International Journal of English Research

Authors
Dr. Ruel F Ancheta, Dr. Ester E Simagala

Abstract
Every EFL teacher expects that students’ written composition is error -free and follows the inverted pyramid of writing. This paper aims to determine the grammar errors committed by selected level 3 students of the Faculty of Foundation Studies (FFS) of Gulf College as basis for reinforcement. Specifically, the study aims to answer: 1) what grammar errors are committed by the level 3 Foundation students in their written composition; and 2) what factors caused the students to commit these errors in writing as evident on their written composition. The respondents of this study consisted of level 3 students from Pre-IP, Semester 1 and 2 and PSPP of the Faculty of Foundation Studies. Students’ final written compositions were selected at random as input of the study using the Sloven’s formula. Result showed that the common grammar errors committed by level 3 students of Gulf College are: subject- verb agreement, tenses of the verbs, sentence structure and word order, the use of articles and preposition, punctuation and capitalization, and spelling. Students’ grammar errors as reflected in their written composition are caused by two factors: direct factors and indirect factors.