Investigating past tense errors committed by Grade 10 English First Additional Language learners in Tshinane Circuit, Vhembe District

Abstract

This study was aimed at analysing the written past tense errors of irregular verbs committed by Grade 10 English First Additional Language (FAL) learners, in five selected schools in Tshinane Circuit, Vhembe District in Limpopo Province. Grade 10 serves as the basis for the Further Education and Training (FET) phase. These learners, hence, are expected to use the irregular verbs correctly since they have been learning English for ten years as a subject, as well as being exposed to it for seven years as the language of learning and teaching (LoLT). Using selected Grade 10 English FAL learners in schools under Tshinane Circuit in Vhembe District, the study’s objectives were - to identify types of irregular simple past tense errors committed; explain the causes of these errors and discuss strategies for addressing them. The study was buttressed by Robert Lado's Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis theory and Pit Corder’s Error Analysis Approach. The study used mixed-method research approach and the quantitative data was analysed statistically and presented using graphs and tables while qualitative data was analysed according to themes. The target study population was Grade 10 English FAL learners of Tshinane Circuit in the Vhembe District. A purposive sampling technique was used to select schools, circuits and districts while a simple random procedure was employed to select participants. Data were collected from a questionnaire and essays written by the sampled participants. The study revealed that learners experienced challenges with the simple past verb forms which exhibited - zero-marking, terminal consonants phoneme changes, ablaut or vowel gradation, the suppletion principle as well as the regularisation of irregular verbs. The study concluded that the learners do experience serious challenges in the use of irregular verbs as established through their errors with the verb forms in the simple past tense. It is recommended that learners should be encouraged to frequently practise the use of irregular past tense verbs, in both spoken and written forms.