HANOI PEDAGOGICAL UNIVERSITY N02 FOREIGN LANGUAGE FACULTY TRAN THI NGOC ANH COMMON ERRORS IN THE USE OF ZERO ARTICLE MADE BY THE STUDENTS IN GRADE ELEVEN AT VU TIEN HIGH SCHOOL (GRADUATION PAPER SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF ARTS IN ENGLISH) Supervisor: PHI THI THO, B.A HANOI - 2014 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to take this chance to express my greatest gratitude to Mrs Phi Thi Tho, B.A., my supervisor for her invaluable support and careful guidance as well as encouragement, suggestions and advice throughout the process of writing this thesis Besides, I would like to thank to the librarians of Hanoi Pedagogical University Number who have helped me in the preparation and writing this thesis I would like to express my thanks to my all beloved lectures who always motivated and suggested me to finish my thesis soon Furthermore, I would like to thank all my friends who never stop encouraging me to finish my thesis In addition, I want to express my special thank to students in class 11 at Vu Tien High School because of their support in the survey Last but not least, I own a debt of gratitude to my beloved family, for their whole – hearted encouragement and endless support i ABSTRACT The zero article is an interesting category of English grammar As well known, zero article is a complex area and it has a lot of rules with different objects To correct the use of zero article is one of the most things to get right in English However, in some books have not been dealt with in full and sometimes it is difficult for students to understand and use correctly As a result, students often make errors when they use zero article Therefore, this research work is focused on investigating common errors in the use of zero article and to suggest some solutions to the problem Based on material analysis and errors analysis, the types of errors have been found Solutions to the problem have been suggested ii STATEMENT OF AUTHORSHIP Title: Common errors in the Use of Zero Article made by the students in grade eleven at Vu Tien High School (Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Bachelor of Arts in English) I certify that no part in this thesis has been copied from any other person‟s work without acknowledgement and that the thesis is originally written by me under the instructions from my supervisor Date submitted: Student Supervisor TRAN THI NGOC ANH PHI THI THO iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgement i Abstract ii Statement of authorship iii Table of contents iv 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.The article I.2.1 Definition of article I.2.2 Classification of article I.3 Zero article I.3.1 Zero article I.3.2 Uses I.3.2.1 Before plural nouns used in general sense I.3.2.2 Before abstract nouns used in general sense I.3.2.3 Before the names of material used in general sense iv I.3.2.4 Before nouns: school, church, prison, hospital, bed I.3.2.5 Before names of meals in general sense I.3.2.6 Before names of holidays, special times of the year, name of month, day of weeks I.3.2.7 Before names of mounts, lakes, capes I.3.2.8 Before name of languages or religions, subjects, arts, sports and games I.3.2.9 Before proper nouns, titles followed by a proper noun I.3.2.10 Before seasons, parts of the day 10 I.3.2.11 Before name of countries, towns, streets, airports, stations 10 I.3.2.12 Before illnesses 10 CHAPTER TWO METHODOLOGY II.1 Survey 11 II.1.1 Purposes of the survey 11 II.1.2 Population of the survey 11 II.1.3.Type of the survey 12 II.1.4 Construction of the test 12 II.1.5 Preparation of the survey 12 II.1.5.1 Test items 12 II.1.5.2 Arrangement of the test items 13 II.1.6 Administration of the try out 13 II.1.6.1 Preparation of the try out 13 II.1.6.2 Try out 14 II.1.7 Method of data analysis 14 CHAPTER THREE THE RESULT III.1 Results of the survey 15 III.2 Analysis 17 v III.2.1 Errors in the use of zero article with nouns: school, church, prison, hospital, bed 17 III.2.2 Errors in the use of zero article with plural nouns used in general sense 17 III.2.3 Errors in the use of zero article with abstract nouns used in general sense 18 III.2.4 Errors in the use of zero article with languages or religions, subjects, arts, sports and games 19 III.2.5 Errors in the use of zero article with name of countries, towns, streets, airports, stations 19 III.2.6 Errors in the use of zero article with material used in general sense 20 III.3 Suggested solutions and suggested exercises 21 III.3.1 Suggested solutions 21 III.3.2 Suggested exercises 23 III.3.2.1 Suggested sources for the use of zero article exercise 23 III.3.2.2 Suggested types exercise 23 III.3.2.3 Sample of exercises 24 PART THREE CONCLUSION I Conclusion 26 II Implication of the study 26 III Limitations and suggestions for further research 27 REFERENCES 29 APPENDICIES 31 SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE 31 SUGGESTED EXERCISES 35 vi PART ONE INTRODUCTION I RATIONALE The English article system is one of the most difficult aspects of English grammar for students of English as a second language to understand English articles occur very frequently and incorrect use may affect communication negatively In addition, a writer may prefer to be accurate, when he/she has to write The English article system is so difficult to acquire for students because there is no such independent grammatical category, as the article exist in Vietnamese on which the learners could learn when learning the use of the English article system There is a fact that zero article is one of the complex language categories It has always been considered one of the most problems to overcome in teaching English grammar to foreigners and misuse is one of the most evident grammatical sign that a person is not a native speaker of English, students in specific It often causes embarrassments to students Due to its various uses, it is admitted that there are many errors, which may be made They not know how to use no article correctly and they often confuse zero article with the indefinite and definite article For example: Elephant has a good memory The frogs can live on land and in water As the reasons above, this study was conducted to give basic theory about zero article and shows the errors students often make when using zero article Then base on the errors they make, the causes of the problems were found out and some solutions were proposed to limit the errors II RESEARCH PRESUPPOSITION Some questions are raised: What kinds of errors in the use of zero article are made by the students in grade 11 at Vu Tien High School in the academic year of 2013 - 2014? What are the causes of the errors in the use of zero article by the students in grade 11 at Vu Tien High School in the academic year of 2013 - 2014? What are the effective ways to minimize the errors made by the students in grade 11 at Vu Tien High School in the academic year of 2013 - 2014? III RESEARCH OBJECTIVES The objectives of the study: To find out the main errors in the use of zero article made by the students in grade 11 at Vu Tien High School in the academic year of 2013 2014 To find out the causes of the errors in the use of zero article made by the students in grade 11 at Vu Tien High School in the academic year of 2013 2014 To offer some suggestions to minimize the errors made by the students in grade 11 at Vu Tien High School in the academic year of 2013 - 2014 IV RESEARCH SCOPE The general research area of this study is grammar The phenomenon is the errors in using zero article made by one hundred students in grade 11 at Vu Tien High School in the academic year of 2013 - 2014 One hundred students from class 11A8 and 11A7 are the subjects of the survey V RESEARCH TASKS The research work involves the following tasks: Studying the theory of zero in English Conducting a survey to find out error types and causes of the uses of zero article in English Suggesting some solutions to minimize the students‟ errors VI RESEARCH METHODS With the aim of finding the common errors as well as their possible solutions in the use of zero article in English, the following methods have been applied: Collecting, reading and analyzing documents listed in the references 2 Consulting the supervisor, experienced teachers and students Synthesizing theoretical materials on English grammar Conducting test survey and analyzing the results VII RESEARCH SIGNIFICANCE The study will be useful not only to the author and to her colleagues in improving the teaching quality, but students will also benefit from it The result of the study will serve as a foundation for the possible solutions to students‟ errors in using English zero article Furthermore, the study will contribute to the field of teaching methodology This study is hoped provide the following: Helping Vu Tien High School students understand about zero article in English Helping Vu Tien High School students minimize their errors in using zero article Becoming a useful reference about zero article for both teachers and students to make sure that they can deeply understand things relating to zero article VIII RESEARCH DESIGN The research work has three main parts: Introduction, Development and Conclusion The part Development consists of three chapters Chapter one named Theoretical Background presents literature review in brief, definition and classification of the articles, the introduction and usage of zero article Chapter two is Methodology It describes the research methods Chapter three is The Result It is composed of three sections Section one is devoted to the survey The second mentions to error types and causes The last one provides solutions to the problems and suggested exercises on zero articles To the second exercises, students have to make a distinction between the definite the definite article “the”, the indefinite article “a, an” and zero article This exercise is designed to help students distinguish the using of zero article with the using of the definite article “the” and the using of indefinite article “a, an” As for the third type of exercise, students have to use all knowledge about zero article to find out and correct mistakes This type of exercise does not ask students for rich vocabulary, just about zero article,so they are one of the most effective ways to check total knowledge of students as well as help them minimize errors when using article in general and zero article in particular III.3.2.3 Sample of exercises These following types of exercise are sample for the students to practice Exercise 1: Put a/an/the or Ø in the blank circles are round geometric figures milk I put on my cereal this morning was sour because someone forgot to put it in refrigerator after dinner last night In class yesterday, I sat next to two women woman on my right had right answer to teacher‟s question about verb form Have you met Mr and Mrs Smith? Mrs Smith used t be teacher, but now she is computer programmer Mr Smith is architect My uncle‟s hobby is restoring old cars Right now he‟s working on 1922 automobile It‟s antique ca and has great value My aunt‟s new car has power window, cassette player, and multi-adjustable driver‟s seat Patty is my ten-year old daughter She like to play jokes on people This sentence is last sentence in this exercise This is end of the exercise Mary is wearing beautiful ring today It is made of gold and rubies 10 Long-term exposure to sun between 10 A.M and P.M can be harmful 24 Exercise 2: Choose the correct answer She plays piano beautifully A a B an C the D Ø C the D Ø We usually meet once week A a B an I enjoy studying languages but I find Latin quite difficult A a B an C the D Ø I always listen to radio when I get up A a B an C the D Ø C the D Ø C the D Ø C the D Ø Can your daughter play violin? A a B an I can cycle 15 miles hour A a B an Do you enjoy learning Spanish? A a B an I take the children swimming twice week A a B an C the D Ø I think you watch televisiontoo often A a B an C the D Ø C the D Ø 10.Did you study physics at school? A a B an Exercise 3: In your notebook, add, remove or change the articles in these sentences to make them correct Some sentences contain more than one mistake Our first lesson after the lunch is the geography I first played a baseball in USA last summer When I leave at a university, I want to be the journalist What time does bank open on Fridays? I often work at the home The Rome is my favourite city in Italy 25 PART THREE CONCLUSION I Conclusion In English, the article in general and zero article in particular play a crucial role in grammar However, it has always been considered one of the most problems to overcome in teaching English grammar to learners and its misuse is one of the most evident grammartical signs that a person is not a native speaker of English For this reason, the study about the use of zero article is necessary According to the collection of data from grammartical books and considering point, the basic and usefull theory of zero article is presented Thus, students can understand clearly and apply them to exercises correctly Hopefully, the study can help the students have an overview of this grammartical category The result of the survey questionnaire presented the common error made by Vu Tien High School students (six common errors) The highest percentage of errors is the use of zero aricle with nouns: school, church, prison, hospital, bed Percentage of errors in the use of zero article with material used in general sense is the lowest From the result of the survey,I myself found that the major causes are students‟ limited understanding of zero article and their neglected when apply zero article‟s rules in doing exercises II Implication of the study With a view to overcome difficulties and reduce the number of errors in using zero article, some suggested solutions are given in order to minimize errors, as follows: To teachers: Provide students with a good knowledge of zero article Identify the uses of zero article from the definite article “the” and the indefinite article “a/an” and encourage students to absorb them 26 Give students some suggested solutions to help them minimize difficulties in using zero article Give students some techniquies to help them memorize and use the rules of zero article correctly Provide students with various kinds of exercises that focus on zero article Be patient and should not feel frustrated when students still make erros after many hours of instruction To students: Master the uses of zero article Do exercises relating to zero article as much as possible Learn by heart the rules of using zero article Read the instructions and analyze the sentence carefully before doing exercises on zero article The study has more made certain contribution to the English teaching and learning English in Vietnam In particular,it is hoped that the recommended implications might help the English zero article teaching more effective at Vu Tien High School III Limitations and suggestions for further research Although the research sheds light on the use of zero article, it is inevitably deficient in a few aspects The first limitation in the thesis is that number of participants taking part in the questionnaire survey is small There are one hundred students at Vu Tien High school The second deficiency is that the number of questions in the questionnaire survey is not large, only fifty questions For the further study in this area, further suggestions are made as below: Firstly, research scope could be expanded to a greater extent Secondly, error type of zero article could be subdivided into more details In addition, many other fields concerning the acquisition of zero article need further discussing and researching 27 Due to the short time and limited knowledge of the author, mistakes and shortcomings have inevitably remained Thus, the researcher warmly receives and highly appreciates all the comments, remarks and suggestions from the readers to accomplish the work 28 REFERENCES Andrusiak I V (2004) The Use of Articles in English Uzhhorod Alexander, L.G (1998) Longman English Grammar Practice for intermediate students New York: Longman Publishing Aik, K.C & Hui, K K (1999) Longman Dictionary of Grammar and Usage Asia: Pearson Education Asia Pte Limited Azar, B S (1995) Basic English Grammar London: Longman Azar, B.S (2000) Understanding and Using English Grammar New York:Longman Baugh, L S (1993) Essentials of English Grammar Illinois: passport Books Celce-Murcia, M and Larsen-Freeman, D (1999) The Grammar book: An ESL teacher course’s Boston: Heinle and Heinle Chesterman,A.(1991) On definiteness: A study with special reference to English and Finish Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press Close, R A (1979) A Reference Grammar for Students of English London: Longman Eastwood, J (1992) Oxford Practice Grammar Oxford: Oxford University 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 Foley, M & Hall, D (2003) Advanced learner’s grammar A self study reference and practice book with answeres Longman Foley.M & Hall.D (2008) Advanced Learner’s Grammar Longman Hewings,M (1999).Advanced Grammar in Use Cambridge: Cambridge University Press 29 Murphy, R (2000) English Grammar in Use Cambridge: Cambridge University Murphy, R (2000) English Grammar in Use: A Self- study Reference and Practice Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Quirk, R.et.al (1985) A Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language London: Longman Quirk, R.(1973) A University Grammar of English England: Longman Swan,M (1984) Basic English Usage Oxford University Press Thomson, A J & Martinet, A.V (1989) A practical English Grammar Oxford: Oxford University Press Thomson,A J , & Martinet, A V , (1986) A practical English Grammar (4th) Oxford: Oxford University Press Vince,M (1994) Advanced Language Practice Oxford: Heinemann Vince,M (2003) Intermediate Language Practice Oxford: Heinemann Walker, E & Elsworth, S (2000) Grammar Practice for Intermediate Students Essex: Longman Walker, E & Elsworth, S (2000) Grammar Practice for Pre-intermediate Students Essex: Longman Walker, E & Elsworth, S (2000) Grammar Practice for Upper - Intermediate Students Essex: Longman Xuan Ba (2007) Bai tap Ngu phap Tieng Anh Ha Noi Press Yotsukura,S (1970) The article in English: a structural analysis of usage The Hague: Mouton 30 APPENDICIES SURVEY QUESTIONNAIRE I/ Fill the spaces with a / an or the zero article (Ø) : The company is looking for _ investors in order to fund expansion They've sent her to _ school which is excellent, but unfortunately quite far from their house I have been playing _ tennis for three years I love _ nature Those are _ people who I told you about yesterday _ climate scientists all over the world now agree on man's responsibility for global warming She was born in _ France _ rice is grown in most Asian countries Has he been accused of _ dishonesty? 10 I hope you have _ lovely time and _ good weather II/ Choose the best answer: 11.The one I watch at 3:30 is about _ animals A a 12 B an D Ø _ Seoul is the capital of South Korea A a 13 C the B an C the D Ø There are over _ million people who are unemployed in my country A a 14 B an D Ø Most people who live in _ Italy are catholic A a 15 C the B an C the D Ø I want an assistant with _ knowledge of French and _ experience of office routine A a/ Ø B a/ an C the/ a 31 D Ø / Ø 16 I see that your house is built of _ wood A a 17 B an B an B an C the B an D Ø C the D Ø I went to _ school to talk to the headmistress A a 21 D Ø Do you go to _ prison to visit him? A a 20 C the He was sent to _ prison for six months for shop-lifting A a 19 D Ø I had _ amazing experience last night A a 18 C the B an C the D Ø _ Hurricane Andrew, which hit _ coasts of Louisiana and southern Florida in August 1992 A a/ Ø 22 B an D Ø /The C the D Ø He was sent to prison for theft A a 24 C the/ Ø I'll take you to _ airport A a 23 B Ø / Ø B an C the D Ø A street in Cambridge is to be named after _ scientists who discovered the structure of DNA A a 25 B an C the D Ø When I drive to _ work, usually _ highways are really busy A.a/the 26 B an D the/the C the D Ø She studied _saxophone at the Royal Academy of Music A a 28 C Ø /the What _ surprising story! A a 27 B a/ Ø B an C the D Ø I persuaded her to let Ann give up _ gymnastics and take _- ballet lessons instead A an/ the B Ø / Ø C the/a 32 D Ø / a 29 _ ballet isn't much use for girls; it is much better to be able to play _ piano A An/ the 30 B Ø / Ø C Ø /the D Ø / a It's usually safe to walk on _ sand, but here, when _ tide is coming in A.an/ the 31 B Ø D Ø C the D Ø _ only jazz musician I like is Miles Davis B An C The D Ø Glass is made from _ sand B an C the D Ø _ life is very hard for some people A A 37 C the B an A a 36 D.a He was sent to _ prison for his crime A A 35 C the B an A a 34 D Ø / a Do you often go to _ church? A a 33 C Ø /the This blouse is made of _ wool A.an 32 B Ø / Ø B An C The D Ø Rome, _ capital of Italy, is fantastic A a B an C the D Ø _ gold in my ring is too soft A A 38 B An A A D Ø _ rugby is as interesting as _ basketball A.A/an 39 C The B Ø / Ø C The/a D The/ Ø _ English and Literature are my favorite subjects B An C The D Ø III/ Some of these sentences are correct, but some are incorrect Correct the sentences where necessary 40.People think that lead is the heaviest metal, but the gold is heavier 33 41 You mean you had an nightmare Anyway, dinosaurs didn't eat meat 42 Hoa has a good taste in music 43 There was a accident at JP station yesterday 44 The butter is made from cream 45 Mathematics is very hard to learn 46 Gold is more precious than the silver 47 Men are often paid more than the women in the same job 48 I have two brothers One, Greg, is still in the college, and the other, Mike, has already graduated 49 My company‟s address is the 313 Jackson Street, Miles City Thank You for Your Cooperation! 34 SUGGESTED EXERCISES I Fill in the blank the or Ø A lot of people are giving up…….meat A a B an B an C the D Ø I don‟t know much about…….life of… Napoleon A a/ The D Ø As someone said,……life is just one damned thing after another A a C the B an/ Ø C the/ Ø D Ø/ an I think…….red one will suit you best…… Red is more your colour A the/ Ø C Ø / the D Ø/ Ø Do you know the song about… London Bridge? A a B the/the B an C the D Ø I „ve been climbing in… Alps, but I „ve never managed to get up… Mont Blanc? A a/ the B an A a 13 B Ø/ Ø C the/ the B Ø/ Ø C The/ the B an D Ø/ the D Ø/ the C the D Ø I often listen to……music and I like……jazz best A a/ the 12 D Ø … lunch I ordered was burnt A a 11 C the …….time is ………money A A/ the 10 D Ø/ the I‟m not interested in the price of… silver or the price of……gold A a/ the C the/ Ø I „m often wide awake at….night A a B an/ Ø B Ø/ Ø C the/ the D Ø/ the We must be home before…….midnight B an C the Let‟s have……breakfast on the terrace 35 D Ø A a 14 B an B an C the D Ø We‟ve come here to see……sunset A a II D Ø Do you always have… tea at four? A a 15 C the B an C the D Ø Put in a/ an, the or Ø FOOD FIT FOR A KING! …(1)…seeds dating from 1325 B.C have been found at…(2) Kew Gardens in…(3) … London “It‟s…(4)….exciting discovery”, … (5) … Professor Arthur Bell,… (6) … Director, said yesterday.…(7) … seeds were found in 30 cardboard boxes by…(8)…French student,…(9)…Christtian Tutundjian de Vatavan …(10)….seeds come from…(11) tomb of…(12)…King Tutankhamun Inside …(13)…tomb were shawabtis, that is, model human beings who would serve…(14)…King after…(15)…death Inside… (16) … Tutankhamun‟s tomb, there was…(17)…wheat for making…(18)…bread, …(19) barley, perhaps for brewing…(20) beer, and spices like… (21) coriander,…(22)…cumin and…(23).sesame, as well as…(24) grapes and…(25).tropical fruits…(26)….food had to be suitable for…(27) King‟s last journey, but is was very tasty, too! III Mark with an X those sentences that are wrong or unacceptable and briefly say why Excuse me Mr- Can you tell me the way to the station, please? Good morning, Doctor Don‟t ask me Ask Mrs Elizabeth Jackson? Can I introduce you to Mrs Elizabeth Jackson? I have an appointment with Dr White I‟ve just received a letter from cousin Frank Can I help you, Mrs? Can I help you, Madam? Sir Falstaff is a famous Shakespeare character 36 10 May I have a word with you please, Professor? 11 I‟ve addressed the letter to Professor John Williams Is that right? 12 Nurse, could I speak to you for a moment, please? KEYS: I Fill in the blank the or Ø D B D 10 C C 11 B A 12 D D 13 D C 14 D D 15 C B II Put in a/an, the or Ø Ø 16 Ø Ø 17 Ø Ø 18 Ø An 19 Ø Ø 20 Ø The 21 Ø The 22 Ø A 23 Ø Ø 24 Ø 10 The 25 Ø 11 The 26 The 12 Ø 27 The 13 The 14 The 15 Ø 37 III Mark with an X those sentences that are wrong or unacceptable and briefly say why We use nothing if we are addressing a stranger, or Mr + surname if we know it In American English, we might use Sir Mrs cannot be followed by a first name Not normal use: old-fashioned This use of Mrs is not generally considered polite Sir John Falstaff (Title + first name (+ surname) 38 ... are made by the students in grade 11 at Vu Tien High School in the academic year of 2013 - 2014? What are the causes of the errors in the use of zero article by the students in grade 11 at Vu Tien. .. causes of the errors in the use of zero article made by the students in grade 11 at Vu Tien High School in the academic year of 2013 2014 To offer some suggestions to minimize the errors made by. .. OBJECTIVES The objectives of the study: To find out the main errors in the use of zero article made by the students in grade 11 at Vu Tien High School in the academic year of 2013 2014 To find out the