Lexical Formation Error in the Descriptive Writing of Indonesian Tertiary EFL Learners

Abstract

This study was aimed at identifying the kinds and frequency of formal errors on Indonesian English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners’ description writing. Therefore, the descriptive analysis research design was implemented to achieve the objective. The data were collected from the descriptive writing of university students in Indonesia (N = 40). Then, the data were computerized and tabulated by using descriptive statistics (frequency and percentage) in SPSS version 21. The result of this study presents that from 223 errors, suffix was the most frequent formal errors (32.29%) in Formal Misselection, followed by calque (22.87%) in Formal Misformations and omission (12.56%) in Distorsion. In conclusion, most of the students have considerable difficulty in forming the correct form of the words. Therefore, to produce excellent descriptive writing, the students are suggested to learn and practice more on words formations (grammar).