Navigating Grammatical Challenges: Verb Usage in Malaysian ESL Students' Writing

This study investigates verb usage errors in the writing of Malaysian university students. It is a common challenge among English as a Second Language (ESL) students. By employing an error analysis framework on fifteen students' assignments, 156 verb-related errors were identified. The errors were categorised into six categories. Findings indicate that wrong auxiliary/modal verb forms (27.6%) and incorrect tense usage (24.4%) are the most frequent error types. These results align with previous research, underscoring the universal nature of these difficulties for ESL learners. The study recommends targeted pedagogical interventions, including using technology driven tools, to improve verb usage accuracy among ESL students.

English as Second Language, Error analysis, Verbs

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