Đăng ký Đăng nhập
Trang chủ Common errors in the use of the definite article the made by the students in gr...

Tài liệu Common errors in the use of the definite article the made by the students in grade 11 at yen lac high school

.PDF
49
143
84

Mô tả:

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to take this chance to express my greatest gratitude to Mr. Dang Ngoc Nam, my supervisor, for his patience in providing continuous and careful guidance as well as encouragement, indispensable suggestions and advice. I am greatly indebted to the teachers of English at Yen Lac High School, especially Mr. Pham Minh Thang for his help and guidance while I was carrying out the survey. I wish to thank all the lecturers at Hanoi Pedagogical University Number 2, especially the lecturers in the Foreign Language Faculty for their dedicated instructions during my years of university work. I am particularly grateful to my close friends for their enthusiasm and kindness is helping me collect valuable reference documents and data for my research. Last but not least, I owe a debt of gratitude to my beloved family, for their whole-hearted encouragement and endless support. ii ABSTRACT The definite article “the” is an interesting category of English grammar. As a part of speech, it is considered an adjective because it modifies a noun. It can play the different functions. However, the uses of the definite article “the” referred to in some books have not been deal with in full and sometimes cause confusion to learners of English. As a result, students of English often make errors when they use the definite article “the”. Therefore, this research work entails studying the uses of the definite article “the” and conducting a survey for error analysis. Base on the results of the survey, the type of errors and causes have been found. Solutions to the problems have been suggested. iii STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP Title: Common Errors in the Use of the Definite Article “The” (Graduation paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the Degree of Bachelor of Arts in English) I certify that no part of the above report has been copied from any other person’s work without acknowledgements and that the report is originally written by me under instructions of my supervisor. Date submitted: May 2013 Student Supervisor Nguyen Thi Minh Dang Ngoc Nam iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................... ii ABSTRACT ............................................................................................................ iii STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP ...................................................................... iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ........................................................................................ v PART ONE INTRODUCTION I- Rationale............................................................................................................... 1 II- Research presupposition ................................................................................... 2 III- Research objectives .......................................................................................... 3 IV- Research scope .................................................................................................. 3 V- Research tasks .................................................................................................... 3 VI- Research methods ............................................................................................. 4 VII- Significance of the proposed research........................................................... 4 VIII- Design of the research work ......................................................................... 5 PART TWO DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER ONE: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND I.1. Literature review in brief................................................................................. 6 I.2. The articles ........................................................................................................ 7 I.2.1. Definition ......................................................................................................... 7 I.2.2. Classification.................................................................................................... 8 I.3. The definite article “the” ................................................................................. 8 I.3.1. Definition ......................................................................................................... 8 I.3.2. Functions .......................................................................................................... 9 I.3.2.1. As a demonstrative adjective ........................................................................ 9 v I.3.2.2. As a possessive adjective .............................................................................. 9 I.3.2.3. As a quantifier ............................................................................................... 9 I.3.2.4. As a pre-determiner .................................................................................... 10 I.3.3. Uses ................................................................................................................ 10 I.3.3.1. The use of “the” for classifying .................................................................. 10 I.3.3.1.1. The group as a whole: “the” + nationality adjective ............................... 10 I.3.3.1.2. The group as a whole: “the” + plural names ........................................... 11 I.3.3.1.3. Specified group: “the” + collective noun or plural countable ................. 11 I.3.3.2. The use of “the” for specifying ................................................................... 11 I.3.3.2.1. Specifying by means of back- reference .................................................. 11 I.3.3.2.2. Specifying by means of “the” + noun + “of”........................................... 11 I.3.3.2.3. Specifying by means of clauses and phrases ........................................... 11 I.3.3.2.4. Specifying within a limited context ......................................................... 12 I.3.3.3. The use of “the” in time expressions .......................................................... 12 I.3.3.3.1. The use of “the” in time sequences.......................................................... 12 I.3.3.3.2. The use of “the” with parts of the day ..................................................... 13 I.3.3.3.3. The use of “the” with the seasons ............................................................ 13 I.3.3.3.4. The use of “the” in dates .......................................................................... 13 I.3.3.3.5. The use of “the” in fixed time expressions .............................................. 13 I.3.3.4. The use of “the” with unique items other than place names ...................... 13 I.3.3.5. Other references with “the” ........................................................................ 14 I.3.4. Differences between “the” and other articles ................................................ 14 I.3.4.1. Differences between “a/ an” and “the” ....................................................... 14 I.3.4.2. Differences between zero article and “the” ................................................ 15 CHAPTER TWO: COMMON ERRORS IN THE USE OF ARTICLE “THE” II.1. Survey ............................................................................................................. 16 II.1.1. Purpose of the survey ................................................................................... 16 II.1.2. Population of the survey ............................................................................... 16 vi II.1.3. Type of the survey ........................................................................................ 17 II.1.4. Construction of the survey............................................................................ 17 II.1.5. Preparation of the survey .............................................................................. 17 II.1.5.1. Test items ................................................................................................... 17 II.1.5.2. Arrangement of the test items ................................................................... 18 II.1.6. Administration of the try-out ........................................................................ 18 II.1.6.1. Preparation of the try-out........................................................................... 18 II.1.6.2. Try-out ....................................................................................................... 19 II.1.7. Method of data analysis ................................................................................ 19 II.1.8. Results of the survey .................................................................................... 19 II.2. Common errors and causes .......................................................................... 21 II.2.1. Errors in the use of the definite article “the” and the indefinite article “a” . 21 II.2.2. Errors in the use of the definite article “the” and the indefinite article “an”.21 II.2.3. Errors in the use of the article “the” and the zero article ............................. 22 II.2.4. Errors in the use of the definite article “the” and the quantifiers ................. 22 II.2.5. Errors in the use of the definite article “the” and the pre-determiners......... 23 II.2.6. Other common errors .................................................................................... 23 II.3. Suggested solutions and suggested exercises .............................................. 24 II.3.1. Suggested solutions ...................................................................................... 24 II.3.2. Suggested exercises ...................................................................................... 26 PART THREE CONCLUSION CONCLUSION ...................................................................................................... 27 REFERRENCES ................................................................................................... 29 APPENDICES ....................................................................................................... 31 SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE................................................................................ 31 SUGGESTED EXERCISES ................................................................................... 36 ZERO ARTICLE OR “THE” WITH PLACE NAMES ......................................... 41 vii PART ONE INTRODUCTION I. RATIONALE English is an international language and it’s used in many fields such as finance and banking; commerce; politics; etc. As a result, people are rushing to acquire this language and in Vietnam the learning and teaching English are now mushrooming. However, to acquire this language is not easy at all. To some extends, English is easier than other languages like Chinese, French, etc. For instance, it is said that English words are much easier to write and memorize than Chinese ones. But some aspects in English like its grammar and phonology are complicated. In Vietnam, learners are facing some difficulties. In terms of language, they find English difficult because beside its general rules, English contains many exceptions like irregular verbs. Especially, Vietnamese learners find English intonation is really complicated. In term of methodology, the teaching English in Vietnam is not very good and not unified. In some parts of the country, the teachers apply the traditional method. In other parts, they apply the CLT. Furthermore, some teachers especially those who are in the countryside are not qualified, which is sometimes the barrier preventing the progress of learners. In short, though Vietnamese learners are trying to study English, the result doesn’t come up to our expectations due to both subjective and objective causes. In fact, for the language itself, many things should be mentioned like the grammar, phonology, semantics, etc. Beginners of foreign language always meet difficulties from the outset. The definite article “the” is one of the language categories which is proved that English grammar is complex and often causes embarrassment to students. Due to its various uses, it is assumed that there are many errors which may be made. Therefore, students of English are always faced with many obstacles in using the definite article “the”. They do not know how to use the definite article “the” correctly and they often confuse between the indefinite, the zero and the definite article. For example: 1 Association of Southeast Asian Nations. He is a man for a job! None other can do it so well. With the aims of helping students of English to overcome these difficulties as well as a prospective teacher, I would like to make a contribution to the English teaching in Vietnam. For the reasons above, this thesis is conducted, which focuses on errors in the use of the definite article “the” among the students of English in grade 11 at Yen Lac High School. II. RESEARCH PRESUPPOSITION With regard to the errors quoted above, the correct version could be: The Association of Southeast Asian Nations. He is the man for the job! None other can do it so well. Some questions are raised: 1) What kinds of errors are made by the students of English in grade 11 at Yen Lac High School in the academic year of 2012/2013? 2) What kinds of errors in the use of the definite article “the” is the most often made by the eleventh-grade students of English at Yen Lac High School in the academic year of 2012/2013? 3) What are the causes of the errors in the use of the definite article “the” made by the students in grade 11 at Yen Lac High School in the academic year of 2012/2013? 4) What are some effective ways that help the students in grade 11 at Yen Lac High School in the academic year of 2012/2013 overcome these difficulties in the use of the definite article “the”? Based on the questions above, I am eager to learn about the problems and make an error analysis in the definite article “the” so that the major errors in the use of the definite article may be found. 2 III. RESEARCH OBJECTIVES The study is aimed at the following goals: 1) To find out the kinds of errors made by the eleventh-grade students of English at Yen Lac High School in the academic year of 2012/2013 in using the definite article "the". 2) To find out the main errors in the use of the definite article "the" most often made by the students in grade 11 at Yen Lac High School in the academic year of 2012/2013. 3) To find out the causes of the errors in the use of the definite article "the" made by the students in grade 11 at Yen Lac High School in the academic year of 2012/2013. 4) To find the best solutions to the problems throughout the survey. The solutions might be concentrated on both theory and practice, in which some teaching techniques are also introduced with the goal of minimizing students’ errors in Yen Lac High School. IV. RESEARCH SCOPE The general research area of this study is grammar. The phenomenon is errors in the use of the definite article "the" made by the students in grade 11 at Yen Lac High School in the academic year of 2012/2013. Others relating to the definite article "the" are also brief mentioned. The population involved in the study is eighty eleventh-grade students of English (11A4, 11A5) at Yen Lac High School V. RESEARCH TASKS The study involves fulfilling the following tasks: 1) To study the definition and characteristics of the definite article "the". 2) To research into the functions and uses of the definite article "the" 3) To compare and contrast the definite article "the" and the indefinite article “a, an”. 3 4) To conduct a survey to find out error types and causes. On the basis of the findings, possible solutions to the problems are found to minimize the students’ errors. VI. RESEARCH METHODS To achieve the objectives of the study, the following methods have been applied: 1) Collecting documents from books listed in the references 2) Consulting the supervisor, experienced teachers and friends 3) Synthesizing theoretical documents on English grammar 4) Conducting a survey and analyzing the results VII. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH Errors in any language teaching and learning, particularly in English as a foreign language, are sometimes predictable and sometimes unpredictable. It is, therefore, essential for teachers to have better treatment to anticipate errors. After the research, it is hoped that the results will be helpful to provide: 1) Input for learners of English in order to minimize their errors in the use of the definite article "the". 2) Input for teachers of English with information on error types and solutions to the problems so that they can have good methods of teaching the definite article "the". This study is also beneficial to anyone who is interested in the definite article "the" in English. VIII. DESIGN OF THE RESEARCH WORK The research work has three main parts, namely: Introduction, Development, and Conclusion. The part “Development” consists of two chapters. Chapter one is entitled “Theoretical Background”. It consists of two sections. Section one reviews literature in brief. The second one deals with things related to the definite article "the" such as definition, characteristics, functions, and uses of the definite article "the". Moreover, the differences between the definite article "the" and the indefinite article “a, an”. 4 Chapter two is named “Common Errors in the Use of the Definite Article "The"”. It has three sections. Section one is devoted to the survey. The second deals with error types and causes. The last one is on solutions to the problems and suggested exercises on the definite article "the". 5 PART TWO DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER ONE THEORETICAL BACKGROUND I.1. LITERATURE REVIEW IN BRIEF The definite article has been described by many grammarians like Martin Hewing (1999), Randolph Quirk (1985), Raymond Murphy (2004), Michael Swan (1984), R. A. Close (1979) and so on. They each have their own way to describe the definite article. Generally, they focus their attention on the definition, form, pronunciation and their uses. Martin Hewings (1999) in the book Advanced Grammar in Use pays much attention to the uses of the definite article “the” in relation to the uses of the indefinite articles “a/ an” and the zero article. Randolph Quirk, et.al (1985) in A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language gives the specific and generic uses of the definite article “the”. According to him, the specific uses of “the” can be divided into immediate situation, larger situation, anaphoric reference (direct), anaphoric reference (indirect), anaphoric reference, sporadic reference, the logical use of “the”, the use of “the” with reference to body parts. Besides, he also describes the generic use of the definite article “the” with singular noun phrases and plural noun phrases. Moreover, he gives names with the definite article “the”. Raymond Murphy (2004) in the book English Grammar in Use only focuses his attention on the uses of the definite article “the”. In the book Basic English Usage, Michael Swan (1984) gives a quite understandable picture of the definite article “the”. He gives some cases which can use “the” and some cases which can’t use “the”. Besides, he also shows the difference between the indefinite articles “a/ an” and the definite article “the”. According to him, the difference is that “a/ an” just means “one of a class” but 6 “the” means “you know exactly which one”. In addition, he introduces the pronunciation of “the”. In the book A Reference Grammar for Students of English, R. A. Close (1979) concentrates on the uses of the definite article “the”. Moreover, he points out one of its chief functions which are to indicate that the speaker is referring to a particular example of a class of thing. In short, much research has been done on the definite article “the” but none of them point out errors in the use of the definite article “the”. In fact, there are far more errors that learners of English often make when they use the definite article “the”. Therefore, it is essential to have a comprehensive study of common errors in the use of the definite article “the”. I.2. THE ARTICLES I.2.1. Definition In the book The Use of Articles in English, Andrusiak I. V. defines: “The articles belong to a syntactic class of words called determiners. Determiners are words we use before a noun to show whether the noun is specific or general, singular or plural, etc. Determiners also include possessives like my, demonstratives like this and quantifiers like all”. According to Richards and Schmidt (2002), determiner is “a word which is used with a noun and which limit the meaning of the noun in some way” (p.152). The most common kind of determiner in English is the article. And they say that article is “a word which is used with a noun, and which shows whether the noun refers to something definite or something indefinite.” (p.32). Moreover, Alexander (1998) defines that “articles are determiners which affect the meaning of the noun, and make it clearer by showing which particular thing we are referring to” (p.55). 7 I.2.2. Classification English articles, according to Richards and Schmidt (2002: 32) in the book Dictionary of Language Teaching and Applied Linguistics, are classified into two types: definite article the and indefinite article a/ an. However, Alexander (1998) adds one more type, that is zero article Ø. So English articles include a/ an, the and Ø. The two categories of the article are traditionally called indefinite and definite articles. Singular count nouns take a or an as indefinite articles. Plural nouns and non- count nouns take as their indefinite article. All categories of nouns take the as the definite marker. This system is summarized in the following table: Indefinite article Definite article a/ an The Plural count noun Ø The Non- count noun Ø The Singular count noun Table 1: Summary of English articles I.3. THE DEFINITE ARTICLE “THE” I.3.1. Definition “The definite article the never varies in form whether it refers to people or things, singular or plural” (Alexander, 1998: 61). Can you turn off the light, please? (the light in this room) I took a taxi to the station. (the station in that town) (Raymond Murphy, 2004: 144) Michael Swan (1984) in Basic English Usage defines: “The means something like you know which one I mean. It is used with uncountable, singular, plural nouns”. The water (uncountable) The table (singular countable) The stars (plural countable) 8 I.3.2. Functions I.3.2.1. As a demonstrative adjective In Grammar (A Student’s guide), James R. Hurford says that “the” behaves very much like the demonstratives such as this, that, these, those”, and “The term “determiner” is used in linguistic to refer to a large class of words including articles, demonstratives and possessives (but not numerals)… All such determiners modify nouns”. Therefore, the definite article can function as the demonstrative adjectives. For example: Those three houses. The three houses. I.3.2.2. As a possessive adjective According to Longman Dictionary of Grammar and Usage, Kam Chuan Aik mentions that “The words a, an, the are articles. As a part of speech, articles are considered adjectives because they modify nouns”, so the articles have the same function as the adjectives in general, and the definite article functions as possessive adjective in particular. For example: The three houses. Our three houses. I.3.2.3. As a quantifier In A Reference Grammar for Students of English, R. A. Close (1979) says “some and any are most frequently used as quantifiers”. They are used with plural and uncountable nouns, usually when we are talking about unknown or uncertain amounts or numbers of things. Similarly, the definite article “the” can also combine with singular countable, plural countable and uncountable nouns (which are always singular). For example: Can you pass the sugar, please? Can I have some sugar in my coffee, please? 9 I.3.2.4. As a pre- determiner Determiners are divided into three main groups: central-determiners (the articles and other words such as my, this, and some that also function as pronouns); pre-determiners (all, both, twice, such, etc.); post- determiners (many, few, several, etc.). Moreover, in A Reference Grammar for Students of English, R. A. Close (1979) shows that the predetermines can be used with count nouns, plural like the definite article “the” to modify nouns. From that, the definite article “the” can function as the pre-determiner. For example: All books or the books I.3.3. Uses According to Alexander (1998: 62), in Longman English Grammar, when using “the” we must always bear in mind two basic facts: 1. The normally has a definite reference (i.e. the person or thing referred to is assumed to be known to the speaker and reader). 2. The can combine with singular countable, plural countable and uncountable nouns (which are always singular). These two facts underlie all uses of the. I.3.3.1. The use of “the” for classifying I.3.3.1.1. The group as a whole: “the” + nationality adjective Some nationality adjectives, particularly those ending in –ch, -sh and –ese are used after the when we wish to refer to “the group as a whole”: The British = The British people in general. However, we cannot say “many British” or “those two British”, etc. Plural nationality nouns can be used with the or the zero article to refer to the group as a whole: the Americans or Americans; or with numbers or quantifiers like some and many to refer to individuals: two Americans, some Americans: The British and the Americans have been allies for a long time. The Japanese admire the traditions of the Chinese. For the use of the + adjective (the young, the old, etc). 10 I.3.3.1.2. The group as a whole: “the” + plural names The + plural name can refer to “the group as a whole”. Families: The Price sisters have opened a boutique. “Races”: The Europeans are a long way from political unity. Politics: The Liberals want electoral reform. Titles beginning with the are given to particular groups to emphasize their identity: the Beatles, the Jesuits. I.3.3.1.3. Specified groups: “the” + collective noun or plural countable We can make general statements about specified groups with the + collective nouns, such as the police, the public. This new increase in fares won’t please the public. Many plural countable nouns can be used in a collective sense in the same way when particular groups are picked out from the rest of the human community: the bosses, the unions. Getting the unions and the bosses to agree isn’t easy. I.3.3.2. The use of “the” for specifying When we use the, the listener or reader can already identify what we are referring to, therefore the shows that the noun has been specified by the context/ situation or grammatically. I.3.3.2.1. Specifying by means of back- reference Something that has been mentioned is referred to again: Singleton is a quite village near Chichester. The village has a population of a few hundred people. I.3.3.2.2. Specifying by means of “the” + noun + “of” The topics referred to (e.g. freedom, life) are specified: The freedom of the individual is worth fighting for. The life of Napoleon was very stormy. I.3.3.2.3. Specifying by means of clauses and phrases We can specify a person, thing, etc grammatically by means of the… + clause of the… + phrase: 11 The Smith you are looking for no longer lives here. The letters on the shelf are for you. I.3.3.2.4. Specifying within a limited context The can be used in contexts which are limited enough for the listener or reader to identify who or what is referred to. Reference can be made to: - People: who’s at the door? - It’s the postman. - Places: Where’s Jenny? - She’s gone to the butcher’s/She’s at the supermarket. Most references of this kind refer to a single identifiable place. However, in big towns and cities, it is a matter of linguistic convention to say He’s gone to the cinema/ the doctor’s, etc. without referring to any specific one. This convention extends to locations like the country, the mountains, and the seaside. Locations which are “one of a kind” always require the: e.g. the earth, the sea, the sky, the sun, the moon, the solar system, the galaxy, the universe. - Things: pass me the salt, please. - Parts of a whole. When we know what is being referred to (“the whole”) we can use “the” to name its parts. Assuming the listener or reader knows that we are talking about: e.g. - A human being, we can refer to the body, the brain, the head, the heart, the lungs, the mind, the stomach, and the veins. - A room, we can refer to the ceiling, the door, and the floor. - An object, we can refer to the back/ the front, the centre, the inside/ the outside, the top/ the bottom. - A town, we can refer to the shops, the street. - An appliance, we can refer to the on/ off switch. I.3.3.3. The use of “the” in time expressions I.3.3.3.1. The use of “the” in time sequences Ex: the beginning. The middle, the end; the first/last; the next; the following day; the present, the past, the future: 12 In the past, people had fewer expectations. I.3.3.3.2. The use of “the” with parts of the day Ex: in the morning, in the afternoon, in the evening, etc: We spent the day at home. In the evening, we went out. Note that though many time references require the, many do not: Ex: next week, on Tuesday, last year. I.3.3.3.3. The use of “the” with the seasons (The) spring/summer/autumn/winter. “The” is optional: We get a good crop of apples in (the) autumn. I.3.3.3.4. The use of “the” in dates Ordinal numbers usually require the when they are spoken, but not when they are written. Compare: I’ll see you on May 24th. (spoken as May the 24th) (Ex: on a letter): 24(th) May (spoken as the 24th of May) I.3.3.3.5. The use of “the” in fixed time expressions All the while, at the moment, for the time being, in the end, etc.: I’m afraid Mr. Jay can’t speak to you at the moment. I.3.3.4. The use of “the” with unique items other than place names We often use the with “unique items” (i.e. where there is only one of a kind). A few examples: Institutions and organizations: the Boy Scouts, the United Nations. Compare items with zero: Congress, Parliament. Historical events, etc.: the French Revolution, the Victorian age. Ships: the Canberra, the Discovery, the Titanic. Documents and official titles: the Great Charter, the Queen. Political parties: the Conservative Party, the Labor Party. Public bodies: the Army, the Government, the Police. The press (The is part of the title): The Economist, The New Yorker, The Spectator, The Times. 13 Note: the press, the radio, the television. Compare: What’s on (the) television? What’s on TV? Items with zero: Life, Newsweek, Punch, Time. Titles (books, films, etc.: The is part of the title): The Odyssey, The Graduate. Items with zero: Exiles, Jaws. Beliefs: the angels, the Furies, the gods, the saints. Compare God, Muhammed, etc. (proper nouns) Climate, etc.: the climate, the temperature, the weather. Species: the dinosaurs, the human race, the reptiles. (Compare: Man developed earlier than people think.) I.3.3.5. Other references with “the” Examples of items with the: - With superlatives: It’s the worst play I’ve ever seen. - With musical instruments: Tom plays the piano/the flute/the violin. The is often omitted in references to jazz and rock: This is a 1979 recording with Ellison on bass guitar. - Fixed phrases with the…the: the sooner the better. - Fixed expressions: do the shopping, make the beds. I.3.4. Differences between “the” and other articles I.3.4.1. Differences between “a/an” and “the” According to Michael Swan in the book Basic English Usage, the differences between a/an and the are very simple: A/an just means “one of a class” The means “you know exactly which one” Compare: A doctor must like people. (= any doctor, any one of that profession) My brother’s a doctor. (= one of that profession) I’m going to see the doctor. (= you know which one: my doctor) I live in a small flat at the top of an old house near the town hall. 14
- Xem thêm -

Tài liệu liên quan

Tài liệu vừa đăng