answer is A(at) and 10 students answered this question correctly. Four students
answered C(on) and one student answered B(in). The pattern of at, on, and in; time:
at + clock time, in + part of day, on +particular day, at +weekend, public holiday, in
+ longer period.
(B,D,L,N, and O answered this question incorrectly)
17. He goes ................. school every day.
There are four choices in this question namely in, to, into, and at. All
students answered this question correctly namely B(to).
(All students answered this question correctly)
18. You can not see this film if you are ................... 18.
For this question, there are four choices namely in, on, under, and below.
The correct answer is C(under) and 14 students answered this question correctly.
Only one student answered B(on) and this choice is incorrect because it would
change the meaning of this sentence. On is a preposition that generally to explain
time and place.
(Only B answered this question incorrectly)
35
19. The ball rolled slowly ................ the goal.
There are four choices in this question. They are in, at, to, and into. The
correct answer is D(into) and 12 students answered this question correctly. Three of
them answered C(to). To is used with verbs of motion and definite destination.
(A,L,and N answered this question incorrectly)
20. .................. literature, we have to study history and philosophy.
For this question, there four choices namely beside, by, between, and besides.
The correct answer is D(besides). Three students answered this question correctly.
Nine students answered A(beside) and three students answered B(by). Beside is a
preposition meaning ‘at the side of’, ‘by’, ‘next to’. Besides can be used like as well
as when we add new information to what is already known. As well as has a similiar
meaning to ‘not only....but also’. Beside also means ‘in addition to’. By usually
followed by verb+ing.(eg. By doing....)
(A,B,D,E,F,G,H,I,J,K,N, and O answered this question incorrectly)
21. She was standing ................Alice and Mary.
For this question, there are four choices namely between, by, among, and in.
The correct answer is A(between) and all students answered this question correctly.
(All students answered this question correctly)
36
22. There is a big spider ................. the ceiling.
There are four choices in this question. They are in, at, on, and to. The
correct answer is C(on) and 10 students answered this question correctly. Four
students answered B(at) and one students answered A(In). At is used to talk about
position at a point, sometimes we use at with a larger place, if we just think of this as
a point. At also be used before the name of a building, when we are thinking not of
building itself but of the activity that happened there. In is used for position inside
large areas, and in three- dimentional space (when something is surrounded on all
sides).
(A,B,C,I, and K answered this question incorrectly)
23. His house is hidden ................. the tress.
There are four choices in this question namely between, among, by, and in.
The correct answer is B(Among) and Six students answered this question correctly.
Eight students answered C(by) and one student answered D(in). By can mean ‘not
later than’, by can also suggest the idea of ‘progress up to a particular time’. By can
also be used to talk about time in the rather literary expressions by day and by night.
By means ‘just at the side of’. By is usually followed by verb+ing. If we use in, it
would change the meaning.
(A,C,E,G,I,K,M,N, and O answered this question incorrectly)
37
24. He baked a cake ................. me.
There are four choices in this question namely for, to, o, and At. The correct
answer is A(for) and 14 students answered this question correctly. One student
answer B(to). For can be used with beneficiary of an action. For can also be used to
talk about somebody’s purpose in doing something, but only when it is followed by a
noun. For can be used before the –ing form of a verb to express the ‘purpose’ of a
thing. For...... ing can also be used after a description of a positive or negative
reaction, to explain the behaviour that caused it. To is used with verbs of motion and
define destination.
(Only D answered this question incorrectly)
25. All mosque face .................... Meccca.
There are four choices in this question namely in, on, toward, and to. The
correct answer is C(toward) and Nine students answered this question correctly. Five
students answered D(to) and one students answered B(on). Toward means ‘in the
general direction of’. To is used with verbs of motion and definite destination. On is
used to talk about position on a line (eg. A road or a river). On is used for position on
a surface.
(A,F,H,L,M, and N answered this question incorrectly)
38
The Data Presentation of Multiple Choice Test in Using Preposition
Table I
Question
Students(Respondents)
Total of
students
Answer
Right
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
1
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
15
2
√
√
√
√
√
X
√
X
√
√
X
√
√
√
√
12
3
√
X
√
√
√
√
X
√
√
X
√
X
X
√
X
9
4
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
15
5
√
X
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
X
√
13
6
X
X
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
X
√
X
√
11
7
X
X
X
X
√
X
X
X
X
√
√
√
√
√
X
6
8
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
X
√
√
√
X
√
X
√
12
9
X
X
X
√
√
X
√
X
X
√
X
√
√
√
√
8
10
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
X
X
√
13
11
X
X
X
X
√
√
X
√
X
X
X
√
X
X
X
3
12
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
X
X
X
√
X
√
√
11
13
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
√
X
X
√
2
14
X
√
X
√
X
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
12
15
√
√
√
X
√
X
X
X
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
11
16
√
X
√
X
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
X
√
X
X
10
17
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
15
18
√
X
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
14
19
X
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
X
√
X
√
12
20
X
X
√
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
√
√
X
X
3
39
21
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
15
22
X
X
X
√
√
√
√
√
X
√
X
√
√
√
√
10
23
X
√
X
√
X
√
X
√
X
√
X
√
X
X
X
6
24
√
√
√
X
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
14
25
X
√
√
√
√
X
√
X
√
√
√
X
X
X
√
9
26
X
X
X
X
X
√
X
√
X
X
X
X
X
X
√
3
27
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
X
0
28
X
X
√
√
√
√
√
√
X
√
√
√
X
X
X
9
29
√
√
X
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
√
X
√
√
√
13
30
X
X
X
√
√
√
X
√
X
√
X
X
X
X
√
6
15
15
19
21
25
22
20
21
18
23
19
19
18
15
22
Table I shows that all students(15) answered the questions number 4, 17 and
21 corretly. The question number 4 “ my grandfather is sick. He is lying ....... the
bed”. All students answered “by”. It shows that all students understand the use “by”
in this context. The question number 17 “ He goes ......... school every day”. All
students answered “to”. As explained in the previous chapter, to is used with verbs of
motion and definite destination. All students understand about the usage. The
question number 10 “ she was standing .......... Alice and Mary”. All students
answered “between”. Between is preposition that refers to the position in relation two
persons and things. All the students understand it. In section 2, “fill in the blank” ,
none of the students answered the question correctly. It is about fixed preposition “
I’m having difficulty ...... my travel arrangements”. The answer of this question is
“with”. Preposition in can be used after “difficulty” but the verb after in must be
40
verb +ing (e.g. difficulty in getting.......). The ability of students in using fixed
preposition in section “fill in the blank” is still low. Only question number 29 can be
answered well, namely 13 students answered it correctly.
4.2 Test analysis(Fill in the Blank)
There are five questions in this section. All questions are about preposition
after particular words and expressions. See the question on the table below:
The Data Presentation of Essay Test (Fill in the blank) in Using Preposition
Table II
NO
QUESTION
1
I’m clever ............... cooking
2
3
4
5
I’m having difficulty ............
my travel arrangement.
The book is divided ............
three parts.
He may play football. It
depends .......... the weather.
Are yoy afraid .......... spider?
ANSWER
Total of students
answer right
AT
3
WITH
0
INTO
9
ON
13
OF
6
From the table above, it shows that it is not always easy to know which
preposition to use after particular noun, verb, or adjective. In question no 1,2, 3 and
5, most of the students answered them incorrectly. Question no 1, most of students
answer IN. Question no 2, none of them answered it correctly. Question no 3, most
of students also answer IN and question no 5, most of students answer WITH. It can
be concluded that the students still confuse and don’t understand its usage.
41
4.3. The Persentage of The Students Score
The score of every students, the writer uses this formula:
S = Fx X 100%
N
Where, S = Score
Fx = the sum of correct answer
N = total number of test
The table below show the persentage of the result of the test
Table III
Score and Criteria Of Students Based On The Presentage Of The Result Of
Respondent
The Test
A
15(the sum of correct answers)  50% (VERY POOR)
B
15  50%(VERY POOR)
C
19  63% (POOR)
D
21  70% (FAIR)
E
25  83% (GOOD)
F
22  73% (FAIR)
G
20  66% (FAIR)
H
21  70% (FAIR)
I
18  60% (POOR)
J
23  76% (GOOD)
42
K
19  63% (POOR)
L
19  63% (POOR)
M
18  60% ( POOR)
N
15  50% (VERY POOR)
22  73% (FAIR)
O
Sum of total score = 787
The mean score the writer uses formula:
m = Fx X 100
N
Where, Fx = Sum of total score
N = Number of sample
m = mean score
so, m = 787 X 100
15
m = 52%
After analyzing the data, the writer presents the result in a table. Then, the
writer classifies them into 5 criteria. Those criteria are:
1. Excellent
86 – 100%
2. Good
76 – 85%
3. Fair
66 – 75%
4. Poor
56 – 65%
5. Very Poor
0 – 55%
43
The data above shows that only two students got ‘Good’, five students got ‘Fair’,
five students got ‘poor’, and three students got ‘Very Poor’ and the mean score of all
students is 52%. It shows that the ability of the students of sixth grade semester,
English Department in class E is still low. Based on the criteria above, it can be
categorized as “very poor”.
4.4 The Difficulties That Faced by Students in Using Preposition.
The table below show the reasons of why preposition is difficult to study by the
students:
Table IV
1. Do you think preposition is difficult to study? Explain your answer.
Respodent
Answer
Yes I do. Because there are many kinds of preposition. We should know
A
to place it correctly.
Yes, I do. Because I cannot differentiated the usage of preposition in a
B
sentence.
Yes, I do. We have to understand the sentences before use some
C
prepositions.
Yes, I do. There are many kinds of preposition so that is why it is very
D
difficult to memorize.
E
-
F
Yes, I do. Sometimes it is so hard to use preposition in a sentences
G
Yes, I do. It is not easy.
44
Sometimes it is quite difficult to study because when we use preposition
H
in a sentences, we have to choose the correct option and it is difficult
because sometimes they have same meaning.
I
No, I dont. Because it is easy to determine where is the right position. It
J
depends on our effort to study.
K
Depend on someone who study it.
Yes, I do. It is so hard to find out the right preposition in a sentences.
L
There are words just like at, in, on that have different usage in phrase.
Yes, I do. We confuse to find out the right preposition to explain the
M
noun and phrase. Preposition generally different with each other but
sometimes they have same meaning.
N
No, I don’t. We just have to learnt how to use it.
It is not too difficult to understand about preposition because sometimes
we use these kind of preposition everyday for example in, at, on...
O
But sometime I’m confusing to difference the prepositions between
above and on because they have same meaning.
From the data above, there are nine students who said that Preposition is difficult
to study. The students are confused in placing the right preposition in a sentence
because they thought that there are few prepositions which are different but have the
45
same meaning. For example: in, at, on. These preposition are different but all of
them can be used to explain ‘place’ in a sentence.
e.g:
In: She lives in Bandung.
At: She lives at Jl. Sukamaju Raya no 42.
On: She lives on McKinley Street.
They are confused and get difficulty to find out the right preposition in a
sentence. There are many prepositions and they are generally different but sometimes
have the same meaning. Some students also said that preposition is not difficult. We
only have to learnt how to use it. It depends on the people who study it. Two
students didn’t answer it and only one students said that preposition is easy to
determine in which the right position in a sentence is.
46
CHAPTER V
CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION
5.1 Conclusion
1. Based on the previous chapter, the writer can conclude that the sixth
semester students of class E of Faculty at Letters in Hasanuddin University
ability are still low in using preposition and it can be categorized as “very
poor”, with the total score of 52%. The data shows that only two students
get ‘Good’, with the score of 76-85%, five students get ‘Fair’, with the total
score of 66-75% , five students get ‘poor’, with the persentage of 56-65%
and three students get ‘Very Poor’, with the presentage of 0- 55%.
2. According to the questions given to the students about the difficulties in
using preposition, it can be seen that there are some difficulties faced by the
students. They are confused to place the right preposition in a sentences
because they thought that there are few different prepositions but having the
same meaning. For example, “above” and “over”. These preposition are
mean ‘higher than’ but both of them have a different use because ‘above’ is
usually used when one thing is not directly over another and ‘over’ is used
when one thing covers and/or touches another. Another difficulty is that
some of the students also feel confused to decide the best option in every
question, because all of the options generally have the same meaning, but
they are different in their use. they depend on the context of the sentences.
47
5.2 Suggestion
The suggestion of this study are:
Firstly, the students of English Department should master all of English
skills. This writing can be a good reference for the reader to improve their grammar
as one of the four skills in English especially in using preposition. Secondly, the
writer can see that the ability of English students in using preposition is still low. The
suggestion of the writer is the teacher should pay attention about the teachings of
English grammar. The students of English Department must master English skills
itself because in time the students finish their study and look for a job, tt is for sure
that people will judge whether they are capable or mastering English skills. It will be
a shame for the English Department graduation do not master it. So, this writing
hopefully would give contribution to the development of teaching and learning
process in our faculty.
48
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Cook, Guy.1989.Discorse.Oxford:Oxford University Press.
Hopper, Paul J.1999. A Short Course in Grammar. New York: W.W. Norton &
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Huddleston, Rodney. 1984. Introduction to the Grammar of English. Cambridge
University Press: Cambridge.
Hurford, James R, and Brendan Heasley. 1983. Semantic: a Course Book.
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Arisma. 2006. The Use of Simple Preposition by Third year students of Pasantren
Modern Immim Putra Makassar. Unpublished thesis Faculty Of Cultural
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Matlail Fajarianto. 2010. Students’ ability to use preposition. Unpublished thesis
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