1
AN ANALYSIS OF THE USE SUBJECT VERB AGREEMENT IN SENTENCES
( A Study at Tenth Grade Students of SMA Pertiwi 2 Padang )
Lira Mahda*), Siska, S.S., M.Pd**), and Mayuasti, M.Pd ***)
*) Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris STKIP PGRI Sumatera Barat liramahda12@yahoo.co.id
**) Staf Pengajar Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris STKIP PGRI Sumatera Barat
Siskafahlevi@yahoo.com
***) Staf Pengajar Program Studi Pendidikan Bahasa Inggris STKIP PGRI Sumatera Barat
Mayuasti@gmail.com ABSTARCT
This research explained how students put rules verb in a sentence with a particular attention to the subject of the sentence. Thus, the researchers focused on the analysis of the rules of verb according to the subject of the sentence described in the rules present tense. The research data obtained by providing multiple-choice test with rules that are considered in subject verb agreement of each sentence. Number of sentences gaps in test consists of 50 questions, 25 for singular subject and 25 for plural subject. Problem was tested on a sample of 19 students in SMA Pertiwi 2 Padang. Students must complete within about 90 minutes to get the data naturally using rules subject verb agreement. The results of the test data analysis found that, the use subject verb agreement at tenth grade students in academic year 2015/2016 is fair. Data analysis showed more than 50% students are not able to use the corresponding verb available subject to a sentence. Analysis of the data show that more than 40%
students are able to choose the right verb for each subject are provided in the test item. These rates can be interpreted that more than half of the sample was not able to complete the test with qualification fair to use the rules of subject verb agreement.
ABSTRAK
Penelitian ini menjelaskan bagaimana siswa menempatkan aturan kata kerja pada kalimat dengan memperhatikan subjek pada kalimat. Dengan demikian, peneliti memfokuskan analisis pada aturan kata kerja sesuai subjek kalimat yang dijelaskan dalam aturan waktu sekarang. Data penelitian didapat dengan memberikan tes berupa pilihan ganda dengan sejumlah aturan yang dipertimbangkan dalam subject verb agreement dari masing-masing kalimat. Jumlah kalimat rumpang dalam tes terdiri dari 50 soal, yaitu 25 kalimat aturan subjek tunggal dan 25 kalimat aturan subjek jamak. Soal diujikan pada 19 siswa sebagai sampel pada penelitian di SMA Pertiwi 2 Padang. Siswa harus menyelesaikan soal dalam waktu 90 menit untuk mendapatkan data alami menggunakan aturan subject verb agreement. Hasil analisis data tes ditemukan bahwa, penggunaan subject verb agreement siswa kelas sepuluh tahun ajaran 2015/2016 tergolong cukup . Data analisis menunjukan lebih dari 50% siswa tidak mampu menggunakan kata kerja sesuai subjek yang tersedia untuk kalimat. Analisis data menunjukan bahwa, lebih dari 40% siswa mampu memilih kata kerja yang tepat untuk setiap subjek yang disediakan dalam soal tes. Persentasi tersebut dapat di interpretasikan bahwa lebih dari setengah dari sampel tidak mampu menyelesaikan tes dengan kualifikasi yang cukup untuk penggunaan aturan subject verb agreement.
Keywords: Subject Verb Agreement
2 INTRODUCTION
Grammar is the rules in using a language for changing the form of words and joining them into sentences in order to deliver meaning of a message. It indicates that grammar provides a way to understand the relationship of meaning and shape to function in context. Thus, in learning English, grammar becomes an important point to create an understanding because grammar derives meaning from consideration of a clause or sentence and enable to make the sentence coherent. In short, grammar is the determining of a message from sentence structure which should be considered by students as the language user.
In this study, the researcher identifies subject-verbs agreement as one kind of grammatical unit which function as predicate in sentences. Verbs are known as action which express a state of being are the ones which take a little practice to spot, but, actually, verbs are the most common as predicates of the sentence. Therefore, the important feature of central verbs is a necessary component of all sentences. Verbs have two important functions: Some verbs put stalled subjects into motion while other verbs help to clarify the subjects in meaningful ways. Thus subject verb agreement is basic of sentences which will be the specific action of the subject of the sentences. A good ability in making sentences will help students easier to develop sentences in order to master English skills.
Moreover, Levine (2006:339) adds that subject verb agreement seems simple enough:
a singular subject takes a singular verb and a plural subject takes plural verb. Subject verb agreement refers to the fact that the subject and verb in a sentence must agree in number.
According to Smith (2009:115) has point out five rules of subject verb agreement like singular subjects should have singular verb, plural subjects should have plural verbs, the number of a subject should not changed by a phrase after the subject, subject joined by word and should take a plural verb, and the last compound subject which is joined by or or nor should be followed by the verb which agrees with the subject closer to the verb.
This research has some aims at finding out: the Senior High School students’ ability in understanding subject verb agreement. Then, this research also aims to find the students ability in using pattern of subject verb agreement in creating and understanding sentences.
RESEARCH METHOD
The design of this research is descriptive quantitative research. According to Gay and Airasian (2000:275), a descriptive quantitative research determines and describes the way things are. Descriptive quantitative study is chosen because the researcher wants to describe the students’ ability in using some rules of subject verb agreement in completing sentences which is given to the tenth grade of SMA Pertiwi 2 Padang West Sumatera. In answering the research questions of this research, the researcher will describe the use of subject verb agreement in completing sentences which is given to the students in each sentence appear in the item test.
In this research the researcher uses cluster sampling to choose the sample, because based on the data which had got from pre observation, the researcher finds that all the population have similar characteristic in learning English, especially in applying some grammar rules including subject verb agreement rules. According to Gay and Airisian (2000:134) state that for descriptive quantitative research, it is common to sample 10% - 50% from the participants.
Instrument is known as a tool in collecting the data and information that the writer need from the sample. The statement supported by to Gay and Airasian (2000:145) who also state that instrument is the method that is used in collecting data. The data is used by a researcher in finding the result or clear point of a research. The researcher will conduct a test to analyze the use of subject verb agreement in sentences. According to Clay and Root (2001:52), one purpose of a test is to asses how well students are achieving the stated goals and course objectives by conducting some kinds of test such as multiple choice, fill in the blank, arranging word into
3 sentence and making sentences. Related to the expert’s statement, the researcher chooses a kind of test fill in the blank based on the folPooring sentences of the test. The form of this test will make fill the blank part in some sentences related to the use of subject verb agreement in sentences created by the tenth grade students SMA Pertiwi Padang. The test will develop by 50 items. On each word of the test, the students should use the word based on the use of subject verb agreement into the sentence.
Seliger and Shohamy (2001:126) explain that test is used in descriptive quantitative research in a variety of ways. They may be formal language test or test-like activities, such as a writing assignment or communicative activity, which is normally carried out in a language class and which later become a data source for the research. In collecting the data of this research, the researcher will distribute the sheet of test that has 50 items to the students. Each item will consist of certain rules of subject verb agreement. Then, they will invite to making the sentence based on subject verb agreement rules in 90 minutes time. The researcher will supervise the test process. Subsequently, the researcher will collect it back to analyze the use of subject verb agreement in sentences created by the tenth grade students SMA Pertiwi 2 Padang.
The data that is taken from the writing test will be analyzed into quantitative analysis which gives score for subject verb agreement for each sentence in the paragraph written.
Therefore, the researcher will check the mistake of the students’ test. Correct answer will mark by “√” and “X” for incorrect answer. Each correct answer value one point and incorrect answer will zero, so the researcher will analyzes the sentences in paragraph based on Smith (2009:115) who separates subject verb agreement toward singular and plural subject into separate each sentence into table below.
SINGULAR PLURAL
Third person singular More than one subject
The number of a subject which is not changed by a phrase after the subject
Subject joined by and
compound subjects which are joined by or or nor, the verb agrees with the subject closer to the verb
compound
subjects which are joined by or or nor, the verb agrees with the subject closer to the verb
Next, researcher would make each student’s understanding percentage based on the score of right answers in the answer sheet. The researcher would use the formula suggested by Sudjiono (2003:52) calculating the percentage as the folPooring. Formula of Students’ ability percentage :
Note:
p = Percentage of student’ ability f = Frequency of student’ correct answer n = Total score for all items
FINDING
The analysis indicated that few students got excellent and good ability because they had few understanding in some rules related to plural subject. Last, two students got very poor ability because the students did not have clear understanding almost in each rule of singular subject verb agreement. The students also do not answer the items test in right option answer because they chose the wrong rules. But in generally, all of the sample
% 100 n x p f
4 indicated that the tenth grade students of SMA Pertiwi 2 Padang West Sumatera had POOR ability in using singular and plural subject verb agreement to complete the uncompleted sentences. From the analyzing of the analysis of the data above, the researcher concludes the findings that:
a. The tenth grade students of SMA Pertiwi 2 Padang West Sumatera in Academic year 2015/2016 made many incorrect answers in answering singular subject rule number two about “The number of a subject which is not change by a phrase after the subject” and plural subject rule number one, two and three about “subject joined by “and”, More Than One Subject and Compound Subjects Which Are Joined By “Or” or “Nor”.
b. The tenth grade students of SMA Pertiwi 2 Padang West Sumatera in Academic year 2015/2016 also state in POOR classification in answering singular subject rules number one and three about “third person singular subject and Compound Subjects Which Are Joined By “Or” or
“Nor ”.
CONCLUSION
As stated at the previous above, the purpose of this research is to describe the students’ ability and their ways in agreeing singular and plural subject with the verb in sentences. It consist of how the students ability in using each rule based on the subject agree to the verb, then also the pattern for each rule.
The data is collected by giving test to the tenth grade students of SMA Pertiwi 2 Padang West Sumatera which is the subject of singular and plural subject verb agreement. The test items consist of thirty uncompleted sentences by stating some singular and plural subject which should be agreed with the verbs. The item of the test was divided into fifteen uncompleted singular subject verb agreement rules in the sentences. Then, there were also consist of fifteen uncompleted plural subject verb agreement rules in the sentences.
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
The researcher expresses her gratitude to her advisors, Siska, S.S., M.Pd., and Mayuasti, M. Pd who have given advice and helped the researcher to complete her thesis
REFERENCES
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Levine, Alice. 2006. The Copyeditor’s Handbook: A Guide for Book Publishing and Corporate Communications. California:
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Seliger, Herbert, W. and Shohamy, Elana.
2001. Second Language Research Methods. Berlin: Oxford University Smith, Mary, D. 2009. Reading and Writing: Teacher Created Resources.
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Smith, Mary, D. 2009. Reading and Writing:
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Sudijono. 2003. Pengantar Statistik Pendidikan. Jakarta: PT. Raja Grafindo Persada.
