An error analysis of the use of verb patterns in writing english sentences by french major students at thanglong high school (dalat, lamdong) master’s thesis report

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING BA RIA - VUNG TAU UNIVERSITY Ba Ria-Vung Tau, August 2 nd , 2021 MASTER’S THESIS REPORT Student name: BÙI NGUYỄN HIỆP Sex: Male Date of birth: Ja

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

BA RIA - VUNG TAU UNIVERSITY

Ba Ria-Vung Tau, August 2 nd , 2021

MASTER’S THESIS REPORT

Student name: BÙI NGUYỄN HIỆP Sex: Male

Date of birth: January 28 th 1973 Place of birth: DaLat - LamDong

Major: English Language Student code: 18110085

I- Thesis title:

“An error analysis of the use of verb patterns in writing English sentences by French-major students at ThangLong high school (DaLat, LamDong)”

II- Objectives and contents:

The overall objectives of this study are to find errors in the use of English verb patterns by the French-major students at ThangLong high school and the causes of these errors Then this study suggests effective ways to avoid these errors and some recommendations for students to improve their use of English verb patterns in English writing as well as for teachers of English to enhance their teaching English verb patterns to Vietnamese students

This thesis consists of five parts: the introduction of the thesis; the review of literature on theoretical framework and on previous studies; the research methodology; the discussion of the results and findings and the conclusion

III- Starting date: June 21st 2020

IV- Completing date: August 2nd, 2021

V- Academic supervisor: NGUYỄN QUANG TIẾN, Ph.D

CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY

I certify my authorship of the Master‟s Thesis submitted today entitled:

“An error analysis of the use of verb patterns in writing English sentences by French-major students at ThangLong high school (DaLat, LamDong)”

In terms of the statement of requirements for Theses in Master‟s programs issued by the School of Languages, Cultures, and International Collaborations of BaRia - VungTau University

The words contained in this thesis have not previously been submitted for a degree or diploma in any university I certify that, to the best of my knowledge and belief, my thesis contains no material previously published or written by another person except where due reference is made in the thesis itself

Ba Ria - Vung Tau, August 2 nd , 2021

BÙI Nguyễn Hiệp

RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS

I hereby state that I, BÙI Nguyễn Hiệp, being a candidate for the degree of Masters of Arts in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Master‟s Theses deposited in the Library

In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my Master‟s Thesis deposited in the Library should be accessible for purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Librarian for the care, loan or reproduction of theses and any special conditions of usage in relation to this thesis entitled “An error analysis of the use of verb patterns in English essays by French-major students at ThangLong high school (DaLat, LamDong)”

Ba Ria - Vung Tau, August 2 nd , 2021

BÙI Nguyễn Hiệp

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my thesis supervisor, Dr NGUYEN Quang Tien for his guidance, his efforts and support, his time and availability throughout my thesis writing I would like to thank him for his professional guidance, his assistance and enthusiastic support in every step of my research

I wish to acknowledge the School of Languages, Cultures, and International collaborations of Ba Ria-Vung Tau University for helping me fulfill the requirements for the degree of Masters of Arts in TESOL

My special thanks go to the headmaster, the administration board and all the English teachers at ThangLong high school for supporting me throughout this process of thesis writing

I would like to convey my thanks to all French-major students who enthusiastically supported my process of collecting data, making my study become successful and meaningful

Last but not least, I would like to express my sincere thanks and appreciation

to all people contributed to the success of this thesis

ABSTRACT

Error analysis is a way to investigate errors in the learning process of a foreign language This thesis reports on a study on error analysis of the use of verb patterns (VPs) by French-major students at ThangLong high school in DaLat The research followed a descriptive research design An error analysis framework by Corder (1981) was employed It includes data collection, error detection, classifying, describing errors, and explaining errors

The data were collected from 104 essays written by 26 students in an English writing class From the analysis of the data, it was found that the 5 verb patterns which were the most used and which also contained the most errors were VP6, VP1, VP7, VP5 and VP14 Furthermore, the study showed that the errors were caused by intralingual and interlingual factors Gaining insight into errors would throw light into areas of difficulties faced by students in English writing It is suggested that the students must have adequate exposure to English and more frequent use of some English verb patterns to be able to internalize language rules and reduce the tendency of committing errors in their writing This study also gives Vietnamese teachers of English some suggestions of how to teach English verb patterns effectively

Keywords: errors, error analysis, intralingual errors, interlingual errors

1.1 Rationale for the study

1.1.1 English as an international language

1.1.2 English language learning in Vietnam

1.1.3 The role of verb patterns in sentences in English

1.2 Objectives of the study

1.3 Research questions

1.4 Scope of the study

1.5 Significance of the study

1.6 Organization of the thesis

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Definition of key terms

2.2 Review of theoretical framework

2.2.7 Types and taxonomies of errors

2.2.8 Sources and causes of errors

2.3 Classification of verb patterns by Hornby

2.4 Review of previous studies

2.4.1 Previous studies on interlingual errors

2.4.2 Previous studies on intralingual errors

2.5 Models for error analysis

Page

iv viii viii

CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Research design and methods

4.1.2 Classification of errors: the common types of errors in the use

of verb patterns in 104 English essays

4.1.3 The causes of errors

4.2.1 Discussion of the research question 1

4.2.2 Discussion of the research question 2

4.2.3 Conclusion

CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS,

LIMITATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Conclusion

5.2 Implications of the research

5.3 Limitations of the study

5.4 Recommendations for further research

LIST OF TABLES

Page

Table 1 Finite and non-finite forms of verbs

Table 2 25 verb patterns by Hornby (1975)

Table 3 The distribution and the frequency of verb patterns used,

correct and incorrect verb patterns

Table 4 The 5 most common verb patterns used

Table 5 Types and frequency of errors in 104 essays

Table 6 The 5 verb patterns containing the most errors

Table 7 Types, frequency and percentage of errors in the VP6

Table 8 Types, frequency and percentage of errors in the VP1

Table 9 Types, frequency and percentage of errors in the VP7

Table 10 Types, frequency and percentage of errors in the VP5

Table 11 Types, frequency and percentage of errors in the VP14

Table 12 The frequency of use of verb patterns and the 5 verb patterns

containing the most errors

Table 13 Some differences between Vietnamese and English verb

VPu Verb patterns used

iVP incorrect verb patterns

cVP correct verb patterns

CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION

In order to understand the importance of error analysis, the introductory part of the thesis first displays the international status of English resulting in English learning in the world, and then situates the use of English in Vietnam as

a foreign language in reference to the three concentric circles of English by Kachru (1990) Then this part continues presenting the importance of verb forms in sentence formation and the difficulties that French-major learners of English encounter when learning and using English verb patterns

1.1 Rationale for the study

1.1.1 English as an international language

Among about 6,000 languages in the world, English has been seen as a dominant and international language widely taught and used in the world because its role can provide better education and more chances of employment

to speakers of English Crystal (1997, p.3) considered English as one of the working language in international organizations and as a language which

“achieves a genuinely global status when it develops a special role that is recognized in every country.” Moreover, English has a particularly important role and position in the socio-economic development and in education of every country; most information on the internet is in English and people can access an enormous amount of information when they know English Given a large number of speakers and wide usage of English in the world, English is considered as a bridge to help countries become closer to each other; cooperation between countries will be easier because different nations can use English to overcome language barrier

We can find many reasons that explain why English can grow as a global language around the world First, English is spoken as a mother tongue by people coming from the developed countries like the United States of America,

Great Britain, Canada, to name a few Second, English is one of the United Nations‟ official languages and of many international organizations Third, since English is regarded as a global language, the number of English learners and speakers has been steadily increasing, which makes the use of English spread faster and faster all over the world All these factors lead to the learning

of English in our modern world at the moment

1.1.2 English language learning in Vietnam

1.1.2.1 English in Vietnam in reference to Kachru’s (1990) three concentric circles

Kachru (1990) divided World Englishes into three concentric circles to describe and classify English varieties in the world The smallest circle is the Inner Circle, which consists of countries such as Great Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, where English is used as a native language The second one is the Outer Circle, which denotes countries where English is spoken as a second language; these countries such as South Africa, Nigeria, Pakistan, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, or Singapore were colonized

by the United States or by Britain The last circle is the Expanding Circle, which consists of the countries like Japan, China, Egypt, Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia or Vietnam, where English is used as a foreign language

Figure 1 Kachru‟s (1990) three concentric circles

1.1.2.2 English as a foreign language in Vietnam

In Vietnam, English is not used as a second language, but only as a foreign one It is necessary to briefly look at the historical background of the use of English in Vietnam The period of more than 20 years of the American colonization in Vietnam, from 1954 to 1975, had asignificant impact on the use

of English After 1975, English was seen as a means for the reconstruction of the country The economic reform in Vietnam since 1986 has revived every aspect of life, including teaching and learning English which has “strong political, economic, and social bearings” (Le, 2007, p.168) In 2010, the Ministry of Education and Training (MOET) of Vietnam made a decision on the project entitled “Teaching and Learning Foreign Languages in the National Education System, Period 2008-2020” specified English as the desired foreign language and one of the requirements for graduation from high school

Since 1990, English has become a most preferred and compulsory subject at all school levels in Vietnam The reality shows that English is only used and spoken at school or at international events, meaning that learners and users have few chances to use English on a daily basis Learning English in an environment where English is not regularly used, Vietnamese learners of English encounter many difficulties and they are likely to make many errors in learning English Among the common errors they often make are those in the use of English verb patterns The following part explains more about this observation

1.1.3 The role of verb patterns in sentences in English

A verb defines and characterizes an action and functions as a sentence predictor Verbs are crucial to the creation of sentences which are often constructed around the verbs The verb patterns must be used correctly to form

a meaningful sentence To generate meaningful and acceptable sentences, students must be able to use the verb patterns in the proper order

While Vietnamese learners and users of English are already familiar with the structures of verb patterns in Vietnamese - their mother tongue, many of them are perplexed by the numerous English verb patterns and grammatical restrictions For example, unlike verbs in English, verbs in Vietnamese do not have inflections; therefore, it is a difficulty for Vietnamese learners to be able to use the right English verb patterns, and consequently they still make errors repeatedly in the use of English verb patterns As observed, many Vietnamese students have difficulties when learning English, especially in the use of verb patterns when they write essays in English Although they have spent six or seven years studying English at school, they still commit many errors in English verb patterns in English essays Some students understand English grammar very well, and even get high scores in examinations, but their writing skills are still poor due to the misuse of English verb patterns

The errors in the use of verb patterns in the English essays written by French-major students at ThangLong high school in DaLat are the focus of this study Most of these French-major students acquire Vietnamese as their mother tongue, study French as a second language and learn English as a foreign language at school Since 1994, the French language has been taught in Thang Long high school to a small number of students, and French-major students have to study two languages which are French and English at the same time As they major in French, they study 9 periods of French, but only 3 periods of English every week (a period lasts 45 minutes) It means that the time of learning French is three times as much as the time of learning English As a result, French-major students do not have enough time to practice utilizing English and English verb patterns; therefore, they commit different kinds of errors in their English essays, especially in the use of verb patterns And the study reported in this thesis aimed to investigate this problem

1.2 Objectives of the study

The objectives of this study is to identify errors in the use of English verb patterns by the French-major students learning English as a foreign language and to identify the causes of these errors Then the research continues

to suggest effective ways to avoid these errors and to suggest some recommendations for students to ameliorate their use of English verb patterns in writing English as well as for teachers of English to enhance their teaching English verb patterns to Vietnamese students

1.3 Research questions

Given the context aforementioned, the present study was conducted to answer the following research questions:

1 What are the common types of errors in the use of verb patterns

in English essays written by French-major students at Thang Long high school?

2 What are the causes of these errors?

1.4 Scope of the study

Most of the writings of the students contained different kinds of errors at the orthography, lexical, grammatical and discourse levels In the scope of this study, I focused only on the errors in verb patterns committed by French-major students

1.5 Significance of the study

Error analysis is a valuable source of information for teachers since it informs them about their students' errors and allows them to remedy these errors, and also improve the effectiveness of their teaching This study aims to help English teachers deeply understand why learners commit errors when using English verb patterns in their English essays; this understanding will help

teachers seek a more suitable pedagogy and strategies to teach students to use English verb patterns correctly

For English learners, they are expected to understand more about their errors in the use of English verb patterns and learn how to avoid making these errors Students will gain a better understanding of their errors and try to prevent these errors in their essays Students can create well-structrured writings with confidence once they have mastered the grammar and verb patterns

1.6 Organization of the thesis

This thesis contains five chapters The first chapter is the introduction which presents some background to the study, the statement of the problem, the research questions, the purpose and significance of the study, the definition of the key terms and the organization of the thesis The second part is a review of literature on theoretical framework and on previous studies of different aspects

about the errors made by learners and the error analysis The third part is the

methodology which presents the context, design, instruments, procedure of collection and analysis of data The fourth part consists of the discussion of the results and findings The fifth part is the conclusion which reviews briefly the main points of the essay accompanied the pedagogical implications in English language teaching and some recommendations for future research

CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Definition of key terms

Error refers to the systematic deviations made by learners who have not

mastered the rules of the target language It happens repeatedly as an

unconscious process According to Brown (1994, p.205), errors are noticeable

deviations from a native speaker's grammar that represent the learner‟s interlanguage proficiency

Error analysis is the method of investigation of learner language errors

by describing, explaining types and sources of errors, the contextes, and the extent to which errors are committed (Ellis, 1999)

Interlanguage refers to the distinct linguistic system that differs from both the native and target languages; it is created in the process of target language approximation and acquisition (Selinker, 1972)

Language transfer refers to the influence resulting from similarities and

differences between the target language and the native language (Odlin, 1994)

Verb patterns are a group of word in which the main word or head is a

verb which functions as the grammatical center in sentences (Bornstein, 1977, p.247) Frank (1972, p.47) claimed that the verb is the most difficult part of

speech and he classified types of verb based on complement of verb

- Transitive verbs are used with an object such as a noun, a phrase that

denotes the object or person who is affected by the verb's action

- Intransitive verbs do not demand an object as a transitive one

Depending on how they are used in a sentence, many verbs can be classed as

transitive or intransitive

- Modal verbs are also auxiliary ones, indicating possibility, obligation,

deduction, or prediction, which are used with a principal verb to show a specific

attitude (e.g can, could, may, might, will, would, shall, should, must.) A modal

verb is usually the first item in a verb pattern

2.2 Review of theoretical framework

In order to find out the causes of errors and to minimize the errors in language teaching, linguists proposed contrastive analysis, interlanguage and error analysis

2.2.1 Contrastive analysis

Contrastive linguistics aim to describe the similarities and differences between two languages While traditional linguistics are called diachronic linguistics which created comparative ways to show how cognate languages are related to one another or depicted the evolution of one or more languages across time, modern contrastive linguistics are called synchronic linguistics whose goal was to demonstrate how the two languages differ in order to aid in the resolution of practical issues Contrastive linguistics have frequently been linked to parts of contrastive linguistics such as avoiding interference errors in foreign-language learning, aiding interlingual transfer during the translation of texts from one language into another, looking for lexical equivalents in the process of compiling bilingual dictionaries, etc Contrastive descriptions can occur at any level of linguistic structure such as orthography, phonology, lexicology, morphology and syntax Various corpus linguistics methodologies have been demonstrated to be useful in intralingual in intralingual and interlingual contrastive studies

In the 1950s, Contrastive Analysis had become a popular theoretical view on the second language acquisition following the structualism and behaviorism Contrastive analysis basing on the concept of language transfer usually describes learner language and finds out the similarities and differences

in language habits or structures between the native and target language to help predict interference and learning difficulty, to explain learner‟s problems basing

on a comparison of L1 and L2, and to help decide on the content of teaching materials Lado (1957) claimed that the different items were thought to be

difficult for the learners while the similar items facilitate their study; and contrastive analysis helps establish the extent of language transfer

2.2.2 Interlanguage

Many linguists agreed that contrastive analysis alone could not predict errors encountered in learning English, Corder (1970) moved on to a broader approach to learner language, which he called interlanguage Selinker (1972) described the L2 learner‟s competence and the its source with the idea that learners possessed a special language that was independent of the L1 and the L2, even though it might show influences from both languages Transfer, overgeneralization and fossilization are three concepts concerning interlanguage which is synonym of developing system, approximative systems, idiosyncratic dialects or learner language

Interlanguage is an intermediate status that exists between the native and the target language of the learners It explores learning strategies based on error; therefore, it is the basic of error analysis Interlanguage is not considered as a procedure of imperfect language replete with mistakes but as intelligent and creative beings; it is dynamic and adapts constantly to new knowledge It depicts the psychological process of language learning based on learners' best efforts

2.2.3 Language transfer

Language transfer is a characteristic of interlanguage and an essential cognitive element in the occurrence of errors Transfer is described as the impact resulting from similarities and contrasts between the target language and any other language previously learnt (Odlin, 1994) Studying transfer includes the study of positive and negative transfer, the over-use or avoidance of target language rules (Ellis, 1999) Transfer is considered as a resource that the learner actively draws on in interlanguage development in cognitive perspective,

whereas in behaviorist accounts, transfer is seen as the cause of errors (Selinker, 1972)

When learners try to communicate in target language, they frequently transfer some features of their first language into structures of the target language in both writing and speaking; it meant that learners may use their knowledge of one language into another language to communicate Lado (1957, p.2) stated “Individuals tend to transfer the forms and meanings, and the distribution of forms and meanings of their native language and culture to the foreign language and culture - both productively when attempting to speak the language and to act in the culture, and receptively when attempting to grasp and understand the language and the culture as practiced by natives.”

According to Perkins and Salomon (1988), the study of how human behavior, learning, and performance are influenced by prior experience is known as language transfer It happens when students notice similarities between concepts, skills, or principles, connect the data in memory, recognize the importance of applying what was learned in one situation to another and when performance in one context or with one set of materials has an effect on performance in another setting or with related materials

Positive and negative language transmission are the two forms of

language transfer Positive transfer (facilitation) is learning in one situation

which facilitates learning in another situation Linguistic transfer can result in

correct language performance when the relevant transmitted structure of both languages is the same When learning in one setting increases performance in another, this is known as positive transfer, and it is simpler for learners of one language to learn related rather than unconnected second languages Learning in one setting interferes with learning in a later situation, which is known as negative transfer (interference); when learners transfer things and structures from their native language to the target language that are not the same.When

learning in one environment has a negative impact on performance in another, it

is known as negative transfer, and it frequently results in errors

2.2.4 Error analysis (EA)

In reality, many errors were not predicted by contrastive analysis, and error analysis emerged as a reaction to the view of language learning proposed

by Contrastive Analysis theory which considered language transfer as the central process Contrastive analysis stated that the main source of errors was the interference of the native language with the target language system Error analysis argued that the mother tongue was not the main and the only source of the errors committed by the learners, and these errors can be caused even by the target language itself and by the strategies as well as the type and quality of instructions

Stephen Pit Corder and his collaborators established error analysis in the late 1960s; it studies the types and causes of language errors basing on a set of procedures for identifying, describing and explaining the learner‟ errors Corder (1967) introduced error analysis which focuses on checking the errors made by learners in their target language and on learners‟ creative ability to construct language, based on the description and analysis of actual learners‟ errors in L2 and on the idea that learning a language is not about memorizing rules Corder (1974) claimed that there are two types of objects in error analysis: theoretical and applied The theoretical goal is to clarify what a student learns and how he learns it when studying a second language; and the applied object helps the learner learn more effectively by utilizing his dialect knowledge for educational objectives

The present research is based on Corder‟s point of view about error analysis According to Corder (1967, p.166), learners appear to move through a series of stages as they develop competence in the target language, and the successive stages are characterized by particular types of errors Ellis (1997)

claimed that language learning errors involve language components such as phonology, morphology, lexis and syntax Selinker (1972) considered errors as

a tool that the learner used to gain knowledge

The following assumptions are the base of error analysis: (1) errors are unavoidable because we cannot study a language without making errors, (2) errors areimportant in a variety of ways, (3) not all errors are caused by the first language interference which is not the sole cause of errors Some benefits of error analysis are: (1) to supply data on present issues and to provide a more effective foundation for developing pedagogical strategies, (2) to identify types

as sources of errors

In reality, the majority of errors in English writing are caused by grammatical structure transfer because every time learners have target language linguistic problems while writing, they tend to rely on their L1 linguistic knowledge as they assume that the two languages share the equivalent structures

2.2.5 Errors versus mistakes

It is important to make a distinction between mistakes and errors Brown (2000, p.222) defined mistakes as performance errors related to a random guess

or slip of the tongue, indicating incorrect use of a well-known system, and errors are defined as conspicuous deviations from a writer‟s known grammar, which reflects the learner‟s competence Both Corder (1967, 1971) and James (1998) claimed that a mistake can be self-corrected, but an error cannot Errors are systematic and are not recognized by the learner; mistakes are not systematic and can be recognized by the learner Gass & Selinker (1994) stated that only teachers or researchers would be able to recognize errors, not the learners Norrish (1983) stated errors are “systematic deviation when a learner has not learnt something and consistently gets it wrong” Chomsky (1965) stated that errors are seen as a sign of inadequate learning and the learners have

not acquired satisfactory language knowledge that can help them avoid misuse

of linguistics When a learner has been taught a certain correct form, and he/she uses one form sometimes and another at other times, the inconsistent deviation

is called a mistake Hendrickson (1987) considered errors as signals of an actual learning process and the lack of the mastery of a well-structured competence when learning a language

According to Richard et al., (1999), an error occurs when using lexical or grammatical items in such a way it seems imperfect and significant of an incomplete learning.Errors are viewed as a clue to what is going on in the mind

in the cognitive approach, and they are considered as a natural occurrence that must take place during the learning process Errors are not only a reflection on the teaching methods, but also indicators that learning is taking place The insight that errors are no longer bad, but natural is very important in the learning and teaching process of English

In this thesis, the researcher has chosen to concentrate on the errors committed by students, not on their mistakes

2.2.6 Significance of errors

Corder (1967) indicated that errors are significant in three different ways First, to language teachers, errors indicate the learner‟s progress in language learning and tell them tell them how far the students have progressed toward their goal and as a result, what they still need to learn Cha (1990, p.140) claimed that “the language teacher who knows the types of students‟ errors is much better equipped to deal with them, both in terms of prevention and correction, then the one who does not”

Second, to the learners, students can get involved in hypothesis testing and recognize errors as a device in order to learn White et al (1991) presented evidence that focusing on learners‟ errors was an effective way to improve grammatical precision

Third, to the researchers, errors reveal how language is acquired or learnt, as well as the procedures or strategies that learners use to discover the language Hendrickson (1987) stated “It may be more helpful for students and more efficient for teachers to correct selective errors by using a combination of direct and indirect techniques depending upon the types and frequencies of errors that a student produces.”

2.2.7 Types and taxonomies of errors

Taxonomies of error refer to the classification of error according to certain criteria Dulay, Burt, and Krashen (1982, p.48) suggested that there are four kinds of error taxonomy: the linguistic taxonomy, the surface structure taxonomy, the comparative taxonomy, and the communicative effect taxonomy

1 Linguistic taxonomy: classifies errors in respect to language component including phonology (pronunciation), orthograph, semantic and lexicon (meaning and vocabulary), syntax and morphology (grammar), and discourse (style)

2 Surface structure taxonomy (process-based classification): This taxonomy concerns the ways through which language learners make errors It is based on a system in which erroneous assertions cause surface forms to be modified or transformed Dulay et al (1982) claimed that errors take place when the learner changed the surface structure in a particularly systematic manner Corder (1981) distinguished 4 types of errors:

a.Selection errors (Substitution) will occur when students use the

wrong linguistic item instead of the correct one

Example: They were angry from their son‟s bad marks (wrong)

 They were angry at their son‟s bad marks (correct)

b Addition errors refer to the presence of an item which must not

appear in a well-formed utterance For instance, when a verb pattern has an extraneous word added to it

Example: A writing is depends on several factors (wrong)

 A writing depends on several factors (correct)

c Omission errors refer to the absence of an item that must appear in

a well-formed utterance They are errors in which an item is missing

in a certain context

Example: What  you want to do now? (wrong)

 What do you want to do now? (correct)

d Misordering errors (Permutation errors) are caused by incorrect

placement of an item in a given utterance

Example: This girl comes always late to school (wrong)

 This girl always comes late to school (correct)

3 Comparative taxonomy: According to Dulay et al (1982), a researcher should base on comparisons between the structure of L2 errors and certain other types of constructions to classify the error types In terms of comparative taxonomy, he divided errors into four categories: interlingual,developmental, ambiguous, and other errors

4 Communicative effect taxonomy

This taxonomy is for errors that have an impact on the reader or listener The emphasis is on distinguishing between errors that appear to create communication breakdowns and actual aspect issues

In the scope of this thesis, I focus only on the surface structure taxonomy with 4 sub-types of errors: selection errors, addition errors, omission errors and misordering errors

2.2.8 Sources and causes of errors

Linguists usually distinguish two main major causes of errors: interlingual errors (linguistic interference, crosslinguistic influence or negative transfer) and intralingual errors (or developmental errors)

1 Interlingual errors are those due to the effect from native language,

when the native language habits of the learners interfere with or inhibit the acquisition of the second language‟s patterns and rules (Corder, 1971) Lado (1964) claimed that interference is the negative impact of the native language on the performance of the learners‟ target language.Interlingual transfer is defined as a process in which learners apply their first-language knowledge to the acquisition of a second language Interlingual errors result from the transfer of morphological, phonological, stylistic, grammatical, lexico-semantic and cultural elements of the native language to the learning language

2 Intralingual errors are the misuse of a particular rule of the native

language due to the effect and the difficulty of the target language; this type of errors is caused by the learners‟ overgeneralisation of grammar rules According to Richards (1971), they are items produced by the learner which reflect the generalization based on partial exposure to the target language Richards (1974, p.174) stated “Intralingual errors are those which reflect the general characteristics of rule learning, such as faulty generalization, incomplete application of rules, and failure to learn conditions under which rules apply” Intralingual errors include:

a Overgeneralization: This is when a form or construction is used in

one context and then extended to other circumstances where it should not be used Overgeneralization errors refer to the deviant structures produced by the learners on the basis of their limited knowledge or exposure to other structures on the target language For

example, while dealing with regular and irregular verbs, the learners usually write „he runned‟ rather than „he ran‟

b Incomplete application of rules: Learners fail to to use a fully

developed structure by using relatively simple rules It arises when the learners do not fully develop a certain structure required to produce acceptable sentences the learner fails (e.g "You like to sing?" in place of "Do you like to sing?")

- Simplification: Simple forms and constructions are generally

preferred by students over more complex ones For example, students usually use simple present instead of the present perfect or present perfect continuous

c Ignorance of rule restrictions: The learners fail to observe the restrictions and exceptions of target language rules and structures

d False concepts hypothesized: Many of the errors made by students

can be traced back to wrong hypotheses about the target language Richards (1970) pointed out that the improper comprehension of the learning language causes errors arising from false concepts hypothesized When learners study a specific rule of the second language, they can apply it to another situation where it would otherwise be inappropriate; and they commit language errors For

example, some learners think that „is‟ is the marker of the present tense and they produce „She is answer the question‟; or „were‟ is the past tense marker and they say „They were arrived yesterday.‟

e Teacher-induced errors (Transfer of training): Errors result from

pedagogical procedures or teaching techniques

- Faulty teaching: Learners' errors are sometimes teacher-induced

ones caused by the teachers or teaching materials Some teachers are even influenced by their students‟ errors in the course of their teaching

- Hypercorrection: Teachers‟ ardent efforts to fix their pupils' errors

can sometimes lead to students making errors in otherwise correct

forms Stenson (1978) called this type of error “induced errors” Other factors such as limited knowledge of English

vocabulary, lack of knowledge and competence of the English grammar; lack of exposure of the English language; carelessness of the students were also found to be the sources of errors

In the scope of this thesis, for intralingual errors, I only focused on the errors made by students including overgeneralization, incomplete application of rules, ignorance of rule restrictions and false concepts hypothesized

2.3 Classification of verb patterns by Hornby

Hornby (1995, p.1323) defines a verb as a word or phrase indicating an action, an event, or state He states that verb is useful to distinguish between finite and non-finite forms of verbs It can be explained below:

1 The non-finites present and perfect, with or without to

2 The finites:

There are 24 finite of auxiliary

verbs which are:

- be: am, is, are, was, were

- have: has, had

- do: does, did

- will/would, shall/should, can/could, may/might, must/ought, need, dare

„Table 1 Finite and non-finite forms of verbs

Hornby (1975, p.12) divides verb patterns into 25 types Patterns 1 to 5 are of verbs used intransitively without a direct object Patterns 6 to 25 are of verbs used transitively with a direct object

Abbreviations used are as follows: S (subject); vi (intransitive verb); vt (transitive verb); DO (direct object); IO (indirect object)

No Verb Patterns Examples

1 S + BE + subject complement/ adjunct His father is a teacher

I am tired

2 This pattern is subdivided in 5 types

b) S + vi + (for) + adverbial adjunct We walked (for) five miles

c) S + vi + adverbial adjunct My hat blew off

d) S + vi + adjective/ noun/ pronoun The leaves are turning brown

e) S + vi + present participle They came hurrying to meet her

3 a) S + vi + preposition + noun/pronoun/gerund You can rely on me

b) S + vi + preposition (+ it) + clause He insists that he was nowhere near the

scene of the crime

4 a) S + vi + to-infinitive We stopped to have a rest

b) S + vi + to-infinitive He turned to see the sun setting

c) S + vi + to-infinitive Don‟t bother/trouble to meet me d) S + seem/appear + (to be) + adjective/noun He seemed (to be) surprised at the

news

e) S + seem/ appear/ happen/ chance +

to-infinitive

The baby seems to be asleep

f) S + BE + to-infinitive (phrase) John and I are to meet at the station at

six o'clock

5 S + anomalous finite + infinitive (phrase) You may leave now

Verb pattern 6-10 are verbs used transitively

6 a) S + vt + noun/pronoun Nobody answered my question

b) S + vt + noun/pronoun

(passive conversion impossible)

She has blue eyes

c) S + vt + gerund She enjoys playing tennis

d) S + vt + gerund She likes swimming

e) S + need/want/bear + gerund (passive

meaning)

The garden needs watering

7 a) S + vt + (not) + to-infinitive (phrase) I prefer (not) to start early

b) S + have/ought + (not) + to-infinitive They have to go

8 S + vt + interrogative pronoun/adverb +

to-infinitive

I don‟t know who to go to for advice

9 S + vt + that-clause I suppose you‟ll be there

10 S + vt + dependent clause/question I don‟t know who she is

Verb Pattern 11-25: These patterns are of transitive verbs used with a complement or with

an indirect object

11 S + vt + noun/pronoun + that-clause He warned us that the roads were icy

12 a) S + vt + noun/mpronoun (IO) + noun/pronoun

(DO)

They have paid him the money

b) S + vt + noun /pronoun (IO) + noun/pronoun

I‟ve bought some chocolate for you

14 S + vt + noun/pronoun (DO) + preposition + We congratulated him on his success

15 a) S + vt + noun/pronoun (DO) + adverbial

phrase

Please put the milk in the refrigerator b) S + vt + noun/pronoun (DO) + adverbial

particle

Put your shoes on

c) S + vt + adv particle + noun/pronoun (DO) Put on your shoes

16 a) S + vt + noun/pronoun (DO) + to-infinitive He brought his brother to see me b) S + vt + noun/pronoun (DO) + as/like/for/ as

c) S + HAVE + noun/pronoun + infinitive What would you have me do?

19 a) S + vt + noun/pronoun + present participle They saw the thief running away b) S + vt + noun/pronoun + present participle I found him dozing under a tree

I showed them how to do it

21 S + vt + noun/pronoun + dependent clause/

question

Tell me what your name is

22 S + vt + noun/pronoun/ gerund (DO) + adjective We painted the ceiling green

23 a) S + vt + noun/pronoun (DO) + noun phrase

(object complement)

She has made the job a success

b) S + vt + noun/pronoun (IO) + noun phase

She has had her handbag stolen

c) S + HAVE/GET + noun/pronoun (DO) + past

participle

I must have/get my hair cut

25 S + vt + noun/pronoun (DO) + (to be) +

adjective/noun

Most people considered him (to be) innocent

Table 2 25 verb patterns by Hornby (1975)

Hornby (1975) claimed that how to put words together in the right order

is as important as their meanings; and the most important patterns in a sentence are verb patterns, which are divided into twenty-five numbers The patterns 1

up to 5 are verbs used intransitively while patterns 6 up to 25 are verbs used transitively

2.4 Review of previous studies

2.4.1 Previous studies on interlingual errors

Concerning interlingual errors, Ellis et al (1994) analysed the influence

of the native language on the target language and called it „L1 transfer‟ with both positive and negative influences Mitchell & Myles (2004) considered L1 negative transfer as a set of habits They stated that when learners acquired their mother tongue as L1, they developed a set of established habits, and when they studied the L2, they had to adopt a new set of habits due to the similarities or differences between the two languages

Ying (1987) examined 120 English compositions written by Taiwanese students and analysed errors on the basis of three criteria of language transfer incomplete application of rules and overgeneralization In total, 1250 errors were found in the 120 compositions, with 78.9% of the errors being interlingual, 13.6% being overgeneralization of the target language, and 7.5% being errors of incomplete rule application

Chen (1998) reported that most Taiwanese students had difficulties in the use of English tenses due to the absence of verb conjugation in Taiwanese Fang (1999) highlighted the teaching of English verb tenses to prevent Taiwanese students from misusing English tenses due to linguistic difference and since Taiwanese is not an inflected language

Lee‟s (2001) research was to identify and classify errors by analyzing medical students‟ writing in their formal and informal letters His study revealed that learners‟ errors were mostly resulted from L1 transfer 25 sophomore medical students were the participants of his study; they were given

6 topics to write about throughout the semester, and the study revealed that approximately one fourth of errors (26%) of these subjects resulted from L1 transfer Khodabande (2007) classified and analysed errors in Iranian students‟ translation tests 58 graduate students of English in this research were given a translation test including 60 headlines (30 in Persian and 30 in English) and

they had to translate these headlines All of the students' translations were examined to see whether there were any inter-linguistic issues while translating.The findings of the study revealed that the students‟ translations contained mainly grammatical errors such as the wrong use of auxiliaries, the wrong agreement of subject and verb, the wrong choice of verbs; which were considered as interlingual errors

To study interlingual errors, Mukkatesh (1981) explored the errors in the production of wh-questions by 80 Arab speaking students at a Jordanian University He found that approximately 25% of student‟ errors involved a failure to invert the subject and verb or auxiliary He noted that while this could

be a sign of L1 influence, it has also been reported to be characteristic of first language and second language learners from other linguistic backgrounds

Obeidat (1986) investigated the syntactic and semantic errors in the written composition of Arab EFL learners It was found that students in both studies made interlingual and intralingual errors in wh-questions, subject-verb agreement, verb forms, auxiliary, tense usage, and word choice To investigate the negative impact of L1 on the students‟ English essays, Hussein & Mohammad (2011) conducted a study on 16 university students whose L1 was Arabic The participants wrote essays of 300 words under three writing modes: process, comparison, and opinion The results of the study showed a great influence of Arabic language on students‟ English writing

Timina (2013) examined the errors committed by Chinese learners in their English essays The study followed a process of error analysis with the assistance of comparative analysis and compared the characteristics of L1 and L2 to find errors It identified errors in essay organization structure, content and reasoning due to differences in rhetorical characteristics of English and Chinese In addition, there were cases of grammatical and lexical errors such as verb tense, wrong word, incomplete structures or sentences This indicated that the differences between L1 and L2 significantly interfered the students‟

writings Liu (2011) analysed 40 non-English majors‟ essays in the department

of software engineering and 35 non-English majors‟essays in the department of economic management in a university in China After analysing the data, the author found that the incorrect use of verbs accounted for the most proportion

of the whole errors The findings of the study showed that the Chinese as L1 influenced the students‟ English essays in lexical, sentence structural and discourse errors, which were considered as interlingual errors

In Vietnam, Cong (2016) studied the interference of Vietnamese on English learners at universities The data of this study were 120 letters and essays from 40 students to analyze the errors caused by language transfer The findings indicated that more than half of students made verb tense errors in their narrative writings, while other students committed word-choice errors and subject-verb agreement errors in their descriptive essays (20.35%) and letter writings (19.52%) Moreover, there were more than 100 occurrences of the omission of the verb “BE”, which was mostly due to the language transfer

2.4.2 Previous studies on intralingual errors

Intralingual errors originate in the following factors: overgeneralization, incomplete application of rules, ignorance of rule restrictions, and false concepts hypothesized Kim (1987) analyzed the errors in English essays of Korean learners of grade 12 with the amount of 2455 errors His study showed that errors in omissing of the verb „Be‟ and auxiliaries were the most common with 419 errors and he concluded that intralingual errors occurred more often than transfer errors In his study in 1988, Kim analysed the errors of using English verbs of 120 Korean English learners of grade 11 who were asked to translate 42 Korean sentences into English The results of this study revealed that there were 903 errors in using mood, 885 errors in using voice and 720 tense errors Regarding the causes of errors, overgeneralization occurred the most with 65%, followed by L1 transfer with 22%, and the incomplete application of rules occurred the least with 13%

In another study, Kim (2001) studied the causes of learners‟ errors in 30 essays of freshman students in a TOEIC class He concluded that the two main causes were interlingual and intralingual errors, and the most learners‟ errors were the use of verbs The results showed that most of learners‟ errors were intralingual ones and the L1 interference is responsible for a large number of errors He also found that learners‟ errors were not just deviant forms that should be corrected but they reflected creative process of seeking systematic rules of target language

Sattayatham and Honsa (2007) conducted a study on error analysis of

237 first year medical students from 4 medical schools at Mahidol University The students were asked to translate sentences from Thai into English; and the data collected from the translation were analyzed to find the most frequent errors of these medical students by using the distribution of frequency As a result, many errors concerning the use of English verbs were found such as the subject-verb agreement, the use of verbs of feeling, the use of tenses, the reported speech and the passive voice

Ghadessy (1980) examined 100 English essays to analyse the errors committed by Iranian students in a university The findings revealed that intralingual errors, which are similar to errors made when learning a new language, were the most common

Chan (2004) studied the errors found in 50 compositions made by 25 law students in a matriculation course The researcher found that the students made common errors in the use of past tense Among the errors committed, the simple past tense was the most wrongly used in place of present tense and present perfect tense forms

Khuwaileh and Al Shoumali (2000) did a study to look at Jordanian students‟ writing errors, and they discovered that tense errors were the most common among Arab learners, as in Arabic language, there are only three tenses Lin (2002) looked at 26 essays written by Taiwanese college students

learning English The study‟s findings revealed that the four most frequent errors were the wrong use of words (15.9%), sentence fragments (15.9%), wrong verb forms (21.1%), and sentence structures (30.4%)

Mawarty (2006) studied the use of verb patterns in the book entitled

„Jane Eyre‟ by Charlotte Bronte and recognized that 11 verb patterns based on

Hornby‟s theory appeared in this book and the verb patterns which mostly appeared were VP1, VP5, VP7 and VP9

Susanti (2005) analyzed verb patterns used in English book grade 5 in the elementary school and discovered that from 25 main patterns of Hornby‟s theory the verb pattern which mostly appeared was VP1 (S + V + DO) because this form is very simple and easy for primary pupils to learn Mar‟ulah (2008) studied verb patterns employed in reading texts in English national test at senior high school in 2008 in order to improve the student‟s ability through reading skill He discovered that out of 25 verb patterns based on Hornby's theory, 17 verb patterns were identified in reading texts in this study The most predominant verb patterns are the VP1, VP2, VP3, VP6 and VP14

Bootchuy (2008) analysed the incorrect sentences constructed by the transfer Thai L1 structures into the academic English writing with the data collected from final term papers of 41 first year graduate students studying in an English Master program at a university in Bangkok There were 2 types of errors found in this study: interlingual errors and intralingual errors with the

most frequent types of errors which were the overuse of verb to be, redundancy

of verbs, incorrect verbs and verb constructions, wrong form of verbs, and omission of auxiliary verbs in the passive voice constructions

In summary, reviewing previous studies makes this research more valid and more reliable in the analysis of errors of the use of verb patterns, especially the causes of the errors which were interlingual and intralingual ones; which helps teachers know the types and causes of errors at different levels of English students to help them write English essays better

2.5 Models for Error Analysis

Corder (1974) elaborated some procedures needed for Error Analysis The complete procedures proposed by Corder are as follows:

(1) Collection of samples: the researcher needs to collect a sample of learner language to offer data for the error analysis In this first step, the researcher may control the data by narrowly specifying the sample to collect

(2) Identification of errors: to identify whether the collected samples deviate from native or target language According to Corder (1974), a comparison of learners‟ sentences and correct statements in the same context is used to identify errors

(3) Classification and description of errors: Ellis et al (1994) classified errors according to language level (morphology, syntax and vocabulary), grammatical category or how they deviate from statements reproduced in the target language To characterize the distinctions between learner's sentences and correct sentences, linguistic taxonomy or surface structure taxonomy are commonly used in the description and classification of errors

(4) Explanation of errors: to explain the sources of errors which are interlingual or intralingual errors “Explaining errors involves determining their sources in order to account for why they were made” (Corder, p.62)

Corder (1974) also claimed a supplementary stage in error analysis which was error evaluation by stating: “It involves determining the gravity of different errors with a view to deciding which ones should receive instruction” However, in the scope of this thesis, the researcher focused only on the four first stages which could help identify the types and causes of errors as the aims

of the study have determined

Hubbard et al (1996, pp.135) and Ellis (1997, p.15) offered practical

guidance and gave clear examples of the identification and the analysis of learners‟ errors

CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Research design and methods

This study employs a case study design which refers to the collection and presentation of detailed information about a particular group; it draws conclusions only about that group of participants in that specific context

This study uses qualitative method to investigate error analysis in English essays written by 26 French-major students at ThangLong high school

in DaLat

3.2 Research site

The study was conducted at ThangLong High School, a public school for gifted students with potentials in natural sciences, social sciences, and foreign languages in DaLat city, LamDong province

In Vietnam, each province has at least one high school for gifted students; these schools strive to create the greatest possible atmosphere for academic performance and further education preparation, and they often send their students to regional, national, and worldwide academic competitions for gifted students

In terms of foreign languages, English is a compulsory subject every student at ThangLong high school has to take Concerning French, there are only 3 classes of 3 levels with 48 students who learn French as a second language, and these students have to learn English as a foreign language The students who learn English do not have to study French, but the students who learn French are obliged to study English These students have studied French from Grade 1 when they are 6 years old; and they begin to study English from grade 6, when they are 12 years old

3.3 Sampling and participants

A sample consists of a portion of the population that might be representative of the whole; a sample that does not accurately exemplify the population is inadequate for a study since the results cannot be generalized, probability and non-probability (non-random) are the two forms of sampling Since the number of French-major students (in Grades 10 and 11) at ThangLong high school is small (only 26 students), I decided to include the entire population in my study That is why non-random sampling was used Particularly, the students were 10 students of grade 10(38.5%) and 16 students

of grade 11 (61.5%) The sample included 17 females (65.4%) and 9 males (34.6%) This research only chose the students of grade 10 and grade 11 because students of grade 12 did not have to study English anymore; they just focused only the French language to pass their examinations

The selection of this sample was based on the assumption that major students were not advanced learners in English These students enrolled

French-in an advanced writFrench-ing course durFrench-ing school year 2019-2020 and they studied English for 2 periods of 45 minutes a week; it means 8 periods a month and about 60 periods for 7 months It was the researcher who taught this class of 26 French-major students to improve their communicative skills in English, especially their writing skills

During the first month, these 26 students were given lectures and advice about writing convention and techniques, and practiced different stages of writing such as writing topic sentence, outlining, developing ideas, identifying unity and coherence, revising and editing Then, the students were taught how

to write a paragraph and were assigned to write a paragraph on some given topics Prior to writing the paragraph, the students were given some time to do prewriting activity such as brainstorming, outlining and writing a topic sentence It was assumed that students would have already become familiar with the easy writing by the time they were assigned to write their essays The

students were taught how to write an English essay; therefore, they were assumed to be proficiency in English knowledge and in essay writing The writing environment could facilitate students‟ use of linguistic knowledge that they have already learned The writing activity and the collection of data were administered under the observance of the researcher

3.4 Pilot study

A pilot study was conducted on 10 twelfth grade French-major students

on September 2019, a month before forming the extra-class of writing for 26 tenth and eleventh grade French-major students These 10 students were required to write two English essays from 250 to 300 words on the two first topics of this research about the advantages of learning English and about the problems of using Internet, each essay was written in 30 minutes After submitting the essays, they participated in a semi-structured interview

The goal of the pilot study was to see if the topics were suitable for the French-major students‟ level and if they could recognize the types of errors that were required in the research The purpose of the interview was to ensure that the questions were relevant and understandable

After the pilot study, the researcher recognized that the time for writing the essays and the questions used in the pilot study needed to be upgraded.The time limit of 30 minutes for writing an essay of 250 or 300 words was not sufficient; and the students may need more time to put their thoughts into English writing, therefore, the time limit was increased to 45 minutes

The initial interview questions, which consisted of 50% closed-ended questions, were unable to produce adequate data for the study Therefore, the researcher kept only three closed-ended questions, added more open-ended questions and simplified two questions so that students could easily provide their answers