A Study of Errors in Learning English Grammatical Structures on Present Tense in Different Aspects
3 likes679 views
This study investigated errors in learning English grammatical structures related to the present tense and aspects among Matthayom 4-5 students in Thailand. A pre-test was administered to 20 students to analyze errors in the present simple, progressive, and perfect tenses. Results found the highest percentage of incorrectness in the present perfect tense (99%) followed by the present progressive (90%) and present simple (73.7%). Common errors included using the wrong tense, omitting verb inflections, and providing unidentifiable forms. Based on the findings, the researcher plans to develop English teaching materials focusing on the correct usage of present tenses and aspects, including vocabulary cards and academic activities, to help students overcome these difficulties.
A Study of Errors in Learning English Grammatical Structures on Present Tense in Different Aspects
- 1. A Study of Errors in Learning English Grammatical Structures on Present Tense in Different Aspects
- 2. BACKGROUND In Thailand, the English education mainly focuses on structures rather than communication. However, it was found that most Thai students achieve some of the lowest score in English tests (Noom-ura, 2013). It is interesting that one of these problems resulted from tenses and aspects selection (Sukasame, Kantho, & Narrot, 2014). It was found that Thai students were more likely to face difficulty with the tense and aspect selection, according to L1 interference. Particularly, in Thai system, verb inflections are absent while they exist in English. Thai learners of English therefore tend to use one form of verb in all tenses—and ignore the verb inflections to express tenses and aspects.
- 3. ❏ To investigate the errors in learning English grammatical structures on present tense and aspects made by Matthayom 4-5 students. ❏ To develop English materials help Matthayom 4-5 students overcome the problems they face in mastering present tense in different aspects. OBJECTIVES
- 5. A Study of Errors in Learning English Grammatical Structures on Tenses of Mathayom Suksa 4 Students of the Demonstration School ● The results showed the student’s errors in learning English grammars on Tenses. ● There errors were found in present simple (48.4%), present perfect tense (67.4%), and present continuous tense (32.3%). Previous study
- 6. ● Tense expresses the time that an action occurs in relation to the moment of speaking (Cowan, 2008, p. 350). ● Tense is used to refer to the grammatical forms that the verb undergoes in expressing the time reference of an event or situation that the verb describes. Tenses in English
- 7. ● English is a language that requires an overt morphological marking of time reference (Cowan, 2008, p. 350). ● Present and past are exposed in English by inflections on verb. ● Present time for third person singular is indicated by adding – s to a regular verb. Tenses in English Example: - He drinks tea at breakfast. - She only eats fish.
- 8. ● Aspect refers to how speakers view some events, actions, or progress. There are two aspects including perfective, and imperfective aspects. ● Some learners of English had difficulty in understanding how they need to see an event- aspect, and they had troubles in using English present simple and present progressive (Rahman & Ali, 2015). Aspects in English
- 9. ● The context and time markers (adverbs) serve as a clue to signal either present, past, or future time. ● The lexical items are added to sentences to indicate time in each aspect. ❏ ‘เเลว’ : perfective aspect ❏ ‘กําลัง’ : imperfective aspect ❏ ‘เมื่อวาน’ : past tense ❏ ‘วันนี้’ : present tense ❏ ‘พรุงนี้’ : future tense Time references in Thai
- 10. METHODOLOGY
- 11. Matthayom 4-5 students Mengrai Maharaj Witthayakhom school, Chiang Rai Participants
- 12. FOUR PROCEDURES FOR PRETEST 1. Selecting Matthayom 4-5 students of Mengrai MahaRaj Witthayakhom School, Chiang Rai 2. Contacting the participants for Cooperation 3. Explaining the pretest to participants 4. Giving the pretest to participants Data collection
- 13. PRETEST The present tense in different aspects (present progressive, present perfect and present simple tenses) Step: 1
- 14. THE RESULT ANALYSIS The scores of students are analyzed to develop material, media or activity. Step: 2
- 15. THE EVALUATION Students are asked to participate in English activity organized by researchers to see the improvement.Step: 3
- 16. To investigate the errors in learning English grammatical structures on present tense in different aspects ➔ 3 parts ➔ 5 items in each part ➔ 15 items Instrument Pretest
- 19. FORMS OF EACH ASPECT Instrument (cont.) Pretest
- 20. A Study of Errors in Learning English Grammatical Structures on Present Tense in Different Aspects
- 21. ❏ To investigate the errors in learning English grammatical structures on present tense and aspects made by Matthayom 4-5 students. ❏ To develop English materials help Matthayom 4-5 students overcome the problems they face in mastering present tense in different aspects. OBJECTIVES
- 22. FINDING
- 23. Pretest The collected data from 20 participants, Matthayom 4-5 students of Mengrai MahaRaj Witthayakhom School is calculated to find the percentage which indicates the correctness and incorrectness on English present tense in each aspect (present simple, progressive and perfect ), as well as the errors on each aspect. DATA ANALYSIS
- 24. Grading criterion Score Description 1 Participants can come up with a complete form without any errors. 0 Participants cannot come up with a complete form. There are some errors found such as omission of tense marking for each tense and incorrect verb be conjugation.
- 25. RESULTS
- 26. Figure 1: The percentage of correctness and incorrectness on English present tense in each aspect (present simple, progressive and perfect )
- 27. 1. Use past tense form Sample students were likely to substitute most of the items given by past tense form. ❏ I always drank a glass of milk every day. ❏ She regularly carried an orange umbrella. Present simple Item 6,7
- 28. 2. Omission of tense marking for singular verbs Sample students got low score in present simple tense. Most of them omitted adding -s and -es suffix to verbs in relation to third-person singular. ❏ She regularly carry an orange umbrella. ❏ He often visit his grandparents’ home. Present simple Item 7, 13
- 29. 3. Addition of -ing suffix Sample students were likely to add -ing suffix to verbs given. ❏ I always drinking a glass of milk every day. ❏ She crying since last night. Present simple Item 5,6
- 30. 4. Others (unidentified form) Some of the students could not come up with a correct form in some of the items given—that is, they tended to change the form of verbs given to others which are incorrect. ❏ We usually were aet Tom Yum Kung at Sonya’s home. ❏ We usually aet Tom Yum Kung at Sonya’s home. Present simple Item 15
- 32. 1. Omission of verb to be Most of the sample students failed to add verb to be before verb -ing which indicates the progressive aspect. ❏ He currently swimming at the pool. ❏ They studying in the class now. Present progressive Item 10,11
- 33. 2. Omission of tense marking (-ing suffix) for present progressive Some verbs were not marked by -ing to show progressive aspect. ❏ He is take photos in the garden right now. ❏ Look! She is come home now. Present progressive Item 1,4
- 34. 3. Use past tense form Some verbs were marked by past tense instead of tense marking for progressive form. ❏ Now, they used my computer to do these exercises. ❏ He currently swam at the pool. Present progressive Item 8,10
- 35. 4. Use present simple form Some verbs were marked by present simple form in the progressive sentences. ❏ He takes photos in the garden right now. ❏ I writes a test at the moment. Present progressive Item 1, 3
- 36. 5. Others (unidentified forms) Some of the students could not come up with a correct form in some of the items given—that is, they tended to change the form of verbs given to others which are incorrect. ❏ Now, they useina my computer to do these exercises. ❏ They have stukyino in the class now. Present progressive Item 8,11
- 38. 1. Use present progressive form Sample students were likely to change the verbs given to progressive form. However, they came up with a complete form with correct verb conjugation. ❏ I am playing football in the field since 4 o’clock. ❏ They are walking to the bus stop for one hour. Present perfect Item 9,14
- 39. 2. Use past tense form Some verbs were marked by past tense instead of tense marking for perfective form. ❏ She cried since last night. ❏ I played football in the field since 4 o’clock. Present perfect Item 6,9
- 40. 3. Use present tense form Sample students tended to use present simple tense in present perfect items with the incorrect verb conjugation. ❏ We studies Korean language for two years. ❏ She cry since last night. Present perfect Item 2,6
- 41. 4. Addition of -ing suffix Sample students tended to attach -ing to the provided verb instead of changing it to the perfective form. ❏ She crying since last night. ❏ We studying Korean language for two years. Present perfect Item 2,6
- 42. 4. Omission of verb 3 conjugation Sample students were likely to not conjugate verbs to indicate present perfect tense; that is, they omitted adding -en or -ed suffix indicating perfective form. ❏ We have study Korean language for two years. ❏ She has cry since last night. Present perfect Item 2,6
- 43. 5. Others ( Unidentified form) Some of the students could not come up with a correct form in some of the items given—that is, they tended to change the form of verbs given to others which are incorrect. ❏ We studing Korean language for two years. ❏ He was build the house since last year. ❏ They were walken to the bus stop for one hour. Present perfect Item 2,12,14
- 46. Conclusion Present simple Present progressive Present perfective Correctness 26.3% 10% 1 % Incorrectness 73.7% 90 % 99% The percentage of correctness and incorrectness on English present tense in each aspect (present simple, progressive and perfect )
- 47. Present simple Present progressive Present perfect Incorrect tense and aspect 30.5% 44.4% 40.4% Incorrect tense form 13.6% 11.1% 12.1% Verb-subject agreement 18.6% - - Unidentified form 26.3% 33.3% 26.3% Blank 28.8% 11.1% 21.2%
- 49. Discussion It can be assumed that sample students cannot come up with a complete form of present tense in each aspect. They were likely to substitute by other tenses which past tense received high percentage in three aspects. This means that sample students answered all items by past tense in most of the items given in pretest, resulted from lacking of knowledge of time markers given. Additionally, sample students tended to answer most of the questions with unidentified forms—that is, some words given were changed to odd ones. Significantly, most of the items were not given any answers by students. However, when it comes to present tense, students cannot master subject-verb agreement; they tend to omit adding tense marking to singular verbs. Finally, even though sample students understand present tense and aspects, they cannot answer with a very complete form—that is,some errors were found such as omission of -ing suffix to show progressive verb tense and verb to be or omission of have/has to show perfective aspects.
- 52. ACADEMIC PART ❏ Students will be taught about the correct structures of present simple, continuous, and perfect tenses, together with the use and meaning of time makers. ❏ The structure of each tense will be divided into two forms: singular subject and plural subject. ❏ Students are required to note down in the given mini-handout.
- 53. He/She/It + ha + V3 I/Yo /We/The + ha + V3 I/Yo /We/The + V1 Yo /We/The + ar + V-in He/She/It + V-s/-es He/She/It + is + Vin *I + am +Vin Jar Paj am
- 54. ❏ Provide students with vocabulary cards of different forms in English present tense. ❏ Ask students to match those cards with the correct sentences given which are indicated by time markers. ❏ Evaluate whether they can come up with correct forms in English present tense. ACTIVITY PART
- 55. Activity Part (vocabulary cards) cries is crying has cried A board Cards 1.1 She often __________at night. 1.2 She __________ at her room right now. 1.3 She _________since last night.
- 56. Cowan, R. (2008). The teacher’s grammar of English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Noom-Ura, S. (2013). English-teaching problems in Thailand and Thai teachers' professional development needs. English Language Teaching, 6(11), 139-147. Sukasame, N., Kantho, S., & Narrot, P. (2014). A study of errors in learning English grammatical structures on tenses of matthayomSuksa 4 students of the Demonstration school, KhonKaen university. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 116, 1934-1939. Rahman, M,S., & Ali, M. (2015). Problems in mastering English tense and aspect and the role of the practitioners. IOSR Journal Of Humanities And Social Science , 20(4), 131-135. References