English Present and Past Tense/ Aspect Errors in the Writing of the Native Speakers of Bangla

Abstract

This paper discusses the results of an investigation that has been carried out to identify the errors in the use of English present and past tenses/aspects in the writing of the native speakers of Bangla. All participants in this study are students of an English language course at the University of Chittagong whose first language(L1) is Bangla. The objective of the study is to determine (a) the different types of errors the students commit in the use of these tense/ aspect forms in their writing, and (b) to explain the sources that have caused these errors. The study shows that the students commit fewer errors in their use of English present simple and present progressive forms than in the use of present perfect/perfect progressive, and past simple/perfect/progressive/perfect progressive forms. The errors can be attributed to both factors, intralingual such as overgeneralization, incomplete application or ignorance of grammatical rules, and interlingual like the first language (L1) influence. The findings of this study have implications for English teaching and learning pedagogy in the context of Bangladesh.