A study on students’ errors in using the english subjunctive mood

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN THỊ HỒNG VÂN A STUDY ON STUDENTS’ ERRORS IN USING THE ENGLISH SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ NHỮNG LỖI SAI TRONG VIỆC SỬ DỤNG THỨC GIẢ ĐỊNH CỦA SINH VIÊN M.A MINOR THESIS Major: English teaching Methodology Code: 60.14.10 HANOI – 2012 VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF POSTGRADUATE STUDIES NGUYỄN THỊ HỒNG VÂN A STUDY ON STUDENTS’ ERRORS IN USING THE ENGLISH SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD NGHIÊN CỨU VỀ NHỮNG LỖI SAI TRONG VIỆC SỬ DỤNG THỨC GIẢ ĐỊNH CỦA SINH VIÊN M.A MINOR THESIS Major: English teaching Methodology Code: 60.14.10 Supervisor: Dr DƯƠNG THỊ NỤ HANOI – 201 TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS iv LIST OF TABLES vi PART I : INTRODUCTION Rationale Aims of the study Scope of the study Methods of the study Research Questions Design of study PART II : DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 1.1 An overview of mood 1.1.1 Definitions of mood 1.1.2 Kinds of mood 1.2 Subjunctive mood 1.2.1 Definitions of subjunctive mood 1.2.2 Classification of subjunctive mood 1.2.2.1 The present subjunctive mood 1.2.2.2 The past subjunctive mood 10 1.2.2.3 Past perfect subjunctive mood 14 1.3 Passive forms of subjunctive mood 16 1.3.1 Use of the present forms of the subjunctive mood 16 1.3.2 Use of the past forms of the subjunctive mood 17 1.4 Error analysis and error correction in language learning 17 CHAPTER 2: SOME ERRORS MADE BY MAJOR AND NON - MAJOR STUDENTS IN HAI PHONG PRIVATE UNIVERSITY i 2.1 The teaching – learning present situation of subjunctive mood 19 2.2 Method 19 2.2.1 Participants 19 2.2.2 Instruments 20 2.2.3 Procedures 20 2.3 Results 21 CHAPTER 3: FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 3.1 Findings 25 3.1.1 Recognition of subjunctive mood 25 3.1.2 The verb forms in the subjunctive mood 29 3.1.2.1 In present form in the subjunctive mood 30 3.1.2.2 In the past and past perfect subjunctive mood 32 3.2 Suggested solutions 36 3.2.1 Teachers‟ teaching method 36 3.2.2 Students‟ learning strategies 47 PART III: SUMMARY Recapitulation 48 Conclusions 48 Limitations and suggestions for the further study 49 REFERENCES 51 APPENDICES I ii LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Typical errors made by English major and non-English major students Table 2: Errors of using Verb form in the present subjunctive Table 3: Errors of using Verb form in the past subjunctive Table 4: Errors made by students in the questionnaires Table 5:Typical reasons for students‟ errors in survey questions Table 6: Errors made by students in grammar test iii PART I: INTRODUCTION Rationale There is a variety of spoken languages all over the world, but English language is the most popular Billions of people are speaking and using English everyday in their life So, English plays an important role in our modern life because it is one of the vital demands of almost English learners However, it is not easy for learners to get success in learning English because of many difficulties in its grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation… Grammar is one of the most difficult parts which English learners usually meet and make errors In English grammar, mood is a small and special part Although mood is not used as much as other parts, for instance: verb tense, sentences or passive…, it is important for English learners People often use Mood in normal dialogues and communication In the process of using mood, they rarely use subjunctive mood – one kind of mood It is harder to explain the subjunctive Five hundred years ago, English had a highly developed subjunctive mood However, after the fourteenth century, speakers of English used the subjunctive less frequently Indeed, the sheer frequency of subjunctive misuse gives me the impression that the subjunctive isn‟t taught at all in school, and if it is, those teaching it may not be teaching it well enough or perhaps few of those they teach get to understand it properly I say this basing on the wrong uses of subjunctive mood in written tests by university students That makes me try to study more on this aspect with the hope that my study is useful for every English learner to understand more about subjunctive mood and avoid making mistakes in using it 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 Scope of study 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 Methods of study 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 Research questions The study aims to answer the two following questions: 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? What are the suggested solutions to those typical errors ? Design of the study 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 PART II: DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER 1: THEORETICAL BACKGROUND OF SUBJUNCTIVE MOOD 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… 1.1.2 Kinds of mood In English, mood is classified into three types, namely, indicative mood, imperative mood and subjunctive mood 45 be challenges for the more capable students, with those average students feeling their effort is valid at the same time Fourth, always remember to keep the practice simple and short in the practice stage Finally remember to add some exercises which require writing as consolidation work either in the classroom or after class, providing a variety of access to grammar to cater for different learning styles * Summary The teaching of grammar is by far, the most challenging task any teacher may face in his/her daily classroom We believe that the classes should be learner-centered, with meaningful, functional activities But I also think the students should be regarded as explorers, active learners who bring a great deal to the learning process and at the same time, draw from their environment as they develop new understandings Through communicative grammar teaching, students will be able to get new information, hear different thoughts and opinions from various group members due to the information gap By finishing the task in a communicative way, students become more responsible and play a more positive role in their learning It is a big change that the students no longer just listen to the teachers but they also ask questions when they don't understand and make every effort to use the language In this sense, varied activities, interactions and topics can all contribute to making language practice, and lessons in general, more enjoyable and effective for the students As a teacher I felt, at first, this way of grammar teaching requires more work on the teacher's side However, seeing students trying to use the language to communicate with one another and asking me questions when they get stuck, encourages me to continue this activity They also provide me with scope to step 46 out of my didactic role in order to be a “human among humans” Hence, we, as language teachers, must consider how to expand their space and opportunities for learning In the meantime, I hope that you can derive some practical use from this essay 3.2.2 Students’ learning strategies Firstly, every learner had better study on Subjunctive Mood more clearly After school, in my opinion, they should research themselves and find out how subjunctive mood is I believe that learning by themselves is very useful way If they mention and care about it, they will not make any mistake Secondly, during the time the learners study, I think they should many kinds of exercises By this method, the learners get more information about subjunctive mood as well as other subjects However, in process of doing exercises, they can realize their errors that they made An idiom: “Practice makes perfect” is very suitable for all the learners to learn English grammar Besides, the Vietnamese learners also ask their teachers or their friends who learn better than they This way makes progress in their studies effectively Even if they can ask the native people because the information they give is standard I reckon that these methods are very good for learners to improve their knowledge of subjunctive mood Lastly, the learners can find the information in web-based references or reference books.Nowadays, there are many ways to learn by themselves.We can share anything we want on the Internet We may get much knowledge from both the familiar and the strange people Moreover,reference books are also plentiful These ways are valuable and necessary for them to get much knowledge PART 3: SUMMARY 47 Recapitulation of the study In this part, a brief conclusion of what was discussed in the previous part and some conclusion remarks are presented However, subjunctive mood is not used widely in modern English, it is still necessary for learners – both in Viet Nam and in other countries to study on it There are a lot of interesting matters related to Subjunctive Mood because of limitation of time and knowledge, in this paper, I only focus one of parts in mood – subjunctive mood In the second chapter, I mainly focus on subjunctive mood – one kind of mood Although subjunctive mood is not popular, it is also important to learn it I give some kinds of subjunctive mood and their uses and examples In this way, the learners and the readers easily understand use subjunctive mood properly Furthermore, based on some related problems and suggested recommendations, learners can know how subjunctive mood is used in communication as well as in literature From that, I point out some common errors made by Vietnamese learners in the third chapter Finally, with a view to help learners to have a thorough understanding and usage of this topic, some suggested solutions and exercises are introduced in the last chapter I hope these will be helpful and useful for learners to achieve Conclusion 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 48 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 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 49 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 50 REFERENCES  Azar Betty Schrampfer (1989) Understanding and using English grammar Prentice Hall Regents.English Australian Government  Chalker, Sylvia (1995) Dictionary of English Grammar Oxford University Press  Finney C E A (1999) Examples of the subjunctive mood in English  Fowler, H W (1926) A Dictionary of Modern English Usage Oxford University Press  Hardie, Ronald G (1990) English Grammar Harper Collins  Harsh, W (1968) The subjunctive in English University, Alabama: University of Alabama Press Oxford University Press  Hendrickson, James.1981 Error Analysis and Error Correction in Language Teaching Singapore: SEAMEO Regional Language Centre  James, Francis (1986) Semantics of the English Subjunctive Univ of British Columbia Press  Quirk, Randolph; Greenbaum, Sidney; Leech, Geoffrey; Svartik, Jan (1985) "A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language" Longman  Richards, J.C et al (1992) Dictionary of language teaching and applied linguistics Essex, Longman  Thomson, A.J and Martinet, A.V (1986) A practical English Grammar  Turner J F (1980) The marked subjunctive in contemporary English Studia Neophilologica  Johansson, S & E.H Norheim 1988 The subjunctive in British and American English ICAME Journal 12, 27-36 51  Overgaard, G (1995) The mandative subjunctive in American and British English in the 20th century Uppsala: Uppsala universitet  Val Dumond (1993) Grammar for Grownups HarperCollins  Davidsen-Nielsen, N (1990) Tense and mood in English: a comparison with Danish.Mouton de Gruyter  http://books.google.com  http://giaoan.violet.vn/present/show?entry_id=588961  http://grammar.about.com/od/rs/g/subjuncterm05.htm  http://tailieu.vn/xem-tai-lieu/subjunctive-mood.39337.html  http://www.answers.com/topic/mood  http://www.ceafinney.com/subjunctive/guide.html  http://www.englishpage.com/minitutorials/subjunctive.html  http://www.fortunecity.com/bally/durrus/153/gramch12.htm  http://www.tranphu.com/51/viewtopic.php?f=218&t=22688  http://www.yourdictionary.com/subjunctive 52 APPENDIX I: SURVEY QUESTIONS (QUESTIONNAIRES) The mood of a verb indicates a the subject is active b the attitude of the speaker c the speaker is the subject 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 How many forms of subjunctive mood are there in the modern English? a 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 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 The is used to express prayers or wishes about the present or future a present subjunctive b past subjunctive 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 I The present tense of the subjunctive uses only the verb a past b present 10 “That-clause” coming after “It‟s time a perfect subjunctive 11 Some a nouns 12 In hypothetical sentences, were is usually used instead of was a right 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 II APPENDIX II: GRAMMAR TEST I Underline the Subjunctive mood clause I would rather you did not play football today She acted as if she had not known him before If only she were here, she would speak up We suggested that she take an early train It is important that you should get to the air port on time If I would have longer holidays I would be perfectly happy I would rather that they didn't travel during the bad weather, but they Everyone has arrived It's time we shall start 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) The house looked as if nobody _ in it A lives B lived C was living Anna sounds as if she had got a cold, _ she? A haven‟t C hadn‟t I would rather you _ behave like that way I not like! A did not B hasn‟t B not C have not She would rather her father _ for her a beautiful dog A.buy My mother would know what to Oh, would that she _ here with us now A were If only Jughead a little more responsible in his choice of courses! A was If Mrs Lincoln ill that night, the Lincolns would not have gone to Ford III Theatre A were B had been C was Her employees treated Mrs Greenblatt as though she _ a queen A was B were C would be If his parents more careful in his upbringing, Holden Caulfield would have been quite different A had been B were C was 10 I wish I _ better today A feel B felt C had felt III Fill in the blanks below with the correct form of the verb in parentheses You sneezed! Go d (bless) you! Long (live) the Queen ! Curse (be) on him ! The doctor advised that he (take) a rest for a few days It‟s important that he (get) to the air port on time It is necessary that the report (be) handed on my table now They request that our house (be) rebuilt because it is too old My boy friend said that our wedding (be) held last month 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 IV 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 (You must call home every week.) Dan's parents insisted that he _ home every week (Someone must tell her the truth about her illness.) It is essential that she _ the truth about her illness (Open your suitcases for inspection.) The customs official demanded that all passengers _ their suitcases (Ann, you should take some art courses.) The counselor recommended that Ann _ some art courses (All parts of the motor must work correctly.) It is vital that all parts of the motor _ in proper working order (Please mail all packages at the central office.) The director requests that all packages _ at the central office (Soldiers must obey their officers It is imperative that soldiers _ their officers (We must remember to give the babysitter certain phone numbers to call in case of emergency.) V It is important that the baby-sitter _ phone numbers to call in case of emergency (Everybody must stay at home during the curfew.) The government ordered that everybody _ at home during the curfew hours 10 (Mom wants the children to make their beds before going to school.) Mom asks that the children _ their beds before going to school VI ... expressed by the past indefinite of the indicative mood In the principal clause, we find the analytical subjunctive consisting of the mood auxiliary should or would and the indefinite infinitive Should... significantly more than the non -English major ones The data revealing that participants in English major class made fewer mistakes than the non -English majors suggested that these learners have the. .. comparison (or manner) introduced by the conjunctions as if/ as though to indicate the action in the past If the action of the subordinate clause is prior to that of the principal clause, the past