Introduction - DThUwebsrv.dthu.edu.vn/UserFiles/file/KHOANGOAINGU... · INTRODUCTION There are six parts in the introduction. They are motivation for the study, aims ... 1.3.2 Adjective

1

INTRODUCTION

There are six parts in the introduction. They are motivation for the study, aims

of the study, scope of the study, significance of the study, related previous studies and

organization of the study.

1. Motivation for the study

Today English is the language widely used in the world. English is not only the

national or official language of some countries, which have different cultures, but it is

also the international language of communication in many fields including science,

technology, business, entertainment and so on. Since Viet Nam joined World Trade

Organization (WTO), the need for learning English has been considerably increasing

among Vietnamese because their proficiency in English can help them get good jobs.

Therefore, learning English is very necessary.

However, it is not easy to master this language. In order to become good

English learners, besides proficiency in listening, speaking, reading and writing skills,

they must use grammar properly although English grammar can be difficult. Numerous

studies show that the use of poor grammar in spoken and written statements reflects

negatively on the speaker or author, and that people who use bad grammar are instantly

perceived as being less intelligent, less reliable or less trustworthy than people who use

proper grammar. Consequently, it is essential for English learners to master grammar.

English grammar includes a lot of points. One of them is reported speech.

Reported speech is important but rather difficult because it involves a lot of elements

which causes students to feel confused and make many errors. Making so many errors

of reported speech is not good because when someone reports incorrectly what

someone else has said, it is difficult for listeners to understand or it is even easy for

them to misunderstand, causing serious consequences. In addition, reported speech

often appears on tests in class, final tests and tests in the entrance exams to universities

and colleges. If students do not master this grammar point, they may lose marks

relating to reported speech easily. For those reasons, the researcher decided to study the

topic “Common Errors of Reported Speech Made by Grade 11 Students at Doc Binh

Kieu High School, Tien Giang Province”. This study is aimed at searching for the

2

grade 11 students‟ common errors and suggesting some solutions to help the students

use reported speech better.

2. Aims of the study

- To find out grade 11 students‟ common errors in using reported speech.

- To suggest some solutions to help the students avoid these errors.

3. Scope of the study

The study is about common errors of reported speech based on the exercise the

researcher gives grade 11 students at Doc Binh Kieu High School.

4. Significance of the study

The study including the solutions suggested will help students avoid common

errors of reported speech. Some solutions are suggested for teachers so that they can

apply to help the students in learning reported speech.

5. Related previous studies

Many theses relating to reported speech have been studied. The research

“Teaching Reported Speech” done by Dan Rej Regmi was about the major mistakes

made by the learners of Grade XII of Management stream. However, the researcher

only gave suggestions for teachers to teach their Nepalese students in order to help

them understand and use reported speech precisely.

In Vietnam, Le Thi Thu Quynh, student of Ho Chi Minh University of

Education did the research “Indirect speech in English and Vietnamese: A comparative

contrastive analysis” in 2010. In this research, the researcher has pointed out basic

similarities and differences in indirect speech between Vietnamese and English as well

as some major mistakes made by Vietmanese. However, the subjects were Vietnamese

learners in general and the researcher gave a general suggestion instead of specific ones

to help them avoid those errors. The suggestion was that Vietnamese people have to

pay more attention to grammar structure when they want to change an English indirect

speech into the direct one.

3

6. Organization of the study

INTRODUCTION

Chapter 1 LITERATURE REVIEW

1.1 Definition of reported speech

1.2 Types of reported speech

1.2.1 Reported statements

1.2.2 Reported imperatives

1.2.3 Reported questions

1.2.4 Reported exclamations

1.2.5 Mixed types of reported speech

13. Changes of direct speech when turned into reported speech

1.3.1 Pronoun changes

1.3.2 Adjective changes

1.3.3 Tense changes

1.3.4 Modal verb changes

1.3.5 Adverb changes

1.3.6 Exceptions

Chapter 2 METHODOLOGY

2.1 Research questions

2.2 Research participants

2.2.1 The researcher

2.2.2 The subjects

2.3 Data collection instruments

2.3.1 The questionnaire

2.3.2 The mini-test

2.4 Research procedure


2.4.1 The mini-test

4

Chapter 3 RESULTS, DISCUSSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

3.1 Results

3.1.1 Results collected from the questionnaire

3.1.2 Results collected from the mini-test

3.2 Discussions


3.2.2 The mini-test

3.3 Suggestions

3.3.1 For the teachers

3.3.2 For the students

CONCLUSION AND LIMITATIONS

REFERENCES

APPENDIX 1

APPENDIX 2

APPENDIX 3

5

Chapter 1 LITERATURE REVIEW

In this chapter, the theory of reported speech is presented including definition of

reported speech, types of reported speech and changes of direct speech when turned

into reported speech.

1.1 Definition of reported speech

Reported speech or indirect speech refers to using a noun clause to report what

someone has said. No quotation marks are used. ( 3 )

Example:

Direct speech: She said, “She hasn‟t met Susan for two years.”

Reported speech: She said (that) she hadn‟t met Susan for two years.

1.2 Types of reported speech

1.2.1 Reported statements

Statements (“S + V”)

Reported speech

Examples:

Direct speech: “I‟m waiting for my mother,” he said.

Reported speech: He said that he was waiting for his mother.

Direct speech: Rick said to me, “Anne has written Jim a letter.”

Reported speech: Rick told me that Anne had written Jim a letter.

Direct speech: She hopes, “I will pass the exam.”

Reported speech: She hopes that she will pass the exam.

1.2.2 Reported imperatives

Affirmative imperatives (“V……”)

Reported speech

S + say / said /... + (that) + S + V

tell + O / told + O /…

think / thought /…

hope / hoped /…

…………….

6

Examples:

Direct speech: The teacher said to me, “Show me your notebook.”

Reported speech: The teacher told me to show her my notebook.

Direct speech: He said to me, “Remember to come here on time.”

Reported speech: He asked me to come there on time.

Direct speech: “Please give me some money,” said the old man to us.

Reported speech: The old man begged us to give him some money.

Direct speech: The boss tells me, “Come in!”

Reported speech: The boss tells me to come in.

Negative imperatives (“Don’t + V…/ Never + V…/ ”)

Reported speech

Examples:

Direct speech: She said to her husband, “Don‟t drive too fast.”

Reported speech: She told her husband not to drive too fast.

Direct speech: The teacher says to her students, “Never go to school late.”

Reported speech: The teacher tells her students never to go to school late.

S + tell / told / … + O + to + V

ask / asked / …

beg / begged / …

order / ordered / …

…………….

S + tell / told / … + O + not to + V

never to

ask / asked / …

beg / begged / …

order / ordered / …

…………….

7

1.2.3 Reported questions

Yes-No Questions (“Auxiliary + S + …?” )

Reported speech

Examples: Direct speech: She said to me, “Are you hungry?”

Reported speech: He asked me if / whether I was hungry.

Direct speech: He said to himself, “Will she arrive on time?”

Reported speech: He wondered if /whether she would arrive on time.

Direct speech: He enquires, “Does the train stop at York?”

Reported speech: He enquires if / whether the train stops at York.

Or-Questions (“Auxiliary + S …+ or + …? ” )

Reported speech

Examples:

Direct speech: Mary‟s mother said to her, “Do you like the blue hat or the green one?”

Reported speech: Mary‟s mother asked her if/whether she liked the blue hat or the

green one.

Direct speech: “Would you rather travel by car or by train?” she asks me.

Reported speech: She asks me if/whether I would rather travel by car or by train.

S + ask / asked + ( O ) + if + S +V

whether

enquire / enquired / …

wonder / wondered / …

want to know / wanted to know / …

…………….

S + ask / asked / … + (O) + if + S +V + or +…

whether



want to know / wanted to know /…

…………….

8

Wh-Questions ( “ Question words + auxiliary + S + …? ” )

Reported speech

Examples:

Direct speech: “Who is going to live in the big house?” he enquired.

Reported speech: He enquired who was going to live in the big house.

Direct speech: “Who does English belong to?” our teacher has just said to us.

Reported speech: Our teacher has just asked us who English belongs to.

Direct speech: “How do you learn English?” she asks him.

Reported speech: She asks him how he learns English.

1.2.4 Reported exclamations

Exclamations(“ …!”)

Reported speech

S + ask / asked / … + (O) +




…………….

S + ask / asked / … + (O) +




…………….

who + V

what

which

who + S + V

what

which

whom

where

when

why

how

…

S + exclaim / exclaimed /… + (that) + S + V

say / said /...

…………….

9

Examples:

Direct speech: He said, “What a dreadful idea!”

Reported speech: He exclaimed that it was a dreadful idea.

Direct speech: She says, “What a beautiful dress!”

Reported speech: She says that it is a very beautiful dress.

1.2.5 Mixed types of Reported Speech

Direct speech may consist of statement + question, question + imperative, imperative +

statement or all together.

* Rule1

Often each type requires its own introductory verb and the conjunction „and‟ is used to

link them.

Examples:

Direct speech: “ I‟m a stranger. Can you tell me how to get to the post office?” she said.

Reported speech: She said she was a stranger and asked if I could tell her how to get

to the post office.

* Rule2

When the second clause is a statement explaining the first, the conjunction „ as‟ can be

used instead of a second introductory verb

Examples:

Direct speech: “Don‟t turn off the light. It is dark here.” my sister said.

Reported speech: My sister told me not to turn off the light as it was dark there

*Rule3

Sometimes the second introductory verb can be a participle

Examples:

Direct speech: “Please, please don‟t smoke. Remember that it is harmful to your

health,” his wife said.

Reported speech: His wife begged him not to smoke reminding him that it was

harmful to your health

10

1.3 Changes of direct speech when turned into reported speech

1.3.1 Pronoun changes

Personal, reflexive and possessive pronoun changes

* Rule1: First person pronouns in the direct speech change from the first person to

the person of the subject of the reporting verb in the reported speech.

Example:

Direct speech: He said, “I am a student.”

Reported speech: He said that he was a student.

* Rule2: Second person pronouns in the direct speech change from the second person

to the person of the object of the reporting verb in the reported speech.

Example:

Direct speech: She said to me, “You are very kind.”

Reported speech: She told me that I was very kind.

* Rule3: Third person pronouns in the direct speech will not change in the reported

speech.

Example:

Direct speech: The manager said, “They are hard workers.”

Reported speech: The manager said that they were hard workers.

* Notes:

- The new (changed) pronoun will have the same case and number as the original

one.

Example:

Direct speech: He said, “This book is mine.”

Reported speech: He said that that book was his.

- In some cases, to avoid confusion, we can use the former and the latter instead

of the pronouns mentioned in the rules above.

Examples:

Direct speech: Tom said to Peter, “Miss White wants to meet me in the office.”

Reported speech: Tom told Peter that Miss White wanted to meet the former in the

office.

Direct speech: Tom said to Peter, “Miss White wants to meet you in the office.”

11

Reported speech: Tom told Peter that Miss White wanted to meet the latter in the

office.

Demonstrative pronoun changes

this that

these those

Examples:

Direct speech: She said, “This is Tom‟s house.”

Reported speech: She said (that) that was Tom‟s house.

Direct speech: He said, “These are my new pens.”

Reported speech: He said that those were his new pens.

1.3.2 Adjective changes

Possessive adjective changes

The rule of possessive adjective changes in reported speech is the same as that of

possessive pronoun changes mentioned above.

Examples:

Direct speech: He said, “I haven‟t finished my work.”

Reported speech: He said that he hadn‟t finished his work.

Direct speech: My sister said to me, “Don‟t put your bag here.”

Reported speech: My sister told me not to put my bag there.

Direct speech: Alice said, “I don‟t know their names.”

Reported speech: Alice said that she didn‟t know their names.

Demonstrative adjective changes

The rule of demonstrative adjective changes in reported speech is the same as that of

demonstrative pronoun changes mentioned above.

Examples:

Direct speech: He said, “This room needs painting.”

Reported speech: He said that that room needed painting.

Direct speech: She said, “These books are mine.”

Reported speech: She said that those books were hers.

12

1.3.3 Tense changes

* Rule 1

If the reporting verb is in the past tense, tenses of the verbs in the direct speech will be

changed into their corresponding past tenses in the reported speech. The changes are

shown in the following table.

Direct speech Reported speech

Simple present

Mary said, “I am a secretary.”

Simple past

Mary said that she was a secretary.

Present continuous

She said, “I am listening to music.”

Past continuous

She said that she was listening to music.

Present perfect

She said, “I have been to Da lat.”

Past perfect

She said that she had been to Da lat.

Present perfect continuous

The clerk said, “I have been learning

English for ten years.”

Past perfect continuous

The clerk said that she had been learning

English for ten years.

Simple past

My friend said, “My brother bought a

computer yesterday.”

Past perfect

My friend said that his brother had bought a

computer the day before.

Past continuous

He said, “We were having dinner at 7

p.m yesterday.”

Past perfect continuous

He said that they had been having dinner

7p.m the day before.

Past perfect

He said, “I had turned off the TV

before 8 a.m.”

Past perfect (unchanged)

He said he had turned off the TV before 8

a.m.

Past perfect continuous Past perfect continuous (unchanged)

13

He said, “I had been waiting for ten

minutes when the bus arrived.”

He said that he had been waiting for ten

minutes when the bus arrived.

Simple future

My mother said to me, “I will buy you

a new watch tomorrow.”

Simple future in the past (Conditional)

My mother told me that she would buy me a

new watch the following day.

Future continuous

My friend said, “I will be watching

TV at 8 o‟clock tomorrow.”

Future continuous in the past (Conditional

continuous)

My friend said that she would be watching

TV at 8 o‟clock the following day.

But note that there are some exceptions:

- There are no tense changes in the reported speech if the reported words are true at

the time of reporting.

Example:

Direct speech: He said, “I am 24 years old.”

Reported speech: He said that he is 24 years old. (Now he is 24 years old.)

- There are no tense changes in the reported speech if the reported words express a

general truth.

Example:

Direct speech: Our geography teacher said, “The Earth revolves around the Sun.”

Reported speech: Our geography teacher said that the Earth resolves around the Sun.

- There are no tense changes in reported speech if the reported words refer to unreal

situations.

Examples:

Direct speech: My sister said, “If I were a billionaire, I would help the poor.”

Reported speech: My sister said that if she were a billionaire, she would help the

poor.

Direct speech: He said, “If I had worked hard, I would have passed the exam.”

14

Reported speech: He said that if he had worked hard, I would have passed the

exam.

- There are no tense changes in reported speech if the reported words contain unreal

past tenses after wish, would rather/sooner and it is time.

Examples:

Direct speech: Tom said, “I wish I could travel around the world.”

Reported speech: Tom said that he wished he could travel around the world.

Direct speech: She said to him, “I would rather you did not smoke here.‟

Reported speech: She told him that she would rather he did not smoke there.

Direct speech: He said, “It‟s time the government did something to save the

environment.”

Reported speech: He said that it was time the government did something to save the

environment.

* Rule 2

If the reporting verb is in simple present, present continuous, present perfect and future

tenses, tenses of the verbs in the direct speech will not be changed in the reported

speech.

Example:

Direct speech: He says, “I listen to the radio every day.”

Reported speech: He says that he listens to the radio every day.

1.3.4 Modal verb changes

* Rule 1

Modal verbs in the direct speech will be changed into the corresponding past forms in

the reported speech if the reporting verb is in the past tense. The changes are shown in

the following table.


can (ability)

Ex: She said to me, “Can you swim?”

could

Ex: She asked me if I could swim.

may (possibility) might

15

Ex: He said, “It may rain.” Ex: He said that it might rain.

may ( permission)

Ex: Our parents said to us, “You may

watch TV in your free time.”

could

Ex: Our parents told us that we could

watch TV in our free time.

must (obligation, present)

Ex: “Need I eat it all, mummy?” said

the child.

“Yes, dear, you must,” she said.

must/had to

Ex: The child asked his mother if he had to

eat it all and she said that he must/had to.

must (obligation, future)

Ex: My father said to me, “You must

work harder next term.”

must/would have to

Ex: My father told me that I must/would

have to work harder the next term.

needn’t (necessity, present)

Ex: He said, “I needn’t be in the room

till 5 p.m.”

needn’t/didn’t have to

Ex: He said that he needn’t / didn’t have

to be the room till 5 p.m.”

needn’t (necessity, future)

Ex: I said, “If you can lend me the

money, I needn’t go to the bank.”

needn’t / wouldn’t have to

Ex: I said that if he could lend me the

money, I needn’t / wouldn’t have to go to

the bank.

shall ( future)

Ex 1: I said, “I shall buy a new bicycle

if I have enough money.”

Ex 2: He said, “I shall buy a new

bicycle if I have enough money.”

(I/we + should / would),

(You/he/she/it/they + would)

Ex 1: I said that I should / would buy a

new bicycle if I had enough money.

Ex 2: He said that he would buy a new

bicycle if he had enough money.

16

shall ( offers, requests for advice and

confirmation)

Ex: He asked his wife, “Where shall I

put this box?”

should

Ex: He asked his wife where he should put

that / the box.

will

Ex: She said, “They will come in time.”

would

Ex: She said that they would come in time.

* Rule 2

In the reported speech, such words as had better, would rather/sooner, ought

to, used to, should, would, could, might remain unchanged.

Examples:

Direct speech: “The children had better/ should go to bed early,” the doctor said.

Reported speech: The doctor said that children had better/should go to bed early.

Direct speech: He said, “I would rather travel by car.”

Reported speech: He said that he would rather travel by car.

Direct speech: “They ought to widen this road,” she said.

Reported speech: She said that they ought to widen that road.

Direct speech: “I used to play marbles when I was young,” he said.

Reported speech: He said that he used to played marbles when he was young.

Direct speech: “It might be colder,” she said.

Reported speech: She said that it might be colder.

Direct speech: “I couldn’t stand on my head,” he said.

Reported speech: He said that he couldn’t stand on his head.

Direct speech: She said to her boyfriend, “If I were you, I would apply for the job.”

Reported speech: She told her boyfriend that if she were him, she would apply for

the job.

17

1.3.5 Adverb changes

Adverb changes in the reported speech are shown in the following table:


here

Ex: He said, “Put the desk here, Peter.”

there

Ex: He told Peter to put the desk there.

this

Ex: She said, “I met him this morning.”

that

Ex: She said that she had met him that

morning.

these

Ex: He said to me, “Don‟t put your

books on these tables.”

those

Ex: He told me not to put my books on

those tables.

now / at present

Ex: She said, “He is working now.”

then

Ex: She said that he was working then.

Ago

Ex: He said, “I graduated from high

school 4 years ago.”

before

Ex: He said that he had graduated from

high school 4 years before.

Today

Ex: She said, “We study geography

today.”

that day

Ex: She said they studied geography

that day.

yesterday

Ex: He said, “I went swimming

yesterday.”

the day before/ the previous day

Ex: He said that he had gone swimming

the day before/ the previous day.

the day before yesterday/ two days

ago

two days before/two days earlier

Ex: She said that her mother had taken

18

But note that there are some exceptions:

- If the speech is made and reported on the same day, these time changes are not

necessary.

- If the speech is made and reported at the same place, these place changes are not

necessary.

Examples:

Direct speech: At breakfast this morning he said, “ I‟ll be very busy today”

Reported speech: At breakfast this morning he said that he would be very busy

today.

Direct speech: In this room he said, “ I will have a meeting here.”

Reported speech: In this room he said that he would have a meeting here

Ex: She said, “My mother took me to

the zoo the day before yesterday.”

her to the zoo two days before/ two

days earlier.

last night

Ex: He said, “I stayed up late last

night.”

the previous night /the night before

Ex: He said that he had stayed up late

the previous night / the night before.

Tomorrow

Ex: He said, “It may rain tomorrow.”

the following day/ the next day

Ex: He said that it might rain the

following day/ the next day.

the day after tomorrow/in two days

Ex: She said, “I will return home the

day after tomorrow.”

in two days’ time / two days later

Ex: She said that I would return home

in two days’ time/ two days later.

tomorrow evening

Ex: “We are going to have a party

tomorrow evening,” she said.

the following evening / the next

evening

Ex: She said that we were going to

have a party the following evening/

the next evening.

19

1.3.6 Exceptions

In reality, direct speech is sometimes turned into reported speech according to the

meaning instead of the structures mentioned above. The exceptions fall into such

groups as thanks, advice, encouragement, congratulation, compliment, wish, dream,

promise, request, suggestion, insistence, admission, denial, apology, blame, accusation,

warning , prohibition and so on. For example:

* Thanks:

Direct speech: “ It was nice of you to visit me. Thank you,” Mary said to me

Reported speech: Mary thanked me for visiting her.

* Advice:

Direct speech: “You‟d better not swim too far from the shore,” he said to us.

Reported speech: He advised us not to swim too far from the shore.

* Encouragement:

Direct speech: “ You should take part in the English Speaking Competition,” said the

teacher to us .

Reported speech: The teacher encouraged us to take part in the English Speaking

Competition.

* Congratulation:

Direct speech: “I hear you passed your exams. Congratulations!” Peter said to us.

Reported speech: Peter congratulated us on passing our exams.

* Compliment:

Direct speech: “ What a beautiful hat you have!” said Tom to Alice.

Reported speech: Tom complimented Alice on her beautiful hat

* Wish:

Direct speech: He said, “Happy Christmas!”

Reported speech: He wished me a happy Christmas.

* Dream:

Direct speech: “ I‟ve always want to be healthy ” Alice said.

Reported speech: Alice has always dreamed of being healthy.

* Promise:

Direct speech: He said to me, “ I will send you details of the competition ”

20

Reported speech: He promised to send me details of the competition.

* Request:

Direct speech: “Could you send me details of the competition?” I said to him.

Reported speech: I asked him to send me details of the competition.

* Suggestion:

Direct speech: Mary said, “ Let‟s talk about the General knowledge Quiz ”

Reported speech: Mary suggested talking about the General knowledge Quiz.

* Insistence:

Direct speech: “ We must be given every detail of the contest, ” they insisted.

Reported speech: They insisted on being given every detail of the contest.

* Admission:

Direct speech: She said, “ To tell the truth, I haven‟t participated in a singing contest”

Reported speech: She admitted not having participated in a singing contest

* Denial:

Direct speech: “ Me? No, I didn‟t take your pen,” said Tom to Mary.

Reported speech: Tom denied having taken Mary‟s pen.

* Apology:

Direct speech: “I‟m sorry, I didn‟t phone you earlier.” Mary said.

Reported speech: Mary apologized for not phoning me earlier.

* Blame:

Direct speech: He said to me, “ It was your fault. You ignored the notice.”

Reported speech: He blamed me for ignoring the notice.

* Accusation:

Direct speech:, “You didn‟t pay attention to the lesson,” the teacher said to Paul.

Reported speech: The teacher accused Paul of not paying attention to the lesson

* Warning:

Direct speech: She said to us, “ Don‟t go alone in the dark.”

Reported speech: She warned us against going alone in the dark.

* Prohibition:

Direct speech:She said to her children, “ You can‟t go out after dark.”

Reported speech: She prevented her children from going out after dark.

21

1.4 Summary of reported speech used in grade 11 student’s English book

After considering the grammar point of reported speech in grade 11 student‟s

English book, the researcher found out three main points relating to reported speech as

follows:

1.4.1 Reported speech with infinitive

* Affirmative imperatives

Examples:

Direct speech: The teacher said to me, “Show me your notebook.”

Reported speech: The teacher told me to show her my notebook.

Direct speech: He said to me, “Remember to come here on time.”

Reported speech: He asked me to come there on time.

Direct speech: The boss tells me, “Come in!”

Reported speech: The boss tells me to come in.

* Negative imperatives

Examples:

Direct speech: She said to her husband, “Don‟t drive too fast.”

Reported speech: She told her husband not to drive too fast.

Direct speech: The teacher says to her students, “Never go to school late.”

Reported speech: The teacher tells her students never to go to school late.

* Advice, encouragement, promise, request…

Examples:

Direct speech: “You‟d better not swim too far from the shore,” he said to us.

Reported speech: He advised us not to swim too far from the shore.

Direct speech: “You should take part in the English Speaking Competition,” said the

teacher to us .

Reported speech: The teacher encouraged us to take part in the English Speaking

Competition.

Direct speech: He said to me, “I will send you details of the competition”

Reported speech: He promised to send me details of the competition.

Direct speech: “Could you send me details of the competition?” I said to him.

Reported speech: I asked him to send me details of the competition.

22

1.4.2 Reported speech with gerund

* Suggestion, denial, insistence, dream, congratulation, thanks, apology…

Examples:

Direct speech: Mary said, “Let‟s talk about the General knowledge Quiz.”

Reported speech: Mary suggested talking about the General knowledge Quiz.

Direct speech: “Me? No, I didn‟t take your pen,” said Tom to Mary.

Reported speech: Tom denied having taken Mary‟s pen.

Direct speech: “We must be given every detail of the contest,” they insisted.

Reported speech: They insisted on being given every detail of the contest.

Direct speech: “I‟ve always want to be healthy” Alice said.

Reported speech: Alice has always dreamed of being healthy.

Direct speech: “I hear you passed your exams. Congratulations!” Peter said to us.

Reported speech: Peter congratulated us on passing our exams.

Direct speech: “It was nice of you to visit me. Thank you,” Mary said to me

Reported speech: Mary thanked me for visiting her.

Direct speech: “I‟m sorry, I didn‟t phone you earlier.” Mary said.

Reported speech: Mary apologized for not phoning me earlier.

1.4.3 Reported speech with conditional sentences

* Tenses in conditional sentences type change in the usual way.

Example: Direct speech: She said to me, “If you work hard, you will pass the exam.”

Reported speech: She told me if I worked hard, I would pass the exam.

* Tenses in conditional sentences types 2 and 3 remain unchanged.

Examples:

Direct speech: My sister said, “If I were a billionaire, I would help the poor.”

Reported speech: My sister said that if she were a billionaire, she would help the

poor.

Direct speech: He said, “If I had worked hard, I would have passed the exam.”

Reported speech: He said that if he had worked hard, I would have passed the

exam.

23

Chapter 2 METHODOLOGY

There are four parts in chapter 2. They are research questions, research

participants, data collected instruments and research procedure

2.1 Research questions

1. What are common errors grade 11 students make when dealing with direct

speech into reported speech?

2. What are the solutions to these problems?

2.2 Research participants

2.2.1 The researcher

The research is done by Nguyen Thi My Hanh, a fourth year student of English

class 2009A of Foreign Language Faculty at Dong Thap University.

2.2.2 The subjects of the research

The subjects of the research are 79 students of class 11A9 and 11A13 at Doc Binh

Kieu High School, Cai Lay Town, Cai Lay District, Tien Giang Province. The students

in these two classes are chosen to participate in my study for two main reasons. First,

they have been taught quite enough knowledge of reported speech, so it is possible for

the researcher to test the students‟ knowledge of every aspect related to this English

grammar point. Second, if they still make mistakes, some useful solutions will be taken

to help them avoid making mistakes in reported speech. Therefore, they may improve

their skills in using reported speech. Besides most of the students don‟t have their own

computers. However, the library of their school is equipped with many computers

linked with the Internet for them to search information if they want. The students study

in classrooms with computers and projectors, a good condition for them to acquire

knowledge.

2.3 Data collection instruments


The questionnaire which was invented by Sir Francis Galton is a useful way to

collect data from the subjects. There are two types of questions in this instrument. They

are close questions and open questions. Close questions require the respondents to

choose the best among the given options. Meanwhile, open questions require the

respondents to give their own answers.

24

In this study, there are 10 questions in the questionnaire. The questions are

mainly about the respondents‟ attitude toward reported speech. They have been

designed as follows.

Item 1 is used to know how students feel about English reported speech.

Item 2 is used to know how the students feel about reported speech.

Item 3 is designed to find out how many opportunities of practising reported

speech were given to the students in their lesson about reported speech.

Item 4 is used to know which elements of reported speech the students like

dealing with.

Item 5 is applied to know how the students rank the elements which need

changing according to degrees of difficulty.

Item 6 is used to know which type of reported speech the students think is the

most difficult.

Item 7 is employed to find out in what types of reported speech the students

make mistakes most often.

Item 8 is used to know how the students recognize their errors of reported

speech.

Item 9 is applied to find out how the students‟ errors of reported speech have

been corrected.

Item 10 is implemented to know what the students often do to overcome

difficulties in learning reported speech.

2.3.2 The mini-test

The test consists of exercises about the research area. It helps the researcher to

have a general view of the test takers‟ strengths and weaknesses. Through the test, the

researcher would like to suggest some solutions aimed at helping the students improve

their weak points. There are 30 items in this mini-test.

Items 1 to 3 are designed to check whether the students know how to use

reporting verbs.

Items 4 to 6 are implemented to test the students‟ knowledge of pronoun

changes.

25

Items 7 to 9 are used to find out if the students know how to change possessive

adjectives and demonstrative adjectives.

Items 10 to 12 are used to test the students‟ knowledge of tense changes.

Items 13 to 17 are applied to check if the students remember the cases in which

there are no tense changes.

Items 18 to 19 are used to know whether the students understand how to change

modal verbs.

Items 20 to 23 are used to test the students‟ knowledge of the cases in which

modal verbs are not changed.

Items 24 to 25 are designed to check whether the students know the rules of

adverb changes.

Items 26 to 30 are employed to check if the students know the exceptions in

changing reported speech.

2.4 Research procedure


The researcher delivered 79 copies of the questionnaire to 79 students in class

11A9 and 11A13 on 5th

April, 2013. Class 11A9 is the class the researcher practised

teaching but class 11A13 is not. Both of the classes have been following the basic

syllabus by Ministry of Education and Training, which is suitable for the purpose of the

study. All the copies of the questionnaire were collected one day later so that the

respondents could complete the questionnaire more comfortably. Furthermore, they

weren‟t influenced by their classmates‟ ideas. Therefore, this might help make the

result of the study more precise and realistic.

2.4.2 The mini-test

The researcher also delivered 79 copies of the mini-test to the 79 students of the

two classes 11A9 and 11A13 and collected them 30 minutes later. That is, students had

to do the mini-test in class under the supervision of the researcher in 30 minutes.

Supervising the students during their mini-test might help the researcher know the

students‟ ability more exactly and suggest suitable solutions aimed at helping them

overcome difficulties in learning reported speech.

26

Chapter 3 RESULTS, DISCUSSIONS AND SUGGESTIONS

Chapter 3 consists of three main parts. The first part is the data collected from

the questionnaire and the mini-test. The second part is the discussion of the data. The

last past is some solutions for the teachers and the students.

3.1 Results

3.1.1. The result from the questionnaire

Item 1: What do you think of English grammar?

Table 3.1: The students’ opinion about English grammar

Options Count ( C ) Percentage (%)

A. It is very difficult. 19 24.1

B. It is difficult. 43 54.4

C. It is easy. 15 19

D. It is very easy. 2 2.5

2.5%

19%

54.4%

24.1%

A. It is very difficult.

B. It is difficult.

C. It is easy.

D. It is very easy.

Figure 3.1: The students’ opinion about English grammar

Figure 3.1 shows the students‟ opinion about English grammar 54.4% of the

students who have completed the questionnaire think that English grammar is difficult.

It is noteworthy that 24.1% of them think that English grammar is very difficult.

However, about a quarter or 21.5% of them consider it easy and even very easy. Thus,

27

English grammar is a big problem to most students, which may negatively affect the

students‟ ability of reporting.

Item 2: What do you think of reported speech?

Table 3.2: The students’ opinion about reported speech

3.8%

32.9%

43%

20.3%

A. It is very difficult.

B. It is difficult.

C. It is easy.

D. It is very easy.

Figure 3.2: The students’ opinion about reported speech

The students‟ opinion about reported speech is shown in Figure 3.2. More than

20% of the students think that reported speech is very difficult and 43% of them think

that it is difficult. It means that a lot of students still have difficulty using reported

speech.

Item 3: How many opportunities of practising reported speech were you given in

your lesson about reported speech?

Options Count (C) Percentage (%)

A. It is very difficult. 16 20.3

B. It is difficult. 34 43

C. It is easy. 26 32.9

D. It is very easy. 3 3.8

28

Table 3.3: The degrees of opportunities of practising reported speech the students

were given in their lesson about reported speech

Figure 3.3:The degrees of opportunities of practising reported speech the students

were given in their lesson about reported speech

According to Figure 3.3, no students had so many or many opportunities of

practising reported speech in their lesson about reported speech while 45.6% of the

students had quite a few opportunities and the students who had few opportunities

made up the majority (54,4%). It can be inferred that they need more opportunities to

practise reported speech.

Item 4: Which elements of reported speech do you like dealing with?

Table 3.4: The elements of reported speech the students like dealing with

Options Count ( C ) Percentage (%)

A. Pronouns 23 29.1

B. Adjectives 16 20.3

Options Count(C) Percentage (%)

A. so many 0 0

B. many 0 0

C. quite a few 36 45.6

D. few 43 54.4

Percentage (%)

0%

0%

45.6%54.4%

A. so many

B. many

C. quite a few

D. few

29

C. Tenses 18 22.8

D. Modal verbs 15 19

E. Adverbs 20 25.3

Figure 3.4: The elements of reported speech the students like dealing with

As can be seen from Figure 3.4, five elements of reported speech are liked with

various percentages. Pronouns are what students like dealing with most. 29.1% of the

students like dealing with pronouns. In contrast, only 19% of the students like dealing

with modal verbs. Modal verbs are what students like dealing with least. This means

that changing pronouns and adverbs is quite easy while changing modal verbs is quite

difficult to the students.

Item 5: Put the elements that need changing in reported speech in the order of

ascending difficulty. (1-5)

Table 3.5: The elements that need changing in the order of ascending difficulty.

Options 1 2 3 4 5

(C) (%) (C) (%) (C) (%) (C) (%) (C) (%)

Pronouns 30 38 20 25.3 13 16.5 8 10.1 8 10.1

Adjectives 14 17.7 22 27.8 19 24.1 4 17.7 10 12.7

Tenses 15 19 12 15.2 20 25.3 19 24.1 13 16.4

Modal verbs 6 7.6 6 7.6 6 7.6 25 31.6 36 45.6

Adverbs 13 16.5 20 25.3 23 29.1 12 15.2 11 13.9

29.1

20.322.8

19

25.3

0

5

10

15

20

25

30(%)

A. Pronouns B. Adjectives C. Tenses D. Modal

verbs

E. Adverbs

30

Figure 3.5: The elements that need changing in the order of ascending difficulty.

Figure 3.5 indicates the order of ascending difficulty of the five elements that

need changing in reported speech. In the students‟ opinion, pronouns are the easiest

element accounting for 38% of the students‟ options and modal verbs are the most

difficult one accounting for 45.6% of the students‟ options. In addition, the chart also

shows that according to the students adjectives are more difficult than pronouns but

they are easier than adverbs and adverbs are easier than tenses. However, tenses are not

as difficult as modal verbs. Hence, changing modal verbs and tenses are the students‟

main weakness.

Item 6: What type of reported speech do you think is the most difficult?

Table 3.6: The types of reported speech the students think the most difficult


A. Statements 6 7.6

B. Imperatives 12 15.2

C. Questions 38 48.1

D. Exclamations 10 12.7

E. Mixed types 13 16.4

38

25.3

16.5

10.1

10.1

17.7

27.8

24.1

17.7

12.7

19

15.2

25.3

24.1

16.4

7.6

7.6

7.6

31.6

45.6

16.5

25.3

29.1

15.2

13.9

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Pronouns Adjectives Tenses Modal verbs Adverbs

5

4

3

2

1

31

Figure 3.6: The types of reported speech the students think most difficult

Figure 3.6 shows the type of reported speech the students think most difficult.

48.1% of the students chose questions. Meanwhile, only 6 students thought statements

were the most difficult element with 7.6% of the students‟ options. It means that

students are afraid of questions most. This may be they have to notice a lot of things

when dealing with questions.

Item 7: In what types of reported speech do you often make mistakes most while

changing direct speech into reported speech?

Table 3.7: The types of reported speech in which the students make mistakes most


A. Statements 8 10.1

B. Imperatives 15 19

C. Questions 26 32.9

D. Exclamations 15 19

E. Mixed types 15 19

16.4%

12.7%

48.1%

15.2%

7.6%

A. Statements

B. Imperatives

C. Questions

D. Exclamations

E. Mixed types

32

Figure 3.7: Types of reported speech in which the students make mistakes most

As shown in Figure 3.7, the students make mistakes in all the five types of

reported speech. Nevertheless, the highest proportion of making mistakes lies in

questions. It constitutes 32.9% of the students‟ options. Imperatives, exclamations and

mixed types make up 19% of the students‟ options each. Therefore, changing questions

is the students‟ biggest problems.

Item 8: How can you recognize your errors of reported speech?

Table 3.8: How the students can recognize their errors of reported speech

Figure 3.8: How the students can recognize their errors of reported speech


A.With the help of their teacher. 79 100

B.With the help of their friends. 35 44.3

C. By themselves. 29 36.7

D. Others: ………… 1 1.2

19%

19%

32.9%

19%

10.1%

A. Statements

B. Imperatives

C. Questions

D. Exclamations

E. Mixed types

100

44.336.7

1.20

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100(%)

A. with the help

of their teacher.

B. with the help

of their friends.

C. by

themselves.

D. Others:

…………

33

How the students can recognize their errors in reported speech is presented on

Figure 3.8. All the students can do it with the help of their teachers, which accounts for

100% of the students‟ options. Fewer students have their friends help recognize their

errors or do it by themselves with 44.3% and 36.7% of the students‟ options

respectively. The smallest percentage is in option D (Others). Only 1.2% of the

students recognize their errors by using the Internet. From Figure 3.8, it can be

concluded that many students didn‟t really identify their errors of reported speech by

themselves.

Item 9: How have your teachers corrected your errors of reported speech?

Table 3.9: How teachers’ve corrected their students’ errors of reported speech.

Options

Count

( C )

Percentage

(%)

A. They have only mentioned the students‟ errors and the

students have had to correct them by themselves. 14 17.7

B. They have given the students the answers and asked

the students to repeat them. 20 25.3

C. They have given the students the answers and asked

the student to repeat them before the students have been

given some more exercises of the same kind.

45 57

D. Others: …………………………………................ 0 0

34

Figure 3.9: How teachers’ve corrected their students’ errors of reported speech.

Figure 3.9 shows three ways teachers have used to correct their students‟ errors

of reported speech. More than half (57%) of the students said that their teachers had

given them the answers and asked them to repeat before they had been given some

more exercises of the same kind. Meanwhile, about a quarter (25.3%) of the students

chose option B and only 17.7% of the students chose option A. This means that the

students received great concern from their teachers toward using reported speech.

Item 10: What did you do to use reported speech better?

Table 3.10: What the students did to use reported speech better

Options Count( C ) Percentage(%)

A. Reviewed the grammar point of reported speech. 34 43

B. Did a lot of written exercises on reported speech. 31 39.2

C. Did a lot of oral exercises on reported speech. 18 22.8

D. Read short stories and retold them to their friends. 16 20.3

E. Others: …………… 0 0

0, 0%

57%25.3%

17.7%

A. They have only mentioned the

students’ errors and the students

have had to correct them by

themselves.

B. They have given the students

the answers and asked the

students to repeat them.

C. They have given the students

the answers and asked the

student to repeat them before the

students have been given some

more exercises of the same kind.

D. Others:

…………………………………........

........

35

Figure 3.10: What the students did to use reported speech better

According to Figure 3.10, the students took a lot of measures to help themselves

overcome their errors of reported speech. The common measure is reviewing the

grammar point, which makes up 43% of the students‟ options. Doing a lot of written

exercises on reported speech is a little lower. Besides the students also did oral

exercises and practiced reading short stories and retelling them to their friends,

accounting for 22.8% and 20.3% of the students‟ options respectively. In brief, the

students tried to improve themselves by different ways, but the percentage of these

students is quite low. Therefore, errors of reported speech still exist among many

students.

43 39.2

22.8 20.3

005

1015202530354045

A.

Review ed

the

grammar

point of

reported

speech.

D. Read

short

stories and

retold them

to their

friends.

A. Review ed the

grammar point of

reported speech.

B. Did a lot of w ritten

exercises on reported

speech.

C. Did a lot of oral

exercises on reported

speech.

D. Read short stories

and retold them to their

friends.

E. Others: ……………

36

3.1.2 Results from mini-test

Items 1 – 3: The students’ using reporting verbs

Table 3.11: The students’ using reporting verbs

Items Options Count( C ) Percentage(%)

1. My teacher …… us that the

population of the world in 2000

was 6.6 billion.

A. spoke 1 1.3

B. said 20 25.3

C. told 45 57

D. talked 13 16.4

2. My sister …… me if the Earth

could have enough resources to

support its population.

A. wondered 2 2.5

B. said 25 31.6

C. advised 2 2.5

D. asked 50 63.4

3. Mrs Lien …… her students to

listen to the English speaking

competition‟s rules.

A. suggested 45 57

B. reminded 29 36.7

C. begged 2 2.5

D. threatened 3 3.8

Figure 3.11: The students’ using reporting verbs

According to Figure 3.11, the percentage of the students‟ correct answers is higher

than that of their incorrect ones. Typically, the students‟ correct answers in item 1 and

item 2 account for 57 % and 63.4 % of their answers respectively. Although item 3 is

57

43

63.4

36.6

36.7

63.3

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Item 1 Item 2 Item 3

Incorrect

Correct

37

not easy, 36.7 % of the students were able to choose the best option. Thus, we know

that most of the students got used to using reporting verbs in reported speech.

Items 4 -6: The students’ knowledge of pronoun changes in reported speech

Table 3.12: The students’ knowledge of pronoun changes in reported speech

Figure 3.12: The students’ knowledge of pronoun changes in reported speech

It can be seen from Figure 3.12 that most of the students had correct answers

relating to changing pronouns in reported speech. Each of the three items was given the

best answer by the students, accounting for more than 50% of the students‟ answers.

Exceptionally, 72.7% of their answers in item 6 were correct. This means that changing

pronouns in cases of simple reported speech is not very difficult for the students.

Items Options Count

(C )

Percentage

(%)

4. Nga asked Ba, “Will you participate in the

singing contest?”

Nga asked Ba if …… would participate in

the singing contest.

A. you 9 11.4

B. she 14 17.7

C. he 52 65.8

D. they 4 5.1

5. “I won‟t let you watch the Art

Competition on TV ,” my mother said to me.

My mother told me that …… wouldn‟t

let …… watch the Art Competition on TV.

A. I - me 10 12.7

B. she - I 14 17.7

C. she - me 48 60.8

D. she- you 7 8.8

6. “This is a chart showing the distribution of

world population by region,” he said to us.

He told us …… was a chart showing the

distribution of world population by region.

A. this 10 12.7

B. that 57 72.2

C. it 8 10.1

D. its 4 5

65.8

34.2

60.8

39.2

72.2

27.8

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


Incorrect

Correct

38

Items 7 – 9: The students’ knowledge of possessive and demonstrative adjective

changes in reported speech

Table 3.13: The students’ knowledge of possessive and demonstrative adjective


Items Options Count( C ) Percentage(%)

7. The students said …… English teacher

had explained the competition‟s rules

carefully.

A. her 6 7.6

B. his 9 11.4

C. our 13 16.5

D. their 51 64.5

8. The teacher told us that the judges

would observe and score ……

performance.

A. our 32 40.5

B. their 26 32.9

C. his 9 11.4

D. her 12 15.2

9. “I want to participate in this English

speaking competition,” Nam said.

Nam said that he wanted to participate

in …… English speaking competition.

A. this 15 19

B. that 48 60.8

C. these 4 5.1

D. those 12 15.1

Figure 3.13: The students’ knowledge of possessive and demonstrative adjective


64.5

35.5

40.5

59.5

60.8

39.2

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


Incorrect

Correct

39

As can be seen from Figure 3.13, the students made more correct answers than

incorrect ones, but the percentage of wrong answers is still quite high. More than 35%

of the students‟ answers in item 7 are incorrect. The percentage of the students‟

incorrect answers in item 9 is a bit higher. It is noteworthy that the percentage of the

students‟ incorrect answers in item 8 is 59.5%. It can be inferred that changing

possessive adjectives and demonstrative adjectives is not quite easy while turning

direct speech to reported speech and vice versa.

Items 10 -12: The students’ knowledge of tense changes in reported speech

Table 3.14: The students’ knowledge of tense changes in reported speech

Items Options

Count

( C )

Percentage

(%)

10. Dr. Brown said, “The explosion of

the population has caused lots of

problems.”

Dr. Brown said that the explosion of the

population …… a lot of problems.

A. caused 8 10.1

B. has caused 18 22.9

C. would have

caused 15 19

D. had caused 38 48

11. He asked us, “Why can‟t women in

the world limit the size of their

families?”

Our teacher asked us why women in the

world ….. the size of their families.

A. can‟t limit 3 3.8

B. limit 9 11.4

C. couldn‟t limit 39 49.4

D. limited 28 35.4

12. He said, “Many countries are taking

action to limit population growth.”

He said many countries …. action to

limit population growth.

A. are taking 13 16.5

B. were taking 40 50.6

C. have taken 8 10.1

D. have been

taking 18 22.8

40

Figure 3.14: The students’ knowledge of tense changes in reported speech

Figure 3.14 shows that the students made a lot of mistakes of tenses in reported

speech. The proportion of the correct and incorrect answers is approximately 1/2. The

percentage of the students‟ best answers in item 10 and item 11 are 48% and 49.4% of

their answers respectively. It can be inferred that most of the students found tense

changes in reported speech difficult.

Items 13 -17: The students’ knowledge of the cases of reported speech in which

there are no tense changes

Table 3.15: The students’ knowledge of the cases of reported speech in which


Items Options

Count

( C)

Percentage

(%)

13. He said, “China is the country

with the biggest population in the

world.”

He said that China ….. the country

with the biggest population in the

world.

A. is 16 20.3

B. would be 19 24.1

C. has been 23 29.1

D. had been 21 26.5

14. He said, “The population of

Fantasia in 2005 was 20, 000.”

He said that the population of

A. was 20 25.3

B. was being 18 22.8

C. had been 34 43

48

52

49.4

50.6

50.6

49.4

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%


Incorrect

Correct

41

Fantasia in 2005 …… 20, 000. D. would be 7 8.9

15. Tom said: “If I were a

population expert, I would help

the poor limit the size of their

families.”

Tom said that if he ….. a

population expert, he ……the poor

limit the size of their families.

A. were - would help 21 26.6

B. had been - would

help 13 16.5

C. were - would have

helped 10 12.7

D. had been - would

have helped 35 44.2

16. He said, “I wish I could travel

around the world to help the poor

improve their living conditions.”

He said that he wished he……

around the world to help the poor

improve their living conditions.

A. traveled 11 13.9

B. could travel 18 22.8

C. had traveled

19 24.1

D. could have traveled 31 39.2

17. My friend‟s just said, “I enjoy

watching the General Knowledge

Quiz on TV.”

My friend has just said that he…..

watching the General Knowledge

Quiz on TV.

A. enjoyed 34 43

B. enjoy 14 17.7

C. enjoys

6 7.6

D. has enjoyed 25 31.7

Figure 3.15: The students’ knowledge of the cases of reported speech in which


20.3

79.7

25.3

74.7

26.6

73.4

22.8

77.2

7.6

92.4

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Item 13 Item14 Item 15 Item 16 Item 17

Incorrect

Correct

42

According to Figure 3.15, the students‟ incorrect answers are about three times

more than their correct ones. For example, the percentage of the students‟ correct

answers in each of the items 13, 14, 15 and 16 is about 20% of their answers. It is

noteworthy that the percentage of the students‟ incorrect answers in item 17 is 92.4%

of their answers. Therefore, we can say that most of the students have trouble in the

cases of reported speech in which there are no tense changes.

Items 18 -19: The students’ knowledge of modal verb changes in reported speech

Table 3.16: The students’ knowledge of modal verb changes in reported speech

Items Options

Count

( C)

Percentage

(%)

18. Chanty said, "My English may

improve very quickly by participating

the English Speaking Competition."

Chanty said that her English …… to

improve very quickly by participating

the English Speaking Competition.

A. was going to

improve 17 21.5

B. was able to

improve 25 31.6

C. improve 8 10.1

D. might improve 29 36.8

19. He said , “I will attend Dr. Brown‟s

lecture about the world population.”

He said that he …… attend Dr. Brown‟s

lecture about the world population.

A. will 8 10.1

B. would 45 57

C. would have to 19 24.1

D. would have

had to 7 8.8

Figure 3.16:The students’ knowledge of modal verb changes in reported speech

36.8

63.2

57

43

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Item 18 Item 19

Incorrect

Correct

43

Figure 3.16 illustrates the students‟ knowledge of modal verb changes in

reported speech. The percentage of their correct answers is about 50% of their answers.

In particular, the percentage of their correct answers in item 18 is only 36.8% of their

answers. This indicates that most of the students had difficulty changing modal verbs

in reported speech.

Items 20 -23: The students’ knowledge of the cases of reported speech in which

there are no modal verb changes

Table 3.17: The students’ knowledge of the cases of reported speech in which


Items Options

Count

( C)

Percentage

(%)

20. My friend asked me,

"Which competition would

you rather participate in?”

My friend asked me

which competition I ……

A. enjoyed participating in 5 6.3

B. would like to

participate in 29 36.7

C. would rather participate

in 36 45.6

D. liked participating in 9 11.4

21. The judges said to us,

“You ought to obey the rules

of the contest.”

The judges told us that

we …… obey the rules of the

contest.

A. had to 18 22.8

B. must 17 21.5

C. ought to 31 39.2

D. would have to 13 16.5

22. “I used to sponsor Poetry

Reciting Competitions,” said

my grandfather.

My grandfather said that

he ….. sponsor Poetry

A. used to 19 24.1

B. has used to 10 12.7

C. had used to

35 44.2

44

Reciting Competitions. D. would have used to 15 19

23. “You had better go to bed

early before the contest,” said

my doctor to me.

My doctor told me that

I ….. go to bed early before

the contest.

A. have had better 9 11.4

B. had better 19 24.1

C. had had better

32 40.5

D. would have better 19 24

Figure 3.17: The students’ knowledge of the cases of reported speech in which


Figure 3.17 shows the students‟ knowledge of the cases of reported speech in

which there are no modal verb changes. The students made more incorrect answers

than correct ones. The percentage of the students‟ incorrect answers in each of the

items 20, 21 and 22 are over 50% of their answers. In particular, item 23 has got most

incorrect answers from the students with 75.9% of their answers. Hence, we know that

most of the students didn‟t understand this grammar point well.

Items 24 -25: The students’ knowledge of adverb changes in reported speech

Table 3.18: The students’ knowledge of adverb changes in reported speech

Items Options

Count

( C)

Percentage

(%)

24. She said, “My mother drove

me to the singing contest the day

A. the previous day 8 10.1

B. the following day 25 31.6

45.6

54.4

39.2

60.8

24.1

75.9

24.1

75.9

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Item 20 Item 21 Item 22 Item 23

Incorrect

Correct

45

before yesterday.”

She said that her mother had

driven her to the singing

contest ……

C. two days earlier 34 43

D. two days after 12 15.1

25. She said, “He is practising for

the Athletics Meeting at present.”

She said that he was practising

for the Athletics Meeting …….

A. now 7 8.9

B. then 48 60.8

C. at present 9 11.4

D. after that 15 18.9

Figure 3.18: The students’ knowledge of adverb changes in reported speech

It can be seen from that Figure 3.18 most of the students chose wrong answers.

43% of their answers in item 24 are correct and 60.8% of their answers in item 25 are

correct. Thus, we can say that changing adverbs in reported speech is neither easy nor

difficult for the students.

Items 26 -30: The students’ knowledge of exceptions in reported speech

Table 3.19: The students’ knowledge of exceptions in reported speech

Items Options

Count

( C)

Percentage

(%)

26. “Why don‟t

you have your eyes

tested before the

A. Jim requested Alice to test her

eyes before the tournament. 13 16.5

B. Jim asked why Alice didn‟t test 40 50.6

43

57

60.8

39.2

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Item 24 Item 25

Incorrect

Correct

46

tournament,

Alice?” said Jim.

her eyes before the tournament.

C. Jim suggested that Alice have her

eyes tested before the tournament. 14 17.7

D. Jim suggested that Alice had her

eyes tested before the tournament. 12 15.2

27. “Remember to

keep calm during

the competition,

Bill,” whispered

Jane.

A. Jane ordered Bill to keep calm

during the competition. 16 20.3

B. Jane insisted on keeping calm


C. Jane had Bill remember to keep

calm during the competition. 19 24.1

D. Jane advised Bill to keep calm


28. “You can‟t

watch TV late at

night,” strongly

said Ms Kelly to

her son.

A. Ms Kelly asked her son to watch

TV late at night. 19 24.1

B. Ms Kelly suggested that her son

shouldn‟t watch TV late at night. 23 29.1

C. Ms Kelly begged her son not to

watch TV late at night. 16 20.3

D. Ms Kelly prevented her son from

watching TV late at night. 21 26.5

29. “Well done,

Jerry, you‟ve

passed the driving

test!”

A. I congratulated Jerry on passing

her driving test. 41 51.9

B. I told that Jerry had passed her

driving test. 16 20.3

C. I told Jerry that she had done well 12 15.2

47

in her driving test.

D. I told Jerry about her passing the

driving test. 10 12.6

30. “I‟m sorry I‟m

late again,” said

Peter.

A. Peter said he was sorry, but he

was late again. 21 26.6

B. Peter said “sorry” to his boss, but

he was late again. 10 12.7

C. Peter apologized for being late

again. 38 48.1

D. Peter felt sorry so he wasn‟t late

again. 10 12.6

Figure 3.19: The students’ knowledge of exceptions in reported speech

As can be seen from Figure 3.19, more than half of the students made mistakes

in exceptions of reported speech. The percentage of the students‟ correct answers in

item 29 is the highest but it is only 51.9% of their answers. Consequently, we can

conclude that most of the students were very afraid of dealing with exceptions in

reported speech.

17.7

82.3

11.4

88.6

26.5

73.5

51.9

48.1

48.1

51.9

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

Item 26 Item 27 Item 28 Item 29 Item 30

Incorrect

Correct

48

Table 3.20: The average percentage of the students’ incorrect answers

Figure 3.20: The average percentage of the students’ incorrect answers

As can be seen, Figure 3.20 illustrates the percentage of the students‟ incorrect

answers. It is the average percentage of the items in each figure from figure 3.11 to

3.19. Looking at this figure, we can see that students made errors in all aspects. The

percentage of the students‟ incorrect answers in exceptions is the highest (66.2%) and

the percentage of their incorrect answers in pronouns is the lowest (33.6%). This

percentage is put in ascending order as follows: pronouns, adjectives, reporting verbs,

adverbs, modal verbs tenses and exceptions. Thus, we can infer that exceptions, tenses

and modal verbs are the three sections the students fear most.

Sections Count (C) Percentage (%)

Reporting verbs (Items 1 – 3) 113/237 47.7

Pronouns (Items 4 – 6) 80/237 33.6

Adjectives (Items 7 – 9) 106/237 44.7

Tenses (Items 10 – 17) 434/632 68.7

Modal verbs (Items 18 – 23) 295/474 62.2

Adverbs (Items 24 – 25) 76/158 48.1

Exceptions (Items 26 – 30) 272/395 68.9

47.7

33.6

44.7

68.762.2

48.1

68.9

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Reportin

g v

erb

s

Pro

nouns

Adje

ctives

Tenses

Modal verb

s

Adverb

s

Exceptions

49

3.2 Discussions


Based on the results collected from the questionnaire, the researcher knows that

reported speech is a big problem among the students. One of the reasons is the

students‟ weakness in English grammar and especially the grammar points relating to

changing into reported speech. The students didn‟t have a lot of chances to practice

reported speech is another reason. Most of the students think that tenses and modal

verbs are quite difficult. It was the special cases of these elements that confused them

much. Among the types of reported speech, questions are what the students feared most

because they had to deal with a lot of things when changing questions to reported

speech. Thus, they often made errors on this grammar point. Many students didn‟t

really identify their errors of reported speech by themselves. Fortunately, they have

secured a lot of help from their teachers and their friends. A few of them have made the

most of the Internet, an unlimited and useful source of knowledge when used properly.

In short, the students have a positive attitude in learning reported speech, but for the

above-mentioned reasons, they still have trouble dealing with it.

3.2.2 The mini-test

After collecting the data from the mini-test given to the students and making

Figure 3.20, the researcher sees that the students have made errors in all the sections of

reported speech tested such as reporting verbs, pronouns, adjectives, tenses, modal

verbs, adverbs and exceptions. By comparing the percentages of the students‟ incorrect

answers arranged in ascending order shown in Figure 3.20, we can come to the

conclusion that exceptions are the most difficult part for the students, the second most

difficult part for them is tenses, and the third most difficult one is modal verbs. Also,

we can say that according to the students, adverbs are not as difficult as modal verbs

but they are more difficult than reporting verbs and adjectives. The least difficult part is

pronouns. These results quite suit the ideas drawn from the questionnaire. The mini-

test has helped arrange in the order of ascending difficulty like this: 1. pronouns, 2.

adjectives, 3. reporting verbs, 4. adverbs, 5. modal verbs, 6.tenses, 7. exceptions.

The researcher, therefore, finds it necessary to find out suitable solutions to help

the students use reported speech better.

50

3.3 Suggestions

Through analyzing the data collected from the questionnaire and the mini-test,

the researcher found out that the students made errors in all sections especially in

exceptions, tenses, modal verbs and questions. Therefore, some solutions aimed at

helping students make progress in reported speech are suggested as follows.

3.3.1 For the teachers

* Suggestions on exceptions

1. The teachers give the students some simple exercises on reported speech in

which the students only have to deal with exceptions.

2. The teachers introduce useful books or websites on changing exceptions in

reported speech to the students. For example:

Books:

1. Hoàng Thái Dương (2013). Ngữ pháp và bài tập thực hành Tiếng Anh 11.

Nhà xuất bản Đại học Quốc gia TP. Hồ Chí Minh, page 63 ( suggestions,

congratulation, denial, accusation, insistence, warning included ), page 64

( apology, thanks, suggestions, blame, denial, accusation, insistence and

warning included) and page 65 ( promise, encouragement, congratulation,

blame, denial, accusation, and insistence included ).

2. Võ Thị Thúy Anh – Tôn Nữ Phương Chi (2007). Bài tập bổ sung Tiếng

Anh 11.Nhà xuất bản Đại học Sư phạm, page 26 ( denial included ), page

27 ( thanks, suggestions, congratulation, denial, accusation, insistence and

warning included) page 28 ( congratulation, and insistence included ) and

page 31 ( insistence and apology included ).

3. Lưu Hoằng Trí (2007). Bài tập thực hành Tiếng Anh 11. Nhà xuất bản Đại

học Sư phạm, pages 65 ( thanks, apology, dream, admission, prohibition,

suggestions, congratulation, denial, accusation, insistence and warning

included ).

4. Mai Lan Hương – Nguyễn Thị Thanh Tâm (2007). Bài tập trắc nghiệm

Tiếng Anh 11. Nhà xuất bản Đà Nẵng, page 70 ( thanks, suggestions and

accusation included) and page 71 ( compliment, wish, apology and warning

included ).

51

Websites:

1. http://forum.englishtime.us/default.aspx?g=posts&t=10198

2. http://kenhtuyensinh.vn/cac-dang-khac-cua-cau-tuong-thuat

3. The teachers make full use of every opportunity to insert changing exceptions

in reported speech into the students‟ activities, especially speaking.

http://forum.englishtime.us/default.aspx?g=posts&t=10198

http://kenhtuyensinh.vn/cac-dang-khac-cua-cau-tuong-thuat

52

For example, while monitoring students‟ group work or pair work, if the teacher

hears one student saying a sentence that can be reported in exceptions, he or she will

ask another student in that group this question: “What have your friend just said to

you?” It means that the teacher has just motivated students to use reported speech with

exceptions to answer him or her naturally.

4. The teachers make the students become more interested in changing

exceptions in reported speech by using games.

For example: Chain Reports

Procedure: Prepare in advance some cards each of which has a direct

sentence. Ask the students to stand in queues in such a way that the number of students

in the queues is the same. Ask the first member of each queue to gather near the board,

receive a card with a direct sentence and listen carefully to your reported speech. Ask

the first member of each queue to quickly pass the card and exactly say to the second

member of his or her queue what you have said so that the second member of his or her

queue can do the same. Similarly, the game continues until the last member of a queue

can, in a loud voice, exactly repeat what you have said. The group whose last member

succeeds in reporting first and correctly will get one point. The game starts again with

the second card from the teacher and so on. The group with most points will be the

winner.

For example: Giving the first member of each queue a card with a direct

sentence: Tom said to me, “ It was nice of you to help me. Thank you very much.”, the

teacher says like this: Tom thanked me for helping him. The first member of each

queue quickly passes the card to the second member of his or her queue and says:

“Tom thanked me for helping him”. Similarly, the game continues until the first winner

is chosen and given one point. Then start the game again using the second card, and so

on so that the game can continue until the last winner is chosen and given one point.

The group with most points will be the winner of the game.

53

* Suggestions on tenses


which the students only have to deal with tenses.

2. The teachers introduce useful books or websites on changing tenses in


Books:


Nhà xuất bản Đại học Quốc gia TP. Hồ Chí Minh, page 52 (tense changes

and no tense changes included), page 66 (tense changes included) and page

76 ( tense changes and no tense changes included ).

2. Võ Thị Thúy Anh – Tôn Nữ Phương Chi (2007). Bài tập bổ sung Tiếng

Anh 11.Nhà xuất bản Đại học Sư phạm, page 36 (tense changes and no

tense changes included).

3. Lưu Hoằng Trí (2007). Bài tập thực hành Tiếng Anh 11. Nhà xuất bản Đại

học Sư phạm, page 76 (tense changes and no tense changes included).

4. Mai Lan Hương- Nguyễn Thanh Loan (2000). Ngữ Pháp Tiếng Anh. Nhà

xuất bản Trẻ, page 281 (tense changes and no tense changes included),

page 285 (tense changes and no tense changes included), page 286 (tense

changes included), page 287 (tense changes included) and page 288 (tense

changes included).

5. Hà Văn Bửu (1994). Những Mẫu Câu Tiếng Anh (Patterns of English).

Nhà xuất bản Thành Phố Hồ Chí Minh, page 462 (no tense changes

included), page 463 (no tense changes included), page 469 (tense changes

and no tense changes included), page 470 (tense changes included) and

page 471 (tense changes included).

54

Websites:

1. http://www.e-grammar.org/reported-speech/test1-exercise1/

2. http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=6089#a

3. Make full use of every opportunity to insert changing tenses in reported

speech into the students‟ activities, especially speaking.


hears one student saying a sentence that can be reported in tenses, he or she will ask

another student in that group this question: “What have your friend just said to you?” It

means that the teacher has just motivated students to use reported speech with tenses to

answer him or her naturally.

http://www.e-grammar.org/reported-speech/test1-exercise1/

http://www.englishexercises.org/makeagame/viewgame.asp?id=6089#a

55

4. Make the students become more interested in changing tenses in reported

speech by using games.

For example: Categorizing and reporting

Procedure: Give each student a card with a direct sentence. Then, ask them to

decide if there is a tense change or not. Ask them to form two groups of students.

Group 1 consists of the students who think there are no tense changes in their sentences.

Group 2 consists of the students who think there are tense changes in their sentences.

Ask the two groups to take turns to orally change those sentences into reported speech

in 3 minutes. The group with more correct answers is the winner.

* Suggestions on modal verbs


which the students only have to deal with modal verbs.

2. The teachers introduce useful books or websites on changing modal verbs in


Books:


Nhà xuất bản Đại học Quốc gia TP. Hồ Chí Minh, page 52 (no modal verb

changes included).


xuất bản Trẻ, page 285 (no modal verb changes included), page 286

(modal verb changes included), page 287 (modal verb changes included)

and page 288 (modal verb changes included ).


Nhà xuất bản Thành Phố Hồ Chí Minh, page 463 (no modal verb changes

included), page 464 (no modal verb changes included) , page 469 (modal

verb changes included), page 471 (modal verb changes included) and page

472 (modal verb changes included).

56

Websites:

1.http://www.ontheroadtosuccess.4t.com/ON%20THE%20ROAD%20TO%

20SUCCESS/syntax/reported%20speechIV.htm

2. http://www.e-grammar.org/reported-speech/

3. Make full use of every opportunity to insert changing modal verbs in reported



hears one student saying a sentence that can be reported in modal verbs, he or she will

ask another student in that group this question: “What have your friend just said to

you?” It means that the teacher has just motivated students to use reported speech with

modal verbs to answer him or her naturally.

4. Make the students become more interested in changing modal verbs in

reported speech by using games.

For example: Categorizing and reporting

Procedure: Give each student a card with a direct sentence. Then, ask them to

decide if there is a modal verb change or not. Ask them to form two groups of students.

Group 1 consists of the students who think there are no modal changes in their

sentences. Group 2 consists of the students who think there are modal verb changes in

their sentences. Ask the two groups to take turns to orally change those sentences into

reported speech in 3 minutes. The group with more correct answers is the winner.

http://www.ontheroadtosuccess.4t.com/ON%20THE%20ROAD%20TO%20SUCCESS/syntax/reported%20speechIV.htm

http://www.ontheroadtosuccess.4t.com/ON%20THE%20ROAD%20TO%20SUCCESS/syntax/reported%20speechIV.htm

http://www.e-grammar.org/reported-speech/

57

* Suggestions on changing questions


which the students only have to deal with questions.

2. The teachers introduce useful books or websites on changing questions in

reported speech to students. For example:

Books:


xuất bản Trẻ, page 286 (Yes / No questions and Wh-questions included),

page 287 (Yes / No questions and Wh-questions included) and page 288

(Yes / No questions, Wh-questions).


Nhà xuất bản Thành Phố Hồ Chí Minh, page 455 (Yes / No questions

included), page 456 (Yes/ No questions and Wh-questions included), page

457 (Yes / No questions and Wh-questions included), page 472 (Yes / No

questions and Wh-questions included), page 473 (Yes / No questions and

Wh-questions included), page 474(Yes / No questions, Or questions and

Wh-questions included) and page 475 (Yes / No questions and Wh-

questions included).

Websites:

1. http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/reported_speech/questions.htm

http://www.englisch-hilfen.de/en/exercises/reported_speech/questions.htm

58

2.http://elt.oup.com/student/solutions/int/grammar/grammar_06_022e;jsession

id=C8EC5AABFB6AD5B45AE73B5AFBD87F6E?cc=vn&selLanguage=en

3. Make full use of every opportunity to insert changing questions in reported



hears one student saying a sentence that can be reported in questions, he or she will ask

another student in that group this question: “What have your friend just asked you?” It

means that the teacher has just motivated students to use reported speech with

questions to answer him or her naturally.

4. Make the students become more interested in changing questions in reported

speech by using games.

For example: Jumbled Sentences

Procedure: Change some sentences from the passages in the textbooks into

reported speech and put the words in jumbled order. Show the jumbled words on the

screen. Divide the class into two groups. Ask students to work in groups to complete

the sentences by putting them in their correct order in oral form or written form

according to the teacher‟s request. The group that completes the sentence correctly first

will be the winner.

Besides, there are some more games that can provide the students with

pleasure and further practice on reported speech in general.

Game 1: Shark attack

Procedure: Prepare eight direct sentences under eight numbers. Divide the class

into two groups. Ask the students to take turns to choose one number and report the

http://elt.oup.com/student/solutions/int/grammar/grammar_06_022e;jsessionid=C8EC5AABFB6AD5B45AE73B5AFBD87F6E?cc=vn&selLanguage=en

http://elt.oup.com/student/solutions/int/grammar/grammar_06_022e;jsessionid=C8EC5AABFB6AD5B45AE73B5AFBD87F6E?cc=vn&selLanguage=en

59

direct speech. If a group can‟t report correctly in its turn, the distance between them

and the shark is nearer. The group that is attacked by the shark first will be the loser.

Game 2: What did they say?

Procedure: At the end of the lesson, divide the class into two groups, ask

them to use reported speech to report one of the ideas of the lesson their teacher or

friends have said. The group that can say more correct sentences will be the winner.

3.3.2 For the students

It is the students who must translate the English saying “Practice makes perfect”

into reality. Thus, together with paying attention to their teachers‟ explanations at

school and reviewing their lessons at home, the students should:

1. enthusiastically participate in games on reported speech organized by their

teachers through group work and pair work so that they can have more opportunities to

practise reported speech and to develop their speaking skill in this grammar point. At

the same time, it makes it easier for their teachers and classmates to help them.

2. work in groups to do exercises on reported speech. This is a good chance for

them to work with their friends to help and teach one another. If they make errors, their

friends can help them realize their errors and if their friends make errors, they will be

ready to help them. Consequently, they will learn to share, cooperate and work with the

others. Besides doing exercises, the students can retell the other members of their

group the stories they read or the news they have heard the day before. Through such

activities, the students not only improve their speaking and listening skills but also

have chances to practice using reported speech naturally. Some errors of reported

speech made by certain students in the group can be corrected by other better group

members.

3. take notes of the errors which their teachers or friends have helped them

identify so that it will be convenient for them to review the grammar points where they

have made such errors.

4. try their best to recognize their errors by themselves through actively doing

exercises on reported speech in textbooks, workbooks and the simple grammar books

introduced by their teachers as well as learning more about reported speech thanks to

the websites recommended by their teachers.

60

CONCLUSION AND LIMITATIONS

1. Conclusion

Reported speech plays an important role in linguistics and in language use.

Wherever and whenever language is used for communication, reported speech makes

its appearance. Using reported speech accurately helps everybody understand one

another better. A error in using reported speech may sometimes bring about

misunderstanding whose consequence is rather bad. In addition, reported speech is a

grammar point which is often included in tests or examinations in school. However,

reported speech is also a grammar point in which students often make errors. These

reasons urged the researcher to do the thesis entitled: “Common Errors of Reported

Speech Made by Grade 11 Students at Doc Binh Kieu High School, Tien Giang

Province” aimed at having a clearer picture and more specific figures of the students‟

common errors of reported speech and suggesting some simple but feasible solutions to

this problem.

The thesis consists of three chapters. The first chapter is for the literature review

of reported speech. The second one contains the questionnaire and the mini-test. The

last one includes the results, discussions and suggestions. Besides, after the three

chapters is conclusion and limitations of the research. Through the results of the

questionnaire and the mini-test, the researcher recognized that most of the students

made errors in all the sections of reported speech such as reporting verbs, pronouns,

adjectives, tenses, modal verbs, adverbs, exceptions and all types of reported speech.

Among them, exceptions, tenses, modal verbs and questions puzzled the students most.

As a fourth-year student with the experience gained from my two - month teaching

practice, I have tried my best to find out and suggest solutions to both the teachers and

the students. There are four solutions for the teachers to each main problem of the

students as mentioned in the suggestions of the research. They are giving simple

exercises, introducing some grammar books and websites, making full use of every

opportunity to insert reported speech to the students‟ activities as well as using some

games to make them more interested in learning reported speech. For the students, they

should eagerly take part in games organized by the teachers, work in groups, take

61

notes of their errors and pay attention to their self-study. I hope that this research will

help the students learn reported speech better.

2. Limitations

In spite of all my efforts, there are probably some unavoidable shortcomings in

the research because the time allotted for the research is limited. Besides, this research

had two more obstacles that might affect its absolute exactness. The number of the

participants is small (only 79 students from classes 11A9 and 11A13). Some of them

didn‟t really complete the questionnaire and the mini-test to the best of their ability.

Documents

Introduction - DThUwebsrv.dthu.edu.vn/UserFiles/file/KHOANGOAINGU... · INTRODUCTION There are six parts in the introduction. They are motivation for the study, aims ... 1.3.2 Adjective