A study on prepositions of direction and some common mistakes made by first year students of english at hanoi open university

HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY FACULTY OF ENGLISH …o0o…… GRADUATION THESIS B.A DEGREE IN ENGLISH STUDIES A STUDY ON PREPOSITIONS OF DIRECTION AND SOME COMMON MISTAKES MADE BY FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS OF ENGLISH AT HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY Supervisor: Dr Ho Ngoc Trung Student: Le Vo Thanh Thai Date of birth: 08/08/1993 Class: 1271A04 (2012-2016) Hanoi - 2016 DECLARATION Title: A Study on preposition of direction and some common mistakes made by first-year students of English at Hanoi Open University I certify that no part of the above report has been copied or reproduced by me from any other’s work without acknowledgement and that the report is originally written by me under strict guidance of my supervisor Hanoi, 15th April, 2016 Student Supervisor ACKNOWLEDGEMENT This graduation thesis is the result of my continuous working time, I have received a lot of help, assistance, ideas from my supervisor, friends and family First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to Dr Ho Ngoc Trung for his enormously helpful and effective instructions, constant and tireless support throughout the study My sincere thanks also send to all of my teachers at Faculty of English - Hanoi Open University who give me the opportunity and the best conditions to complete the study I am also grateful to all the authors and researchers for their beneficial magnificent materials and studies used in this graduation thesis Last but not least, I wish to give my heartfelt to my beloved family and friends for their spiritual and material support ABBREVIATIONS Adj : Adjective E.g : Example i.e : In explanation Pre : Preposition PP : Prepositional Phrase LIST OF TABLES Table 1.1: Simple prepositions Page Table 1.2: Complex prepositions Page 12 Table 1.3: Semantic Types of Prepositions Page 21 Table 3.1: Result of the Survey Page 38 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ABBREVIATIONS LIST OF TABLES PART I: INTRODUCTION 1 Rationale of the study Aims of the study Scope of the study Research questions Methods of the study Design of the study PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER THEORETICAL BACKGROUND Overview on English prepositions 1.1 Definition of preposition 1.2 Position of English prepositions 1.3 Classification of Prepositions 1.3.1 According to compositional types 1.3.1.1 Simple Prepositions 1.3.1.2 Complex Prepositions 10 1.3.2 According to semantic relation: 12 1.3.2.1 Prepositions of Place: 12 1.3.2.2 Prepositions of Time 13 1.3.2.3 Prepositions of Direction 14 1.3.2.4 Prepositions of Manner, means, instrument 14 1.3.2.5 Prepositions of Accompaniment 15 1.3.2.6 Prepositions of Support and Opposition 16 1.3.2.7 Prepositions of Cause or Reason 16 1.3.2.8 Prepositions of Purpose or Intended Destination 17 1.3.2.9 Prepositions of Concession 17 1.3.2.10 Prepositions of source and origin 18 1.3.2.11 Preposition of recipient, goal, target 18 1.3.2.12 Prepositions of Price (for, at) 19 1.3.2.13 Prepositions of subject matter 20 1.4 Semantic properties of prepositions 21 1.5 Preposition in parallel form 22 1.6 Functions of Prepositions 22 1.6.1 Prepositions functioning as adjectives 23 1.6.2 Prepositions functioning as adverbs 23 1.6.3 Prepositions functioning as nominal 23 Prepositional Phrase 24 2.1 Definition of prepositional phrase 24 2.2 Rules for Prepositional Phrase 25 2.3 Complementation and modification in Prepositional phrase structure 26 CHAPTER PREPOSITION OF DIRECTION 29 Prepositions of direction 29 1.1 What is preposition of direction? .29 1.2 Characteristics of prepositions of direction 30 Typical Prepositions of Direction 30 2.1 Preposition To 30 2.1.1 Introduction of preposition To 30 2.1.2 Uses of To 31 2.2 Preposition Onto/Into 33 2.2.1 Introduction of prepositions Onto/Into 33 2.2.2 Uses of Onto 35 2.2.3 Uses of Into 35 2.2.4 Into, in to, onto and on to 37 CHAPTER 3: SOME COMMON MISTAKES OF USING PREPOSITIONS OF DIRECRION MADE BY FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS OF ENGLISH AT HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY 38 Some common mistakes made by first-year students of English at Hanoi Open University 38 1.1 Using To and Toward for Places 39 1.2 Using In and Into, On and Onto 40 1.3 Some other common mistakes 42 Findings and implication 44 PART III - CONCLUSION 47 REFERENCE APPENDIX Graduation Paper PART I: INTRODUCTION Rationale of the study My passion for English has been along with me since I was a secondary student At first, studying English seemed to be not very interesting to me due to the fact that English grammar and pronunciation are too difficult At that time, I started to listen to English songs but I couldn’t sing along the whole lyrics However, studying English helped me understand the meaning of the songs and those lyrics that I was singing After that, I was passionate about English After graduating from high school, I passed the entrance examination of Faculty of English – Hanoi Open University During four years studying English at university, I have studied many subjects which make me realize that English is much more complicated than I ever thought before However, English grammar is the part that I always focus on and spend most of my time on Preposition is one of the most essential parts in English grammar Because prepositions can be seen in every phrase and every sentence in English Additionally, there are many kinds of preposition which is a problem for students of English to master them Among them, prepositions of direction is seemed to be a very important kind There are a lot of reference books and materials related to preposition but not many of them is about prepositions of direction Moreover, many students of English often make mistakes when using them too Therefore, I decided to conduct a study related to them named “A study on English prepositions of direction and common mistakes made by first-year students of English at Hanoi Open University” in order to give an overview of preposition and prepositions of direction, point out some common mistakes and suggest solutions Le Vo Thanh Thai - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) Graduation Paper Aims of the study • Giving an overview of English prepositions and their subclasses In particular, prepositions of direction • Pointing out the usages of typical prepositions of direction • Investigating common mistakes made by first-year students at Faculty of English, Hanoi Open University in using English prepositions of direction and suggesting solutions Scope of the study There are many kinds of prepositions so that mastering it is not easy I am fully aware that my graduation thesis cannot cover all aspects of prepositions in English Therefore, I focus on preposition of direction with some typical aspects relating to them such as overview on English prepositions especially prepositions of direction as well as common mistakes made by first-year students of English at Hanoi Open University Research questions • What is preposition? • What are the characteristics and usages of English prepositions of direction? • What are some common mistakes made by first-year students of English at Hanoi Open University? Methods of the study In order to gain the mentioned aims of the study, I try my best to collect related materials in reference books, dictionaries as well as the ones on the internet What is more, I conducted surveys at Hanoi Open University in order to have the exact information for my studying This study is based on analyzing, contrasting, researching on linguistics and my knowledge, Le Vo Thanh Thai - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) Graduation Paper 2.2.3 Uses of Into With verbs of motion, into and in are interchangeable except when the preposition is the last word or occurs directly before an adverbial of time, manner, or frequency In this case, only in (or inside) can be used Spike is lying in his house (Not into) ( https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/594/02/) You have to remember that into shows completion of an action, in shows the position of the object as a result of an action E.g Daniel put the dishes into the sink The dishes are in the sink Leon put his gym clothes into the washing machine The laundry is in the washing machine Can you pour the pasta sauce into the pot? The garlic bread is in the oven Exceptions: The kids went into the library They went in (not into) Le Vo Thanh Thai - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) 36 Graduation Paper What kind of trouble has she gotten herself into? What sort of trouble is she in? One note is that move in is a phrasal verb, but move into is verb + preposition The army moved in and took control Let’s move into the living room after dessert Into can be used to indicate a place of arrival or where a road, route, etc leads E.g The trail led into the river (Bruckfield A,2012:36) 2.2.4 Into, in to, onto and on to In constructions where on is an adverb or a phrasal verb particle attached to a verb, it should not be joined with to to form the single word onto E.g May I log on to your computer? If it is an adverb it will be able stand alone with its verb: E.g I tried to log on, but could not Le Vo Thanh Thai - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) 37 Graduation Paper CHAPTER 3: SOME COMMON MISTAKES OF USING PREPOSITIONS OF DIRECRION MADE BY FIRST-YEAR STUDENTS OF ENGLISH AT HANOI OPEN UNIVERSITY Some common mistakes made by first-year students of English at Hanoi Open University In order to know exactly common mistakes in using prepositions of direction, I have carried out a survey at Hanoi Open University which includes 50 questions about Prepositions of direction The following table is the result of the survey Table 3.1: Result of the Survey Student Incorrect answers Percent of incorrect answers 12/50 24% 8/50 16% 15/50 30% 11/50 22% 7/50 14% 9/50 18% 17/50 34% 13/50 26% 3/50 6% 10 9/50 18% 11 9/50 18% 12 23/50 46% 13 10/50 20% 14 12/50 24% 15 14/50 28% Le Vo Thanh Thai - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) 38 Graduation Paper 16 20/50 40% 17 17/50 34% 18 12/50 24% 19 18/50 36% 20 9/50 18% The table shows that First-year students of English at Hanoi Open University usually make mistakes when using Preposition especially Prepositions of Direction, some got few incorrect answers but some got half of their answers wrong Overall, there are several common mistakes of using prepositions of direction 1.1 Using To and Toward for Places The preposition to is another common preposition of direction It is normally used with a verb showing movement and shows the result of the movement the place or person that the movement was toward or in the direction of The preposition toward has a similar meaning, but it's not exactly the same: with toward, the direction of the movement is shown, but not the result A B (A is on the way to B) E.g Jamil walks to work every day When I saw Jamil, he was walking toward his office Yesterday Billy rode his bicycle to the park When Billy was riding his bicycle toward the park, he stopped at Joey's house One special note is that to is actually more general than toward and can be used instead of toward Toward mostly cannot be used instead of to (http://www.eslcafe.com/grammar/prepositions07.html) 1.2 Using In and Into, On and Onto To and toward are generally used with verbs showing movement and to often shows the result of the movement while toward shows the direction of the movement In addition, to can be used for toward, but toward cannot be used for to The prepositions in and into and on and onto have somewhat similar “behavior” Into and onto are used with verbs showing movement They show both the direction and the result of the movement In and on may be used both with verbs that show movement and with verbs that not show movement With verbs showing movement, in and on may be used instead of into and onto (though into and onto are clearer) In this case, they show both direction and result With verbs that not show movement, in and on show location: in = inside or within and on = topside or touching the surface of Le Vo Thanh Thai - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) 40 Graduation Paper E.g John dived into / in the lake John says that the water that's in (not into) the lake is cold Nadia put the cake into / in the oven Nadia will leave the cake in (not into) the oven until it has finished baking Chang-Ho threw his keys onto / on the table Chang-Ho left his keys on (not onto) the table The cat jumped onto / on the sofa The cat lay on (not onto) the sofa all afternoon Some verbs of motion express the idea that the subject causes itself or some physical object to be situated in a certain place (compare the three examples directly above) (http://www.eslcafe.com/grammar/prepositions08.html ) Of these verbs, some take only on Others take both on and onto with the latter being preferred by some speakers Many First-year students make mistakes of using these preposition In particular, there are some verbs of motion which only go with On, In not Onto and Into: E.g The plane landed on the runway (not "onto" the runway) Sam the decoration on the Christmas tree (not "onto" the tree) He placed the package on the table (not "onto" the table) Le Vo Thanh Thai - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) 41 Graduation Paper Joanna spilled her Coke on the rug (not "onto" the rug) Samir moved the chair on(to) the deck The baby threw the pot on(to) the floor (https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/594/02/) Here is a question about “In/Into” in the survey: “The man is jumping… the pool” According to the survey, 64 % students filled in in the space This is a mistake which the students cannot avoid If we fill in, this sentence only shows position of the man Jump is still a verb of motion, it shows direction of movement The man jumps inside of the pool Thus into is suitable preposition In the next one “My mother pours tea … a cup” most of the students chose preposition “in” to fill in the space Like the first example, Vietnamese will say “Mẹ rót trà vào cốc” They only think that “in” in English means “vào” in Vietnamese They not think tea is moving from outside of cup to inside of cup This means a cup contains tea or tea is in a cup Therefore, “into” is correct preposition 1.3 Some other common mistakes Firstly, the varied usage of Prepositions in English make first-year students of English at Hanoi Open University have a lot of difficulties For instance, the use of preposition to confuse first-year students Instead of saying: “Remember to phone me at a m tomorrow!”, Vietnamese may say: “Remember to phone to me at a.m tomorrow!”, Or: “ English is very important to my job” but: “English is very important for my job” Le Vo Thanh Thai - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) 42 Graduation Paper Besides, there are some pairs of words that first-year students often misunderstand Pass and past are misused by many students E.g “The police car drove … the suspect’s house.” According to the result of survey, 70% students used preposition inexactly They filled pass instead of filling past because they think that pass means qua in Vietnamese And pass is suitable in this case However, they not notice that pass is a verb If you are referring to time or distance, use preposition past In this sentence, the verb drove shows the movement direction or distance of the police car Therefore, past is correct preposition We can see that “đi đến trường” in Vietnamese does not use preposition but in English this expression is “go to school” We can see that verb go combines with a preposition to Because of the influence of Vietnamese, many people as well as the students often say “đi nhà” When translating into English, they also base on “go to school” and write “go to home” This is not correct because in English this is expressed “come back home” means “trở nhà” Go is direction from an original place to others while come is the opposite direction Go → Come ← Another common mistake that made by nearly 100% of first-year students at Hanoi Open University who took part in the survey is that excess of preposition of direction Question 1: A: In She entered ……the room B: Into C: To Le Vo Thanh Thai - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) D: None prep 43 Graduation Paper We discussed……the matter Question 2: A: To B: About C: Of D: None Prep In question 1, 100% of the students chose the wrong answer, they all went for A In and B Into In question 2, nearly 70% of the students chose the wrong answer, they chose B About However, the truth is that some special Verbs such as enter, resemble, discuss, marry, reach, order and approach are normally followed by direct objects without prepositions E.g Incorrect: I have ordered for his dismissal Correct: I have ordered his dismissal Incorrect: He married with his friend’s sister Correct: He married his friend’s sister Findings and implication Prepositions are more problems for the non-native speaker or learner of English than any other part of speech Why? Prepositions are just little words that never change in form; they are pronounced softly, in unstressed syllables; they are not even given capital letters in book titles; native speakers choose the correct ones without thinking Prepositions or prepositions of direction in English are very difficult for students of English to study because they don’t have any regulation When using them we usually depend on the context Besides, prepositions have different meanings in different context Therefore, we will be able to use them incorrectly Le Vo Thanh Thai - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) 44 Graduation Paper The function of a preposition is to connect its object, a noun or a pronoun, to the rest of the sentence In other words, preposition may show the relation of a noun to a noun (or pronoun), the noun preceded by the preposition is an attribute to another noun; of a noun to a noun (or pronoun) to an adjective, the noun preceded by the preposition is either an object or an adverbial modifier or of a noun (or pronoun) to a verb; the noun preceded by the preposition is either an object or an adverbial modifier In addition, preposition may also show the relation of a whole clause to a verb or an adjective, the clause is an adjective clause and a noun, the clause is an attribute clause Understanding them clearly we can use them correctly in writing and speaking On the other hand, communication will get high effectiveness Prepositions are a difficult topic for second language learners But for native speakers, understanding of how to use prepositions is acquired during childhood If you are a second language learner, you will learn correct usage of prepositions of direction as well as common prepositions through observation of how they are used in various circumstances and likely some trails and mistakes as well Moreover, if you want to avoid making mistake when using prepositions of direction in particular I think that you should understand their usage clearly and even you have to understand meanings and implication of the sentences mentioned Then you should analysis verb in the sentence and direction of movement Then, you can choose a correct preposition There are some special cases in prepositions of direction; therefore, you need to notice and remember them so that you can avoid making mistakes Moreover, you have to practice more regularly and finding more information on the Internet about prepositions especially prepositions of direction in order not to have difficulties with them It is hoped that with this study, learners of English especially first-year students of English at Hanoi Open University will be aware that English preposition play an important role in English grammar Through this study, Le Vo Thanh Thai - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) 45 Graduation Paper many people will know some more details about prepositions of direction such as their definitions, meanings, functions, characteristics, Finally, I hope you will benefit by an understanding of the common prepositions as well as prepositions of direction This benefit can also be enjoyed by such other people as instructors, visitors, businessmen and us as students and teachers in the future Le Vo Thanh Thai - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) 46 Graduation Paper PART III - CONCLUSION The information about prepositions as well as prepositions of direction which this study provides is not enough due to my limitation of time and knowledge, but I hope everybody who reads it will welcome it The purpose of this study has been to demonstrate that prepositions have an important role in writing and speaking Through this study, first-year students can understand much more about prepositions Preposition is a difficult part in English grammar for any learner of English A preposition can exist in many types and have a lot of meanings Thus, you should know much about meanings as well as usages of prepositions so that you will be successful in communication When understanding clearly about prepositions we can avoid some mistakes Especially, in prepositions of direction, the usage of “into” and “onto” is rather complex We can misuse easily into “in” and “on” You should be careful when using them This study summarizes information of prepositions for first-year students of English I want it will become a good document for you As stated in the introduction part, I cannot cover all the prepositions; therefore, I only focus on prepositions of direction You can understand more details about them through several interesting examples and pictures I believe that this study would be worthwhile and highly appreciated for those who are interested in this topic to continue doing research and provide more information about prepositions of direction for learners of English as well as first-year students of English at Hanoi Open University so that they can avoid making mistakes whenever using prepositions of direction I hope that in the near future I will have a chance to read new information about prepositions of direction from your researches so that I can improve my study as well as my knowledge Le Vo Thanh Thai - 1271A04 - (2012-2016) 47 REFERENCES Books Bruckfield, A (2012) Prepositions: The Ultimate Book - Mastering English Prepositions Oak Publisher Collin, C (1990) English prepositions Ho Chi Minh city Edition Curme, G.O (1935) A Grammar of The English Language Greenbaum, S (1996) The Oxford English Grammar Hornby, A.S (2006) Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary Oxford University press International student’s Edition Hughes, A (1997) The online English Grammar Nguyen Van Truong and Dinh Kim Quoc Bao (2003) English-EnglishVietnamese Dictionary, Information Culture Publisher Quirk, R (1973) A University Grammar of English David Campbell Publishers Ltd Quirk, R (1974) A comprehensive grammar of the English language Transportation Edition 10 Warriner and Griffith, (1965) English Grammar and Composition Websites http ://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/prepositions http://www.eslcafe.com/grammar/prepositions08.html http://www.gingersoftware.com/content/grammar-rules/preposition http://www.eslcafe.com/grammar/prepositions07.html 5.http://careersplay.com/what-is-preposition-rules-uses-and-types-withexample/#sthash.bL49jcIJ.tmZc9grM.dpbs http://www.merriam-webster.com/ https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/594/02/ http://www.english-for-students.com/ www.unenlightenedenglish.com/2009/04/grammar-guideprepositions APPENDIX Exercises on prepositions of direction Fill the gaps below using the prepositions in the box once only Acros s Along At In Into Of On Out Past Straight Through Under Go _ of the building and turn left At the end _ the street turn right _ the traffic lights turn right again Go _ ahead until you come to a petrol station Turn left _ Acacia Avenue Next, take the third turning _ your right Go _ the newsagent's and carry on until you come to a bridge Go _ the bridge and on the other side you will see a park Go _ the park until you come to Church St on the other side, where you turn left 10 Keep going After about 300 metres, you go _ a railway bridge 11 Keep going _ Church St for another 100 metres 12 A: You'll see the tourist information office _ front of you You can't miss it B: Yeah, right I think I'll take a taxi instead [...]... chapters: Chapter I is the theoretical background which consists of preliminary theory of preposition, classification of preposition, other features of them, and prepositional phrase Chapter II is about prepositions of direction, which consist of overview of prepositions of direction, analysis some examples, some typical cases Chapter III is about some common mistakes made by first- year students of English. .. estimate that there’ll be up to 10,000 people at the concert succeeded by means of perseverance Le Vo Thanh Thai - 127 1A0 4 - (2012-2016) 11 Graduation Paper There are many complex prepositions but the most common ones are: Table 1.2: Complex prepositions Along with Apart from Aside from As for As to Away from According to By means of By way of By dint of By reason of By virtue of In case of In front of In... from, for example, verbs and “coordinating conjunctions”, which can also relate one noun phrase to another Le Vo Thanh Thai - 127 1A0 4 - (2012-2016) 4 Graduation Paper In spite of significance of prepositions, standard grammars often assign them a rather vague definition, such as a word that shows the relation of a noun and pronoun to some other word in a sentence” (Warriner and Griffith, 1965:16) The... relation to In charge of In view of In need of In spite of In quest of In favor of In place of In common with In consequence of In respect of In search of In connection with In contact with In aid of In line with In exchange for In addition to In lieu of In to At variance Off of On to Out of Owning to On account of On behalf of On top of On paint of Except for But for Because of With regard to 1.3.2 According... actual sum of money E.g He bought the apples at two dinars a kilo The cloth was sold at ten dinars a meter 1.3.2.13 Prepositions of subject matter With the meaning on the subject of, concerning”, about and on can combine with a considerable range of verbs and adjectives including: Speak out /on : teach (someone) about Argue about/ on : read about Hold forth about/ on : hear about Lecture about/ on :... in addition to, in relation to, etc E.g I am standing here on behalf of company The match was cancelled because of the rain They were unable to attend because of the bad weather in Ireland Jack will be playing in the team in place of me In addition to getting a large fine, both brothers were put in prison for three months I always get nervous when I have to speak in front of an audience We estimate... following examples, the prepositions of place have been italicized for ease of identification E.g They spend dinner at home Marie was born in France Please place the bouquet on the table 1.3.2.2 Prepositions of Time A preposition of time is a preposition that allows you to discuss a specific time period such as a date on the calendar, one of the days of the week, or the actual time something takes place Prepositions. .. contrary idea of opposition 1.3.2.7 Prepositions of Cause or Reason There are prepositions expressing either the material cause or the psychological cause for a happening: E.g Because of the drought, the price of bread was high that year On account of his wide experience, he was made chairman (Quirk, R, 1973: 56) Le Vo Thanh Thai - 127 1A0 4 - (2012-2016) 16 Graduation Paper Other prepositions of cause... preposition on shows the relation between adjective dependent and the pronoun us, and preposition of indicates the relation between the noun opinion and the pronoun us The concept of “indicating a relationship” however, is very vague and such a definition is clearly in need of considerable refinement (whether construed at the general or language-particular level) to distinguish prepositions from, for example,... months, seasons, years, centuries, general times of day, and longer periods of time such as “in the past.” On: This preposition of time is used to discuss certain days of the week or portions of days of the week, specific dates, and special days such as on New Year s Day.” Le Vo Thanh Thai - 127 1A0 4 - (2012-2016) 13 Graduation Paper Prepositions of time allow you to tell your readers when things are