ERROR ANALYSIS OF TENSE USAGE AMONG UNDERGRADUATE ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDENTS: A STUDY OF PRESENT SIMPLE AND PAST SIMPLE TENSES IN ABBOTTABAD

Article Sidebar

pdf
Published: Dec 30, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.66594/irjssh.v4i4.374
Keywords:
: EFL learners, English grammar, error analysis, interlanguage, morphological errors, obligatory-opportunity framework, past simple, present simple, second language acquisition, tense errors.

Main Article Content

Noor-ul-Huda
MPhil Scholar, Department of English, Hazara University, Mansehra, Pakistan.
Muhammad Rizwan
Lecturer, Department of English, Army Burn Hall College for Girls,Abbottabad, Pakistan.
Bushra Shereen
Assistant Professor ,Urdu Department ,Kinnaird College Lahore.
Dr.Nasir Ali Khan
Associate Professor, COMSATS University,Islamabad, Abbottabad campus.

Abstract

This study investigates tense-related errors among undergraduate English language students in Abbottabad, Pakistan, focusing on the present simple and past simple tenses. Using an obligatory-opportunity framework, the research analyzed written production from 90 participants across three colleges. Error analysis revealed five major categories: omission of third-person singular -s (69.2%), use of base form in past contexts (63.3%), overgeneralization of -ed to irregular verbs (55.0%), auxiliary verb misuse (42.2%), and tense shifting confusion (29.2%). The findings indicate that morphological marking and subject-verb agreement pose the greatest challenges for Pakistani EFL learners. These results suggest that systematic attention to inflectional morphology and explicit grammar instruction are essential for improving tense accuracy in undergraduate English language education.

Article Details

How to Cite
Huda , N.- ul-., Rizwan , M., Shereen , B., & Khan , D. A. (2025). ERROR ANALYSIS OF TENSE USAGE AMONG UNDERGRADUATE ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDENTS: A STUDY OF PRESENT SIMPLE AND PAST SIMPLE TENSES IN ABBOTTABAD. International Research Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 4(4), 432–450. https://doi.org/10.66594/irjssh.v4i4.374
Issue
Vol. 4 No. 4 (2025): (OCT-DEC 2025)
Section
Articles

References

Bardovi-Harlig, K. (2000). Tense and aspect in second language acquisition: Form, meaning, and use. Blackwell.

Benson, S., & DeKeyser, R. (2019). Effects of written corrective feedback and language aptitude on verb tense accuracy. Language Teaching Research, 23(6), 702-726.

Butt, M. I., & Rasul, S. (2012). Errors in the writing of English at the degree level: Pakistani teachers' perspective. Language in India, 12(9), 195-217.

Celce-Murcia, M., & Larsen-Freeman, D. (2015). The grammar book: Form, meaning, and use for English language teachers (3rd ed.). National Geographic Learning.

Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2018). Research methods in education (8th ed.). Routledge.

Corder, S. P. (1967). The significance of learner's errors. International Review of Applied Linguistics, 5(4), 161-170.

Creswell, J. W., & Creswell, J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods approaches (5th ed.). SAGE.

Crystal, D. (2010). The Cambridge encyclopedia of language (3rd ed.). Cambridge University Press.

DeKeyser, R. (2007). Skill acquisition theory. In B. VanPatten & J. Williams (Eds.), Theories in second language acquisition (pp. 97-113). Routledge.

Dulay, H., & Burt, M. (1974). Natural sequences in child second language acquisition. Language Learning, 24(1), 37-53.

Ellis, R. (2008). The study of second language acquisition (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press.

Ellis, R., Loewen, S., & Erlam, R. (2006). Implicit and explicit corrective feedback and the acquisition of L2 grammar. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 28(2), 339-368.

Fraenkel, J. R., Wallen, N. E., & Hyun, H. H. (2019). How to design and evaluate research in education (10th ed.). McGraw-Hill.

Fu, M., & Li, S. (2022). The effects of immediate and delayed corrective feedback on L2 development. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 44(1), 2-34.

Graddol, D. (2006). English next: Why global English may mean the end of 'English as a Foreign Language'. British Council.

Güneş, Ç. (2020). The effects of written corrective feedback on expressing simple present tense. ELT Research Journal, 9(2), 233-251.

Kachru, B. B. (1992). The other tongue: English across cultures (2nd ed.). University of Illinois Press.

Li, S. (2010). The effectiveness of corrective feedback in SLA: A meta-analysis. Language Learning, 60(2), 309-365.

Li, S., & Vuono, A. (2019). Twenty-five years of research on oral and written corrective feedback. System, 84, 93-109.

Lillo, J., González, J., & Ponce, C. (2025). Direct, indirect, and metalinguistic written corrective feedback on past tense. System, 123, 103987.

Lyster, R., & Saito, K. (2010). Oral corrective feedback in classroom SLA. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 32(2), 265-302.

Mahboob, A. (2017). English medium instruction in higher education in Pakistan. In English medium instruction in higher education in Asia-Pacific (pp. 71-91). Springer.

McHugh, M. L. (2012). Interrater reliability: The kappa statistic. Biochemia Medica, 22(3), 276-282.

Panova, I., & Lyster, R. (2002). Patterns of corrective feedback and uptake. TESOL Quarterly, 36(4), 573-595.

Rahman, T. (2002). Language, ideology and power. Oxford University Press.

Richards, J. C. (1974). Error analysis and second language strategies. In J. H. Schumann & N. Stenson (Eds.), New frontiers in second language learning (pp. 32-53). Newbury House.

Roothooft, H. (2014). The effectiveness of oral corrective feedback on past tense accuracy. Language Awareness, 23(1-2), 105-126.

Saito, K., & Lyster, R. (2012). Effects of form-focused instruction and corrective feedback. Language Learning, 62(2), 595-633.

Schmidt, R. (1990). The role of consciousness in second language learning. Applied Linguistics, 11(2), 129-158.

Selinker, L. (1972). Interlanguage. International Review of Applied Linguistics, 10(3), 209-231.

Shahzadi, A., & Irshad, S. (2022). Perception of corrective feedback in Pakistani ESL university classrooms. Global Language Review, 7(II), 395-417.

Suzuki, W., Nakata, T., & DeKeyser, R. (2019). Procedural repetition and feedback in grammar learning. Studies in Second Language Acquisition, 41(5), 993-1017.

Swan, M. (2016). Practical English usage (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.

Wang, Y., & Fang, J. (2023). Cognitive challenges of tense-aspect acquisition. Linguistics and Education, 75, 101185.