Common errors in the use of the indefinite articles made by the students in grade eleven at my loc high school

HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY No2 FOREIGN LANGUAGE FACULTY TRAN THI MAI COMMON ERRORS IN THE USE OF THE INDEFINITE ARTICLES MADE BY THE STUDENTS IN GRADE ELEVEN AT MY LOC HIGH SCHOOL G

HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY No2 FOREIGN LANGUAGE FACULTY

TRAN THI MAI

COMMON ERRORS IN THE USE OF THE INDEFINITE

ARTICLES MADE BY THE STUDENTS IN GRADE ELEVEN AT MY LOC HIGH SCHOOL

(GRADUATION PAPER SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT

OF THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF ARTS IN ENGLISH)

Supervisor: PHI THI THO, B.A

HANOI-2014

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would like to take this chance to express my greatest gratitude to Mrs Phi Thi Tho, B.A., my supervisor for her invaluable support and careful guidance as well as encouragement, suggestions and advice throughout the process of writing this thesis

Besides, I would like to thank to the librarians of Hanoi Pedagogical University Number 2 who have helped me in the preparation and writing this thesis

I would like to express my thanks to my all beloved lectures that always motivated and suggested me to finish my thesis soon Furthermore, I would like to thank all my friends who never stop encouraging me to finish

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ABSTRACT

The indefinite articles “a/an” is a basic category in English grammar It

is considered as a part of speech (adjective) as it modifies a noun However, not everybody can use the indefinite articles “a/an” in a correct way In addition, the uses of the indefinite articles have not been dealt with in full and sometimes cause confusion to learners of English

As a result, students of English often make errors when they use the indefinite articles Hence, it is necessary to investigate the uses of the indefinite articles so that students can avoid making errors in using the indefinite articles and propose solutions to the problem

Based on material analysis, results of conducting a survey and error analysis, the types of errors and causes have been found Solutions to the problem have been suggested

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STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP Title: Common errors in the use of the indefinite articles made by the students in grade eleven at My Loc High School

(Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Bachelor of

Arts in English)

I certify that no part in this thesis has been copied from any other person‟s work without acknowledgement and that the thesis is originally written by me under the instructions from my supervisor

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgement i

Abstract ii

Statement of authorship iii

Table of contents iv

PART ONE INTRODUCTION I Rationale 1

II Research presupposition 1

III Research objectives 2

IV Research scope 2

V Research tasks 2

VI Research methods 2

VII Significance of the research work 3

VIII Design of the research work 3

PART TWO DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER ONE: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND I.1 Literature review in brief 4

I.2 The articles 5

I.2.1 Definition 5

I.2.2 Classification 5

I.2.2.1 Definite article 5

I.2.2.2 Indefinite articles 5

I.3 The indefinite articles “a, an” 5

I.3.1 Definition 5

I.3.2 Functions 6

I.3.2.1 As an adjective 6

I.3.2.2 As a quantifier 6

I.3.2.3 As a determiner 6

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I.3.3 Uses 7

I.3.3.1 Using the indefinite articles with singular countable nouns and abstract nouns 7

I.3.3.1.1 To describe people and things with “a/an” + noun 7

I.3.3.1.2 To represent for a class or thing as whole 8

I.3.3.2 Using the indefinite articles in numbers, quantity and others 8 I.3.3.3 Using the indefinite articles in some fixed expression 8

I.3.3.4 Some other uses 9

I.3.3.4.1 Using in exclamations 9

I.3.3.4.2 Using a or an with some illnesses 9

I.3.3.4.3 Using in the structure: To be so/as/too (a or an) + adjective + singular noun 9

I.3.3.4.4 Using after quite, such, many 10

CHAPTER TWO METHODOLOGY II.1 Survey 11

II.1.1 Purpose of the survey 11

II.1.2 Population of the survey 12

II.1.3 Type of the survey 12

II.1.4 Construction of the survey 12

II.1.5 Preparation of the survey 12

II.1.5.1 Test items 12

II.1.5.2 Arrangement of the test items 13

II.1.6 Administration of the try-out 13

II.1.6.1 Preparation of the try-out 13

II.1.6.2 Try-out 13

II.1.7 Method of data analysis 14

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CHAPTER THREE THE RESULT

III.1 Results of the survey 15

III.2 Common errors and analysis 16

III.2.1 Errors in the use of the indefinite articles “a/an” and the definite “the” 16 III.2.2 Errors in the use of the indefinite articles and uncountable noun 17

III.2.3 Errors in the use of indefinite articles and zero article 18

III.2.4 Errors in the use of indefinite articles “a” and “an” 18

III.2.5 Errors in the use of indefinite articles and fixed expression 19

III.2.6 Errors in the use of indefinite articles in describing people and things 19 III.3 Suggested solutions and suggested exercise 20

III.3.1 Suggested solutions 20

III.3.2 Suggested exercises 21

PART THREE CONCLUSION Conclusion 25

Limitations and suggestions for further study 26

References 28

Survey questionnaire 29

Suggested exercises 34

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PART ONE INTRODUCTION

I Rationale

Many people choose English to learn as the second language However, English is not easy to learn and learners sometimes have difficulties in learning it English grammar is supposed to be complex and causes embarrassment to students The indefinite articles is one of the language categories that student have to learn Although the indefinite articles are not too difficult as the other categories, it makes students confused between the definite article “the”, the zero and the indefinite articles Due to its various uses, it is assumed that there are many errors which may be made In facts, many students confess that the indefinite articles are one of the biggest problems of English grammar and they often make errors in the use of the indefinite articles

In the future, I am going to be a teacher so I would like to make contribution to the English teaching in Vietnam For the reason above, this study is conducted, which focuses on errors in the use of the indefinite articles among students of My Loc High School Thus, the results of the survey helps me find errors that students make so that I can find reasons and solutions to make students understand well and exactly about the indefinite articles

II Research presupposition

Some questions are raised:

1 What kinds of errors in the use of the indefinite articles are made by the students in grade 11 at My Loc High School in the academic year of 2013/2014?

2 What are the causes of the errors in the use of the indefinite articles by the students in grade 11 at My Loc High School in the academic year of 2013/2014?

3 What are the effective ways to minimize the errors made by the students in grade 11 at My Loc High School in the academic year of 2013/2014?

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III Research objectives

The study is aimed at the following goals:

1 To find out the main errors in the use of the indefinite articles made by the students in grade 11 at My Loc High School in the academic year of 2013/2014

2 To find out the causes of the errors in the use of the indefinite articles

by the students in grade 11 at My Loc High School in the academic year of 2013/2014

3 To offer some suggestions to minimize the errors made by the students

in grade 11 at My Loc High School in the academic year of 2013/2014 through a survey

IV Research scope

The general research area of this study is grammar

The phenomenon is focused on the errors in using the indefinite articles made by the students in grade 11 at My Loc High School in the academic year of 2013/2014

The population involved in the study is 100 students at My Loc High School in the academic year of 2013/2014

V Research tasks

The study involves the following tasks:

1 Studying the definition of the indefinite articles in English

2 Studying the functions and uses of the indefinite articles in English

3 Conducting a survey to find out error types and causes of the uses of the indefinite articles in English

4 Suggesting some solutions to minimize the students‟ errors

VI Research methods

To achieve the objectives of the study, the following methods have been applied:

1 Collecting, reading and analyzing documents listed in the references

2 Consulting the supervisor, experienced teachers and students

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3 Synthesizing theoretical materials on English grammar

4 Conducting test survey and analyzing the results

VII Significance of the research work

Learning English is not easy to everyone and making errors is unavoidable Errors are sometimes predictable and sometimes unpredictable

It is, therefore, necessary for teachers to have better solutions to help students overcome the difficulties in the use of the indefinite articles “a, an” This study is hoped provide the following:

1 Input for learners of English in order to have better understanding about the indefinite articles in English, especially at high school level

2 Input for learners in order to minimize their errors in using the indefinite articles

3 Input for teachers of English with information on errors types and solutions to the problem so that they can find good methods and techniques

of teaching the indefinite articles

VIII Design of research work

The research work has three main parts: Introduction, Development and Conclusion The part Development has three chapters

Chapter one is “Theoretical Background” consists of two sections Section one presents literature review in brief and section two deals with the indefinite articles in English in definition, functions, usage

Chapter two is “Methodology about the indefinite articles “A, An”” It describes the research methods

Chapter three is “The Result” It is composed of three sections Section one is the results of the survey The second deals with error types and analysis error causes The last one is solutions to the problems and suggested exercises on the indefinite articles “a, an”

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PART TWO DEVELOPMENT

CHAPTER ONE THEORETICAL BACKGROUND I.1 Literature review in brief

The indefinite articles is a small part in English Grammar It has been researched by grammarians like Thomson and Martinet (1989), Alexander (1988), Hewings (1999), Baugh (1993) and so on They each have their own ways to describe the indefinite articles It is visible that their contributions are so great Generally, they often focus their attention on the definition, functions, classification and the uses of the indefinite articles

In the book Longman English Grammar, Alexander (1988) studied the

uses of the indefinite articles and distinguished between the indefinite articles and “one”

Swan (1984) in the book Basic English Usage paid much attention to

some cases in which we do not use the indefinite articles He also focused on the differences between the indefinite articles and the definite article

In the book Oxford Practice Grammar, Eastwood (1992) gave the uses

of the indefinite articles Moreover, he showed some exceptions in using the indefinite articles and differences between the indefinite articles and “some” and “one”

Hewings (1999) in the book Cambridge English Advanced Grammar

in Use discussed the definition as well as the classification of and the uses of

the indefinite articles

In short, much research has been done on the indefinite articles but some of them pointed out errors in the uses of the indefinite articles In fact, there are far more errors that learners of English often make when they use the indefinite articles Therefore, it is essential to have a comprehensive study of common errors in the use of indefinite article

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I.2 The articles

I.2.1 Definition

According to Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English, article is

a word used before a noun to show whether the noun refers to a particular example of something or to a general example of something In English,

“the” is called the definite article and “a” and “an” are called the indefinite

articles

Andrusiak I V defines in the book The Use of Article in English: “The

article belongs to a syntactic class of words called determiners Determiners are words we use before a noun to show whether the noun is specific or

general, singular or plural, etc determiners also include possessive like my, demonstrative like this and quantifiers like all”

I.2.2 Classification

English article, according to Thomson, A J & Martinet, A.V (1989)

in the book A Practical English Grammar, are classified into two types: the

indefinite articles “a/an” and the definite article “the” However, Hewings,

M (1999) show that zero article “Ø” is one type of the article English articles, therefore, include “the”, “a/an” and “Ø”

The indefinite articles is used with a singular countable noun, we use zero article with uncountable and plural nous and the indefinite articles is used with singular and plural count nouns and non-count nouns

I.3 The indefinite articles

I.3.1 Definition

A and an are known as indefinite article because they are normally

used to mean one

Bob has a book on his desk

I’m hungry I would like an apple

(Azar, 1995: 185)

Alexander (1990) in Longman English Grammar for Intermediate

notices: A and an have exactly the same meaning We use a in front of

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consonant sounds (a man, a year) and an in front of vowel sounds (an

umbrella, an eye, an hour)

Thomson and Martinet (1989) in A Practical English Grammar

describe: the form a is used before a word beginning with a consonant, or a

vowel with a consonant sound: a university, a European, a man; the form an

is used before words beginning with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) or words beginning

with a mute h or individual letter spoken with a vowel sound: an uncle, an hour, an egg, an MP, an SOS (p.9)

I.3.2 Functions

I.3.2.1 As an adjective

In the book Longman Dictionary of Grammar and Usage, Kam Chuan

Aik mentions that “the words a, an and the are articles As a part of speech,

articles are considered adjectives because they modify nouns” Therefore, the articles have the same function as adjectives For example:

There is a boy in class

An angry person

I.3.2.2 As a quantifier

The plural of a/an is some or any when we refer to “quantity”

Moreover, some and any are most frequently used as quantifiers; the

indefinite articles have function as quantifier For instance:

There’s a sandwich on the plate

There are some sandwiches on plate

I.3.2.3 As a determiner

Common kinds of determiners include definite and indefinite articles,

demonstratives (like this and that), possessive determiners (like my and their), and quantifiers (like many, few and several) Hence, the indefinite articles “a, an” can function as the determiner

The girl is a student

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I.3.3 Uses

According to Hewings (1999: 112), in English Advanced Grammar in

Use, we use a before words that begin with a consonant sound Some words start with a vowel letter but begin with a consonant sound, so we use a before these words, too: a one-parent family, a book; we use an before words that

begin with a vowel sound include words that begin with a silent letter “h”: an orange, an Italian, an honest child, an FBI agent

I.3.3.1 The use of indefinite article with singular countable nouns and abstract nouns

We use the indefinite articles before a singular noun which is countable (i.e of which there is more than one) when it is mentioned for the first time and represents no particular person or thing For examples:

They live in a flat

He bought an ice-cream

Some abstract nouns can be used in a particular sense with a/an, but in

the singular only:

A help: My children are a great help to me

A relief: It was a relief to sit down

A knowledge of: He had a good knowledge of mathematics

A dislike/dread/hatred/horror/love + of is also possible: A love of

music

A mercy/pity/shame/wonder can be used with that-clause introduced

by it: It’s a pity you weren’t here

A fear/fears, a hope/hopes, a suspicion/suspicions: These can be used with that-clauses introduced by there For example:

There is a fear/There are fears that he has been murdered

I.3.3.1.1 To describe people and things with “a/an” + noun

 We use some words as adjectives or nouns when we want to describe

people When we use them as countable nouns, we always put a/an in front of

them, e.g

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- Nationality: She‟s American (adjective) or: She‟s an American (noun)

- Religion: She‟s Anglican (adjective) or: She‟s an Anglican

- Politics: He‟s Conservative (adjective) or: He‟s a Conservative (noun)

 We use some words only as countable nouns (people and things) and

we always put a/an in front of them For example: He‟s a doctor (Not “He’s

doctor”); we can also use adjective + noun: She‟s a good girl (Not “She’s good girl)

 We can use a/an in front of proper nouns (names spelt with a capital letter) for:

- Members of a family: He‟s a Forsyte (= a member of the Forsyte family)

- Literature and art: It‟s a Dickens novel, It‟s a Brecht play

I.3.3.1.2 To represent for a class or thing as whole

The indefinite articles is used before singular countable noun which is used as an example of a class of things:

A car must be insured = All cars/Any car must be insured

A child needs love = All children need/Any child needs love

I.3.3.2 Using indefinite article in numbers, quantity and others

The indefinite articles can be used with certain numbers: a hundred; before half when half follows a whole number: 1 ½ kilos = one and a half kilos or a kilo and a half, but ½ kg = half a kilo (no a before half), though a + half + noun

is sometimes possible: a half-holiday; with 1/3, ¼, 1/5 etc a is usual: a third, a quarter etc., but one is also possible: one third, one quarter…

In certain expression of quantity, a and an can be used:

A lot of a dozen a great deal of a couple

We use a or an in expressions of price, speed, ratio, etc.:

5p a kilo four times a day six kilometers an hour

(Here a/an = per)

I.3.3.3 Using indefinite article in some fixed expressions

The indefinite articles can be used in some fixed expressions which in other languages often have no article:

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We were in a (great) hurry

She takes an interest in his work

It is a pity that she has just gone out

In the generic use we may say that a means any or, perhaps rather, that

one (cat) is taken as representative of the whole class:

A cat is not so vigilant as a dog

As happy as a clam

As deaf as a post

I.3.3.4 Some other uses

I.3.3.4.1 Using in exclamations

We use a/an in exclamations after what, with singular countable nouns:

What a lovely dress!

What an ugly girl!

I.3.3.4.2 Using with some illnesses

We always use a/an with these illnesses: a cold, a headache, a sore throat However, we can use or omit a/an with these:

catch (a) cold, have (a/an) backache/earache/stomach-ache/toothache

I.3.3.4.3 Using in the structure: so/as/too/such + adjective + a/an + singular

For example: It’s such a long way to the beach

She is so pretty a girl!

She is as pretty a girl as her sister

This is too heavy a suitcase to carry

Vick got such a nice welcome that she almost cried

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I.3.3.4.4 Using after quite, such, many, before very, fairly, really

After quite, such, and many we can use a phrase with a/an:

Many a man thinks so

It is quite an old house

I have had such a busy day!

A/an go before very, fairly, really:

I made a really stupid mistake

It is a fairly long walk

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CHAPTER TWO METHODOLOGY

This chapter presents the methodology about the indefinite articles It deals with the survey questionnaire, which was designed to map out some common errors made by the eleventh-grade students at My Loc High School

II.1 Survey

As it was mentioned in chapter one, the study does not only help students of English have a deep insight into the indefinite articles but also

find out errors in the use of the indefinite articles “a and an” Due to

framework of a thesis, to map out all mistakes made by students at high educational level is impossible Therefore, this thesis is only focus on common errors in the use of the indefinite articles made by the students of English in grade 11 at My Loc High School To find out the errors made by those students, a survey questionnaire was conducted

Survey questionnaire is chosen because it is believed to be simple way

to gather data from a large number of respondents Additionally, it is relatively easy to summarize and report as all the informants answer the same question Last but not least, one of the most important to choose this tool is that the students taking part in the survey have opportunity to express their opinions and needs without worries either to be embarrassed or to be punished

II.1.1 Purpose of the survey

The overall objectives of the survey questionnaire are to test students‟ understanding of the indefinite articles and find out common errors in the use

of the indefinite articles “a and an” made by the eleventh-grade students at

My Loc High School in the academic year of 2013-2014

II.1.2 Population of the survey

The number of student participating in the survey questionnaire is one hundred students in grade 11 at My Loc High School English is one of the

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compulsory subjects They have been learning English for five to seven years Naturally, they have been taught some of the indefinite articles uses Some of them are really good at grammar but some of them are bad at grammar in general and the indefinite articles in particular

II.1.3 Type of the survey

The questionnaire is the form of a test, which has the following types

of exercises: filling in the blanks and choosing the correct answers In short, there are 60 sentences in the questionnaire The time limit is 45 minutes

II.1.4 Construction of the survey

The material used in the test was taken from grammar books and practice books concerned with the indefinite articles such as: Oxford Practice Grammar, Cambridge English advanced Grammar in Use, etc… The survey consists of sixty sentences that require students using knowledge about the indefinite articles to choose the correct answer The questionnaire consists of three exercises:

1 Exercise 1: Put in the abbreviation with “a or an”

This exercise consists of 10 sentences

2 Exercise 2: Circle the best answer A, B, C, D to complete each sentence This exercise consists of 40 sentences

3 Exercise 3: In each space put “a, an, the” or leave the space blank

This exercise consists of 10 blanks

II.1.5 Preparation of the survey

II.1.5.1 Test items

There are many possible errors in the use of the indefinite articles that

a survey cannot find out Thus, it is necessary to predict possible errors and include them in the survey In this survey, possible errors were classified into following categories

1 Errors in the use of the indefinite articles “a, an” and the definite article

“the”

2 Errors in the use of the indefinite articles and uncountable noun

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3 Errors in the use of the indefinite articles and zero article

4 Errors in the use of the indefinite articles “a” and “an”

5 Errors in the use of the indefinite articles and fixed expression

6 Errors in the use of the indefinite articles in describe someone‟s profession

II.1.5.2 Arrangement of the test items

The questions were arranged into the following numbers:

1 The questions on the use of the indefinite articles “a, an” and the definite article “the” are in numbers 12, 16, 21,25, 37, 54, 55, 56, 57 and 60

2 The questions on the use of the indefinite articles and uncountable noun are in numbers 14, 17, 20, 23, 26, 29, 31, 34, 44 and 49

3 The questions on the use of the indefinite articles and zero article are in numbers 13, 18, 22, 24, 36, 41, 51, 52, 53 and 58

4 The questions on the use of the indefinite article “a” and “an” are in numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10

5 The questions on the use of the indefinite articles and fixed expression are in numbers 11, 15, 19, 27, 28, 30, 39, 43, 46 and 50

6 The questions on the use of the indefinite articles in describe someone‟s profession are in numbers 32, 33, 35, 38, 40, 42, 45, 47, 48 and 59

II.1.6 Administration of the try-out

II.1.6.1 Preparation of the try-out

The teachers in charge of the two classes, the students of which were intended to do the survey questionnaire, were asked for permission before the try-out was carried out

II.1.6.2 Try-out

Try-out was conducted on March, 2014 One hundred students were politely asked to do the questionnaire as well as possible in compliance with their own ability They were instructed carefully before answering the questionnaire Importantly, they were reminded that the result of the questionnaire was to serve the research and it had no influence on their study

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results Hence, they made their real effort to do questionnaire without copying from the others The allocated time for sixty questions was forty- five minutes

II.1.7 Method of data analysis

After collecting the data from survey questionnaires, the average percentage of error at each level is calculated and then the error levels are ranked from the highest to the lowest Based on this arrangement, the highest

is considered as the major error in the use of the indefinite articles Students who made the most errors were identified in the last step

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CHAPTER THREE THE RESULT

This chapter presents the results of the survey It includes three sections Section III.1 presents the results of the survey Section III.2 deals with common errors and analysis error causes Section III.3 is solutions to the problems and suggested exercises on the indefinite articles “a, an”

III.1 Results of the survey

In the first part of the survey, the students were asked to give their assessment of their English levels and their understandings A great number

self-of them (65 %) said that their English was not really good Twenty per cent

of them said that they were rather good at English Eight per cent said that they were good at English Four per cent stated that they were excellent Only three per cent confessed that they are bad at this subject It can be seen from the results of the survey that the students could know what the indefinite articles “a and an” and the definite article „the” are However, most

of them remained make some errors in using the indefinite articles

Based on the survey analysis, the errors made by the students at grade

11 in My Loc High School were noted as follows

Table 1

Error Errors in the use of the indefinite articles %

1 Errors in the use of the indefinite articles and the definite article 69

2 Errors in the use of the indefinite articles and fixed expression 59

3 Errors in the use of the indefinite articles and the zero article 53

4 Errors in the use of the indefinite articles and uncountable noun 46

5 Errors in the use of the indefinite articles “a” and “an” 42

6 Errors in the use of the indefinite articles in describe people and