CÁCH SỬ DỤNG THÌ HIỆN TẠI HOÀN THÀNH TRONG BÁO ANH VÀ BÁO MỸ

This bachelor thesis deals with the use of Present Perfect in British and American news. The aim of the investigations is to find out which type(s) of Present Perfect uses is/are the most preferable in English news reports and the possible differences in the use of Present perfect in relation to Past Simple between British and American English. To begin with, a theoretical part summarized various opinions from different linguists toward Present Perfect, and earlier researches by various authors before the main part of the thesis is presented. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were applied in order to answer the two research questions. First, the researcher counted the uses of Present Perfect and classified them into four main uses; then analyzed the frequency of these uses. Specific cases were consulted to illustrate the other issues related to Present Perfect usage including time expressions, verb voice, and the difference in choosing Present Perfect and Past simple for indefinite past actions. Looking at data collected, it is striking that Present Perfect was mostly used for indefinite past actions in event reports, followed by the use for resultative actions. Also, active voice of verbs was also more preferable than the passive voice. Meanwhile, there was a difference in the way British and American English referred to actions started in unspecific time in the past. British reporters tended to use Present Perfect while American preferred Past Simple to indicate indefinite past actions in event reports. Considering the result from research, teachers and students should pay more attention to the most frequent use of Present Perfect when teaching and learning, especially for news report activity.

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI

UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL

STUDIESFACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION

HÀ NỘI - 2014

ĐẠI HỌC QUỐC GIA HÀ NỘI

TRƯỜNG ĐẠI HỌC NGOẠI NGỮKHOA SƯ PHẠM TIẾNG ANH

KHÓA LUẬN TỐT NGHIỆP

CÁCH SỬ DỤNG THÌ HIỆN TẠI HOÀN THÀNH

TRONG BÁO ANH VÀ BÁO MỸ

Giáoviênhướngdẫn:Nguyễn Thị Thùy Linh, M.A Sinhviên:Đỗ Thị Vân Anh

Khóa: QH2010.F1.E9

HÀ NỘI - 2014

I hereby state that I: Do Thi Van Anh, class 10E9, being a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (TEFL) accepts the requirements of the College relating to the retention and use Bachelor’s Graduation Paper deposited in the library

In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in the library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the care, loan or reproduction of the paper

First and foremost, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to my supervisor, Nguyen Thi Thuy Linh, M.A, for the continuous support of my B.A thesis paper, for her patience, motivation, enthusiasm, and immense knowledge Her guidance helped me in all the time of research and writing of this thesis I could not imagine having a better advisor and mentor for my B.A study

Besides my advisor, I would like to thank Dr Nguyen Thi Minh Tam for her advice and assistance in keeping my progress on schedule

My grateful thanks are also extended to staffs at my university library and all staffs at Faculty of Linguistics and Cultures of English Speaking Countries for their enthusiastic support during my process of carrying out the thesis

I would also like to extend my thanks to my parents, brothers and sister and friends for their constant encouragement without which this research would not be possible

This bachelor thesis deals with the use of Present Perfect in British and American news The aim of the investigations is to find out which type(s) of Present Perfect uses is/are the most preferable in English news reports and the possible differences in the use of Present perfect in relation to Past Simple between British and American English

To begin with, a theoretical part summarized various opinions from different linguists toward Present Perfect, and earlier researches by various authors before the main part of the thesis is presented Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were applied in order to answer the two research questions First, the researcher counted the uses of Present Perfect and classified them into four main uses; then analyzed the frequency of these uses Specific cases were consulted to illustrate the other issues related to Present Perfect usage including time expressions, verb voice, and the difference in choosing Present Perfect and Past simple for indefinite past actions

Looking at data collected, it is striking that Present Perfect was mostly used for indefinite past actions in event reports, followed by the use for resultative actions Also, active voice of verbs was also more preferable than the passive voice Meanwhile, there was a difference in the way British and American English referred to actions started in unspecific time in the past British reporters tended to use Present Perfect while American preferred Past Simple to indicate indefinite past actions in event reports

Considering the result from research, teachers and students should pay more attention to the most frequent use of Present Perfect when teaching and learning, especially for news report activity

TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE

2.1.5 Comparison between the use of

Present Perfect in relation to Past Simple

3.3 Data collection and analysis method 18

LIST OF TABLES/CHARTS

2 The number and percentage of Present Perfect uses in

3 The percentage of Verb voice with Present Perfect in

List of charts page

1 Present Perfect usage in both British and

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

This chapter stated the research problem, the rationale for the study as well

as aims, significance, and design of the study Moreover, the research questions were also clearly stated to act as the parameter for the whole paper

1.1 Statement of the problem and the rationale for the study

Tense is “grammatical category that is realized by verb reflection” (Greenbaum & Quirk, 1990, p.47) Tense expresses time relations of an event or

an action when these are realized by form of verbs In English, tense can be divided into two main groups: the present tenses and the past tenses Meanwhile, aspect reflects the way in which the action of a verb is viewed with respect to time Present Perfect is a combination of present tense and the perfect aspect According to Greenbaum & Quirk (1990, p.51), Present Perfect refers to a situation set at some indefinite time within a period beginning in the past and leading up to present Being well aware of the use of present perfect, teachers and learners all over the world, including Vietnamese ones can apply knowledge in their teaching and learning process more easily

Moreover, there are two studies related to the Present Perfect conducted by former students of the Faculty of English Language Teacher Education, Ulis(FELT) The first study (Nguyen, 2000) paid attention to the Present Perfect and the Past Simple Here the researcher focused on the frequent grammar mistakes on the use of Present Perfect and Past Simple made by high school students Meanwhile, the second project (Pham, 2007) mainly discussed various viewpoints on the uses of Present Perfect tense He also conducted a grammar test for high school students which mainly put emphasis on the present perfect itself Both studies focused on the theoretical uses of Present Perfect, and the study results were mostly based on the results of grammar test students had done However, these studies did not reflect the practical use of this tense in authentic texts rather on test Therefore, this study was carried out on the basis of authentic materials in which the grammar points were illustrated through real situations

Finally, realizing the benefits of using English newspapers as effective materials for English learners, the researcher chose to conduct the study on newspaper fields Vietnamese English learners have learned grammar categories mostly on grammar exercises which normally lack of authenticity Even there are still authentic materials like stories or articles distracted from mass media materials, this kind of learning is not widely applied, especially for learners at lower levels

All the above-mentioned reasons motivated the researcher to conduct a

research paper entitles “A study of Present Perfect tense usage in American and

British electronic newspapers” to fill in the identified gaps in the local literature.

1.2 Aims and objectives of the study

The first and foremost purpose when choosing this topic was to investigate the actual use of PPT tense in English newspapers Vietnamese learners learn Present Perfect mostly from grammar exercises, which is lack of authenticity Hence the researcher did hope that English learners would learn somehow more easily from the native using of Present Perfect

In addition, the researcher wanted to find out the most popular use of Present Perfect on event reports in newspapers As a result, teachers and students need to focus more on that use when teaching and learning English, especially in news report activity And finally, the paper was conducted with desire to examine whether there would be differences between British and American English as said

in theory

The above objectives are realized in the research questions below:

1 Which use of Present Perfect tense is most frequently used in electronic newspapers?

2 Are there any differences in the use of Present Perfect in the chosen British and American electronic newspapers?

1.3 Significance of the study

The study would bring about certain benefits to teachers, students and other researchers who share the same interest in this issue.

Firstly, the research findings may offer teachers a better look at learning materials Newspaper may be then considered effective materials for teachers to apply in teaching in reality Moreover, teachers can know how to focus on some issues when teaching Present Perfect for reporting events For example, they will know which use of this tense is more popularly used, and then pay more attention

to that use when teaching

Secondly, students also get benefits from this research by choosing materials for their learning and focus more on the most important issues

Last but not least, researchers who pay attention to the same topic can refer this paper as a source of updated and reliable information

1.4 Research design

Chapter 1: Introduction - includes statement of research problem and

rationale for the study, aims and objectives of the study, significance of the study, and organization of the study

Chapter 2: Literature review – lays the theoretical background for the study Chapter 3: Methodology – describes the research design, data collection

instruments as well as the procedure to carry out the research

Chapter 4: Data analysis and discussion - presents, analyzes, synthesizes

and discusses the findings revealed from the collected data according to the problem of the two research questions

Chapter 5: Conclusion –encapsulates the main issues discussed throughout

the study, the limitations of the paper, several pedagogical implications and some

suggestions for further study This chapter is followed by the References and

Appendixes.

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW

This chapter provided the theoretical background for the whole paper, in which the key concepts were thoroughly elaborated on Besides, the review of related studies worldwide and in Vietnam helped to point out the gaps which the research aimed to bridge through this study

2.1 Theoretical background

2.1.1 Tense

English second language learners sometimes find “time” and “tense” in English interchangeable As a result, in some English materials present tense, past tense and future tense are easily used in order to refer to actions happening in the present, in the past and in the future time Greenbaum & Quirk (1990) defined tense as “grammatical category that is realized by verb reflection” (Greenbaum & Quirk, 1990, p.47) Tense expresses time relations of an event or an action when they are realized by verb form Since when indicating the future events, English has no inflected verb form, English tense can be divided into two subgroups: the present tenses and the past tenses

In line with Greenbaum’s & Quirk’s (1990) argument, some educators (e.g., Yule, 1998; Quik et al., 1993; Huddleston, 1984) characterized English as containing only two tenses: the present and the past Future events are considered

as predictive, and conveyed by means of a modal auxiliary Therefore, in this study the researcher decided to apply the concept of tense with two main subtypes: present and past tenses

The basis for the choice of tense is the relationship between three time points: event time (ET), reference time (RT), and speech time (ST) (Rechenbach, 1947) The event time is the point of time when the events or actions take place, while the speech time indicates when the utterance is made, and the reference time

is the point of time at which the event is seen or described In case of the present tense, the event time is related to the reference time, which is almost associated with the speech time (ET=RT=ST) On the other hand, in the case of past tense,

the time referred to is also the time of state of affairs indicated in the utterance which precedes the time of speaking (Rechenback, 1947).

2.1.2 Time

Time which is distinct from tense merely refers to the actual physical time

in the real world According to Quirk, Greenbaum & Leech (1976), the units of time are extra-linguistic which is independent on the grammar of any particular language

Each language has its own way to show the relation between time and tense English time and tense, for instance, are associated by means of verbal inflections and auxiliaries The use of tense in relation to time reference is relatively subjective and context-centered Users choose tense based on the time point that he or she wants to focus on in a particular context English learners have

to thoroughly understand the correspondence of three notions of time (event time, speech time and reference time) to tense, but the context as well in order to determine tenses

2.1.3 Aspect

Aspect refers to the way in which the action of a verb is viewed with respect to time (Greenbaum & Quirk, 1990, p.51) An event can be seen as a completed whole, in progress, durative, or continuative to a more recent time Different languages use different linguistic forms to convey aspect According to Richarch (1995), English has been divided into two grammatical aspects: perfect and progressive Perfect aspect is used when event time may begin before and extend up to the reference time, and may or may not be simultaneous with the speech time Also, perfect aspect can be subdivided into three types: the Present

Perfect (I have eaten the food), past perfect (The trained had left before I arrived), and the future perfect (The plan will have landed by then) Meanwhile, progressive

aspect indicates an action, event or condition which is continuing Progressive

aspect includes past progressive (She was having breakfast when her father came in), present progressive (I am painting the house), future progressive (I will be

going to the movie theater with my friends) and perfect progressive (She has been driving for a long time)

Meanwhile, it is said according to Svalberg and Chuchu (1998) that English have four aspects: simple aspect, perfect aspect, progressive aspect and perfect progressive aspect Here, Svalberg & Chuchu (1998) added simple aspect and split perfect progressive aspect out of progressive aspect in comparison with Richarch’s

classification The simple aspect depicts an event as a whole, as incomplete, as

seen unfolding from beginning to end, or as unchanging (Richarch, 1995)

Meanwhile, perfect aspect is marked by means of the auxiliary verb have, together

with the past participle form of a lexical verb The perfect aspect can be divided

into three subtypes as in the following examples ( Huddleston & Pullum, 2002) :

Aspect Present perfect Past perfect Future perfect

Characteristic Used to

express the event that starts before and extends up to the reference time, which happens exactly at the same time with the

express the event that begins before and extends up to the reference time, which happens before the speech time

Used to refer to events which occur

reference time in the future

speech time.

Examples I have done

homework.

She has graduated from university.

The bus had left before she came.

students had passed the graduation examination.

The plane will have landed

by then

Table 1: Perfect aspect in English

Huddleston and Pullum (2002) stated that the perfect aspect expressed the time relation of anteriority The perfect aspect is used when the speaker refers to the event time that may begin before and extend up to the reference time, which may or may not be simultaneous with the speech time

Progressive aspect is represented by means of the verb “be” followed by a

lexical verb in the present participle form (or –ing form) According to Huddleston and Pullum (2002), the characteristics of the Present Perfect are:

(1) The situation is presented as in progress

They are playing computer games when I come in (the time of their playing

game is simultaneous to the time of my coming in)

(2) The situation is viewed imperfective

When I arrived, Mary was cooking dinner (the act of cooking happened

before the time of arriving and continued after it)

(3) The situation is interpreted as mid-interval

Peter is repairing the TV set (the act of repairing started in the past and

will continue for at least some time into the future)

(4) The situation is presented as durative

The train was arriving (the train was in progress of arriving)

(5) The situation is presented as dynamic

When I came in, Jack had his head buried in a book but David was watching TV (Although “have” was happened at the time of speaker’s come, it has

non-progressive aspect because it is a state, not an activity like “watch”)

(6) The situation is presented as having limited duration

The train was arriving.

Perfect progressive aspect can suggest the results of an event/situation at

the reference time with the emphasis on the temporary duration of such a situation

Marry has watching TV when I came in.

In summary, the researcher applied the classification of aspect from Svalberg and Chuchu (1998) because of its convince and logic Therefore, in this study, English aspect is considered including four main ones: simple aspect, progressive aspect, perfect aspect and perfect progressive aspect

2.1.4 Present perfect

2.1.4.1 Definition

The Present Perfect often refers to “past with present relevance” or “past involving the present” (Leech, 1987, p.36) By means of present perfect, a past event can show its relation to the present in two particular ways:

− It may include a time period leading up to the present.

− Or it may have results lasting up to the present.

Present Perfect is a combination between present tense and the perfect aspect In general, the Present Perfect creates a connection between the events happening in the time of speaking or writing For present perfect, the event time precedes the reference time which is the same as the speech time

In English, the Present Perfect is formed with the present form of the

auxiliary verb HAVE plus the past participle: I have worked or She has worked

etc

2.1.4.2 Usage

There are different ways of classifying the uses of Present Perfect according

to many authors Its uses can be divided into two-use system, three, four or five -use systems

2.1.4.2.1 Two-use system

Swan (1992) stated that Present Perfect has two main uses, and divided it into 5 smaller ones:

(1) Actions or situations continue up to the present

- actions or situations start in the past and continue up to present

- long actions and situations begin in the past and very recently

- actions or situations repeat in a period up to present

(2) Actions or event that finished

- actions or events that have some present importance

- past of action as part of our experience and knowledge

Meanwhile, Alexander (1980) also split two main uses of the Present Perfect into five sub-uses:

(1) Actions began in the past continuing up to the present and may in the future This can be subdivided into two smaller types based on time expressions:

- adverbials: before, ever, never

- “since” and “for”

(2) Actions happened at unspecific time in the past but still have some connection to the present

- without time reference

- with reference to present time

- repeated or habitual actions

In general, it can be seen that Alexander (1980) and Swan (1992) have the relatively same view on dividing Present Perfect uses However, Alexander (1980) mostly divided Present Perfect use on the base of time expression while Swan’s base (1992) is the connection of the action to the present time

2.1.4.2.2 Three-use system

Feigenbaum (1981) named three uses of Present Perfect as Completed Perfect, Continuative Perfect, and Indefinite Perfect Completed Perfect refers to the actions that have finished while Continuative Perfect indicates actions that started in the past and still continue to the present time Meanwhile, Indefinite Perfect is in the middle between the above two It can be Continuative if the action

is still going on or it can be Completed if the action has finished To sum up, it can

be seen that Feigenbaum divided Present Perfect use into three types based on the time of completion of the action.

2.1.4.2.3 Four-use system

Leech & Svartvik (1989) state that the Present Perfect can be used in four different ways, one of them happens with state verbs and the other three with event verbs

(1) A state leading up to the present

The Present Perfect can be used with state verbs to refer to a state that began in the past and extends over a period of time leading up to the present moment E.g.:

She has owned the house since her father died.

We have lived in Amsterdam for a long time.

Since state verbs are of undefined time-span, the state itself may extend to the future E.g.:

We have lived here all our lives, and intend to live here for many years to come.

There is an exception, however, made for verbs used in one of the progressive With these verbs, the Present Perfect also refers to a period of limited duration, normally expressed by the Present Progressive:

non-Why haven’t you been writing to me? – I’ve been ill

(2) Indefinite past actions:

The Present Perfect is used with event verbs to express indefinite events happening in the past

e.g.: I have read the instructions but I don’t understand them.

Have you had breakfast? – No I haven’t had it yet

The speaker wants to refer to the past event in relation to speech time, not

to a definite moment of occurrence of the event The speaker views the event as happening at an unspecific time in the past

(3) Habit leading up to the present:

The habitual use of the Present Perfect with dynamic verbs refers to past events that repeatedly happen up to and including the present

I’ve always walked to work.

The magazine has been published every month since 1975.

Like state use of the Present Perfect, the habit may continue through the present moment into the future, and an adverbial of duration is usually required

For example, ‘Mr Phillip has sung in this choir’ (without the adverbial phrase)

will be appropriate as example of the indefinite past meaning

Often, the habit is usually emphasized by an adverbial of frequency: the machine has been serviced every month since we bought it.

(4) Action result in the present

A past event is also used with the Present Perfect to imply that the result of that event is still operative at the present time

Tom has had a bad car crash (He’s probably still in hospital)

The lift has broken down (…., and we have to use the stairs)

In the line with Leech & Starvik (1989), Comrie’s classification (1976) found four main uses of present perfect:

(1) Perfect of Resultive

She has passed the entrance examination

(2) Experential Perfect

I have been to London for many times.

(3) Perfect of Persistence Situation

I have lived in Hanoi for four years.

(4) Perfect of Recent Past

Peter has just arrived.

In conclusion, Comrie’s (1) is similar to Leech’s (4), Comrie’s (3) is similar

to Leech’s (1) and (2), Comrie’s(4) is similar to Leech (3)

2.1.4.2.4 Five-use system

Leech (1989) further divided Present Perfect into five uses:

(1) Events or actions began in the past and have not changed (usually with

“for” and “since”)

She has lived here since 1975.

(2) General experience

I have been to England for many times.

(3) Recent events or states

Recently Peter has promoted to Assistant Manager.

(4) Very recent events (often with “just”)

She has just graduated from high school.

(5) Events whose results are still noticeable

Mike has found the dictionary that he lost long time ago.

Meanwhile, Swan and Walter (1997) also applied five-use system for present perfect They are:

(1) Finished actions that are important now because they have results at present as they are news

John has got married.

(2) For news up to now

She has graduated from college.

(3) Expressions which refer to anytime

They have been to Rome.

(4) Situations continuing up to now

The work has begun for many years.

(5) Actions repeated up to now

The worker has sneezed several times.

Considering these two systems above, it can be seen that Leech’s (1989) (1)

is similar to Swan‘s & Walter’s (1997) (4) Leech’s (5) is similar to Swan’s& Walter’s (1) However, it is clear that Swan’s system is not as convincing as Leech’s because the (2),(4), and (5) use can be combined together in one use Meanwhile, Leech’s system is constructed more logically with fewer overlap uses

So far different linguists have different classification of Present Perfect usage Although the classification is various in the name of use, the semantic meaning of these uses is similar and grouped in different ways

Of the four above-mentioned systems, the four-use system and five-use system seem to be more convincing while Present Perfect uses here are grouped in

a more logical way Meanwhile, in the two-use and three-use systems, they are grouped too generally and somehow unclearly Therefore, the researcher decided

to consider the two last systems to make a thorough classification for the study However, it is necessary to consider some issues in order to come up with a convincing classification

Firstly, it would be better if state/situations continuing up to now and habitual actions/repeated actions up to now are combined in one use as in Comrie

(1976) and Leech (1987) instead of separating as in Leech and Startvick (1989) In

addition, Perfeect of recent past and experiential perfect should be separated as in

Comrie (1976) instead of separated as in Leech and Startvick (1989) These two

uses is totally different in term of time reference because experiential refers to

longer time period (often with adverbials like never, ever, before) in comparison

with Recent past which refers to nearer to the time of speaking

Thus, from the above considerations, the researcher decided to divide Present Perfect usage into four main uses as follow:

(1) States/ repeated events up to the present moment: with such adverbials

like: since, for, so far, up to now, up to present time

(2) Recent indefinite past: with adverbials such as already, still, yet, just, recently, lately

(3) Experiential perfect: often with never, ever

(4) Resultative perfect: often without adverbials

2.1.5 Comparison between the use of the Present Perfect in relation to Past Simple in British English and American English.

According to Salama & Ghaly (1982, p.93), there are some differences between the choices of using Present Perfect or Past Simple as stated below:

2.1.5.1 A finish act with strong current relevance

In English, this action can be only used with Present Perfect, but with both Present Perfect and Past Simple in American English

This discussion will be the same as we have had in the past (BE)

This discussion will be the same as we have had in the past / This discussion will be the same as we had in the past (AE)

2.1.5.2 Habitual actions during a current time period

The actions happen during a current time of period with possibility of prepetition

I’ve received three letters this week (BE)

I’ve received three letters this week / I received three letters this week (AE)

2.1.5.3 Newspaper or broadcast introduction:

When introduce news in newspapers or broadcast, the American prefers use Past Simple while the British uses the Present Perfect

Three men were arrested at the London Hilton after the discovery of a cache of machine guns in one of the room (AE)

Three men have been arrested at the London Hilton after the discovery of a cache of machine guns in one of the room (BE)

2.2 An overview of related studies

2.2.1 International related studies

There have been several studies worldwide that recommended the use of present perfect

ŽETKO (2010), by using material from British and American corpus from plays, has found that the transfer of the functions of the Present Perfect into that of the “preterite” occurs more often in informal English and American English Also, Hundt & Smit (2013) also recognized the more frequency of using present perfect

in American English than in British English However, none of them carried out their studies based on newspaper materials

2.2.2 Related studies in Vietnam

As aforementioned, there have been several studies about on the issue of Present Perfect in the scope of ULIS, VNU, exploring Present Perfect from the use

of Students and also comparison with the past simple (Nguyen, 2000; Pham, 2007) Unfortunately, they only focused on how students deal with grammatical exercises related to Present Perfect without concerning the importance of authentic materials like newspapers Moreover, there isn’t any further concern about the frequency use of the Present Perfect in the native use of the language This strongly motivates the researcher to carry out her own study to bridge the gaps and play part in the understanding the contemporary situation

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY

This chapter aims at elaborating on the participants, justifying the research instruments as well as describing in details the instruments and procedures of collecting data and analyzing data

3.1 Research design

As already mentioned, the core research questions are formulated as follows:

Question 1: Which use(s) of Present Perfect is/are most frequent in the

chosen British and American electronic articles?

Question 2: Are there any differences in the use of Present Perfect in

relation with Past Simple in these articles?

In this study, the researcher applied the case study design to seek answer for these questions because it was hard to adapt quantitative method to get in-depth understanding about the issue (Present Perfect usage) in its real-life context (the native language environment) According to Yin (2003, p.13), a case study is an empirical inquiry which:

“* investigates a contemporary phenomenon within its real-life context: when

* the boundaries between phenomenon and context are not clearly evident;

* and in which multiple sources of evidence are used.”

The issue of types of research questions is the most significant in determining the most appropriate approach In this research, the researcher aims at answering two questions as stated above, and both of them focus on descriptive object Rowley (2002) pointed out that case study approach contributes “deeper and more detailed investigation” in comparison with other study methods, so it is normally necessary to answer descriptive questions as in this research Moreover, she also recommended case study research as sufficient one for “contemporary events” when the related behaviors cannot be manipulated, which is relevant to the research scope

Meanwhile, according to Baxter & Jack (2008), case study can ensure the issue is explored through a variety of lens This allows” multiple facets of the phenomenon to be revealed and understood” (Baxter & Jack 2008, p.544)

Furthermore, this study met certain conditions under which the case study was the favorable approach:

(1) The researcher could not manipulate all the related issues of the variants involved in the study

(2) The researcher wanted to cover contextual conditions which she considered to have a necessary role

In addition, case study seemed to be more preferable than other methods of study Firstly, in comparison with survey, although the number of units studied in a case is typically much less than in a survey, the extent of detail available for each case should be greater As compared with an experiment, the researcher has much less control over the variables than in an experiment in order to investigate a situation Also, in a comparative case study across a number of different electric newspapers as used in this study, the researcher aims at comparing the variants with each other in a systematic way (which is shown later in this paper), in the exploration of different research issues (Rowley, 2002, p.17)

In conclusion, case study research was applied to this study in order to ensure the effectives of the results

3.2 Sampling

Case selection and sampling are considered two of the most vital considerations in case study research The process applied was purposive, in which the researcher chose a small number of important cases – which were highly significant for the research concern The justification for this choice was based on the researcher’s limited time and human resources Although sampling for a small number of cases might not yield findings that are broadly generalizable, they might allow the researcher to develop implications from the rich evidence produced when studying a few cases in depth

In this study, the researcher dealt with the analysis of the uses of Present Perfect in 10 selected articles from the English newspapers: the BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation), the CNN (Cable News Network), and the VOA (Voice

of America) because of the following reasons Firstly, these newspapers are three

of the most popular newspapers in the world The BBC is famous newspaper in

Britain whereas The CNN and The VOA are well-known in the United States Moreover, these newspapers are available and popular in Vietnam, so it brings convenience for English learners to apply them as learning materials Moreover, the articles were chosen based on the research questions which require study on both British English and American English newspapers

Selecting the samples for analysis is crucial Case selection must be determined by the research purpose, questions, propositions and theoretical context Therefore, the chosen articles were selected in pairs (one in British English and the other in American English) and they had to fulfill some requirements Firstly, these articles had to fulfill two conditions which are the highly frequency of the Present Perfect and the compatibility between the American article and the British ones Specifically, the time of publishing chosen articles had to be around 2013 and 2014 so that the requirement of contemporary result could be ensured Moreover, each pair of articles had to show the relatively relevance in terms of time events occur Besides, another vital requirement was about the topic of these articles All selected articles were on topic of event reports Two articles on each pair had to refer to report of the same event, and the time of reporting had to be nearly the same as well

3.3 Data analysis

3.3.1 Data analysis framework

The analysis procedure was carried out based on the propositions that encapsulate the objectivities of the study

For the purpose of answering the fist questions, both qualitative and quantitative analysis were applied The number of Present Perfect usage was counted in chosen articles based on the four main uses Under each article, there was a summary table of the number of each use and its respective percentage The table was divided into three main columns: types of Present Perfect use; number of sentence using Present Perfect and the total number of used cases which was subdivided into three smaller columns (American uses, British uses and the total uses)

Types

of Present

Perfect usage

Sentence number (article number

Total cases

Then, there was a summary table in which the number of cases in each type

of Present Perfect usage was transferred into percentage for analyzing Here, there was also separation between British cases, American cases, and the total cased as well The table can be shown as following:

numbe r

Percentage (%)

Present Perfect usage Coding categories

States/ repeated events up to SP

the present moment

Resultative Perfect RP

Secondly, qualitative analysis was chosen for answering the second research question The researcher decided to illustrate the difference in using Present Perfect and Past Simple for the same situation through pairs of sentences from British and American articles

And for the second research question, all the used cases were compared between the American users and the British users and also the comparison was conducted from the similar context For example, if the news refers to one event, the two articles had to be written at the relative same time

3.3.2 Data collection and analysis procedure

The application of Present Perfect usage in English newspapers was investigated according to the following steps:

(1) Choose 10 sample articles in the chosen newspapers

(2) Examine the use of Present Perfect in selected articles based on mentioned requirements

above Number the sentence in each article, count and underline the use of Present Perfect

- Match the use of Present Perfect in sentence with the four-use system indicated in literature review

- tabulate the use of Present Perfect below each article

(3) Evaluate the application of Present Perfect in 10 texts, including the comparison of frequency of four uses in texts and the use between in Britain English and American English articles

Firstly, the analysis for the first research question’s finding was conducted

in two main parts The first one is analysis on Present Perfect use cases on both British and American articles, and the other was the comparison between British and American cases Specifically, the researcher dealt with the frequency of Present Perfect in chosen event reports Also, there was further analysis on time expressions and verb voice on Present Perfect cases which were also illustrated

from consulting specific cases On the other hand, the comparison between British and American uses included both similarities and differences among the two Besides, critical discussion was also given in order to thoroughly understanding the issue

Secondly, the researcher adapted only qualitative analysis to answering the second research question Here, the researcher analyzed chosen pairs of sentences which showed the different choice in choosing Present Perfect or Past Simple for the same situation Besides the researcher gave possible justification for the difference, and then reflected to the theory mentioned before

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND DISCUSIONS

The previous chapter has included the methodology applied to the study In this chapter, the researcher provided thoroughly analysis and discussion based on the collected data in order to answer the two research questions

3.1 Research question 1: Which use(s) of Present Perfect is/are most

frequently used in the chosen British and American electronic newspapers articles?

Below is the table of total number of Present Perfect used cases in 10 chosen articles (Appendix A, p.90) and their respective percentage of the four main uses This table is the summary taken from the supplementary tables in Appendix B (p.91)

ge (%)

Number

Percent-age (%)

number

Percenta-ge (%)

Table 2: The number and percentage of Present Perfect uses in the chosen articles

The analysis of selected data first dealt with the total used cases of both British and American articles, and then a comparison between British and American cases

Below is the graph of proportion of four main uses of Present Perfect in chosen articles

Chart 1: Present Perfect usage in both British and American articles

The graph shows the use of Present Perfect in both British and American electronic articles It is clear from the chart that by far the greatest proportion of Present Perfect usage was applied to Recent Indefinite Past actions, at 65.2% About one-thirds, namely 20.9%, was the use of Present Perfect referring to Resultative Perfect actions Meanwhile, ranked in the third position is the use for states or repeated events starting in the past and leading up to the present time, which accounted for 12.7% of the total use In contrast, only the insignificant percentage of 1.2% was applied to the use for Experential Perfect events

First and foremost, according to the above findings, it can be shown that Present Perfect was mostly significant for Recent Indefinite Past actions In other words, in event reports, Present Perfect was most popular when indicating actions happening in unspecific time in the past Thus it can be noted that in event reports like the chosen articles, users tended to ignore the specific time when events happened, but emphasize the actions themselves However, the justification for this phenomenon might be the context of the events Normally, in a new report, there is a string of continuous actions happening under the same circumstance (the event), so the readers an easily understand the incidents and related actions without the exact time of the events Moreover, these articles were about recent

events in comparison with the time of publishing, so the time of followed actions might be hidden but readers can still get it Here, this pointed could be illustrated through some following cases.

Case 1: article one and two (report of Haiyan typhoon)

This article was written after five days from the crush of Haiyan into the South East Asia, especially the Philippines In these two articles, the use of Present Perfect for Recent Indefinite Past actions accounted for nearly three-fourths of the total uses, the largest proportion A range of events following the occurrence of the storm were stated without time markers For examples:

1.3 The UN says more than 11 million people have been affected and some 673,000 displaced.

1.6 The earlier figure of 10,000 feared killed came from a police officer and local official and have arisen from the "emotional trauma" of being at the centre of the disaster, Mr Aquino said.

1.11 There has been criticism of relief efforts, as the damage to transport links and bad weather are hindering distribution of relief supplies.

1.25 It has already released $25m to meet immediate needs (It = appeal to

help survivals from the storm)

2.1 Survivors of a typhoon that slammed the central Philippines on Friday have become increasingly desperate, looting shops and aid convoys in search of food and water.

2.7 Philippine Red Cross chief Gwendolyn Pang said her organization has ordered body bags, but is focused on delivering 45,000 food packs to the families most in need.

2.19 The U.N Humanitarian Coordinator Office in Manila said aid workers have "ramped up critical relief operations" in the affected region.

2.24 But, the group said it has not been able to fully assess the needs of typhoon survivors because access to affected areas is "extremely difficult."

If these sentences are read separately from the whole articles, readers may find it difficult to follow However, once putting actions in the string of events, the reporter can omit the exact time of the actions, but reader might still get the events As in these abovementioned examples, all of actions are indicated without specific time expression, but readers could understand based on the general context of the event, which occurs not far from the time of reporting In these circumstances, all actions are implicitly indicated in relation to the time of Haiyan occurring.

Case 2: Articles three and four (report of Thailand political crisis)

These two articles were written after one month from the political crisis in Thailand The Present Perfect use for Recent Indefinite Past actions makes up for over half of the total use of Present Perfect Here are examples of the cases:

3.9 Demonstrators have occupied official sites over the past few months, calling on the government to step down.

3.10 The government has announced that it intends to retake all the besieged buildings this week.

3.11 The prime minister's office, Government House, has been a focal point for the demonstrators.

3.25 They allege that money politics have corrupted Thailand's democracy and that Ms Yingluck is controlled by her brother, ousted leader Thaksin Shinawatra.

4.18 But the protesters have so far refused to give way.

4.23 The program, which offered farmers well above the market rate for their rice, has run into financial problems.

In the line with the previous case, in this case, all actions followed the occurrence of the politic crisis Therefore, the string of actions was also stated without time reference but readers still got the information thanks to the context of the whole event In other words, these actions were put under the situation of the

occurrence of Thailand political crisis and moreover, the time of the report was not far from the time of the event happening

In conclusion, for events reporting in electronic articles, users have tendency to use Present Perfect for past actions without referring specific time The justification for this use’s popularity may be put on the strong relevance to the context of the string of events

In addition, the results of the data show that States of Repeated actions up

to the present moment and Resultative Perfect actions were also frequently used with Present Perfect in event reports although their popularity is less than that of Recent Indefinite Past actions Also, Resultative Perfect was more popular in comparison with States or Repeated Events in these articles, with 22% by 11% Therefore, it can be seen that in event reports, the results of actions is also put more emphasis on than the exact time of event occurrence This can be illustrated

by the following case

Case 1: Articles 1 and 2

In addition to reporting events following the Haiyan storm in the Philippines, reporters also indicated some actions resulted from the central event such as:

1.14 [Now] law and order has been stabilized, the supply of food and water is beginning…

1.19 Bodies remain uncollected, local government has been wiped out and central government, which is meant to have taken over, is almost invisible, our correspondent adds.

1.34 On Tuesday, an aid convoy travelling to Tacloban was reported to have been attacked and two of the assailants shot dead by troops.

1.42 Other countries have also pledged millions of dollars in assistance.

Here, the Resultative Perfect actions were still significant because it accounted for nearly one-fourths of the total use of Present Perfect in these event reports Reporters were likely to add actions that resulted from the central event of

Haiyan storm, instead of just indicating what were happening during the situation

To sum up, the Resultative Perfect actions is the second emphasis when reporting events in English

Also, Experential perfect actions seemed to be ignored or put less emphasis

on in English news report Although witnesses’ statements are normally seen in news report, English reporters as in chosen articles showed their less preference for experiences of related individuals Based on consulting ten articles, there was only one case of Present Perfect use referring to experience as shown in following sentence:

5.19 Recent months have seen several violent incidents in Xinjiang which the government has blamed on extremists.

From the above analysis, in conclusion, in English event reports, reporters tend to use Present Perfect most for recent actions starting in unspecific time in the past, together with those resulted from the central events Also, they put least emphasis on the Experiencial actions with Present Perfect in their event reports

Present Perfect with time expressions

Besides, in terms of time expression, there are significant findings for each type of Present Perfect use The use of Present Perfect for recent indefinite past if

collaborated with time expression, the common adverbials are already so far, now, yet, in the past and recently For examples,

1.25 It has already released $25m to meet immediate needs.

4.19 But the protesters have so far refused to give way.

6.31 The government has not yet released any details about the ethnicity of the attackers, but the fact that were allegedly from Xinjiang raises the possibility that the government could blame separatist Muslim Uighurs for the attack as they have done in the past

7.34 A number have already accepted Russia's offer to change sides, but many are still in their bases refusing to surrender.

8.10 "You have seen some designations already and there are more to

come," he said of individuals cited for sanctions.

8.26 At home, Obama has come under criticism from Republicans who complain an unwillingness by the administration to take on Putin on other issues has now emboldened the Russian leader.

10.55 Investigators are also analyzing websites that Zaharie and the first officer, Fariq Ab Hamid, may have visited recently , the official said on the condition of anonymity.

In general, the use of time expressions in these case is similar to the theory

of adverbials used for Recent Indefinite past actions However, there are some exceptions that are not normally used with Present Perfect as shown in literature

review part such as now(8.26) and in the past (6.31)

Meanwhile, the use for states/ or repeated actions up to the present time is

often attached with some expression like since, over + a period of past time These

can be seen in the following cases:

3.4 Thailand has been embroiled in anti-government protests since

November.

3.9 Demonstrators have occupied official sites over the past few months,

calling on the government to step down.

3.13 Early on Tuesday, police started negotiations with the protesters, who

over the past few days have come in large numbers to defend protest areas.

6.7 Although authorities have given little detail so far, they say there is

ample evidence that shows the attack was carried out by separatists from China's restive western Xinjiang region.

10.1 That's how long it's been since 227 passengers and 12 crew members

boarded Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, destined for Beijing.

10.25 The United States, which has had a P-8 aircraft working out of Perth, Australia, and Navy ships involved in the search, has so far spent $2.5 million on the entire effort, Pentagon spokesman Col Steven Warren said Friday.

It should be noted that beside using with common adverbials as shown in literature review part, Present Perfect use for States or Repeated events up to the

present time can also co-occur with expression like over + a period of time as

shown in sentences 3.9 and 3.13

In addition, although Present Perfect when used for Resultative actions does not occur with any time expression as shown in theory, there are still some exceptions revealed in the chosen articles

7.9 The treaty has now been approved by Russia's lower house of parliament - the Duma - and is expected to be ratified by the upper house on Friday.

7.29 Crimea's PM says a 17-year-old Ukrainian has been arrested over an

incident in Simferopol on Tuesday in which a Ukrainian soldier and a member of

the pro-Russia self-defense force were killed.

10.32 "Obviously, the search now has taken a global perspective,"

The above table shows the proportion of voice of verbs with Present Perfect

in chosen British and American electronic articles In general, it can be clearly seen from the table that active verbs were more preferable than passive ones Specifically, in the use of Present Perfect for recent indefinite past actions, most of the verbs case are used in active voice, with only one-tenths for passive voice In

contrast, when indicating to specific time of the actions, passive voice is used more often, by a half of the total uses Similarly, when referring to action resulted from the central events, the passive voice of verbs is applied more often than in Recent Indefinite Past actions, by nearly 40% In conclusion, the active voice seems to be more popular with Present Perfect in event reports than the passive voice of verbs Hence, it can be inferred that events reports put more emphasis on the doers on the events rather than on the receivers of the action

Comparison between the use of Present Perfect in British and American articles

Chart 2: Present Perfect usage in British articles