Sáng kiến kinh nghiệm Solutions for improving the use of subject-verb agreement in English writing among high school students in Cat Ngan High School

 PART 1: INTRODUCTION. 
1.1. Rationale 
 For a long time, English has confirmed its position as an international 
language. It is considered as a useful tool to communicate with each other. 
Therefore, it is not surprising when the number of English learners is growing 
more than ever. Together with the increasing need of studying English, great 
efforts have been made in order to improve the quality of teaching and learning 
this subject. Textbooks have been renovated, new methods have been applied and 
various aspects of teaching English have been covered. It is realized that 
description and analysis of students' errors play an important role in practical 
teaching and learning; therefore, error analysis has been an interesting area which 
has attracted the attention of an increasing number of researchers. In fact, there 
are many famous ones in this field. Typically, Corder and Richards have made a 
great contribution to the development of error analysis area - a main branch of 
applied linguistics. 
 Since Vietnamese and English have very distinct grammar systems, 
Vietnamese students tend to encounter a lot of difficulties in acquiring the target 
language. Among these difficulties is the use of subject- verb agreement (SVA) in 
English writing. It can not be denied that SVA is an important element in 
grammar. The correct use of SVA contributes to producing accurate sentences. 
Moreover, SVA is so popular that nearly every sentence requires it. Therefore, 
special attention has been paid to this item of grammar. 
 Another reason for my conducting this research results from my own 
experience of practising teaching English at Cat Ngan High school, Nghean 
Province. Failure to use SVA is a recurring problem in the students' writing. It is 
the fact that the students usually make a lot of errors involving SVA when they 
write a paragraph or an essay. If this continues, it can be a major obstacle to their 
success. Besides, there seems to be a neglect of SVA in teaching materials, 
especially at low levels. 
 2 
 ✓ To explore the underlying reasons for these errors, including linguistic and 
 educational factors. 
 ✓ To propose practical solutions to help students overcome these errors and 
 improve their writing skills. 
 ✓ To investigate the effectiveness of different instructional approaches in 
 teaching subject-verb agreement in the high school English classroom. 
 ✓ To contribute to the development of effective instructional approaches for 
 teaching grammar in context and supporting student learning in English 
 writing. 
These aims are crucial in improving high school students' language proficiency 
and ensuring their success in academic and professional contexts. By identifying 
and addressing the errors that students commonly make in subject-verb 
agreement, the study can help teachers design effective instructional strategies 
that support student learning and help them achieve their language learning goals. 
Ultimately, this study aims to contribute to the broader goal of improving 
language education and empowering students to communicate effectively in 
English. 
1.3. Subjects of the study 
 The subjects of the study include 200 students at Cat Ngan High school, 
Nghean Province. One hundred of them are in the tenth form. The rest are the 
students who are in the eleventh form. They have learned English as a 
compulsory subject at school. All of them are qualified enough to do the test. 
1.4. Scope of the study 
 The scope of the study on an analysis of errors made by high school 
students in the use of subject-verb agreement in English writing and some 
solutions includes the following: 
 • The study will focus on high school students' writing in English and will 
 examine their use of subject-verb agreement. 
 4 
 school students. The analysis will also explore the underlying reasons for 
 these errors, including linguistic and educational factors. 
 ▪ Development of solutions: The study will propose practical solutions to 
 help students overcome these errors and improve their writing skills. These 
 solutions will be developed based on the results of the data analysis and 
 will take into account the specific challenges that high school students face 
 in learning and applying subject-verb agreement rules. 
 ▪ Evaluation of solutions: The study will evaluate the effectiveness of 
 different instructional approaches in teaching subject-verb agreement in the 
 high school English classroom. The evaluation will involve assessing the 
 impact of the proposed solutions on students' writing skills and language 
 proficiency. 
The research methodology will include a mixed-methods approach, using both 
qualitative and quantitative methods to ensure a comprehensive analysis of the 
data. Qualitative methods, such as content analysis, will be used to identify 
patterns and themes in the data. Quantitative methods, such as statistical analysis, 
will be used to analyze the frequency and distribution of errors. The study will 
also draw on relevant literature and previous research to inform the development 
of solutions and evaluation of their effectiveness. 
1.6. Organization of the study 
 The study on an analysis of errors made by high school students in the use of 
subject-verb agreement in English writing and some solutions will be organized 
in the following sections: 
 - Introduction: This section will provide an overview of the study's aims, 
 scope, and methodology, as well as the importance of the topic. 
 - Literature Review: This section will review relevant literature on subject-
 verb agreement in English writing, including previous studies, theoretical 
 frameworks, and instructional approaches. 
 6 
 PART II: CONTENT OF THE STUDY 
2.1. Literature review 
2.1.1. The overview of subject-verb agreement (SVA) in English grammar 
 Subject-verb agreement (SVA) is a fundamental concept in English 
grammar that refers to the proper matching of the subject and verb in a sentence. 
In English, a verb must agree with its subject in number, which means that a 
singular subject takes a singular verb, and a plural subject takes a plural verb. For 
example, "He walks to school" (singular subject and verb) and "They walk to 
school" (plural subject and verb). 
 The most basic rule of SVA is that a singular subject takes a singular verb, 
and a plural subject takes a plural verb. However, there are several different cases 
and exceptions to this rule, including subject-verb agreement with compound 
subjects, collective nouns, indefinite pronouns, and more. 
 The correct use of SVA is important in English writing and 
communication, as it helps to ensure clarity and grammatical correctness. Errors 
in SVA can cause confusion and make the message difficult to understand. 
 Therefore, a proper understanding of SVA is crucial for effective 
communication and successful writing in English. By understanding the rules and 
exceptions of SVA, writers can create clear and effective sentences that 
communicate their message accurately. 
2.1.2. Definition of subject-verb agreement 
 Subject-verb agreement is a grammatical rule in English that refers to the 
need for the subject and verb in a sentence to agree in number, that is, they should 
match in either being singular or plural. In other words, if the subject of a 
sentence is singular, the verb should be singular, and if the subject of a sentence 
is plural, the verb should be plural. This rule applies to almost all verb tenses in 
English. A correct understanding and use of subject-verb agreement is important 
in writing and speaking English, as it helps to ensure clarity and grammatical 
correctness. 
2.1.3. Types of subject-verb agreement and their principles 
 8 
 SVA, speakers and writers can avoid common mistakes and create clear and 
grammatically correct sentences. 
2.2. Practical situation of the problem 
2.2.1. In terms of teachers at Cat Ngan High School 
a. Advantages: 
 ➢ Opportunity to work with diverse students: The English teachers at Cat 
 Ngan High School get to work with a diverse group of students from 
 different backgrounds, which provides an opportunity to learn about 
 different cultures and customs. 
 ➢ Availability of teaching resources: The school provides English teachers 
 with a wide range of teaching resources such as textbooks, workbooks, 
 videos, and other teaching aids, which can make teaching more effective 
 and engaging. 
 ➢ Supportive work environment: The teachers at Cat Ngan High School are 
 likely to find a supportive work environment, with a collaborative and 
 supportive team of colleagues, a caring and helpful administration, and 
 motivated and enthusiastic students. 
b. Disadvantages: 
 ➢ Large class sizes: One of the biggest challenges that English teachers at Cat 
 Ngan High School may face is large class sizes. This can make it difficult 
 to give individual attention to each student and to ensure that everyone is 
 engaged and participating in the lesson. 
 ➢ Limited teaching resources: While the school does provide some teaching 
 resources, they may be limited in scope, or not enough to cover all the 
 aspects of the English language. Teachers may need to supplement with 
 their own resources or improvise. 
 ➢ Limited access to technology: The school may not have enough access to 
 technology such as computers, projectors, or the internet, which can limit 
 the variety of teaching methods and resources that teachers can use. This 
 10 
 a. Using the wrong verb form 
High school students may use the wrong verb form based on their incorrect 
understanding of SVA rules. For example, they may use a singular verb with a 
plural subject or vice versa. 
For example, 
 - Incorrect: Yesterday, I seen a movie. Correct: Yesterday, I saw a movie. 
 - Incorrect: She have been working all day. Correct: She has been working 
 all day. 
 - Incorrect: He done his homework. Correct: He did his homework. 
 - Incorrect: They was late for the meeting. Correct: They were late for the 
 meeting. 
 - Incorrect: I have went to that restaurant before. Correct: I have gone to that 
 restaurant before. 
 - Incorrect: She don't like to exercise. Correct: She doesn't like to exercise. 
 - Incorrect: He speaked three languages fluently. Correct: He spoke three 
 languages fluently. 
 - Incorrect: We was planning to go on vacation next week. Correct: We were 
 planning to go on vacation next week. 
 - Incorrect: The book have many interesting characters. Correct: The book 
 has many interesting characters. 
 - Incorrect: They seen the accident on their way to work. Correct: They saw 
 the accident on their way to work. 
 b. Failing to identify the subject: 
 High school students may fail to identify the subject of the sentence, which 
 can result in incorrect verb agreement. For example, they may use a singular 
 verb with a compound subject, which requires a plural verb. 
 + For example, 
 - Running down the street, the car hit the tree. It's not clear who or what was 
 running down the street. Correction: The car hit the tree while running 
 down the street. 
 12 
 - Incorrect: The staff are attending a meeting. Correct: The staff is attending 
 a meeting. 
 - Incorrect: The company is celebrating their anniversary. Correct: The 
 company is celebrating its anniversary. 
 - Incorrect: The herd of cows are grazing in the field. Correct: The herd of 
 cows is grazing in the field. 
In each of these examples, the collective noun is either being used with a singular 
verb when it should have a plural verb or vice versa. It's important to pay 
attention to the context and number of the collective noun to choose the correct 
verb form. 
d. Incorrect use of indefinite pronouns 
 High school students may incorrectly use indefinite pronouns, such as 
 "everyone" or "someone", which require a singular verb, with a plural verb. 
 For example, 
 - Incorrect: Everyone were talking at the same time. Correct: Everyone was 
 talking at the same time. 
 - Incorrect: Somebody have left their bag in the classroom. Correct: 
 Somebody has left their bag in the classroom. 
 - Incorrect: Neither of the boys were interested in the movie. Correct: 
 Neither of the boys was interested in the movie. 
 - Incorrect: Each of the students have their own opinions. Correct: Each of 
 the students has their own opinions. 
 - Incorrect: Somebody are knocking on the door. Correct: Somebody is 
 knocking on the door. 
 - Incorrect: Anybody can come to the party if they want. Correct: Anybody 
 can come to the party if he or she wants. 
 - Incorrect: Nobody have completed their homework yet. Correct: Nobody 
 has completed their homework yet. 
In each of these examples, the indefinite pronoun is being used with a plural verb 
when it should have a singular verb. It's important to remember that indefinite 
 14