Abstract

This study was to analyse the concord errors that students of one basic school in the Cape Coast metropolis commit in their writing compositions. The research design that underpinned the work was a case study. The sample size for the study was 20 students who comprised of 13 females and 7 males. The researchers resorted to essay test instrument to obtain information from the students. Drawing on the qualitative research paradigm, the researchers examined scripts of twenty students using tables, figures, percentages, bar graph and pie chart. The study revealed that students committed concord errors of varying types in their writing compositions. Deviants of concord types made by students were also identified and analysed. The concord error types that students exhibited were subject-verb concord errors, noun-pronoun concord errors, verb-verb concord errors and point of time past verb concord errors. The findings have implications for further research such as the causes of concord errors in the writing compositions of junior high school students. It is recommended that teachers of English Language should make the effort to teach grammatical items in relationship with other aspects of the language. There is the need for the teachers to teach grammatical concord in concomitant with proximity concord and notional concord so that students will not substitute one concord type with the other. It is suggested that if we expect students to write correct English, then teachers must devote more time and attention to the practice of teaching grammar. Drills like mechanical, meaningful and substitution drills would have to be used more than it is being done.