Common Morphological Errors in English Writing of First YearUndergraduates of Vavuniya Campus as Second Language Learners

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate common morphological errors in the writing of first-year undergraduates in the Faculty of Business Studies, Vavuniya Campus, and to propose solutions. The scripts of seventy-two respondents were qualitatively analysed. The respondents are multi-ethnic, including Tamils, Sinhalese and Muslims. They are aged 21 to 23. The data were collected through a creative writing test based on the topic. The findings reveal that the students struggle with the grammatical morphemes: the plural -s, the possessive –s, and the simple present tense third-person singular –s (subject-verb agreement).