INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale
Aims of the study
The central aims of the study are: a Investigating the most common errors which non-English major students at Hai Phong Private University often make b Identifying the main causes of those errors c Reinforcing and enhancing the students‟ subjunctive mood acquisition
Hopefully, this study can provide readers with overall comprehension of subjunctive mood The research results would be really helpful to not only students but also teachers so they can base on the findings and suggestions to choose as well as design activities for the lesson in a direction
Regarding to the scope of the study, mood is rather huge and complicated
Consequently, it requires to be taken into consideration carefully in a very long time by the researchers However, due to my limitation of time and knowledge, I could not cover all the aspects of this theme This study only concentrates on the analysis of errors made by first-year non-English majors and the errors are just restricted to the ones related to subjunctive mood
This is a survey research which was carried out by means of such data collection instruments as questionnaires and interviews for students and the students‟ writing papers Each of them is conducted with its own direction
First, the interviews were done among twenty first year non-English majors and English Majors at Hai Phong Private University with the questions related to the thesis topic The second study method is to analyze the writing papers of students coming from two groups English majors and non-English majors with the aim of recognizing as well as classifying the errors exactly The second method is considered as more effective one
The study aims to answer the two following questions:
1 What are the typical errors that the first-year English majors and non- English majors often make during their study at Hai Phong Private University?
2 What are the suggested solutions to those typical errors ?
The study is divided into three main parts; of which the second, naturally, is the most important part
Part one presents an overview of the study in which the rationale for the research, the research problem, the purposes, the research questions, the scope of the study, the research method, as well as the design of the study were briefly presented
Part two with three main chapters:
Chapter one reviews the literature relevant to the study, including the definition of mood, as well as an overview on subjunctive mood These lay the foundation for the choice of the medium for the research More specifically, it presents a number of research in which subjunctive mood has been used to help students make improvement in their language study
Chapter two is a detailed discussion of the method used in the study This chapter presents a thorough justification for the use of subjunctive mood and survey research It also gives a thorough description of the research‟s components, as well as the research program
Chapter three discusses the findings of the study, provides pedagogical implications, as well as presents limitations of the research It also makes recommendations for further research in the same field
Part three summarizes the main issues of the whole study with a conclusion ending the study and supply some suggestions for further study.
Research Questions
The study aims to answer the two following questions:
1 What are the typical errors that the first-year English majors and non- English majors often make during their study at Hai Phong Private University?
2 What are the suggested solutions to those typical errors ?
The study is divided into three main parts; of which the second, naturally, is the most important part
Part one presents an overview of the study in which the rationale for the research, the research problem, the purposes, the research questions, the scope of the study, the research method, as well as the design of the study were briefly presented
Part two with three main chapters:
Chapter one reviews the literature relevant to the study, including the definition of mood, as well as an overview on subjunctive mood These lay the foundation for the choice of the medium for the research More specifically, it presents a number of research in which subjunctive mood has been used to help students make improvement in their language study
Chapter two is a detailed discussion of the method used in the study This chapter presents a thorough justification for the use of subjunctive mood and survey research It also gives a thorough description of the research‟s components, as well as the research program
Chapter three discusses the findings of the study, provides pedagogical implications, as well as presents limitations of the research It also makes recommendations for further research in the same field
Part three summarizes the main issues of the whole study with a conclusion ending the study and supply some suggestions for further study.
Design of study
As the subjunctive mood will be analysed in detail in chapter two, this part will deal with not only general view on mood but also particular explanations and concepts related to subjunctive mood It will provide you a closer look at its definition, formation, usage and its problems in present day English Besides, the definitions of errors and correction are also given to make clearer about the aims of this research These below knowledge had been collected from many believable resources and websites such as www usingenglish com, www yourdictionary com , tailieu vn, Azar - Understanding and using English Grammar
1.1 An overview of mood 1.1.1 Definitions of mood
In grammar, Mood is category that reflects the speaker‟s view of an event‟s reality, likelihood or urgency There are some definitions of mood :
- Mood shows the attitude of the speaker or the writer to the action or state described by the verb
- Mood is a characteristic of verbs that involves the speaker‟s attitude toward the action expressed
- Mood of a verb expressing wishes, stipulating demands, or making statements contrary to fact…
In English, mood is classified into three types, namely, indicative mood, imperative mood and subjunctive mood.
DEVELOPMENT
FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 3.1 Findings
In this chapter, the detailed results will be discussed clearly to supply readers with answers to the two main questions for this study:
1 What are the typical errors that the first-year English majors and non- English majors often make during their study at Hai Phong Private University?
2 What are the significant solutions to those typical errors ?
3.1 Findings 3.1.1 Recognition of subjunctive mood
Number of students Percentage (%) Correct Incorrect Correct Incorrect
Table 4: Results from the Questionnaires
As can be seen from the table above, none of those students finish the questionnaire with 100% correct answers At least, there is one student get one wrong answer (question no.2: 95% correct and 5% incorrect) and almost the students didn‟t get correct answer with question number: 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11 and
13 Those questions focus much on the distinctions between present subjunctive and past subjunctive–2 main types of Subjunctive mood And the other questions like 1, 2, 3, 4, 15 are some general definitions of Mood and Subjunctive Mood, but they still made mistakes with 10%, 20%, 30% respectively
According to the results of my survey questions about twenty students‟
English subjunctive acknowledgement, it is proved that they are still unclear about neither definitions nor kinds of subjunctive mood Some typical reasons for that can be found in the following table:
No Reason for errors Number of students
1 Don‟t know this grammar aspect 0 0
4 Lack of motivations in learning English 13 65%
Table 5: Typical reasons for students’ errors in survey questions
Most of them are at the intermediate level of study and they have ever studied this grammar aspect at least once at highschool, so no one doesn‟t know this But, sometimes the students didn‟t practice on this grammar as usual as possible, so 10% of them can‟t answer some questions because of missing knowledge In contrast, 20% of students didn‟t have natural environment to practice their language so they got incorrect answers Especially, 65% of students can not find out interest in their lessons And a small parts of learners can not understand the lessons because of the uneffecrive teaching way of their teachers
It is noticeable that a large number of students (65%) got mistakes between present subjunctive and past subjunctive It seems that it‟s difficult for them to distinguish the difference between two kinds of subjunctive mood: present subjunctive mood and past subjunctive mood Following all given knowledge above, we have a short brief about use of subjunctive mood with these two types In the present subjunctive, the verb is always in the infinitive without “to”, no matter in what tense the subjunctive-triggering verb or expression is This verb usually occurs in “that-clauses” The present subjunctive is often triggered by verbs and expressions that express commands, demands, desires, formal motions, parliamentary resolutions, orders, recommendations, suggestions, wishes, etc Furthermore, it can also appear in fixed expressions (or formulate) introduced by one of the expressions like although, if, lest, provided that, so, so that, in order that, though, till, that, unless, whatever, whether, whoever, etc It is noticeable that the present tense of the subjunctive uses only the base form of the verb
Eg: 9 The present tense of the subjunctive uses only the form of the verb => correct answer: c base
On the other hand, the past subjunctive occurs in if-clauses and expressions with If Only, I wish… In this case, the plural past form of be (i.e., were) is used with all the persons Sometimes, no if is used, as in the following sentences:
Eg : Were I you, I wouldn‟t do it
In my grammar test, non-English major students in Hai Phong Private University also did not recognize where the subjunctive mood clause is In the first exercise, the students have to underline the subjunctive mood clause
Almost non-English major students underline “would”,“as if”,“If only”,
“suggested”, “is important” Actually, these are conjunctions, connectives, verbs or adjectives… They thought that these are subjunctive mood, but they are only ones of signs to realize the subjunctive mood clause In fact, the subjunctive mood clause is after these They should underline like this way:
1 I would rather you did not play football today
2 She acted as if she had not known him before
3 If only she were here, she would speak up
4 We suggested that she take an early train
5 It is important that you should get to the air port on time
In these sentences, the part is underlined is divided into three kinds of mood: “she take an early train” and “you should get to the airport on time” are present subjunctive mood clause “you did not play football today” and “she were here” are past subjunctive mood clause “she had not known him before” is past perfect subjunctive mood clause
In this exercise, 95% the English major students did not make mistakes
They did very well However some major students also made mistake like the non-major students I hope that my explanation will be helpful for them to more understand about subjunctive mood
3.1.2 The verb forms in the subjunctive mood
Recognizing the Subjunctive mood is the only error that students made
Through the second instrument – grammar test, one more typical error made by both English major students and non-English major students was found out is supplying the verb forms
Table 6: Errors made by students in grammar test
English majors Non-English majors Correct
In some certain fixed expressions 76% 24% 32% 68%
In the second type conditional 52% 48% 10% 90%
In clause beginning with “If only” and
In clauses with conjunctions “as if”/“as though” 86% 14% 71% 29%
The number of students made errors in grammar test more than in survey question While the questionnaire focuses much on the theory of Subjunctive mood, the grammar test will show us how the students apply their knowledge into practice And after getting the results of tests, it can be seen that the students often get trouble with verb form supply The following part will analyzed more particularly in these errors
3.1.2.1 In present form in the subjunctive mood
* In some certain fixed expressions
These certain fixed expressions indicate wishes, expressions… There is no change to the verb in these phrases, but in my survey, the students still put the verb into tense
E.g - “You sneezed! God blesses you!”
The students can do like this in the indicative to indicates that God really does bless the individual The speaker uses the indicative to reflect what he sees as reality; i.e., God blesses people In the subjunctive, the phrase indicates a hope or desire that God bless the sneezing individual Obviously, God isn't blessing that person at the moment, because the person is sick, so the subjunctive indicates a wish contrary to current reality in the speaker's viewpoint Every word in phrase is certain, no change, the verb form is not supplied The same rule is also used in the second and the third example Thus, these phrases should write in correct form like this:
- “You sneezed! God bless you!”
- “Curse, be on him ! This kind of mistake is common in using, thus, the learners should remember and learn by heart their form, mean and usage It will be helpful for them not to make mistakes again
The present subjunctive mood is after some verbs and adjectives in the form: [S + verb + that + present subjunctive mood clause]
[It + be + adjective + that + present subjunctive mood clause]
It indicates a request, command or intension… The verbs and adjectives in these forms are signs to recognize subjunctive mood clause The most common mistakes that the learners usually meet are the verb forms in the present subjunctive mood In their mind, they think the verb in this form have to be put in the correct tense
In my survey, the English major students rarely made mistakes in this situation, but almost the non-English major students did There are up to 93% the non-English major students and 38% the major students made mistakes I would like to introduce some errors in these sentences:
- It‟s important that he gets to the airport on time
- The doctor advised that he took a rest for a few days
SUMMARY 1 Recapitulation
Conclusions
With careful study, I have come up with a number of findings The very first one is that the number of students made errors in their writing is rather huge (49% and 74%) Not only the Non-majors but also English Majors made errors
They are prone to the same range of errors (2 formal errors: Recognize the subjunctive mood and Supply the verb forms) and the errors committed the most frequently by the participants was Supply the verb forms All the errors were analyzed and some of them were corrected to increase their effectiveness
Basing on those found errors, some suggested solutions to those were given Firstly, the teacher plays an important part in instructing their students to have right learning strategies And his teaching method is to attract his students or not Secondly, learning from the teacher is not enough to understand completely this grammar issue The learners must also study from the different sources such as: reference books, friends, internet
In addition, through the analysis of the students‟ writings, questionnaires, some solutions to those errors were found out for not only the language teachers but also language learners However, this study is limited in some aspects I hope that they will be solved in some future researches
3 Limitations and suggestion for the further study
Though I has carried out the study with full seriousness and carefulness, the research remains some certain limitations The first shortcoming is the restricted number of reference materials I approached Despite great searching efforts, I could not access many reliable sources especially the ones listing types of solutions; consequently, suggested solutions part could not be done thoroughly and exhaustively To overcome this difficulty, I try to find out the common mistakes in the accessible sources Besides, from the grammar test, I can find out that students sometimes mistook the use of subjunctive with the rest ones of mood But because of limited time and ability, I couldn‟t deeply compare the different uses between them Due to these shortcomings, further studies on certain aspects should be developed in the future
Although this research has gained some findings, there is some space for further studies Firstly, the number and study standard of participants and references should be extended to increase the effectiveness for the study
Secondly, they should investigate not only errors in using subjunctive mood but also strategies for learners to study subjunctive mood or effective method in teaching this
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http://giaoan.violet.vn/present/show?entry_idX8961
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http://tailieu.vn/xem-tai-lieu/subjunctive-mood.39337.html
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http://www.fortunecity.com/bally/durrus/153/gramch12.htm
http://www.tranphu.com/51/viewtopic.php?f!8&t"688
http://www.yourdictionary.com/subjunctive
1 The mood of a verb indicates a the subject is active b the attitude of the speaker c the speaker is the subject
2 The subjunctive mood of a verb is most commonly used a when the subject is acting upon an object b in a direct question or a command c in contrary-to-fact or hypothetical statements
3 How many forms of subjunctive mood are there in the modern English? a 2 b 3 c 4
4 The Subjunctive mood a represents something as a fact, or as in close relation with reality, or in interrogative form inquires after a fact b represent something, not as an actual reality, but as formed in the mind of the speaker as a desire, wish, volition, plan, conception, thought
5 The occurs in if-clauses and expressions with I wish… a present subjunctive b past subjunctive
6.The is used for hypotheses about the present or future a present subjunctive b past subjunctive
7 The is used to express prayers or wishes about the present or future a present subjunctive b past subjunctive
8 The past subjunctive tense is used in a clause after “would rather” or “would sooner”
a to express preferences in the present b to express unreality, improbability or doubt c to express hypotheses about past actions
9 The present tense of the subjunctive uses only the form of the verb a past b present c base
10 “That-clause” coming after “It‟s time ” is used in the a perfect subjunctive b past subjunctive c present subjunctive
11 Some can be followed by a subjunctive verb a nouns b adjectives c both a & b are correct
12 In hypothetical sentences, were is usually used instead of was a right b wrong c no information
13 The Past Subjunctive is used in the following circumstances: a After the verb „wish‟ b In sentences starting with „as if‟ and „as though‟ c In sentences starting with „it is time‟ d a, b & c are correct
14 The past tense of the subjunctive has the same forms as the indicative except (unfortunately) for a the verb wish b the verb to be c both a & b
15 Which sentence shows the SUBJUNCTIVE mood? a If he were the chief financial officer, the company would make a profit b Is he the chief financial officer of this profitable company? c He is the chief financial officer of a profitable company
I Underline the Subjunctive mood clause
1 I would rather you did not play football today
2 She acted as if she had not known him before
3 If only she were here, she would speak up
4 We suggested that she take an early train
5 It is important that you should get to the air port on time
6 If I would have longer holidays I would be perfectly happy
7 I would rather that they didn't travel during the bad weather, but they
8 Everyone has arrived It's time we shall start
9 It was suggested that the medicines were sent here by plane
10 She wishes she hadn't said it
II After each sentence, choose the verb or verb string that best completes that sentence (Caution: the subjunctive form will not be the best choice in all sentences)
1 The house looked as if nobody _ in it
2 Anna sounds as if she had got a cold, _ she?
3 I would rather you _ behave like that way I do not like!
A did not B do not C have not
4 She would rather her father _ for her a beautiful dog
5 My mother would know what to do Oh, would that she _ here with us now!
6 If only Jughead a little more responsible in his choice of courses!
7 If Mrs Lincoln ill that night, the Lincolns would not have gone to Ford
8 Her employees treated Mrs Greenblatt as though she _ a queen
9 If his parents more careful in his upbringing, Holden Caulfield would have been quite different
III Fill in the blanks below with the correct form of the verb in parentheses
1 You sneezed! Go d (bless) you!
4 The doctor advised that he (take) a rest for a few days
5 It‟s important that he (get) to the air port on time
6 It is necessary that the report (be) handed on my table now
7 They request that our house (be) rebuilt because it is too old
8 My boy friend said that our wedding (be) held last month
9 If I was a bird, I (be) a white pigeon
10 If he was me, what he (do) ?
11 If you had taken your medicine yesterday, you (be) well now
12 If he were not so absent-minded, he (not, mistake) you for your sister
13 I‟d rather you (not/watch) television while I‟m reading
14 It‟s high time you (start) working seriously
15 I wish I (spend) more time swimming last summer
16 Helen is bossy She acts as if she (own) the place
17 I wish I (be) good at English now
18 Suppose a complete stranger _ (leave) you a lot of money in their will!
19 If only I _ (not/ drink) so much last night
20 I‟d rather you _ (sit) next to Susan, please
IV Complete the sentences, using the idea of the words in parentheses
Examples: (You should organize a camping trip.)
=> The girls proposed that their scout leader organize a camping trip
(Ms Hanson thinks that the director should divide our class into two sections.)
Ms Hanson recommended that our class be divided into two sections
1 (You must call home every week.) Dan's parents insisted that he _ home every week
2 (Someone must tell her the truth about her illness.)
It is essential that she _ the truth about her illness
3 (Open your suitcases for inspection.) The customs official demanded that all passengers _ their suitcases
4 (Ann, you should take some art courses.) The counselor recommended that Ann _ some art courses
5 (All parts of the motor must work correctly.)
It is vital that all parts of the motor _ in proper working order
6 (Please mail all packages at the central office.) The director requests that all packages _ at the central office
7 (Soldiers must obey their officers
It is imperative that soldiers _ their officers
8 (We must remember to give the babysitter certain phone numbers to call in case of emergency.)