Published Online:March 2026
Product Name:The IUP Journal of English Studies
Product Type:Article
Product Code:IJES070326
DOI:10.71329/IUPJES/2026.21.1.69-82
Author Name:Laxmisree Thakur
Availability:YES
Subject/Domain:Arts and Humanities
Download Format:PDF
Pages:69-82
Higher secondary students often face challenges in English grammar, particularly verb usage, impacting their language skills. This study aims to understand these errors and their causes by examining students’ clarity on verb concepts and classifying common errors. An openended questionnaire and narrative essay writing were used to evaluate verb usage errors among 50 randomly selected students aged between 17 and 18 years in government and private schools in the Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) area, Tripura. Various demographic and contextual variables (school type, primary language, and attendance) were considered. Data analysis was conducted using error analysis, categorizing errors in tenses, subject-verb agreement, auxiliary verb misuse, and conjugation issues. The study identified 462 verb errors. Among girls, the most frequent errors were in the present form, transitive verbs and auxiliary verbs, while boys showed the highest error rates in transitive verbs and present forms. Errors were significant in intransitive, auxiliary, and past forms. Differences in error frequency suggest potential variations in instruction quality and learning environments. The findings highlight the need for targeted interventions focusing on transitive verbs, present forms, and auxiliary verbs to improve grammatical accuracy among students. Understanding these patterns would help educators refine their instructional methods to address specific errors and enhance overall English proficiency.
As a global language, English plays a significant role in many aspects of society. It has served as the global primary language for decades. Nearly all nations have established English as an essential subject in education (Singh et al., 2017).