AN ANALYSIS OF TENSE ERRORS IN ENGLISH ESSAYS AMONG SOME JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN EPE LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF LAGOS STATE.

The study examined the Tense Errors in English Essays of Secondary school students in Epe Local Government Area of Lagos State. Four schools in Epe local educational district III were selected as case study. The objectives of the study are to: identify various tense errors in English Essays of Secondary school students, to categorize such errors into related types, and to discuss and analyze the sources and causes of tense errors. In the course of this research, the concepts of linguistics errors in general and tense errors in particular were reviewed. Also, in attaining the set objectives, a case study design was employed, while multiple options test and essay question were the instruments used to obtain data for this study. The data collected was analyzed using simple percentage and tabulation. The findings of the study revealed that, the types of tense errors committed by secondary school students include; error of omission, error of addition and error of selection. It was also discovered that tense errors were caused by either interference, ignorance of rule restrictions or overgeneralization. It was noticed that, the sources of tense errors were interlingual and intralingual. It was recommended that tense errors should be pointed out and corrected as soon as they are made. Schools authorities should ensure the deployment of qualified and competent teachers. Government needs to provide required instructional materials, and therefore curriculum planners should consider giving priority to grammar lessons over other English topics.