Vocational Abilities of SMK Students in the Application of Punctuation and Capital Letters in the Narration Text

Abstract

This study aims to examine the errors made by vocational high school students in the use of capital letters and punctuation in narrative texts, and to analyze the implications of these errors on students' overall writing skills. This study used a descriptive method with a qualitative approach to classify the types of errors and analyze their impacts. The errors found were categorized into two main aspects: the use of capital letters that are not in accordance with the rules, and the use of inappropriate punctuation, including in the placement of commas, periods, and errors in writing italics. The analysis was conducted using the orthographic matching method by observing the text to identify errors in the use of capital letters and punctuation according to PUEBI rules. The stages of data analysis include identifying errors, grouping errors, interpreting the causes of errors, and presenting the results in the form of structured descriptive descriptions. The results showed that most students made errors in the use of capital letters in proper names and at the beginning of sentences, as well as errors in the use of punctuation that affected the fluency and clarity of narrative texts and the use of inappropriate italics. The implications of these errors indicate that students' writing skills, especially in terms of sentence structure and understanding of language rules, can be disrupted, which has an impact on the overall quality of writing. This study provides an overview of the importance of understanding the use of capital letters and punctuation in improving the writing skills of vocational high school students.