Sitti Munawwarah

7/30/2019 Sitti Munawwarah

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Sitti Munawwarah

Common Grammatical Errors in Writing

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

A. BackgroundIn learning English, there are four skills that is very important thing, one

of them is writing. Writing is a complex activity since it requires students

comprehensive abilities such as mastering grammar, vocabulary, and punctuation.

Besides that, to write well, the students are expected to be able to present their

ideas in the written form as writing it means is communication.

As print (Kroma & Baya) said that Writing is expression of the writers

idea by producing graphic symbols to form words, words to sentences, sentence

to paragraphs on the paper, so the reader can follow what the writer means

(Baya, 2006, p. 13). The ideas in symbol form as what Kroma and Byrne says

above, may come from the writers felling or may come from the prior knowledge

of the writer, such as; the result of reading book or magazine, watching TV, or

even come from a discussion and seminar.


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Writing has a special contribution whether for the reader or the writer

itself. According to Axelrod & Cooper (1985, p. 2) states that writing has a

special contribution to the way of people think. When we write, we compose

meaning. We put together facts and ideas and make something new, whether in a

letter home, in a college essay, or in a memo to the boss. When we write, we

create a complex web of meaning in which sentences have different relationships

to each other.

Although, writing has a great contribution, however it is not easy to make

a good or appropriate writing.

In making a good and appropriate writing in English, it needs many

skills, such as the ability to write correct and appropriate sentences

with grammar correctly and the ability to use correctly punctuation

and spelling (Heaton, 1991, p. 135).

Furthermore, grammar and writing are indeed closely related. Grammar

skill as support in writing to make reader is easy to understand what the writers

means, and the ability to write well depends on the grammar skill that we have,

whether good or bad.

In making a good and appropriate writing in English, it needs many skills.

One of the skills is grammar. English Grammar material is one of the difficult

points in English learning especially in writing skill. It is because grammar or

structure skill is one of the important elements in writing, by grammar or structure

can support the meaning of written. Without grammar correctly usage,


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misunderstanding is usually happened to the reader. The consequence is that the

writers idea is difficult to consume by the reader.

In the study of language, grammar occupies a central position, but there is

also a practical reason to emphasize the study of grammar. It is easy to learn to

use dictionaries, found the pronunciation, spelling, or meanings of words, but it is

difficult to consult grammar books without a considerable knowledge of

grammar.

Based on of the explanation above the writers wants to try to discuss the

common grammatical errors in writing, because grammatical error is one of the

big problems that difficult to solve for many students in learning writing. And

also the writers expected the written can enrich reader knowledge to improve

their writing skill with using grammar correctly.


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CHAPTER II

DISCUSSION

A. Definition of writingIn English, there four skills that every student must know about it, one

of the skills is writing. Many students think that writing is difficult, but it is just

rumors. Writing is a kind of activity where the writer expresses all ideas in his

mind in the paper from words to sentences, sentences to paragraph to essay. In

relation about it, as print (Lannon) said that

Writing is process of transforming the material you discover byresearch, accident, trial and error, or whatever into message which has a

meaning. In short, writing is deliberated process (As cited as Ulfiati, p.

34).

Based on the definitions above, writing could be defined as a complex

process where by looking at and understanding what has been written, the

combination of some components that result of one active attempt the part of the

reader to understand writers message. Writing is a part of language skill which


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requires in order constructing a brief and good order of sentence, as one of the

language skills in English, writing is used to express the student ideas, opinion or

comments which are conveyed in the written form.

B. Common Grammatical Errors in Writing1. Definition of Grammar

In learning language grammar is very essential, because grammar is one of

the important subjects that useful for all students in learning English process,

especially in writing. However, grammar also is the core of all skill in English; by

learning grammar we can easy to understand all of the skill in English.

According to Oxford Dictionary (2008, p. 193) defines that grammar as

rules for forming words and making sentence. In writing, there are some rules

that we must pay attention about it one of the rules is using grammatical correct.

Writing not just enough to express all ideas in our mind by using words became

sentence, sentence became paragraph, but to produce a good and appropriate

written it need many times and process including of the grammar rules.

Grammar is a rule that arrange structure of a sentence in making a good

and appropriate sentence. Grammar is sometimes defined as the way words are

put together to make correct sentence (Penny Ur, 1991, p. 75).

Based on the definition above, we can be confirmed that grammar is the

study of how word change and how they are put together into sentences, or in


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other word, grammar is a set of rules that very essential in constructing of one

sentence.

2. Definition of ErrorMany linguists have defined differently what an error is based on their

own concept. As print (Dullay) (Baya, 1987, p. 170) uses the term errors to refer

to any deviations from a selected norm of language performance, and matter what

the characteristics or causes of the definitions might be.

The terms errors, as noted by Dullay above is used for the systematic

deviations due to the learners still developing knowledge of the target language

rule, system, or for idiosyncrasies in the inter language of the learner which are

direct manifestations of system with which a learner is operating at the time.

Error is a systematical deviation in which a learner has not learnedsomething or the learners have not understood the items that are taught by

teachers, that is why, they make errors in the process of learning thetarget language.(Sahib, 2005, p. 5)

Error is not something new and it is normal for all students, because error

is a process to achieve of the result what they want, and students do that, it means

they do not pay attention or they dont understand of the lessons that are taught by

the teacher.

Based on some definitions above, the writer tries to conclude that error is a

form of incorrect grammatically that make a student deems unacceptable because

of it inappropriate use whether in orally or written language.


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3. Kinds of Common Grammatical ErrorsBasically, common grammatical errors have many kinds, but the writer

just want to discuss a little bit that can most happen grammar mistake/error in

writing.

There are some most common grammatical errors such as incorrect

subject-verb agreement, incorrect verb endings/tense, incorrect pronounantecedent agreement, comma splices mistakes, ten spelling mistakes and

word confusions (Junior, 2008, p. 55.)

a. I ncor rect subject-verb agreementProperly written sentences have a structural balance they are singular

subjects are matched with singular verbs, and plural subjects with plural verbs,

this balance is called agreement. According to Pharr & Buscemi (2005, p. 677)

states that agreement is one way different from many other grammatical and

mechanical concerns.

The agreement applies whenever the verb displays distinctions in person

and number. For all verbs besides be, the distinctions are found only in the

present tense, where the third person singular has the -s form and the third person

plural like the first and second persons has the base form. For example: The noise

distracts them (Singular), the noises distractthem (Plural).

Agreement is important because, to make sure that subjects and verbs

agree, it will need to check for agreement problems when revising and editing a

written. For example:


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Incorrect : there is a number of reasons for my choice.

Correct : there are a number of reasons for my choice.

The correct rule of the subject-verb agreement is a subject must agree in

numberwith it is verb. For example, a singular verb is needed for a singular noun,

as in this sentence: one student is standing under the tree. Whereas, a verb must

agree with the subject in number, it means that singular subjects take singular

verbs and plural subjects take plural verbs, like in this sentence: three students are

standing under the tree.

According to George Brain and Claire May (1996, p. 68) states that verbs

are the heart of any sentence. So its important to use subject-verb agreement

correctly in writing, and without subject-verb in a sentence it means the sentence

not complete.

b. I ncorr ect verb endings/tenseA main verb is a word that can be the main word in a verb phrase and is

often the only verb (Sidney & Gerald, 2002, p. 92). Certain suffixes are added to

nouns or adjectives to make main verbs. It is a few common verb suffixes with

words that exemplify them:

-ate, -iate : chlorinate, originate, differentiate

-en : darken, hasten, and sadden

-ify, -fy : codify, falsify,beautify


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However, there are many also verbs that didnt have suffixes like write,

walk, reveal, and understand. Many of the suffixes that characterize verbs served

that function in Latin or French, and so we have words in English that were

already suffixed when they were borrowed from these languages for example

signify, and realize.

Furthermore, the verb tense is common happen of grammatical errors in

writing. Basically, tense refers to the time that a verb indicates and that is related

to the time when the action takes place. There are four basic categories of tenses;

they are present tense, past tense, future tense, and perfect tense.

1. Present tense indicates events occurring at the moment or that happen on arecurring basis. For example: I am studyingmy history textbook now.

2. Past tense indicates conveys action that has been completed. For example:When I was twenty years old, I movedto Barru.

3. Future tense indicates conveys future action. For example: I will be finishedmy seminar task soon.

4. Perfect tense indicates action spanning different periods of time. It is dividedin two kinds they are:

a. Past perfect tense is used to refer to a time frame before a past timeframe. For example: AfterI hadcompleted my homework, I played

facebook.


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b. Present perfect tense describe action that began in the past andcontinues into the present. For example: My computers have been

installedin friends house.

Actually, there are many kinds of tenses but these are the ones probably

will use most often in writing. And also these are the ones common happen

grammatical errors in writing.

Therefore, kinds of verb just two kinds they are, regular verb and

irregularverb. Most verbs in English are regular, the past and past participle of a

regular verb are formed by adding d ored to the present. Then, present

participle is formed by addingingto present. For example as the table following:

Present Past tense Past participle Present participle Meaning

Abash Abashed Abashed abashing memalukan

Accept accepted Accepted accepting menerima

Cheat Cheated Cheated Cheating menipu

Whereas, irregular verbsdo not follow standard patterns in forming their

various parts. Therefore, to use irregular verbs correctly, the students must

memorize their parts, because there is no standard system for their spellings.

There are over 250 irregular verbs in English, apart from the verb be, -s

form and -ingparticiple can be predicted for all verbs from the base form. There


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are three forms to show irregularities such as the base form, past, and ed

participle (Junior, 2008, p. 57). These three forms are known as the principal

parts of the verb. For example as the table following:

Infinitive Past tense Past participle Meaning

Drink Drank Drunk Minum

drive Drove Driven mengendarai

c. I ncorr ect pronoun antecedent agreementPronoun is one of common happen errors in writing like verb, give

problem to many writers. According to Langan (2011, p. 512) states that

pronouns are words take the place of nouns. Pronouns are short cuts that keep

from unnecessarily repeating words in writing. Every student must remember that

a pronoun refers to a noun. The noun that the pronoun refers to is called

antecedent, for example:

Correct :

Lydia gave her assignment to the professor. (In this sentence the pronoun her

refers to antecedentLydia)

Incorrect :

The computer lab was closed when he arrived. (In this sentence antecedent

doesnt identify the pronoun he. Probably a previous sentence has identified who

he is)


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There are many situations in which the writers main problem in

determining the number of the pronouns antecedent. (Pharr & Buscemi, 2005, p.

690)

1. Antecedents that use and and other connectorsIn this section, the using and happen of some written in grammar they

are.

a. Compound nouns and phrases with and; antecedent joined by the word andusually form a plural compound. Thus, pronouns referring to such antecedents

must also be plural. For example: Anto and Anti have bought a new home,

they are delighted to have a home of their town.

b. Compound nouns and phrases with other connectors (as well as, along with,in addition to, plus) to join two nouns can result in problems. For example:

Incorrect : Eka, along with her friend Tri, is going to library; they will

lend some books. (In this sentence, they has no antecedent because along with

doesnt connect Eka and her friend Tri)

Correct : Eka and her friend Tri, is going to library; they will lend

some books.

2. Antecedents that are indefinite pronounsThere are many kinds of Indefinite pronouns such as each, everyone, no

one, somebody, any and soon. For example: everyonemust vote according to his

orherconscience.

3. Antecedents that are collective nouns


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Collective nouns have a singular form and refer to a group of people or

things. (Barbara, 2004, p. 512). The word that include of collective nouns like

family, team, couple, pair, trio, group, paneland committee. They are normally

singular, but sometimes they are plural, if the is functioning as a single unit, the

pronoun that refers to the collective noun is singular, for example a civilized

society must protect its citizens from violence. However, if the members of the

group are functioning individually, a plural pronoun is used, for example

yesterday the team signed theircontracts for next season.

Some common types of pronouns such as subject pronouns, object

pronouns, possessive pronouns, demonstrative pronouns (Langan, 2011, p. 518).

a. Subject pronounsThere are some rules for using subject pronouns and several kinds of

mistakes people sometimes make with subject pronouns.

1. Use a subject pronoun when we have a compound subject (more than onesubject). For example:

Incorrect : my friend and me are going to the library.

Correct : my friend and I are going to the library.

2. Use a subject pronoun after forms of the verb be. Forms of the be include am,is, are, was, were, has been, have been, etc. For example:

Incorrect : it may be they in that car.

Correct :it may be them in that car.


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3. Use subject pronouns afterthan oras. The subject pronoun is used because averb is understood after the pronoun. For example you play better than I

(play). (The verbplay is understood after I).

b. Object pronounsThe form of object pronouns like me, him, her, us, and them are the

objects of verbs. And people are sometimes uncertain about what pronoun to use

when two objects follow a verb. For example:

Incorrect : she came to the hospital with Ali andI.

Correct : she came to the hospital with Ali and me.

c. Possessive pronoun (my, mine, your, yours, his, her, hers, its, our, ours, their,theirs). For example:

Incorrect : that coat is hers.

Correct : that coat is hers.

d. Demonstrative pronouns (this, that, these, those)This and these refer o things close at hand. Whereas, thatand those refer

to things farther way. The four demonstrative pronouns are also commonly used

as demonstrative adjective. For example:

a. Is anyone using this spoon?b. Pick up those toys in the corner.c. I am going to throw away these magazines.d. I just bought thatblack pickup truck at the curb.

d. Comma splice mistakes


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Comma is very essential, because comma in the word of the sentence will

have meaning and arranged. And also it used to describe between two difference

words meaning in writing, by comma the reader can easy to understand between

one clause to another clauses in a written. An easy to connect two independent

clauses and make a compound sentence is by using a comma plus one of the

seven coordinating conjunctions (for, and, nor, but, or, yet, so) (Pharr & Buscemi,

2005, p. 719). Many students use mnemonic FANBOYS to remember the

coordinating conjunctions.

In addition, many writers still confuse about the using of comma in

writing, they put comma in any particular until the purpose of the written

incorrect. And there are six main uses of the comma they are:

1. To separate items in a series. For example, she eats food by using plate,spoon, and fork.

2. To set off introductory material. For example, after the fire, we slogged theashes of the burned out house.

3. On both sides of words that interrupt the flow of thought in a sentence. Forexample, Andis computer, which his girl friend got him as a birthday gift,

occupies all his spare time.

4. Between to complete thoughts connected FANBOYS (for, and, nor, but, or,yet, so). For example, I worked hard last week,yetI didnt get enough done.

5. To set off a direct quotations from the rest of a sentence. For example, formy first writing assignment, said Rahmat, I have to turn in a twenty pages


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6. Other uses for commaUse a comma when addressing someone directly, for example if you are

the last to leave, Marsha, please switches off the lights. Besides that, use a comma

after the salutation of a friendly letter, after the salutation, closing of a friendly

and a formal letter. For example Dear Anna, Yours truly, sincerely yours. Then,

use commas in numbers four digits or more, except for years and street numbers.

For example: In 2008, the insurance agent sold me a $50.000 term life insurance

policy.

e. Ten common spell ing mistakes and word confusionsThere are a lot of words that sound or look similar but that have very

different meanings. The only way to be sure you are using these words correctly

is to memorize their proper meanings. There are ten most commonly misused

words, such as:

1. Accept: verb, to take something.Except: preposition, but, or other than.

2. Advice: noun, describes help you give someone.Advise: verb, describes the act of giving someone verbal help.

3. Affect: verb, to modify or make a difference.Effect: noun, a result.

4. Bad: adjective, used with linking verbs as well as to modify nouns.Badly: adverb, in an inferior way.

5. Can: verb, being able to do something.


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May: verb, having been given permission to do something.

6.

Farther: adverb, describes distance.

Further: adjective, describes quantity.

7. Lend: verb, to provide temporary use ofLoan: noun, what you give someone temporary use of

8. Like: preposition, introduces the idea of similarity.As: adverb, suggests similarity, or in the same manner.

9. Media: noun (plural of medium), one or more means of communication orexpression.

Medium: noun (singular), the use of a system of communication.

10.Principal: as a noun, describes a manager or executive who manages a schoolor business department; as an adjective, describes a degree of importance.

Principle: noun, describes a rule or policy.

C. Ways to Avoid Grammatical Errors inWritingUsing correct grammar will make a difference between appearing

professional and educated or uneducated and ignorant. Many people make

common grammatical errors when they write and when they speak. Use these

steps to avoid the most common errors and sound intelligent and well informed.

There are several ways to avoid common grammatical errors such as take

a grammar course, take advantage of spell check, and invest in a good grammar


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manual, proofread their work, review their grammar, use consistent formatting

and the last use the internet (Bread, 2012).

a. Take a Grammar CourseMany students have forgotten their grammar lessons from high school, or

they did not pay much attention to them in the first place. Many colleges and

universities offer non-credit grammar refresher courses.

These courses are usually offered at night, but they may have an online

option as well. By taking a course like this, they can dramatically reduce the

number of common grammatical errors in their writing. If they are interested,

contact their local community college or university. If they do not live near one,

check online to see what is offered. These courses are usually inexpensive, and

could be well worth the time and money.

b. Take Advantage of Spell CheckAnother ways to avoid common grammatical errors is to take advantage of

their computer's spell-check feature. Many spell-check programs will catch

grammatical errors and will either give some tips on how to fix them or

automatically fix them for you.

Spell-check will not catch all grammatical errors, so do not rely on it to

find all of them. For example, you might end up using one of the homophones

"there," "their," and "they're" incorrectly; if you spelled the word correctly, it will

not show up as a grammatical error on spell-check. And also, spell-check might


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not catch misuse of commas in a series or a missing comma in a compound

sentence.

c. Proofread your WorkMany grammatical errors occur from being in a hurry, making careless

mistakes, or mistyping their work. If they simply take the time to carefully

proofread they work, they might catch many common grammatical errors their

self. It is also a good idea to let someone else proofread their work. Sometimes

another person like friend, brother, etc can catch a mistake that they could not.

Read them writing aloud when proofreading, they will catch errors they might

miss otherwise. They will also notice if they sentences make sense or sound odd,

which is something spelling and grammar checkers cannot tell they.

d. Review your GrammarLinguists and writers consistently argue about the specific rules related to

proper use ofgrammar. Although grammar is a broad term, for the purposes of

their resume and job search; there is only one true metric that potential employers

consider as they look to decipher the grammar in their resume.

When talking about past work experience, consistently use verbs in the

past tense. Job seekers who talk about a current position should use the present

tense (lead versus led, etc). Thesaurus is used to find words with the same

meaning; automatically the students dont need to hear from the record. A wider

vocabulary shows their potential employer they are creative and resourceful.

e. Use Consistent Formatting
http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2012/09/11/the-no-1-rule-for-proofreading-your-work-on-the-job/http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2012/05/04/write-less-say-more-the-power-of-brevity/http://words.grammarly.com/http://words.grammarly.com/http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2012/05/04/write-less-say-more-the-power-of-brevity/http://blog.brazencareerist.com/2012/09/11/the-no-1-rule-for-proofreading-your-work-on-the-job/


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Choose a format, and stick with it, having bullet points in one section of a

resume and numbers in the next is distracting. Make sure all they fonts are the

same type, size and color (which should always be black). Review your resume or

draft for general uniformity, and if one section stands out, tweak it to match the

rest.

f. Use the InternetThe internet offers a wide range of grammar websites to help those in need

of a little clarification. Simply go to your favorite search engine, type in grammar

help and several useful and informative sites will appear. There are many

resources online can help like Websites, Google, etc. The online resources they

can use to catch mistakes and improve their writing.


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CHAPTER III

CONCLUSION

A. ConclusionIn English, writing is one of the skills that it is very important to

expressing our ideas from word to sentences, sentences to paragraph, and

paragraph to essay. Writing is a complex activity since it requires students

comprehensive abilities one of is mastering grammar. Grammar is a rule how to

form words to sentence, sentence to paragraph with the different pattern. In

writing, grammar is one of important elements to support the meaning of written,

but sometimes many students use grammatical errors until the reader cannot

understand their written. Error is a form of incorrect grammatically or structure

that make reader deems unacceptable because of it inappropriate use whether in

orally or written language.

The most common grammatical errors in writing such as incorrect noun-

verb agreement, incorrect verb tense, incorrect pronoun antecedent agreement,

comma splices errors, ten spelling mistakes and word confusions. Then, there are

some ways to avoid grammatical errors they are Take a Grammar Course, Take


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Advantage of Spell Check, Invest in a good grammar manual, Proofread your

Work, Review your Grammar, Use Consistent Formatting, and Use the Internet.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Axelrod, B., & Charles, R. (1985). The St. Martins Guide to Writing. New York: St.

Martins Press.

Ulfiati, A. (2008). The Application of Grammar Practice Activities InCommunicative Language Teaching Method to Improve the Grammar Ability

of the First Year Students at SMU Negeri 3 Makassar: Thesis Makassar UINAlauddin.

Builders, J. (2008). Writing in 15 minutes a Day: New York. Learning Express.

Barbara, F. (2004). The Student Writer-Editor and Critic. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Braine, G., & May. (1996). Writing from Sources: A Guide for ESL Students. USA:

Mayfield Publishing Company.

Baya, S. (2006). Using Brainstorming Techniques to Improve the Writing Skill of theSecond Grade Students of MAN Malakaji Gowa. Thesis Makassar: UINAlauddin.

Donald, P., & Buscemi. (2005). Writing Today.New York: McGraw-Hill.

Baum, S., & Nelson. (2002). an Introduction to English Grammar. London:

Pearson Education.

Heaton, J.B. (1991). Writing English Language Test.New York: Longman Publisher.


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Hoover, B. (2012).How to Avoid Common Grammatical Errors. [Personal blog].

Retrieved from:

http://www.howtodothings.com/-how-to-avoid-common-grammatical-errors.html

Jackson, H. (2005). Good Grammar for Students: London. Sage.

Langan, J. (2011). College Writing Skill with Readings. New York: McGraw-Hill.

Penny, Ur. (1991).A Course in Language Teaching.New York: Cambridge

University Press.

Sahib, N. (2005). Error Analysis in Using Tenses in Composition at the Fifth YearsStudents of Islamic Boarding School of An-Nahdlah Layang Makassar. ThesisMakassar: UIN Alauddin Makassar.
http://www.howtodothings.com/-how-to-avoid-common-grammatical-errors.htmlhttp://www.howtodothings.com/-how-to-avoid-common-grammatical-errors.htmlhttp://www.howtodothings.com/-how-to-avoid-common-grammatical-errors.html

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Sitti Munawwarah