HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY N,.2 FOREIGN LANGUAGE FACULTY
LE THUY HIEN
COMMON ERRORS IN THE USE OF PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE MADE BY THE SECOND YEAR NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT
HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY NUMBER 2 IN THE ACADEMIC YEAR OF 2012/2013
(SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF ARTS IN ENGLISH)
SUPERVISOR: MAI THI VAN ANH, M.A
Hanoi, May 2013
Trang 2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This study would not have been possible without the guidance and the help of several individuals who in one way or another contributed and extended their valuable assistance in the preparation and completion of this study
Foremost, I would like to take this chance to express my sincere gratitude to Ms Mai Thi Van Anh, M.A., my supervisor, for the continuous support of my study, for her patience, motivation, encouragement, indispensable suggestions and advice, enthusiasm and knowledge Her guidance helped me in all the time of research and writing of this study
Besides my supervisor, I would like to thank all the lecturers at Hanoi Pedagogical University 2, especially the lecturers in the Foreign Language Faculty for their dedicated instructions during my years of university work
I am particularly grateful to my close friends for their enthusiasm and kindness in helping me collect valuable reference documents and data for my research
Last but not least, I thank my parents for their support and whole-hearted encouragement
Trang 3ABSTRACT
Prepositions of place are an important part of the English language and will enable students to create more complex sentences Prepositions of place are plentiful Most of the common prepositions of place are simple, i.e consist of one word Other prepositions, consisting of more than one word, are called complex However, due to this the students of English often get problems when using prepositions of place Whereas error analysis of prepositions of place referred to in some books have not been dealt with in full and sometimes cause confusion to learners
As a result, students of English often make errors when they use the prepositions of place Therefore, this study focuses on the uses of prepositions of place and entails conducting a survey for error analysis
The types of errors and causes have been found based on the results of the survey Solutions to the problems have been suggested
Trang 4STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP
Title: Common Errors in the Use of Prepositions of Place
(Graduation paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the Degree of Bachelor of Arts in English)
I certify that no part of this report has been copied or reproduced by me from any other person’s work without acknowledgment and that the report is originally written by me under strict guidance from my supervisor
Date submitted: May 2013
Student Supervisor
Trang 5TABLE OF CONTENTS
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PART ONE INTRODUCTION
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VII Significance of the proposed research
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DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER ONE: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND
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Trang 7DEN 0 bài 23
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II.2.5 Errors in the use of along when the space is treated as a point or an Em ốốố ố ố 27
II2.6 Errors In the use of 5eÏow in contexts where under is required 28
II.2.7 Errors in the use of across in contexts where through is required 28
II.2.8 Errors in the use of above in contexts where over is required 29
Trang 8PART ONE INTRODUCTION I Rationale
Language is very important in daily human life It is a systematic mean of communication by the use of sounds or conventional symbols Human beings use the language to express their ideas and communicate to others The language is the written and spoken methods of combining words to create meaning used by a particular group of people However, it is only easy for people who have the same language to communicate There are likely no difficulties in using the language to express their ideas and concepts as well as moods, feelings and attitudes As for the native speakers, in particular, they do not have difficulties or obstacles in using the language since they soon pick up their own native language from their birth On the other hand, if the people take part in the conversations who speak the different languages, they definitely get difficulties in communicating to each other due to their different backgrounds: nationality, race, and language One of the problems causing the difficulties is the language used Therefore, they need a language which the speaker and his or her counterpart can understand This leads to the international languages used They must be the most popular and most spoken languages in the world One of the languages is the English language
English is known as the most important language in the world in general and in Vietnam in particular It is necessary in each and every field At present, due to the awareness of the importance of English, there are more and more people need to learn English Hence, English is being taught at every educational level in Vietnam
However, learning a language is not easy due to the differences of the system between the foreign languages and the native language This may bring about the problems for the foreign language learners Accordingly, it is inevitable that the Vietnamese students usually get problems in learning English It is proved that English grammar is complex and often causes embarrassment to students
Trang 9Prepositions, in particular preposition of place are the language categories that are difficult for the students to learn because there are many prepositions of place and each preposition has the different uses Therefore, it is assumed that there are many
errors which maybe made In fact, the students are often confused in using
prepositions of place Many of them confess that prepositions of place are the biggest problems of English grammar and they often make errors in the use of prepositions of place For example:
The film premiere this year will take place on Leicester Square at London
The conference was very badly attended: below two hundred people came
As a matter of fact, problems in relation to place prepositions are long since studied by many authors This category of English is difficult for not only learners of English but also English teachers to use They often make mistakes when using prepositions of place Hence, as a prospective teacher, I would like to help the students minimize their errors and make a contribution to the English teaching in
Vietnam For the reasons above, this study is conducted, which focuses on errors in
the use of prepositions of place among the second year non-English major students at Hanoi Pedagogical University N, 2
II RESEARCH PRE SUPPOSITION
With regard to the errors quoted above, the problem is with contexts and meanings of prepositions of position The correct versions could be:
The film premiere this year will take place at Leicester Square in London
The conference was very badly attended: under two hundred people came
Some research questions are raised:
1) What kinds of errors do the second year non-English major students at Hanoi Pedagogical University N, 2 in the academic year of 2012/2013 often make?
Trang 102) What are the common errors in the use of the prepositions of place made by the second year non-English major students at Hanoi Pedagogical University N, 2 in the academic year of 2012/2013?
3) Why do the second year non-English major students at Hanoi Pedagogical University N, 2 in the academic year of 2012/2013 make errors when they use the prepositions of place?
Based on the questions above, I am eager to learn about the problems and make an error analysis in prepositions of place so that the major errors in the use of prepositions of place may be found
Ill RESEARCH OBJECTIVES
The study is aimed to describe the patterns of difficulty and the variability observed in the incorrect uses of English prepositions of place in a survey questionnaire completed by the second year non-English major students at Hanoi Pedagogical University N, 2 in the academic year of 2012/2013 studying English as a compulsory subject at University In particular, the study is aimed at the following goals:
1) To find out the kinds of errors in the use of prepositions of place made by the second year non-English major students at Hanoi Pedagogical University N, 2 in the academic year of 2012/2013 in using prepositions of place
2) To find out the main errors in the use of prepositions of place most often made by the second year non-English major students at Hanoi Pedagogical
University N, 2 in the academic year of 2012/2013 in using prepositions of place
Trang 11IV RESEARCH SCOPE
The general research area of this study is grammar
The phenomenon is errors in the use of prepositions of place made by the second year non-English major students at Hanoi Pedagogical University N, 2 in the academic year of 2012/2013 Others relating to the prepositions of place are also briefly mentioned
The population involved in the study is one hundred second year non- English major students at Hanoi Pedagogical University N, 2 in the academic year of 2012/2013
V RESEARCH TASKS
The study involves fulfilling the following tasks:
1) To study types of classification and uses of prepositions of place 2) To research into the different uses among some prepositions of place 3)To study the relationship between prepositions of position and prepositions of direction
4) To research into the expressions of prepositions of position
5) To conduct a survey to find out error types and causes On the basis of the findings, possible solutions to the problems are sought to minimize the students’ errors
VI RESEARCH METHODS
To achieve the objectives of the study, it is essential to have a combination of methods In this study, the methods including collection, synthesis, analysis and enumeration have been applied
VII SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PROPOSED RESEARCH
Errors in any language teaching and learning, particularly in English as a foreign language, are sometimes predictable and sometimes unpredictable It is, therefore, essential for teachers to have better treatment to anticipate errors After the research, it is hoped that the result will be helpful to provide:
Trang 121) Input for learners of English in order to minimize their errors in the use of prepositions of place
2) Input for teachers of English with information on error types and solutions to the problems so that they can have good methods of teaching the prepositions of place
This study is also beneficial to anyone who is interested in the prepositions of place in English
VII DESIGN OF THE RESEARCH WORK
The research work has three main parts, namely: Introduction, Development, and Conclusion The part “Development” consists two chapters Chapter one is entitled “Theoretical Background” It consists two sections Section one reviews literature review in brief The second one deals with things related to the prepositions of place such as definition, classification and the different uses among some prepositions of place Moreover, the relationship between the prepositions of position and direction and the expressions of prepositions of position are also mentioned
Trang 13PART TWO DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER ONE
THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 1.1 LITERATURE REVIEW IN BRIEF
Preposition is a difficult structure for learners of English to use They are often confused when using it Therefore, prepositions of place make learners easy to make errors
Prepositions of place have been described by many grammarians like George Yule (1998), Mark Foley and Diane Hall (2003), Randolph Quirk (1973), Michael Vince (1993), L.G.Alexander (1990) and so on Each of them has their own way to describe the prepositions of place Generally, they pay attention to the definition, classification and uses of prepositions of place
Mark Foley and Diane Hall (2003) in Advanced Learners Grammar deal with the types of prepositions of place in terms of special relationship In this way the prepositions of place fall into three groups The first group based on vertical relationships includes above, after, below, beneath, down, on, on top of, over, under and underneath The next group, according to horizontal relationships,
comprises against, along, alongside, around, at, beside, between, by, in, near, next
to, on, on the left of, on the right of The last group is composed of across, after, before, behind, facing, in front of, opposite, over which is relied on facing
relationships They give learners the uses of prepositions of place In addition, they
also indicate the differences between the synonymous prepositions of place Besides, they introduce some common errors in the use of prepositions of place
that are errors when using below, under, on, at, in and at
Trang 14George Yule (1998) in Explaining English Grammar mentions types of prepositions of place according to locations in space such as points, surfaces and area He also introduces the movement of entities in relation to the locations as a
point, a surface, or an area
In the book First Certificate Language Practice, Michael Vince (1993) introduces briefly the differences between in and at
In the website englishtheeasyway.com, the definition of prepositions of place is presented In addition, common place prepositions and examples are also mentioned
Alaine Walker and Steve Elsworth (2000) in the book Grammar Practice for
Upper Intermediate Students only gives the uses of at, in, on, above, below, over, under, beneath, underneath, on top of, against, opposite, by, beside, next to, inside,
and outside
In the book A University Grammar of English, Randolph Quirk (1973) shows prepositions of place in relation to the dimensional properties: at a point, on
a line or surface, in a area or volume He explains the contrast between on and in and at and in Besides, he refers to the cause-and-effect relationship between positive position and direction and the parallel cause-and-effect relation between negative position and direction Moreover, he focuses his attention on the
expressions of the prepositions of place like relative position, relative destination and passage
Overall, much research has been done on the prepositions of place However, only Mark Folley and Diane Hall (2003) point out errors in the use of
prepositions of place The fact is that there are a lot of errors that learners of
Trang 151.2 PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE 1.2.1 Definition
Prepositions of place, according to the website englishtheeasyway.com, are used to clarify a specific place Place prepositions are used with all nouns The prepositions of place usually come before the noun or the pronoun The preposition never comes before a verb For example:
There is a cup on the table
He stood in front of me and opened the door 1.2.2 Types of prepositions of place
1.2.2.1 According to relationships 1.2.2.1.1 Vertical relationships
According to vertical relationships, prepositions of place include above, after, below, beneath, down, on, on top of, over, under, underneath, up
Above and over have similar meanings, as do below and under We usually use above or over to talk about position when something is higher than something else For example:
The refuge is in the hills above the town The clouds hung low over the hills
Whereas we use below or under to talk about something that is lower than something else For example:
Put your shoes under the bed
Water was dripping onto the floor below
However, over and under are used to show position when there is contact between things For instance:
I’m wearing a coat over my jacket and a sweater under it We use over or under in the following cases:
e When one thing covers another: The clouds hung low over the hills He disappeared under the water
Trang 16e When horizontal movement is suggested: Are we going to fly over the Alps?
e With prices, ages, speeds, distances and quantities, where we mean more than or fewer or less than:
The conference was very badly attended: under two hundred people came
We use above or below to talk about level or rank:
Is the position of Managing Editor above or below that of Editorial Director?
It is also possible to use after in this sense:
His opinion is second only after the Managing Director’s In the use of up and down we note:
John lives a few houses further up the hill from us John lives a few houses further down the hill from us We generally use beneath in idiomatic phrases:
Your behavior towards my new husband was really beneath contempt! 1.2.2.1.2 Horizontal relationships
As for horizontal relationships, in the book Advanced learners’ Grammar by Mark Folley and Diane Hall, prepositions of place comprise against, along,
alongside, around, at, beside, between, by, in, near, next to, on, on the left/right of
We use at with a point in space, e.g at the bus stop, at 8 Baker Street; we
use on with a surface or a line, e.g on the table, on the river, on Oxford Street; and we use in with something that surrounds, e.g in the wood We use different
prepositions depending on how we see a place For example:
The group will meet at 7.30 at the sports centre (= either inside or outside)
The group will meet at 7.30 in the sports centre (= inside)
Trang 17roads, avenues, etc and we use at with the names of squares if we think of the
‘address’, and in if we think of the square as ‘surrounding’ us For instance:
The film premiere this year will take place at Leicester Square in London The trees in Leicester Square don’t look very healthy
We use at when we refer to gatherings of people: at a party, at a conference We use beside and alongside to express proximity along a line For example:
Warehouses were built beside/ alongside the motorway 1.2.2.1.3 ‘Facing’ relationships
According to Mark Foley and Diane Hall (2003) in the book Advanced learners’ Grammar, in the group of facing relationships the prepositions of place include across, after, before, behind, facing, in front of, opposite, over
We use in front of or behind to describe the spatial relationship of two things, one after the other on a line and facing the same way
In front of and behind can also be used for metaphorical, not literal, position For instance:
Christopher is really behind his brother in terms of academic development
Before and after can refer to position in some contexts, for example:
Karen’s nephew appears before/ in front of the magistrates this afternoon
You'll be called first as my name is after yours on the list
Opposite, facing, across and over have the meaning of ‘on the other side of
but with across and over we have to state on the other side of what, e.g a road, a
river For instance:
I’ll meet you in the café opposite/ facing the theatre (= on the other side of the road)
I'll meet you in the café across/ over the road from the theatre
The difference between opposite/ facing and in front of is that the items on the ‘line’ are not facing in the same direction, but are facing each other
Trang 181.2.2.2 According to dimension
When we use a preposition to indicate place, we do so in relation to the dimensional properties, whether subjectively or objectively conceived, of the location concerned In this way, prepositions of position are classified into three
types: point, which focuses on at; line or surface deals with on and area or volume,
which concentrates on in 1.2.2.2.1 Point
Locations can be points in space and treated as having no relevant
dimension We are often at a point in space
Prepositions in this group indicate that the noun that follows them is treated as a point in relation to which another object is positioned
We can use at with nouns to mean ‘a (meeting) point’ For example: [ll meet you at the airport
Some typical nouns used in this case are the cinema, the office, the bank, the
library, (the) school
We say that someone is at an event, e.g at a concert, a dance, a dinner, a
funeral, a meeting, a party, a wedding For instance: Tom is ata party
We say at with buildings when we say where the event (film, concert, ) takes place For example:
Where were you yesterday? At the cinema The meeting took place at the headquarters
We also use at with public places or buildings, e.g at the airport, the bus
stop, the Grand Hotel, the butcher’s
We use at for specific addresses For instance: She lives at 24 Cedar Avenue
We use at with nouns with zero article, e.g at home, church, college, school,
university
We say at for a place which is a part of our journey For instance:
We stopped at a very nice village Does the train stop at Nashville?
Trang 191.2.2.2.2 Line or surface
Prepositions in this group indicate that the position of an object is defined with respect to a surface on which it rests
We use on with small islands For example: She spent her holiday on a small island
We say that a place is on the coast/ on a river/ on a road For instance: London is on the river Thames
Portsmouth is on the south coast of England
We use on for a surface, e.g on the wall, on the ceiling, on the floor, on a
page, ona cover For example:
Have you seen the notice on the notice board?
We use on for names of streets, roads, avenues, and boulevards For
instance:
Her apartment is on San Pablo Street ].2.2.2.3 Area or volume
Prepositions in this group indicate that an object lies within the boundaries of an area or within the confines of a volume
We use in for spaces, e.g a room, a hotel, a parking lot, a farm, a rice field For instance:
They always meet in a secret room
We use in for names of specific land areas, e.g in Southern Africa, in the Philippines, in Southeast Asia For example:
She lives in a quiet town in Southern Africa We use in for bodies of water For instance:
That kind of fish thrives in freshwater in the lake
We use in for lines, e.g in a row, in a line, in a queue For example: The registrants are in a row
We use in to show that something is enclosed or surrounded, e.g in the
garden, in the house, in the water, in a taxi, in her bag For example:
There is nobody in the room Here are some more examples:
The dog is in the garden
Trang 20She is in a taxi Put it in the box
We also use in to show position within land-areas (towns, countries, states,
continents) For instance:
L used to live in Nottingham
1.2.2.2.4 Differences between in, on and at
1.2.2.2.4.1 In and At
Random Quirk (1973) shows in detail the opposition between at and in In is used for continents, countries, provinces, and sizeable territories of any kind For example:
She lives in London
However for towns, villages, and so on, either at or in is appropriate According to this point of view, we have:
at Straford-upon-Avon, or in Straford-upon-Avon
Avery large city, such as New York, London, or Tokyo, is generally treated as an area For instance:
He works in London, but he lives in the country
Whereas one could treat it as a point on the map if global distances were in mind
Trang 21I.2.2.2.4.2 On and In
In the book A University Grammar of English, Randolph Quirk (1973) says that the contrast between on (= surface) and in (= area) has various implications according to context, as these examples show:
On the window: The frost made pattern on the window (window = glass surface)
In the window/ mirror: A face appeared in the window/ mirror (window, mirror = framed area)
On the island: Robinson Crusoe was marooned on an uninhabited island
In the island: He was born in Long Island
(the island has an institutional identity) We note that in many cases (especially in colloquial English), on and in may be used for both position and destination For instance:
He dived in the water He felt on the floor 1.2.3 Prepositions and location
In the book Explaining English Grammar, George Yule (1998) believes that there are several important aspects of the information which should be kept in mind We can be seen the information in the following box:
Position of entity (E) Reference location perceived as:
Point Surface Area
Connected position at on in
Goal of movement to on(to) in(to)
Source of movement (away) from off out of
Path of movement past along through
Some types of spatial reference (i.e locations) may be inherently more ‘area-like’ (i.e having volume, or three dimensions) than ‘surface-like’ or ‘point-
Trang 22like’ and hence may tend to be used with one set of related prepositions more than another However, most spatial reference can be conceptualized by a speaker differently on different occasions, depending on the nature of the information being conveyed
For example, a town would seem to represent the kind of the location that
would most typically be treated as three-dimensional space and lead us to talk of
being in it, as shown in the following example: The University is in Baton Rouge
However, from a different perspective, the town may be treated as if it was a
kind of surface with sunshine on it, as in example:
The Sun is shining on Baton Rouge this morning
If that city is treated as one point in a journey, essentially having no relevant dimension, then we can stop at it For instance:
Flight 410 to Nashville has one stop at Baton Rouge
Although the concept of ‘surface’ may frequently be taken to mean ‘on top of a horizontal surface, it does not mean that the perspective has to be that of the human observer It can be a spider’s orientation to the surface that is being described, as shown in the following example:
The cat on the floor is watching the spider on the ceiling
The relevant space can be also viewed as the vertical surface on which certain entities are found For instance:
The cat on the floor, watching the spider on the ceiling which was following the fly on the wall
Spatial locations viewed in terms of a vertical dimension are also the key to the use of up and down as prepositions indicating a directional path as a surface For example:
They climbed up the steep side of the hill and walked down the other side
A final point to note is that conceptual distinctions in types of spatial location extend to entities which may not initially seem to be primarily spatial
Trang 23This is particularly true with regard to the extensions of ‘area’, or three dimensional concepts Entities as physically different as an ocean, a mouth, a box, a drawer, a crowd, or address, among many others, can all be treated in English as having the same conceptual status in terms of spatial dimensions In many respects, such entities are treated as having ‘interior’ space, or ‘container-like’ properties, with respect to some other entity that is in or out of them It tends to follow that many extensions of these basic relationships between physical or concrete entities and locations will be made into non-physical and abstract relationships This type of extension can be fairly easily understood by considering some of the way in which references to location in time in English follow patterns used for location in space, but it goes much further and appears to be at the heart of many metaphorical, or non-literal, references involving simple prepositions in English 1.2.4 Relationship between notions of position and direction
1.2.4.1 Positive position and direction
A cause-and-effect relationship obtains between the notion of simple position (or static location) and direction (movement with respect to a destination) Direction Position Tom went to the floor as a result: Tom was at the floor Tom fell on(to) the floor as a result: Tom was on the floor Tom dived in(to) the water as a result: Tom was in the water
A prepositional phrase of ‘position’ can accompany any verb, although the meaning of ‘direction’ generally (but by no means always) requires a dynamic verb of ‘motional’ meaning, such as go, move, fly, and so on
1.2.4.2 Negative position and direction
There is a parallel cause and effect relation with the negative prepositions
away from, off, off of (informal American English), out of:
Trang 24Direction Position
Tom went away from the door Tom was away from the door (= Tom was not at the door.) We use off with the meaning as not on and out of as not in
1.2.5 Expressions of prepositions of place 1.2.5.1 Relative position
Apart from simple position, prepositions may express the relative position of two objects or groups of objects For example:
He was standing by his brother (= ‘at the side of?) I left the keys with my wallet (= ‘in the same place as’)
Above, over, on top of, under, underneath, beneath, below express relative
position vertically whereas before, in front of, behind, after represent it horizontally We have the diagram: above behind D<— X —C in front of 1 B below
The diagram above depicts the relations expressed by ‘A is above X’, ‘D is
behind X’, and so on
The antonyms above and below, over and under, in front of and behind are not positive and negative but converse opposites For instance:
The picture is above the mantelpiece = The mantelpiece is below the picture
The bus is in front of the car = The car is behind the bus
Over and under as place prepositions are roughly synonymous with above and below respectively The main differences are that over and under tend to
Trang 25indicate a direct vertical relationship and/ or spatial proximity, while above and below may indicate simply ‘on a higher/lower level than’ For example:
The castle stands on a hill above (rather than over) the valley
The doctor and the policeman were leaning over (rather than above) the body when we arrived
Underneath and beneath are less common substitutes for under; beneath is
formal in style Underneath, like on top of, generally indicates a contiguous relation
Some other prepositions of relative position are beside, near (to), between, amid(st) (formal), among, amongst (especially in British English)
1.2.5.2 Relative destination
The prepositions in the part ‘Relative position’ (but not, generally, above and below) can express ‘Relative destination’ For example:
The bush was the only conceivable hiding-place, so I dashed behind it
When it started to rain, we all went underneath the trees
This use is distinct from that denoting that passage behind, under, and so on 1.2.5.3 Passage
With verbs of motion, prepositions may express the idea of passage, i.e movement towards and then away from a place, as well as destination With the prepositions listed in the part ‘Relative position’, this occurs in sentences like:
He jumped over a ditch
Someone ran behind the goal-posts
In sentences like the last, or like The ball rolled underneath the table, there
is an ambiguity: we can supply either the meaning of ‘passage’ (= the ball passed under the table on the way to some other destination) or the meaning of ‘destination’ (= the ball rolled under the table and stayed there)
We note that a triple ambiguity may in fact arise with the above sentences, or more clearly with the following sentence:
A mouse scuttled behind the curtain
This sentence may be interpreted not only in the sentences of ‘passage’ and ‘destination’, but also in a positional sense, implying that the mouse stayed (scuttling back and forth) behind the curtain all the time
Trang 26CHAPTER TWO: COMMON ERRORS IN THE USE OF PREPOSITIONS OF PLACE
This chapter presents the findings of the practical research with the second year non English major students at Hanoi Pedagogical University N, 2 It falls into three sections Section II.1 deals with the survey questionnaire, which was designed to map out some common errors made by the second year non English major students at Hanoi Pedagogical University N, 2 Section II.2 presents common errors and causes Section II.3 provides students and teachers with some suggested solutions to minimize the errors in the use of prepositions of place II.1 Survey
As it was mentioned in chapter one, the study provides the students of English with a deep knowledge about the preposition of place Furthermore, the study help the students find out the errors in the use of prepositions of place Due to the frame work of a thesis, it’s impossible to map out all the mistakes made by students at all educational levels Therefore, this thesis is only focused on common errors in the use of prepositions of place made by the second year non English major students at Hanoi Pedagogical University N, 2 To find out the errors made by those students, a survey questionnaire was conducted
H.1.1 Purpose of the survey
The overall objectives of the survey questionnaire are to test students’ understanding of the preposition of place and find out common errors made by the second year non English major students at Hanoi Pedagogical University N, 2 11.1.2 Population of the survey
The number of the students taking part in the survey questionnaire is one hundred non-English major students of the thirty-seventh course at Hanoi Pedagogical University N, 2 They have to learn English as a compulsory subject
Trang 27They have studied English for at least ten years Therefore, it’s expected that their level is at upper intermediate In reality, they have been taught the fundamental uses of the prepositions of place at high school However, not everybody can use prepositions of place well Some of them are confused when using prepositions of place
II.1.3 Types of the survey
To collect data, a completion test was used It involves such activities as
answer the questions using in, at or on; choose the correct answer; complete the
sentences with in, at or on; fill in the blanks using the given prepositions 11.1.4 Construction of the survey
The material in use in the test was taken from grammar books concerned with the prepositions of place The survey is divided into two parts Part A, which consists of six sentences, is designed to get general information about participants and their competence in English Part B is conducted to find out how much the students have known and mastered the prepositions of place This part has five exercises
1) Exercise 1: Answer the questions about the pictures Use in, at or in with the words below the pictures
This exercise has ten items
2) Exercise 2: Choose the correct answer There are seventeen items in this exercise
3) Exercise 3: Complete these sentences with in, at or on This exercise consists of ten items
4) Exercise 4: Choose the correct preposition This exercise has twelve items
5) Exercise 5: Fill in the blanks using the prepositions in the box There are five items in this exercise
Trang 2811.1.5 Preparation of the survey H.1.5.1 Test items
There are many possible errors in the use of prepositions of place 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 the following categories
1) Errors in the use of in with a point in space instead of at 2) Errors in the use of in with a surface instead of on 3) Errors in the use of at with areas instead of in
4) Errors in the use of in front of when the items on the line are facing each other instead of opposite
5) Errors in the use of along when the space is treated as a point or an area instead of past or by
6) Errors in the use of be/ow in contexts where under is required 7) Errors in the use of across in contexts where through is required 8) Errors in the use of above in contexts where over is required 11.1.5.2 Arrangement of the survey
After being classified, the test items were arranged into the following numbers: 1) Test on the use of in with a point in space instead of at, numbers 9, 11, 13, 20, 22, 24, 27, 31, 34, 37, and 40 2) Test on the use of in with a surface instead of on, numbers 8, 14, 16, 18, 23, 26, 35, 36, 39, and 42 3) Test on the use of at with areas instead of in, numbers 7, 10, 12, 15, 17, 21, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 38, 41, and 43
4) Test on the use of in front of when the items on the line are facing each
other instead of opposite, numbers 19, 28, 32, 33, and 56
5) Test on the use of along when the space is treated as a point or an area
instead of past/by, numbers 47, 51, 53, and 59
Trang 296) Test on the use of below in contexts where under is required, numbers 45, 48, 55, and 60 7) Test on the use of across in contexts where through is required , numbers 46, 50, and 57 8) Test on the use of above in contexts where over is required, numbers 44, 49, 52, 54, 55, and 58
II.1.6 Administration of the try-out I1.1.6.1 Preparation of the try-out
The teachers in charge of the two classes which were intended to do the survey questionnaire were asked for permission before the try-out was implemented
H.1.6.2 Try-out
The try-out was carried out on April 22", 2013 The students from the two classes who agreed to participate in the survey questionnaire were gathered in a room They were asked to do the questionnaire honestly as well as in accordance with their own ability as they can The students 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 results Thus, they made their real effort to do the questionnaire without copying from the others The allocated time for sixty questions was fifty minutes
11.1.7 Methods of data analysis
The data was analyzed in five steps In the first step, the student’s self- assessment about their English level and their knowledge of prepositions of place Errors in the prepositions of place were found in the second step In the next step, the average percentage of errors at each level was calculated Then, the error levels were ranked from the highest to the lowest Based on this arrangement, the highest
Trang 30was considered as the major error in the use of prepositions of place In the last step, students who made the most errors were identified
11.1.8 Results of the survey 80 - 66 60 - E= £ 40 Px 22 20 + 3 5 4 o = a ~= Excellent Good Rather Not very Bad good good
Figure 1: Students’ self-assessment
In the part of the survey, the students were asked to give their self- assessment of their English levels and their understandings of prepositions of place
As can be seen from the chart, sixty-six students reckoned that their English was not real good This was a great number Twenty-two students said that they were rather good at English As is shown by the chart, five students were good at English Just three students assert that their English were excellent Four students confessed that they were bad at this subject
The result of the survey represents the real situation of students’ English quality Over a half of students who took part in the survey questionnaire were not very good at English Whereas, the number of students whose English were excellent is three
Trang 31It can be seen from the result of the survey that every student could quickly recognize the reference location after on should be treated as a surface However, most of them could not distinguish between in and at
Most of the students had difficulties in using the place prepositions Therefore, it was easy for them to make mistakes as follows: Percent 1 2 3 4 Errors in the use of in with a point in space instead of at
Errors in the use of in with a surface instead of on Errors in the use of at with areas instead of in
Errors in the use of in front of when the items on the line are facing each other instead of opposite
Errors in the use of along when the space is treated as a point or an area instead of past or by
Trang 32In the second part of the survey, the students were asked to do exercises in connection to the place prepositions From the result of exercises, the average percentage of errors for each type was stated
It is clear from the chart, the errors related to the use of above in contexts
where over is required were ranked the highest in the total of errors This error type stands at 65.86% The errors linked with the use of in front of when the items on the line are facing each other instead of opposite make up 52.20% They rank second to the use of above in contexts where over is required The errors in the use of in with a point in space instead of at and of below in contexts where under is required are the error types that the students less make mistakes a bit which stand in turn at 43.79% and 41.75% It seems that the students do not extremely have difficulties in identifying the contexts where at and in is required because the percentage of this error type is 30.54% The least common type of errors in the use of prepositions of place is the errors in using across in contexts where through is required, at 12.66%
To sum up, the errors in the use of above in contexts where over is required are the most common Errors in the use of across in contexts where through is required rank the lowest
From the data above, it can be identified which error level of the prepositions
of place is the highest and which is the lowest The order is as follows:
1 Errors in the use of above in contexts where over is required 65.85% 2 Errors in the use of in front of when the items on the line are facing each other
instead of opposite 52.20%
3 Errors in the use of in with a point in space instead of at 43.79% 4 Errors in the use of be/ow in contexts where under is required 41.75% 5 Errors in the use of in with a surface instead of on 36.00% 6 Errors in the use of along when the space is treated as a point or an area instead
of past or by 35.25%
7 Errors in the use of at with areas instead of in 30.54% 8 Errors in the use of across in contexts where through is required 12.66%
Trang 33II.2 Common errors and causes
II.2.1 Errors in the use of above in contexts where over is required
The most common errors made by the second year non-English major students at Hanoi Pedagogical University N,.2 are which in the use of above in contexts where over is required The number errors of this type account for 65.85% According to the analysis, there are four students whose percentage of errors in using above in contexts where over is required is 100% There were only two students did not make any errors of this type For instance:
He put a blanket over/above the sleeping child Answer: above
Correct answer: over
The cause is that above and over have the same meaning Hence, the students reckoned that both above and over might be used in the same way
However, in fact, among them have the different uses Based on theory, over
indicate a direct vertical relationship and/or spatial proximity, while above indicate simply ‘on a higher than’
H.2.2 Errors in the use of in front of when the items on the line are facing each other instead of opposite
It can be seen from the analysis that the errors related to the use of in front of when the items on the line are facing each other instead of opposite stand at 52.20% They rank second to the errors in the use of above in contexts where over is required There were two students whose percentage of errors in using in front of in the place of opposite is 100% For example:
He was sitting me at lunch, so I couldn’t help looking at him, I said hello, but he didn’t speak
Answer: in front of Correct answer: opposite
The cause is that the students could not distinguish which context to use in front of and when to use opposite
Trang 3411.2.3 Errors in the use of in with a point in space instead of at
The percentage of errors in the use of in with a point in space instead of at is 43.79% There were nine students whose percentage of this error type is 100% Most of the students had difficulties in identifying when to use in and when to use at For instance:
Natasha now lives 32 The Avenue Answer: in
Correct answer: at
This type of error is mainly caused by the limited knowledge about the uses of in and at
11.2.4 Errors in the use of below in contexts where under is required
The errors linked with the use of below in contexts where under is required make up 41.75% There were two students whose percentage errors of this type is 100% After analysis, it was found that errors were caused due to the similar meaning between below and under Both of the two words are used to talk
something that is lower than something else However, under is used when one
thing covers another For example:
Officials said there was nothing below/under President Obama’s jacket Answer: below
Correct answer: under
II.2.5 Errors in the use of in with a surface instead of on
The percentage of errors in the use of in with a surface instead of on is 36.00% There were no students whose percentage of this error type is 100% The highest percentage of errors is 67% For instance:
I wasn’t sure whether I had come to the right office There was no name " the door
Trang 35Answer: in
Correct answer: on
The main cause of this type of error is that the students could not distinguish
the location is treated as a surface or an area
11.2.6 Errors in the use of along when the space is treated as a point or an area instead of past or by
The errors related to the use of along when the space is treated as a point or an area instead of past or by among the second year non English major students at Hanoi Pedagogical University N,.2 account for 35.25% There were no students made 100% of this error type The highest percentage is 75% For example:
We walked by/along the library on the way home Answer: along
Correct answer: by
The main cause of this type of error is that the students could not distinguish which context to use along and when to use past/by
11.2.7 Errors in the use of at with areas instead of in
The percentage of errors in the use of at with areas instead of in makes up 30.54% There was only one student whose percentage of errors is 100% For instance:
Don't leave your luggage the corridor It'll be in everyone's way Bring it into the compartment and put it the rack
Answer: at on
Correct answer: in on
The main cause is that the students could not distinguish the location is treated as an area or a point
Trang 36II.2.8 Errors in the use of across in contexts where through is required
The errors in the use of across in contexts where through is required among the second year non English major students at Hanoi Pedagogical University N,.2 are the least common type; it is only 12.66% The highest percentage of this type of error is 73% For example:
The cars are going through/across the tunnel Answer: across
Correct answer: through
The cause is that the students could not distinguish which contexts to use across and which to use through
11.3 Suggested solutions 11.3.1 Suggested solutions
It is difficult to give a solution to this problem It involves in spending a lot of time to find out and research After the period of analyzing mistakes made by the second year non-English major students at Hanoi Pedagogical University N,.2,
some suggestions are given in the hope of minimizing students’ errors related to
the prepositions of place
In reality, the process of teaching is complex Hence, it is required that the teachers of foreign language must have a good knowledge as well as patience Students expect teachers to convey wide and deep knowledge of prepositions of place to help them be aware of it and everything in connection with prepositions of place Accordingly, the teacher plays a major role in helping the student see the importance of the prepositions of place in the English language
Prepositions of place are simple to use However, to use it exactly is not easy Therefore, the teacher should introduce all possible uses of the prepositions of place to the students The uses need systematized simply and clearly Problems related to the prepositions of place such as definition, types and expressions must be introduced
Trang 37Moreover, it would be better for the teacher to include the differences in
usage among the synonymous prepositions The teacher explains in which contexts each will be used
As for the prepositions treated as a point (at), a surface (on) and an area (in) the teacher should give students the cases where each is required It is necessary to give the student the exercises with the attached pictures It will help the student know thoroughly about the prepositions of place This is the best way for the students to memorize and use prepositions of place correctly Additionally, the teacher should give the students various types of exercises related to the use of prepositions of place
To students, the foremost and most important thing they should pay their attention to is to master the uses of place prepositions Importantly, they must use knowledge perceived into doing exercises Students should do exercises given by the teacher Furthermore, the student can do extra exercises in comprehensive grammar books
Overall, a number of students who make the error types in using prepositions of place are quite large The problem is that the way students study prepositions of place is not suitable Some students study this category by halves or they do not take pains to do this kind of exercise Some suggested solutions for the teacher and the student have been made in the hope of that the student in general and the students at Hanoi Pedagogical University N,.2 in particular can minimize the errors in the use of prepositions of place
II.3.2 Suggested exercises
Doing exercises help students consolidate what they have learnt There are many exercises on prepositions of place in the grammar and practice books However, the teacher should make various types of exercise and design particular exercise types to minimize students’ mistakes in using prepositions of place Here are some types of suggested exercises:
1 Choose the correct prepositions
Trang 382 Where did the fly go? Put in these prepositions: around, into, on, out of,
through, under, up
3 Put in words from the boxes with in or on
4 Look at the plan and explain where things are Use between, next to or
opposite
5 Put in the correct prepositions
To the first exercise type, the task is to choose the correct prepositions This type of exercise help students distinguish the synonymous prepositions
As for the second and fourth exercise type, together with looking at the picture carefully, the student has to distinguish the synonymous prepositions This type of exercise help the student build up clearly the use of synonymous prepositions
The third exercise type requires the student makes a distinction between in and on This type of exercise is designed to help the student distinguish contexts where in is required from contexts where on is required
The last exercise type is aimed at helping the student consolidate and master theory of prepositions of place
In brief, these exercise types are helpful for students to master and minimize their errors in the use of place prepositions
Trang 39PART THREE CONCLUSION
English is a popular course of study for Vietnamese university students Learning grammar is very important for the students to put the theory into practice However, English grammar in general and prepositions of place in particular are complex Students of English often get confused when using it It is said that prepositions of place is one of categories that cause many difficulties to learners Hence, the study has focused on errors in the use of prepositions of place among the second year non English major students at Hanoi Pedagogical University No.2
Together with this concern, the study has completely and understandably presented the prepositions of place comprising the definition and types In addition, expressions of prepositions of place have been indicated Moreover, the differences in usage among the similar prepositions of meaning have been explained It is hoped that the student will have a deep sight of this category
To achieve the objectives of the thesis, a survey was carried out The survey tested on the student’s understanding of the prepositions of place Along with it, the student’s common errors in using prepositions of place were found out Then an analysis was showed the result of the survey It proclaimed that the second year non English major students at Hanoi Pedagogical University N,.2 often make mistakes in the use of prepositions of place
According to the survey, errors in the use of above in contexts where over
is required make up the highest percentage with 65.85% The second rank, which
stands at 52.20%, belongs to the errors in the use of in front of when the items on the line are facing each other instead of opposite The errors in connection with the errors in the use of across in contexts where through is required are the fewest with 12.66% Most of errors were made by the second year non English major students at Hanoi Pedagogical University N,.2 due to the wrong use of contexts and place prepositions’ similar meaning
Trang 40From the outcome of the survey, it has been proved that the main causes are the student’s limited knowledge of the prepositions of place
At last, some suggested solutions to the problems have been made based on the findings, as follows:
To teachers:
1 Provide students with a deep knowledge of prepositions of place 2 Systemize problems related to prepositions of place clearly and simply 3 Give the student the differences in usage among the synonymous prepositions
4 Explain in which case need to use prepositions of place and which preposition is used
5 Give the student the exercises with the attached pictures
6 Provide the student with various types of exercise related to the use of prepositions of place
To students:
1 Master the uses of place prepositions
2 Do exercises on prepositions of place as much as possible
This study has completed in the hope of making contributions to the English teaching and learning in Vietnam Although I have made great efforts, mistakes and shortcomings are unavoidable I would be much grateful to welcome all comments from readers to accomplish the work