Errors in The Usage of Preposition in English Composition: A Study of Pakistani College Level Learners

Abstract

We correct use of preposition is important for EFL learners. This paper is aimed at finding and analyzing prepositional errors and also describing the causes and sources of prepositional errors in EFL college students’ descriptive writing. This study is descriptive both in mode and nature. The population for this study was 72 second year college students (both boys and girls) of degree colleges Pishin, Balochistan in the academic year 2018/2019. The researcher used purposive/purposeful sampling for data collection. The findings discovered that errors in the use of preposition (in) were found more often than errors in the use of preposition at, on, for, by or with. The errors were classified into four categories; mis formation errors, addition errors, omission errors and mis ordering errors. The study also found that the influence of students’ first language was the main factor in occurrence of preposition errors in writing.