Thus, it is not easy for students to use English articles effectively and most learners are confused between the indefinite article and the definite article.. Vietnamese learners, especi
Rationale of the study
Today, foreign languages are essential for effective communication and information exchange In Vietnam, English learning has surged into a nationwide movement as the economy grows rapidly under open-door policies toward English-speaking countries Proficiency in English connects people globally, accelerates business and education, and supports sustained economic development by linking Vietnamese communities to the world.
Every language has its own characteristics and rules, and in many schools English is considered one of the most essential subjects for students in Vietnam Because Vietnamese and English have significantly different grammar systems, Vietnamese learners frequently encounter difficulties in acquiring the target language, especially in writing where the use of English articles is a common stumbling block As a result, many students struggle to use English articles effectively and are often confused between the indefinite and definite articles.
Vietnamese learners, especially high school students, often struggle with English articles—the, a, and an In the learning process, they make frequent errors as they attempt to internalize the rules for article usage Like other language learners, they rely on evidence from the target language itself, which can lead to incorrect generalizations and recurring errors in acquiring a second language, and specifically when learning a foreign language.
Nguyen Thi Giang of Vinh University investigates the usage of English articles and the typical errors made by Vietnamese learners, spurred by a pressing problem in English language education The study analyzes how English articles are used across different contexts and identifies the most common mistakes among Vietnamese students, with findings intended to inform teaching strategies, curriculum design, and learner support to improve accuracy in article usage.
To teach English articles effectively, teachers must identify students' errors to understand how learners use articles and where their misunderstandings lie English articles are a central element of grammar, a point supported by scholarly works such as A J Thomson and A V Martinet (1987), Quirk (1972), Raymond Murphy (1991), and Corder (1974) In Vietnam, numerous studies and BA theses by linguists and students have focused on error analysis, including Pham Thi Mai (2000) and Hoang Tuyet Minh.
While there are studies from 2002 and Nguyen Huu Chan (2003), to the best of my knowledge, no research to date has focused on error analysis of English articles Accordingly, this study undertakes an analysis of errors in the use of English articles, contributing to filling the gap in the literature on article usage in English grammar.
For the above reasons, the author has decided to choose: "English Articles: an analysis of errors encountered by Vietnamese high school students" to be the theme of the thesis.
Aims of the study
The study reported in this thesis aims to:
Identify common errors in using English articles
Find out the major causes and sources of errors made by high school students
Make some suggestions for teaching and learning English articles in English writing.
Scope of the study
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This study investigates and analyzes all errors students make with English articles in writing and identifies the underlying reasons for these errors By systematically categorizing omissions, overuses, and misuses of articles in student texts, the research reveals patterns in article usage and explores linguistic, cognitive, and instructional factors that drive these mistakes, with implications for classroom practice and targeted teaching strategies to improve writing accuracy.
Methods of the study
In order to meet the above- mentioned aims of the study, some following methods are applied:
Design of the study
The study is structured into three parts and three chapters, which are organized as follows:
This study opens with a clear rationale that explains the problem being addressed and its significance It then sets out the study’s aims, identifies the subjects involved, and defines the scope and boundaries of the investigation The methods are outlined, detailing the procedures for data collection and analysis, and the overall study design is described to show the framework and approach guiding the research.
This chapter offers an in-depth literature review related to the issue under investigation, with a focus on English-language articles that establish the theoretical framework for identifying the errors students make It also examines the theory of sources of errors to explore the factors that contribute to errors in English writing Error analysis is presented as the primary theoretical tool for data analysis and is reviewed to support interpretation of findings and implications for instruction.
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This chapter outlines the methodology used to collect data for the study, detailing the research setting, participant characteristics, and the data collection techniques employed to ensure rigorous data gathering It explains how these elements were selected to align with the study’s aims and to support robust analysis In addition, the chapter presents and discusses the study’s results and findings, interpreting them in relation to the research questions and the overarching theoretical framework.
This chapter will summarise some major findings, suggest some types of exercises and give some implications for teaching and learning English articles
This final part of the thesis provides a concise summary of the key arguments, methods, and findings presented throughout the work, and it highlights the main contributions to the understanding of English articles It synthesizes the core insights, clarifies how the results support the study’s hypotheses, and outlines the theoretical and practical implications It also identifies remaining gaps and questions, offering concrete directions for future research on English articles, including cross-lingual comparisons, corpus-based analyses, instructional applications, and methodological refinements Together, these elements place the study in a broader scholarly context and suggest actionable paths for continued investigation.
This part is accompanied by list of References and Appendixes
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1.1 An overview of the articles
1.1.1 The definition of English articles
Nowadays, English articles are a basic for learning and teaching English grammar
According to Randolph Quirk (1972), articles are a subset of determiners that appear before nouns in English Determiners perform precise grammatical functions and have relatively limited forms They are divided into four groups: articles (a, an, the); demonstratives (this, that, these, those); possessives (my, your, his, her); and numeratives (some, any) In this study, the focus is on the first group, the articles An article is placed in front of a noun or a noun phrase and is typically the first word in the noun phrase Examples include: a new hat, the sun, and an apple.
Quirk (1972) notes that English articles precede nouns across all classes, including uncountable nouns and countable nouns, whether singular or plural The definite article the is used with all noun classes Singular count nouns receive the indefinite article (a or an), while noncount nouns and plural count nouns take no article.
According to A.J Thomson and A.V Martinet (1987), articles are divided into three types They are the followings:
(1) - The earth goes round the sun
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(2) - He is looking for a job
(5) - x Milk is good for our health
1.2 The uses of English articles
Articles in English indicate whether a noun refers to something definite—known to both speaker and listener—or indefinite, and whether we are speaking about things in general or about a particular item The definite article "the" and the indefinite articles "a" and "an" are used in different ways to signal specificity, familiarity, and generalization across various noun types, with usage patterns that shift depending on context Mastery of article use helps ensure clear and natural communication.
English indefinite articles 'a' and 'an' are chosen according to the initial sound of the following word rather than its spelling 'A' is used before words that begin with a consonant sound, for example a man, a hat, a book, or a one-way street 'An' is used before words that begin with a vowel sound, such as an apple, an egg, or an onion, and also before words that start with a mute 'h', as in an hour.
'a, an' are used before a singular noun which is countable when it is mentioned for the first time and represents no particular person or thing
(7) - I saw a boy in the street
Use 'a, an' to indicate membership in specific groups such as career, nationality, religion, names of professions
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Use 'a, an' before a singular countable noun which is used as an example of a class of things
(11) - A child needs love = all children need/ any child needs love
Use 'a, an' to express with certain numbers, quantity, price, speed, ratio such as a hundred, a thousand, a million (A.J Thomson and A.V Martinet (1987:16))
(12) - There are a dozen pencils on the table
(13) - I have an hour and a half for lunch
When we want to mention one unit of measurement in terms of another
If we need to emphasize "each", we can use "per" instead of "a, an"
- Price in relation to weight: E.g: 8p a dozen, 60p a (per) kilo
- Distance/ fuel consumption: E.g: 20 miles a (per) gallon
Use 'a,an' in idoms that show quantity E.g: a lot of, a great deal of, a couple, a dozen, a pair of, a number of…
Use 'a, an' before singular nouns, countable nouns in exclamations
Use 'a, an' to describe things and people with some verbs like: be, seem, look, sound…
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According to A.J Thomson and A.V Martinet (1987:19-20), there are eleven ways of using of the definite article 'the' as follows:
When the object or group of objects is unique or considered to be unique such as the earth, the sea, the sky, the stars, the equator
(18) - The earth goes round the sun
Use 'the' before a noun which has become definite as a result of being mentioned a second time
(19) - His car struck a tree You can still the mark on the tree
Before a noun made definite by the addition of a phrase or clause
(21) - The man with the banner
(22) - The place where I met him
Use 'the' before a noun which by reason of locality can represent only one particular thing
(23) -Ann is in the garden(the garden of this house)
(24) - Please pass the wine(The wine on the table)
Before superlatives and first, second used as adjectives or pronouns, and only such as the first(week), the best day, the only way
Use 'the 'before a singular noun can represent a class of animals or things:
(25) - The whale is in danger of becoming extinct
(26) - The deep- freeze has made life easier for housewives
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'The' + addjective represents a class of persons such as the old = old people in general
According to Raymond Murphy (1991: 237), definite article 'the' used with some addjective and always in plural
The young The blind The deaf
The sick The dead The disabled
English uses the definite article the before certain types of proper names: seas, rivers, groups of islands, mountain ranges, deserts, and large regions, as well as before plural names of countries For example, the Atlantic, the Thames, the Azores, the Alps, the Netherlands, the Sahara, the Crimea, and the Riviera The same rule also applies to other well-known places, such as the Mall, when referring to a specific landmark.
Hague, the Sudan, the Yemen Furthermore, " the" is also used before names consising of noun+ of + noun (the Bay of Biscay, the Gulf of Mexico, the
Cape of Good Hope, the United States of America), consisting of addjective
Use the definite article the with certain named places and regions: the Arabian Sea, the New Forest, the High Street, the East End, the West End, the East Indies, and the West Indies The article is also used before east or west when these words function as nouns referring to a region, as in the north of Spain, the Middle East, the West (geography), and the West (politics).
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The definite article “the” is used before certain proper names, especially adjective + noun phrases like the National Gallery and the Tower of London, as well as noun + of + noun constructions It is also used before names of choirs, orchestras, and pop groups, for example the Bach Choir.
Philadelphia Orchestra, the Beatles) and before names of newspaper (the Times) and ships (the Great Britain)
As a guide to English grammar, the definite article the is used for things that are unique or clearly identifiable in a given context You use the Earth, the Sun, and the Moon, as well as the sky, because these are universal reference points The same article also marks items that are unique within our environment, such as the weather, the temperature, or the summer, when you’re referring to the specific conditions or season at a particular time and place.
(27) - The earth goes round the sun
We often use the zero article before three types of noun: o Plural countable nouns:
(28) - Girls do better than boys at school o Uncountable nouns (always singular)
(30) - Rice is the main food in Asia o Proper nouns
'Zero article' are used before names of meals, except when these are precede by an addjective:
(32) - We have breakfast at eight
(33) - He gave us a good breakfast
Use 'zero article' with names of geography and places, names of continents (Africa, Asia, Europe, America), with countries (Britain, France,
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From China and India to global hubs like New York, Cairo, and Beijing, travel connects diverse cultures as lakes such as Lake Geneva (Generva) and the Ivory Coast’s pristine beaches frame unforgettable itineraries Stroll Regent Street, explore Fifth Avenue, relax in Hyde Park, and visit the London Zoo to experience the pulse of city life alongside wildlife Interwoven with these places are timeless notions of heaven, hell, and paradise, as well as the names of people who have shaped places and histories—reminding us that geography and people together tell the most compelling stories of travel.
(34) - Mount Everest is in Asia
(35) - She lives near Lake Windermere
(36) - French is spoken in Tahiti (37)- John is coming to the party
Use 'zero article' with abstract nouns which names non-tangible things or ideas such as emotions, qualities or action (beauty, truth, love, friendship, fear, freedom)
Use 'zero article' after a noun in the possesive case or a possesive addjective
(39) - The boy's uncle = the uncle of the boy
(40) - It is my (blue) = the (blue) book is mine
Use 'zero article' before names of games, sports, names of languages (Chinese, English), names of academic subjects (Mathematic, biology, history)
Use 'zero article' before names of moutains (Mount Everest), names of festivals (Christmas, Good friday, Mother's day, Thanksgiving)
(43) -My family always enjoys Thankgiving
'Zero article' are used before parts of body and articles of clothing, as these normally prefer a possessive adjective
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(45) - He took off his coat
Means of transport (with by) used 'zero article'
To leave car train plane
Zero article is used before home, before church, hospital, prison, school, and before work, sea, town school
Go to college university sea church
(49) - We go to sea as sailors
(50) - He is not back from work yet
(51) - We were in town last sunday
1.3 Error in language learning process
Language learning, whether it's your first language or a foreign language, is a complex, ongoing process in which errors are an unavoidable part of progress Across diverse scholarly perspectives, authors define language learning in different ways, but all emphasize how exposure, deliberate practice, and meaningful use drive the development of linguistic competence over time.
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Edge (1989) distinguishes errors from mistakes in language learning: when a learner cannot self-correct a form in his or her own English, but the teacher believes the class is familiar with the correct form, that kind of misstep is termed an error.
According to Corder (1971:152), errors are "the result of some failure of performance"
Dulay et al (1982:13), errors are understood as "the flawed side of learner speech and writing, those parts of conversation or composition that deviate from some selected norm"
Concomitant with the notion of error, James (1998) states that: "errors as being an instance of language that is unintentionally deviant and is not self- corrigible by the learner"
For researchers, errors often focus on the process of learning a second language.In this case, the distinction is generally between "error" and
"mistake" although they found it possible to indicate any clear differentiation