HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY No.2 FOREIGN LANGUAGE FACULTY PHAM THI NGUYET COMMON ERRORS IN THE USE OF COMPARATIVE SENTENCES OF ADJECTIVES MADE BY NAM TIEN HAI HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS (Graduation paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the Degree of Bachelor of Arts in English) Hanoi, May 2013 i HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY No.2 FOREIGN LANGUAGE FACULTY PHAM THI NGUYET COMMON ERRORS IN THE USE OF COMPARATIVE SENTENCES OF ADJECTIVES MADE BY NAM TIEN HAI HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS (Graduation paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the Degree of Bachelor of Arts in English) SUPERVISOR: PHI THI THO, B.A Hanoi, May 2013 ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I own Mrs Phi Thi Tho, B.A, my supervisor, great gratitude for her inestimable support and careful guidance throughout the process of writing this research Also, I would like to express my great thanks to my all beloved lecturers who always motivated and suggested me to finish my research soon Furthermore, I want to express my special thanks to all the students in grade 11 from Nam Tien Hai high school because of their support in the survey Last but not least, I would like to thank my beloved family and all my friends who never stop encouraging me to finish my research iii ABSTRACT Comparison of adjectives are a basic and interesting category of English grammar There are many types of comparison of adjectives, and each type has its own characteristics as well as uses So far the uses of the adjectives referred in some books have not been dealt with in full and it is sometimes difficult for students to understand and use correctly Therefore, learners sometimes confuse types of comparison of adjectives and usually make errors in the uses of comparison with adjectives Therefore, this study focuses on common errors in the uses of comparison of adjectives The most important objectives of the research work is to show how to make a correct comparison of adjectives and suggest some solutions to the common errors in the uses of comparison of adjectives Based on material analysis and error analysis with the assistance of the test survey, common errors in the uses of comparison of adjectives have been analyzed clearly Consequently, the noticeable rules as well as solutions to these problems are convenient to understand in using comparison of adjectives in English iv STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP Title: Common errors in the use of comparative sentences of adjectives made by Nam Tien Hai high school students (Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of bachelor of Arts in English) I certify that no part of the above report has been copied from any other person’s work without acknowledgements and that the report is originally written by me under instructions of my supervisor Date submitted: May 2013 Student Supervisor PHAM THI NGUYET PHI THI THO, B.A v TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT i ABSTRACT iv STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP v TABLE OF CONTENTS vi PART ONE INTRODUCTION I RATIONALE II RESEARCH PRESUPPOSITION III RESEARCH OBJECTIVES IV RESEARCH SCOPE V RESEARCH TASKS VI RESEARCH METHODS VII RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE VIII RESEARCH DESIGN PART TWO DEVELOPMENT CHAPTER ONE THEORETICAL BACKGROUND I.1 LITERATURE REVIEW IN BRIEF I.2 COMPARISON OF ADJECTIVES I.2.1 Definitions of adjectives I.2.2 Descriptive adjectives I.2.2.1 The main functions of descriptive adjectives I.2.2.2 Classification of adjectives used in comparison I.2.2.2.1 Short adjectives I.2.2.2.2 Long adjectives (disyllabic adjectives) 11 vi I.2.2.2.3 Irregular adjectives 12 I.2.3 Comparative forms of adjectives and their functions 13 I.2.3.1 Single comparison 13 I.2.3.2 Double Comparison 18 I.2.3.3 Multiple Numbers Comparison 18 I.2.4 Substitutions, omissions and additions in comparative patterns 19 I.2.4.1 Substitutions in comparative patterns 19 I.2.4.2 Omissions in comparative patterns 20 I.2.4.3 Additions in comparative patterns 20 I.2.5 Intensifier 21 CHAPTER TWO: COMMON ERRORS IN THE USE OF COMPARATIVE SENTENCES II.1 SURVEY 22 II.1.1 Purpose of the survey 22 II.1.2 Population of the survey 22 II.1.3 Type of the survey 22 II.1.4 Construction of the test 22 II.1.5 Preparation of the survey 23 II.1.5.1 Test items 23 II.1.5.2 Arrangement of the test items 23 II.1.6 Administration of the try-out 24 II.1.6.1 Preparation of the try-out 24 II.1.6.2 Try-out 24 II.1.7 Methods of data analysis 25 II.1.8 Results of the survey 25 II.2 COMMON ERRORS AND CAUSES 27 II.2.1 Errors when using multiple numbers comparison 27 II.2.2 Errors when using absolute adjectives 28 II.2.3 Errors when using double comparison 28 vii II.2.4 Errors when using intensifier in comparison 29 II.2.5 Confusion between short adjectives and long adjectives 29 II.2.6 Wrong form of irregular adjectives 30 II.2.7 Wrong forms of superlative structure 30 II.2.8 Wrong forms of comparative structure 31 II.2.9 Errors when adding er and est 31 II.2.10 Wrong forms of comparion at the lower degree 32 II.2.11 Wrong forms of comparison at the same degree 32 II.3 SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS AND SUGGESTED EXERCISES 33 II.3.1 Suggested solutions 33 II.3.1.1 Thorough lecture can solve the difficulty 33 II.3.1.2 Negative influences of mother tongue should be limited 33 II.3.1.3 Paying attention to difficult structures is necessary 34 II.3.1.4 Students also should study more about adjectives 34 II.3.2 Suggested exercises 34 PART THREE CONCLUSION REFERENCES 38 APPENDICES 40 viii PART ONE: INTRODUCTION I RATIONALE In Vietnam as well as in other countries, there is a greater and greater need to learn English No one can deny the importance of English in Vietnam at present Therefore, English is being taught at every educational level However, using English grammar structures is never easy to Vietnamese learners because of the complex structures and the differences between the two languages There is a fact that comparative structures are an important part of English grammar that high school students often see in exercises Using comparison of adjectives correctly is rather complex because there are many types of comparison of adjectives, and each type has many rules of adjective forms and structures It is assumed that there are many errors which maybe made Students sometimes can not distinguish comparative types or some often give a wrong form of comparative structures due to the influence of mother tongue For example: He is more happyer than me She ate as twice as much as me Mary is so beautiful as Anna As the reasons above, this study was conducted to give basic theory about comparative structures and show the errors students often make when using this type of sentences Then base on the errors they made, the causes of the problems were found out and some solutions was proposed to limit the errors II RESEARCH PRESUPPOSITION What kinds of errors in using comparison of adjectives are made by the high school students? What are the causes of the errors in using comparison of adjectives made by high school students? What are the effective ways to minimize the errors made by the high school students? III RESEARCH OBJECTIVES The objectives of the study is to: Find out the kinds of errors in the use of comparison of adjectives made by the senior students Find out the causes of the errors in the use of comparison of adjectives made by the senior students Offer some suggestions to minimize errors in using comparison of adjectives IV RESEARCH SCOPE The general research area of this study is grammar The phenomenon is the errors in using comparison of adjectives made by one hundred students at Nam Tien Hai high school One hundred students from class 12a1 and 11a4 are the subjects of the survey V RESEARCH TASKS The research work involves a number of tasks: Studying the theory of comparison of adjectives Conducting a survey to find out error types that high school students often sentences into English, some of the students lack several words forming comparative structures because they translated word by word The teachers should help the students avoid the wrong application of the Vietnamese sentence formation to English sentence formation by explaining the differences between the sentence formation of the two languages II.3.1.3 Paying attention to difficult structures is necessary Some structures are difficult or complex or confusing such as comparative forms, superlative forms, double comparative forms or multiple-number comparative forms A fact is that it is very difficult for the students to get all knowledge about comparative structures in the class because of time limit Therefore, after class, the students should review all complex structures as much as possible Only by this way, the students can remember all structures II.3.1.4.The students should study more about adjectives According to the analysis, many of the students made errors related to forms (long adjectives or short adjectives) and uses of adjectives (some adjectives can’t be used in comparison) Therefore, it is necessary to learn more about adjectives in order to know their types and meanings To learn by heart a structure or a rule is not easy and to remember it for a long time is really difficult To solve this problem, doing as many exercises as possible is an effective way The more exercises the students do, the more and longer they remember II.3.2 Suggested exercises Exercises related to comparison of adjectives are available in many grammar books They helps students review the theory they have learnt However, each type of exercises brings out different effects Here are some suggested exercise types: Choose the correct answer 34 Find out the mistake in the sentence Rewrite the sentence with the same meaning Translate simple sentences The first type is designed to check whether the student can distinguish different types of comparison of adjectives Many kinds of comparison and many special cases were mixed This type of exercises helps the student have a variety of structures Therefore, they can minimize errors The second type requires the student to find out the mistakes in the sentence It means that the student must know the structures and the rules related to comparison of adjectives By doing this exercise type, the student can minimize errors As for the third and the last type of exercises, the student has to use all knowledge to rewrite or translate a sentence These types of exercises don’t ask the student for rich vocabulary, just comparative structures, so they are the most effective ways to check total knowledge of the students as well as help the student minimize errors when using comparative of adjectives 35 PART THREE CONCLUSION Comparison of adjectives plays an important part in English grammar It is complex and often causes embarrassment to learners, even to advanced learners Therefore, studying about comparison of adjectives is necessary The study mentions to theoretical background: definitions, functions, types, uses and irregular cases of comparative as well as adjectives Besides, the study also shows common errors made by Nam Tien Hai high school students (eleven common errors) by a survey conducted with the aim of testing the student’s understandings of comparison of adjectives The survey shows that the highest percentage of errors is in the use of multiple numbers comparative, which make up 67% The second commonest are the errors when using absolute adjectives (62%) The fewest errors belong to the use of comparison at the same degree, only 15.75% From the result of the survey, it has been proved that the major causes are students’ limited understandings of comparison of adjectives and negative influence of the mother tongue Based on the findings, some suggested solutions are given in order to minimize errors, as follows: To teachers: Provide students with a good knowledge of comparison of adjectives Show students typical features of each type of comparative so that students can remember quickly Give students some suggested solutions to help them minimize difficulties in reading comprehension as much as possible Provide students with special cases when using comparison of adjectives Help students minimize the influence of the mother tongue Give students some techniques to help them memorize and use comparison of adjectives correctly 36 Provide students with various types of exercises on comparison of adjectives To students: Master the uses of comparison of adjectives Do exercises relating to gerunds as much as possible Learn by heart grammar structures of comparison of adjectives Pay attention to special cases of comparison of adjectives Study more about adjectives The study has made certain contributions to the English teaching and learning English in Vietnam Although I have made efforts, mistakes and shortcomings are unavoidable I would be much grateful to welcome all possible comments from readers to accomplish the work 37 REFERENCES Alexander, L G (1990) Longman English Grammar Practice for Intermediate Students Essex: Longman Aztar, B S (2000) Understanding and Using English Grammar New York: Longman Biber, D et al (1999) Longman Grammar of Spoken and Writen English Longman Broukal, M (2004) Grammar Form and Function Mc Graw Hill Brown, G (1851) Grammar of English Grammars Manybooks.net Close, R A (1979) A Reference Grammar for Student of English England: Longman Dean, M (1994) English Grammar Lesson Oxford: Oxford University Press Eastwood, J & Mackin, R (1982) A Basic English Grammar Oxford English Grammar Eastwood, J (1992) Oxford Practice Grammar Oxford Universty Press Eastwood, J (1994) Oxford Guide to English Grammar Oxford: Oxford University Press Eastwood, J (2005) Oxford Learner’s Grammar Oxford University Press Grave, B D (1986) Advanced English Practice Oxford: Oxford University Press Hagen, S A (2003) Test Bank for Fundamentals of English Grammar Longman Halliday, M A K (1994) An Introduction to Functional Grammar London: Edward Arnold Harrison, M (1995) Grammar Spectrum Oxford University Press Hewings, M (1999) Advanced Grammar in Use Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Murphy, R (2000) English Grammar in Use Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 38 Murphy, R (2000) English Grammar in Use: A Self-study Reference and Practice Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Quirk, R & Greenbaum, S (1973) A University Grammar of English Longman Quirk, R et al (1972) A Grammar of Contemporary English Longman Quirk, R et al (1985) A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language London: Longman Side, R & Wellman, G (1999) Grammar and Vocabulary for Cambridge Advanced and Proficiency Longman Sinclair, J et al (1990) Collins Cobuild English Grammar Glasgow: HarperCollins Publishers Straus, J (2008) The Blue Book of Grammar and Punctuation Jossey-Bass Swan, M (1984) Basic English Usage Oxford: Oxford University Press Thomson, A J & Martinet, A V (1989) A Practical English Grammar Oxford: Oxford University Press Vince, M (2008) Macmillan English Grammar in Context Macmillan 39 APPENDICES SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE Part A: Please answer the following questions as honestly as you can Indicate your choice by putting a tick (√) in the appropriate box each answer chosen In your opinion, how good are you at comparison of adjectives? □ very good □ quite good □ not really good □ bad How many types of comparison have you learnt? □3 □4 □5 □6 In your opinion, how important is comparative sentences in English? □ very important □ important □ not very important □ not important at all Do you often use comparison when writing a describtive paragraph? □ usually □ sometimes □ seldom □ never What kind of comparison you use least? □ the same degree □ the lower degree □ comparative □ superlative □ double comparative Part B: Please the exercises below: Exercise Choose the correct answers The pollution here is …… than in my city A bad B badder C worse D worst We will have … problems in the future A big B bigger C more big D more bigger Tim is …… Peter C intelligent than C intelligent more than D more intelligenter than D more intelligent than 40 This photo is the … A gooder B goodest C better D best I was …………………………………………in my old job A happier B happyer C more happy D more happier The situation is getting ……………………………… A difficulter C more difficult B more difficulter D difficultter This month is …………………… than that one B wet B more wet C weter D wetter A bus is ………………………………… better than a taxi A far B more C many D most The queue was getting …………………………………………… A longger and longger C more longer B more and more longer D longer and longer 10 The more the customer complained, …… the manager became A the ruder and more unpleasant C the ruder and unpleasant B the more rude and unpleasant D the more unpeasant and rude 11 He’s angry because my marks are…………………………………… his A the same as B same C same as D the same 12 There is only one correct sentence What is it? A This wall is inner than that wall B This answer is the most perfect one C Fast as a rabbit D The richer he grew, the more arrogant he became 13 It was (boring) speech I’ve ever heard A the most boringer B the most boring C the best boring 14 He is ………… than I A older B elder C age 41 Key: 1-c 2-b 3-d 4-d 5-a 6-c 7-d 8-a 9-d 10-a 11-a 12-d 13-b 14-a Exercise Rewrite the sentences 15 The table and the desk are the same size, (big) The table the desk 16 Prices just get higher all the time, (and) Prices 17 This crossword is the easiest, (difficult) This crossword 18 Their excitement was increasing all the time, (excited) They were getting 19 The church was built in 1878 and the library in 1925 (old) The church is ………………………………………………………… 20 Daniel can lift 90 kilos, but Matthew can lift 120 kilos (much) Matthew can lift …………………………………………………… 21 Shakespeare is the greatest English writer Shakespeare is greater than……………………………………………… ……………………………………….are as great as Shakespeare 22 She is not as beautiful as Anna She is…………………………….Anna Key: 15 The table is as big as the desk 16 The prices are getting higher and higher 17 The crossword is the least difficult 18 They were getting more and more excited 19 The church is order than the library 20 Matthew can lift much more than Daniel 21 Shakespeare is greater than other English writer No English writers are as great as Shakespeare 22 She is less beautiful than Anna 42 Exercise 3: Translate these sentences into English 23 Quyển sách tốt nhiều …………………………………………………………………………… 24 Anh trai tôi tuổi …………………………………………………………………………… 25 Giá sách giáo khoa đắt gấp hai lần sách …………………………………………………………………………… 26 John người giàu thứ thị trấn …………………………………………………………………………… 27 John người lịch mà gặp …………………………………………………………………………… Key: 23 This book is much better than that one 24 My brother is three years older than me 25 The cost of this textbook is twice as much as that one 26 John is the second richest person in that town 27 John is the most polite person I have met 43 SUGGESTED EXERCISES Exercise 1: Correct the sentences a They are quicker doing this as I am b I got there more earlier than everyone else c They are not as good at using a computer than me d I don't think this novel is so good than his last one e I ate pretty the same much as the last time I went to his restaurant f The longer I sit here, less I feel like moving g I prefer Tarantino's films than Oliver Stone's h He ran as the wind i He has worked like a clerk for the same bank for most of his life j They seemed as they didn't really understand what were going on Key: a They are quicker doing this than I am b I got there earlier than everyone else c They are not as good at using a computer as me d I don't think this novel is so I as good as his last one e I ate pretty much the same as the last time I went to his restaurant f The longer I sit here, the less I feel like moving g I prefer Tarantino's films to Oliver Stone's h He ran like the wind i He has worked as a clerk for the same bank for most of his life j They seemed as if they didn't really understand what was going on Exercise Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it is as similar as possible to the sentence before it a The Alps are a lot higher than the Pindus range The Pindus range is nothing…………………………………………………… 44 b For me doing menial tasks from to would certainly be preferable to being out of work I'd far c We used to be much closer than we are now We're nowhere d To hear him talk you'd think he owned the place He talks as e They're by no means as intelligent as their father They're far f Our special offer was taken up by as many as 70,000 people No g I'm not too keen on watching football but I really enjoy playing it I much prefer h Like many of my friends, I've given up smoking I've given up smoking, as Key: a like as high as the Alps b rather / be doing menial tasks from to than be out of work c near as close as we used to be d if he owned the place e less intelligent than their father f fewer than 70,000 people took up our special offer g playing football to watching it h many of my friends have Exercise 3: Complete the sentence with one word a I expected my exam results to be better My exam results were worse than I expected b Harry doesn't look so clever Harry is ………… than he looks 45 c The black coat is smaller than the brown one The brown coat is ………… than the black one d Helen's brother is older than her Helen is ………… than her brother e Jim Carrey's previous film wasn't as funny as his latest one Jim Carrey's latest film is ……………… than the previous one f I thought the station was nearer The station was ………… than I thought g Math lessons don't seem as short as English lessons Math lessons seem ………… than English lessons h I'm sure this year is colder than last year I'm sure last year was ……………… than this year i I'm not as happy as I used to be I used to be ………… than I am now j The weather yesterday was worse The weather today is ………… than it was yesterday Key: a Worse b Cleverer c Larger/ bigger d Younger e Funnier f Further/ farther g Longer h Warmer/ hotter i Happier j Better 46 Exercise Choose the correct answer A, B, C or D to complete the sentences a You left school ………… than I did A Later B more lately C most lately D more late b Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is …………….of them all? A The more beautiful B as beautiful C the most beautiful D more beautiful c What’s … book you’ve ever read? A more interesting B the most interesting C the more interesting D interesting than d Helen’s teacher congratulated her for working so …………… before the exam A hardly B hardest C hard D harder e Our company can help you to manage your money………… A successful B just as successful C more successful than D more successfully f You can type………I can A much faster than B more fast as C just as fast than D fastest than g I find French …… to speak than Italian A difficult B more difficult C as difficult D most difficult h Which moves………… , a snail or a worm? A quicker than B as quick as C more quickly i Have you ever eaten………… meal than this? A as good B the best C the good D a better j Picasso’s paintings are among …………… A the most expensive B more expensive C as expensive D not as expensive 47 D as quickest Answer key: a-C b-B c-A d-B f-C g-B h-A i-C 48 e-A ... are made by the high school students? What are the causes of the errors in using comparison of adjectives made by high school students? What are the effective ways to minimize the errors made by. .. the high school students? III RESEARCH OBJECTIVES The objectives of the study is to: Find out the kinds of errors in the use of comparison of adjectives made by the senior students Find out the. .. COMMON ERRORS IN THE USE OF COMPARATIVE SENTENCES OF ADJECTIVES MADE BY NAM TIEN HAI HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS (Graduation paper submitted in partial fulfillment of the Degree of Bachelor of Arts in English)