Abstract
This study was carried out to examine the use of verb tenses in the writings of senior secondary school students, learners of English as a foreign language in Niger. Three hundred and seventy (370) students randomly selected from four (4) senior secondary schools in Maradi participated in the study. The data were collected using an essay test requiring the students to express their thoughts in the present, the past, and the future tenses. The study used mixed methods research. The results showed that the students’ use of verb tenses in English was very inappropriate. Furthermore, the results revealed that all the three tenses were found difficult by the students leading to verb tense errors of various types including substitutions, additions, and omissions of morphemes. Some recommendations were made to help the students use verb tenses appropriately, and minimize errors in verb tense use.
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