ERROR ANALYSIS OF THE STUDENTS IN CHANGING ACTIVE INTO PASSIVE
VOICE AT THE SECONDGRADE OF SMA PGRI TAKOKAK
Yeni Komala (09.22.0154)
yeni.cheimut@gmail.com
English Education Study Program Language and Art Department
SekolahTinggi Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan (STKIP) Siliwangi Bandung
ABSTRACT
The objectives of this research entitled "Error Analysis of the Students in Changing Active into Passive Voice at
the Second Grade of SMA PGRI TAKOKAK" were to describe how many errors that the students made in
changing active into passive voice and to found out the types of errors. The method of this
researchwasqualitative research.The subjects of this research were 30 of the second grade students of SMA
PGRI Takokak. The study used essay test consisting of 20 items as research instrument. To know the percentage
category the researcher used Multihajz’s formula and the collected data were identified, classified and analyzed
based onDulay’s theory (1982) to know types of errors. The results of this research show that, most of the
students still have difficulties in changing active into passive voice; it is proved by the result that averages of
students only have 10 correct answers (50%) and have 10 errors answer (50%).Most of the students' error
happened in misformation of passive verb (62,29%), absent or wrong position before agent (8,09%) and passive
order but active form (29,61%). This result means that most the students did not understand the structural form
of passive voice.
Key words: Error Analysis, Voice
A. BACKGROUND
Human communication and interaction with each
other uses a language. We can convey our desire,
ideas, emotions, and everything related to
communication by language. Therefore, language is
important in human life. Language is necessary for
communication to each other in order to fulfill their
need. Many people now communicate using a
language at home, at school, on the campus, in the
office, in mosque, and in the library etc. Depdikbud
(1994:4) state that English is one of language that is
spoken by many people all over the world, so English
is an international language. It is hard for people to
communicate with English without mastering
English. English has four integrated language skills
such as listening, speaking, reading and writing.
In school environment, some differences are
frequently seen, especially in this conversation; when
students try to communicate with their teacher and
friends, both in social and classroom interaction. The
voice of a verb is either active or passive. Very
briefly, a verb is passive if a subject of a sentence is
the person or thing receiving an action. When the
subject of a sentence is the person or thing doing the
action, the verb is active, Woods and Friedman
(2010:69). Errors caused by lack of knowledge about
target language (English) or by incorrect hypotheses
about it; and mistakes caused by temporary lapses of
memory, confusion, slips of the tongue and so on,
Hubbard (1983:134).
An errors analysis in changing active to passive is the
study and analysis of the errors made by second and
foreign language learner in changing active sentence
into passive sentence in present tense, past tense,
future tense and present future tense.
Based on the background above, the researcher
focuses on the problem statement: 1. How many
errors are made by students in changing active to
passive voice. 2. What tipes of errors in changing
active into passive voice made by students.Related to
the problem statement above, the aims of this
research is the specific: 1. To know how many errors
the student made in changing active to passive form.
2. To know the types of error in changing active to
passive made by students.The result of this research
is expected to be useful information to: 1. Know how
many errors made by students. 2. Classified what
types of errors made by student in changing active
voice into passive voice.
The research was done by the subject of students at
the second grade of SMA PGRI Takokak through the
1
test as document analysis. According to Richard
(1985:2), “achievement test is a test which measure
how much of a language someone has learn with
reference to a particular course of study or
programmed in instruction”.
Based on the definition above, the writer gave them
the essay as much twenty items that consisting of
simple present tense, simple past tense, future tense,
and present perfect tense.
between mistakesand errors,technically two very
different phenomena.
A mistake refers to a performance error that is either
a random guess or a slip, or caused by lack of
attention, fatigue, or carelessness. And an error is a
systematic deviation due to the learner’s stilldeveloping knowledge of the SL rule system or an
error is a competence-based deviation, (Dulay, Burt
and Krashen, 1982: 138) in (Kaswan, 2010:49).
We could distinguish errors and mistakes by
checking the consistency of learners’ performance. If
they consistently substitute ‘look’ for ‘looked’ this
would indicate a lack of knowledge and could be
distinguished an error. However, if they sometimes
say ‘look’ and sometimes ‘looked’, this would
suggest that they process knowledge of the correct
form and are just slipping up a mistakes.
B. LITERATURE REVIEW
1.Definition of Error Analysis
Error analysis is the systematic study of deviation
from target language norms in the source of second
language. According to Richard (1985:96) the error
analysis is the study and analysis of the errors made
by second and foreign language learner. Error
analysis may be carried out in order to find out how a
person learns a language and to find out how well
someone knows a language. When the learners made
error and that these errors can be observed, analyzed
and classified to reveal something or the system
operating within the learner, led to a surge of study of
learners’ error called errors analysis.
4. The Error in Changing from Active into Passive
Voice
The first step in the process of analysis is the
identification and description of errors. Once all the
errors have been identified, they can be described and
classified. There are several ways of doing this. One
way is to classify errors into grammatical categories.
There are some ways in changing active into passive
voice. According to Dulay, (1982:151) stated that
there are three kinds of error that could happen in
changing active to passive voice they are: a).
Misformation of passive are characterized by the use
of the wrong form of the morpheme structure. b).
absent or wrong preposition before agent. c). Passive
order but active form sometimes learners write a
passive voice but they have error in changing the
verb into past participle”.
2. Definition of Error
Errors are an integral part of language acquisition.
The phenomenon of error has long interested Second
Language Acquisition researcher. In a traditional
second language teaching situation, they are regarded
as the linguistic phenomena deviant from the
language rules and standard usages, reflecting
learners’ deficiency in language competence and
acquisition device. Many teacher simply correct
individual errors as they occur, with little attempt to
see patterns of errors or to seek causes in anything
other than learner ignorance, (Elis, 1997:53).
Presently, however, with the development of
linguistics, applied linguistics, psychology and other
relevant subjects, people’s attitude toward errors
changed greatly. Instead of being problems to be
overcome or evils to be eradicated, errors are
believed to be evidence of the learners’ stages in their
target language (TL) development. It is through
analyzing learner errors that errors are elevated from
the status of “undesirability to that of a guide to the
inner working of the language learning process”. Elis
(1997:15) stated that the uses of error analysis
are;a).to know why do learners make error,b).to
know what errors learners made, c).to help the
learners to learn when they make error.
A. Voice
1. Active Voice
An active sentence contains an object as one of its
constituents. Active sentences can generally be made
passive. The changes required by the transformation
of active to passive are illustrated in the contrast of
activewith passive. Active Voice is the form of a verb
used when the subject of the sentence is the doer of
the action. The verbs in the active voice, commonly
called active verbs. The subject of the verbs performs
the action described by the verb (Hornby, 1987:8).
2. Passive Voice
According to Thomson (1986:263), the passive of an
active tense is formed by putting the verb to be into
the same tense as the active verb and adding the past
participle of the active verb. The subject of the active
verb becomes the “agent” of the passive verb. The
agent is very often not mentioned. When it is
3. Comparison between Error and Mistake
In order to analyze learners’ errors in a proper
perspective, it is crucial to make a distinction
2
mentioned it is preceded by byand placed at the end
of the clause.For example: this tree was planted by
my grandfather.
In the active voice the sentence is ‘My grandfather
plants this tree’. Thus, ‘My grandfather’ is the subject
and not the receiver of the action.
tense. The date of the test was 14 March 2013 and the
time for done the test was 60 minutes.
3. Research Subject
The subject of this research was students of second
grade at Senior High School in Takokak in the
academic years 2012-2013. The researcher only took
one class from two classes in which each class
consist of 30 students.
3. The Change of Active into Passive Voice
In grammar, the voice also called diathesis of a verb
describes the relationship between the action or state
that the verb expresses and the participants identified
by its arguments subject, object, etc. When the
subject is the agent or doer of the action, the verb is
in the active voice. When the subject is the patient,
target or undergoes of the action, the verb is said to
be in the passive voice.
4. Research Data Collection
The purpose of data collection was to obtain
information to keep on record, to make decisions
about important issues, or to pass information on to
others. The researcher gave test essay to the students.
The essay consists of 20 items comprising simple
present tense, simple past tense, future tense and
present perfect tense.
C. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
1. Research Method
This research employed qualitative method using the
test instrument to collect the data. According to
5. Research Data Analysis
Data analysis is a process to find out and set result
data
from
interview,
documentation
and
questionnaire into categories, details into unit, set
into model, choose the important things and I will
learn, make a conclusion to be easier to understood
by our self and other people (Sugiyono, 2005:98) in
(Yuniarti, 2009:20).
After the identification of the errors, the researcher
analyzed students test in changing active into passive
sentences, the writer describe the error made by
student itself. Next, those data calculated and
presented in form of percentage as follows:
Crowl (1996:16) “qualitative research methods
are used to examine question that can best by
verbally describing how participants in a study
perceive and interpret various aspects of their
environment”.
The qualitative method investigates the why and
how of decision making, not just what, where,
when.At the present study, the researcher
presented complete description or explanation
about the material of active and passive form
during the process teaching learning in the
classroom.
𝒇
P= X 100% Multihajz’s formula
𝒏
2. Research Instrument
In collecting the data, the researcher is going to use
the achievement test. According to Richard (1985:2),
“achievement test is a test which measure how much
of a language someone has learn with reference to a
particular course of study or programmed in
instruction”.“The purpose of the achievement test is
to establish how successful individual students, group
of students, or the course themselves have been in
achieving objectives”. (Hughes in Iqbal, 2010:27).
Based on the definition above, the writer took essay
test as the instrument.
The test technique used by the researcher to get the
data from the students. It was a series of question or
exercise that used to measure the skill, intelligence
knowledge, ability, or talent which is owned by the
students. The researcher gave them the essay as much
twenty items that consisting of simple present tense,
simple past tense, future tense, and present perfect
Where:
P : Percentage
F : Frequency (Number of instrumental response)
N : Population (Total number of response)
100% : total sum
D. FINDINGS AND DISCUSSIONS
1. How many errors are made by students in
changing active into passive voice made by second
grade student of SMA PGRI Takokak?
The researcher would like to tabulate the score of the
students in order to know how much error that
students made. There are 30 students and 20 items
instrument in the test. In the table below, the writer
would like to compare between students’ correct
answer and students’ error or wrong answer.
3
55
50
50
50
55
55
55
45
50
45
40
60
45
45
35
45
35
50
45
50
50
50
60
50
50
60
50
80
55
40
No
The writer also conducted the mean. Mean is simply
sum all the score (? x) divided by the number of item
test (N).
Where: M
: Mean
M=F
F
: Frequency
N
N
: Population
Correct answer: M = 303 = 10,1 = (10)
30
Wrong answer: M = 297 = 9,9 = (10)
30
This showed that the students still have difficulties in
changing active form into passive form. It approved
that students made 10 correct answers from 20 items
(50%) and made 10 wrong answers from 20 items
(50%).
Types of Errors
Misformati
on
of Passive
45
50
50
50
45
45
45
55
05
55
60
40
55
55
65
55
65
50
55
50
50
50
40
50
50
40
50
20
45
60
Table 2.Types of Errors
Students Name
11
10
10
10
11
9
9
9
10
9
8
12
9
9
7
9
7
10
9
10
10
10
12
10
10
12
10
16
11
8
297
Error
(%)
9
10
10
10
9
11
11
11
10
11
12
8
11
11
13
11
13
10
11
10
10
10
8
10
10
8
10
4
9
12
303
According to that, the researcher would like to divide
the errors into 3 types in order to find out what kinds
of error that students made.
Percentage
Correct
(%)
S1
S2
S3
S4
S5
S6
S7
S8
S9
S10
S11
S12
S13
S14
S15
S16
S17
S18
S19
S20
S21
S22
S23
S24
S25
S26
S27
S28
S29
S30
Total
Error
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Correct
No
Students
Name
Table 1.Result of the test
Test Result
Absent
or
Wrong
Prepositi
on
Passive
Order but
Active
Form
1
S1
2
S2
3
S3
4
S4
5
S5
6
S6
7
S7
8
S8
9
S9
10
S10
11
S11
12
S12
13
S13
14
S14
15
S15
16
S16
17
S17
18
S18
19
S19
20
S20
21
S21
22
S22
23
S23
24
S24
25
S25
26
S25
27
S27
28
S28
29
S29
30
S30
Total
6
5
7
8
7
5
8
6
7
7
5
5
4
5
3
5
6
5
5
7
5
5
9
7
6
9
5
12
6
5
185
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
2
1
2
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
3
24
3
4
2
2
3
3
3
3
1
2
7
3
3
2
3
1
4
3
2
5
4
3
3
3
2
2
4
5
3
88
Percentage
𝑓
P= X100%
P =185/297
x 100%
= 62,29
P = 24/ 297
x 100%
= 8,09
P = 88 / 297 x
100%= 29,62
𝑛
From the table, the writer found that students error in
passive voice happen in 3 types of errors, there are: 1.
Misformation of Passive (62,29%), 2. Absent or
wrong preposition (8,09%), 3. Passive order but
active form (29,62%).
4
Thomson, A,J. and Martinet, A.V. (1986). A
Practical English Grammar. Walton Street.
Oxford University Press.
Woods, G. and Friedman J. (2010).Grammar
Essential for Dummies. Canada: Wiley
Publishing, Inc.
E. CONCLUSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS
1. CONCLUSIONS
Based on the result of the research that has done, the
writer has come to the following conclusions:
a. On average, most students made errors in
changing active into passive voice. They made 50
percent errors (10 errors from 20 items).
b. Students made varieties of errors: Misformation
of passive (62,29%), Passive order (29,61%), and
Absent or wrong position (8,09%).
2. SUGGESTIONS
a. To reach the goal of mastering the changes
from active into passive voice by the students,
the teacher should motivate them, give them
materials and correct their mistakes and errors
at the right moment.
b. The students should be aware in learning
active and passive form because it is an
essential part of speaking and written English
at all level.
F. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Brown, Douglas H. (2000). Principle of Language
Learning and Teaching.San Francisco State
University: Addision Wesley Longman, Inc.
Crowl, Thomas K. (1996). Foundamental of
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(1994).
Four Integrated Language Skills, Jakarta,
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Dulay, H.C. Burt, M. and Krashen, S.
(1982).Language Two. New York. Oxford
University Press.
Elis, R. (1997). Second Language Acquisition. New
York. Oxford University Press.
Hubbard, P. (1983). A Training Course for TEFL.
New York. Oxford University Press.
Iqbal, M. (2010).An Analysis Errors in Changing
Active into Passive Voice Made by First Year
Students
of
MA
NurulFalahTakokakCianjur.STKIP
Siliwangi
Bandung.Unpublis.
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Acquisition.JalanTerusanJenderalSudirmanCimahi
: STKIP Siliwangi PRESS
Kuswara, SuryaniDaniar, (2007). The Analysis of
Translation Method Taken From the Movie
Entitled Bee Movie.STKIP Siliwangi Bandung:
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