Error analysis of yes-no interrogatives among learners of English: a case of Goba secondary school in Ubungo municipality

This study offers a description of kinds and explanation of sources of errors committed by Form Three students at Goba Secondary School in their formation of yes-no interrogatives. Guided by Error Analysis and Interlanguage Theory as theoretical framework, this descriptive study employed a case study design to purposively examine the selected learners’ competence in asking yes-no questions. The analysis of written data is based on content and interpretive analysis methods presented both in tabular and textual forms. The findings reveal a prevalence of grammatical errors, followed by punctuation errors, lexical errors and finally semantic-pragmatic errors. These errors are largely attributed to the inherent complexity of language rule learning (intralingual), fairly to the influence of the learners’ L1 – Kiswahili (interlingual) and minimally on the context and strategies of learning. Drawing from the findings, it is concluded that the learners are yet to be able to appropriately form yes-no questions, as 80% of the formed ones were erroneous. The study raises a need for more attention to be paid in achieving the competence of asking yes-no questions among the learners of English, by stressing it in the syllabus as well as by employing adequate and competent teachers of English.