MUHAMMAD HAFIZUDDIN

BIN AHMAD SHUKRI

D20091034438

BIT1043

Introduction
The objective of this task is to improve the ability of student to identify and analyze the errors
that occurred in the article. On my report, I found out that there are two types of grammatical
error that occurred in this article. The first grammatical error is tense that used in the passage
while the second one is grammatical error regarding gerund and to-infinitive. The grammatical
error that occurred in this article not also meant that it is syntactically wrong but also
semantically. This is because if you do not use the correct tense, to-infinitive and gerund it will
mislead the meaning of a sentence. Below is the error that have been analyze and corrected.

ANALYZE THE ERRORS

Error1

The Sentence

 The Influenza A(H1N1) pandemic has scared and shocking people around the world.

The Explanation

Before I determine the error on this sentence, I need to explain on the past participle. A past
participle indicates past or completed action or time. It is often called the ‘-ed’ formed by adding
‘-d’ or ‘-ed’ ,to the base form of regular verb. However it is also formed in various other ways
for irregular verbs. It can be used to:

1. form a verb phrase as part of the present perfect tense. The example is ‘I have learnt English’.
(Learnt is part of the verb phrase ‘have learnt’).
2. the passive voice. For example ‘Her hair was well brushed’.

3. an adjective. For example ‘He had a broken foot’.(‘broken’ is used here as an adjective).

According to the explanation, we can see why the verb shocking is been underline and consider
wrong on the sentence. The suffixes ‘-ing’ or gerund that been add to the verb shock interpret
that people on the sentence are currently shock with Influenza A pandemic (H1N1) in the present
time, even though the sentence is in past tense. In this situation, the past event is the outbreak of
Influenza A(H1N1) while the effect is people around the world who are scare and shock. That
infer the spread of Influenza A(H1N1)is influencing current situation in the world. On the shell,
the verb shock should be in past participle.

The Correction

 The Influenza A(H1N1) pandemic has scared and shocked people around the world.
Error 2

The Sentence

 Influenza is thought to spreading mainly person-to-person from cough and sneeze of

infected people.

The Explanation

Before we make the correction on the second sentence, let me explain on the to-infinitive form
of the verb. The to-infinitive form of the verb consists of to(=infinitive marker) and the basic
form of the verb(to+verb). The to-infinitive has many different roles in English sentence.

1. To infinitives clauses are nonfinite clauses. This means they do not stand alone as a sentence
but must be part of main clause.

Example: I want to make everyone happy.

2.. The infinitive phrase can be:

a. simple: to+verb.

Example: Mrs. Rama expect to resign next week.

b. perfect: to have+verb-ed.

Example: I’m sorry to have kept you waiting-my train was delayed.

c. progressive: to be verb-ing.

Example: This time next year I hope to be climbing Mount Kinabalu..

d. passive:

Example: Latif hopes to be elected president.

e. perfect progressive: to have been+verb-ing.

Example: The murderer is thought he have been hiding in the country.

f. perfect passive : to have been+verb –ed.

Example: The building appears to have been repainted. It looks much better now.

According to the explanation, we can see that the use of gerund in the word ‘spread’ on the
sentence are wrong. In to-infinitives, gerund only occur after to-infinitive when the situation on
the sentence is progressive and perfect progressive. The word ‘spread’ after the to-infinitive
should be add with gerund because the sentence is in simple tense. The correct answer is ‘to
spread’.

The Correction

 Influenza is thought to spread mainly person-to-person from coughing and sneezing of

infected people.
What the student should do to improve his/her grammar?

Mainly, an English user is not obligate to master all the grammatical rules especially
the different form of tenses. The most important is that you can communicate in the language
and people understand your information. On the other hand, as TESL students, the study and
level of understanding in the grammatical rules are vital. This is because majority of the TESL
students will become an English teacher. Thus, it is important for them to learn and master all
there is in grammar. Can you accept it when an English teacher could not differentiate and
explain to their students about past continuous and past simple?

The best way to learn grammatical rules is by doing a lot of grammar exercise. Other
than doing exercise in grammar books, student also can do it via the internet. Believe it or not, it
is much easier to surf online websites of free grammar lesson, answer the online exercises and
get your answers checked on the spot. The exercise should focus on the tenses which you feel as
your weaknesses and the most complicated to understand. You might think that you have
understood the rule of a particular tense, especially when you excel in your grammar test in
objective paper but when it comes to applying the use in sentences, you would find it difficult or
confusing. For example, the use of present continuous tense and present perfect tense. Both are
present tenses but present continuous tense shows uncompleted action which is happening now
and in the future. Meanwhile, present perfect tense tells us about the present and the past
(completed action), and the result can still be seen now. On the shell, by doing a lots of exercise,
it would be very helpful for us to differentiate the various forms and usages of the tenses.

Furthermore, to improve their knowledge in grammar student should start to read more
often. The reading material also are not limited to academic books only. Novel, short stories are
the few example of the reading material that student can use to improve their grammar. Through
reading, we could see the various patterns of tenses used for different context of situations. When
we read continuously, we will get used to the patterns and the next step that we should take is try
to determine what is their use in the passage.
Understand the outline, and then find other examples of sentences in the same reading material
which apply the same tense. To improve your understanding and to help you memorize the
outline, try to make your own sentence and better yet, your own article.

The conclusion is, there are plenty and various of ways to improve our grammar.
Based on the errors and mistakes made by the student, the student could improve their grammar
by reading regularly and doing lots of exercises. The willpower to study grammatical rules are
vital to understand and improve ourselves to understand English language more.