Shanlax

International Journal of English

A Study of Errors in Using Modal

Verbs Made by Grade 11 Students
of a Government School in Nintavur
Educational Division
OPEN ACCESS M.I.M.Safiullah
BA.Special in Arabic Linguistics and Translation
South Eastern University of Sri Lanka, University Park
Volume : 7 Oluvil, Sri Lanka

Issue : 1 Abstract
This study at investigating the errors in using modal verbs made by grade 11 students of a
Month : December government school in Nintavur educational division. In English modal verbs are used to show
if we believe something is certain, probable or possible and we also use models to do things like
talking about ability , asking permission, making requests and offers and so on.
Year: 2018
Although the students have learnt English language for many years in a government school
of nintavur educational division they make a lot of errors while using modal verbs in writing.
ISSN: 2320-2645 Without having the proper knowledge on how to use modal verbs to create sentences the
students won’t be able to improve the writing skills.
Received: 25.12.2018 With regards to this research a grade 11 students of a government school in Nintavur
educational division which consists of 25 students has been chosen for the study as they are
currently in great 11 finding extremely difficult to use modal verbs in writing. They have
Accepted: 29.12.2018 learnt 11 years but it is still difficult to create meaningful sentences by using modal verbs. The
objective of this research is to identify the errors while using modal verbs and provide useful
Published: 31.12.2018 guidelines and instructions to overcome the problems and errors and enhance the writing skills.

Keywords: modal verbs, government school, errors, writing skills, educational division.
Citation:
Safiullah, M I M. “A
Introduction
Study of Errors in Using
English is a universal language like all languages is full of problems
Modal Verbs Made by
for the foreign learners. While defining second language learning, Lado
Grade 11 Students of A
(1964) says- “Second language learning is as acquiring the ability to use
Government School in
its structures within a general vocabulary, essentially under the condition
Nintavur Educational
of normal communication among native speakers at normal conversational
Division.” Shanlax
speed”.
International Journal
It is true that English Language has become an undetectable part of our
of English, vol. 7, no. 1,
Sri Lankan life in its all sectors still, the fact remains that it is a foreign
2018, pp. 17–23.
Language, a second language for us. English is a compulsory subject at the
school, college, and at university level. English, still, occupies an important
DOI:
place in our educational system as well as in our law, business, economic,
http/doi.org/ 10.5281/
medical, commercial, media, transport and so many other areas in our
zenodo.2545049
country.
It is expected that the students should be acquainted with the grammar
aspect of English language like, phonology morphology and syntax. And
they should be able to express themselves through written and spoken
English.
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Shanlax
International Journal of English

In English Modal verbs operate like other aspects Population

of language; they are used to indicate different The researcher used the Grade 11 students in
meanings or acts like request, obligation, order, ordinary level of Km/Imam Qazzali Vidyalaya
permission, etc. With all the various shades of Nintavur as the population of this research. The
meaning and the highly contextualized uses, modals total number of the population in ordinary level 25
provide tremendous challenge to students. Modal’s students only in this school. The data was collected
misunderstanding is the type of miscommunication from all of them including male and female.
that goes unnoticed, and allows misunderstanding This study tested their ability and understanding
and awkward interaction to continue. level of modal verbs production in permission,
If students misuse a modal even slightly, it offer, obligation and possibility to investigate error
will change the perceived intention or tone of their categories and to analyze the cause of errors by
statement, making them appear rude or uncertain. students.
For example, they could also drastically misinterpret
statements in subtle yet vital ways. Sampling
English is taught in Sri Lanka through the schooling At this quantitative research, the sample of the
years as a major subject, and the Ministry of research is the all grade 11 students of Km/ Imam
Education provides well-designed text books based Qazzali Maha Vidyalaya Nintavur. There are 25
on developing curriculum. Although the English students in ordinary level in this school. They all will
curriculum consists of a teachers’ guide, a students’ be tested in the research.
book, a workbook and teaching materials, and
teachers of English are supplied with training courses, Methodology
the outcome of the whole process seems to be weak The study employed quantitative methodology
and below expectations, especially in grammar of data collection and data analysis. The purpose of
usage This study aims at investigating the errors in this section is to describe materials and techniques
using modal verbs made by grade 11 students of a employed in the gathering of the data. The material
government school in Nintavur educational division. used as the research instrument for data collection
was composed of an English grammar test
The test used in this study consisted of three
Problem of the Study
types of proficiency tests to identify the problems in
The use of modal verbs is one of the most using modal verbs. .they were as follows:1
problematic areas of English grammar. Modal verbs 1. Making the sentence test consisting of 04
have more than one meaning, and there is a wide items
range of ways to use them. Furthermore, a modal This part was to test the knowledge of
verbs’ meanings can be expressed in a number of grammar structure in the form of the modal
different ways involving other grammatical and verbs
lexical elements. Although the students have learnt 2. Multiple choices test consisting of 20 items
English language for many years in a government with four choices
school of Nintavur educational division they make a This part was to test the ability to understand
lot of errors while using modal verbs in writing. the use of modal verbs.
3. Fill in the blank test consisting of 20 blanks
Research objectives This part was to test the ability to use modal
The researcher hopes that this piece of work will verbs with correct forms in proper situations.
serve the following purposes
1. To find out the errors in using modal verbs 1 Djulaikah,siti.2016.error analysis on the
made by students in written. auxiliary verbs made by tenth grades of man
2. To identify the ways that should be followed samarinda,lingua & saber ahmed al – hessa ,the
to overcome the errors and difficulties use of modal verbs in permission,offer,obligation.
possibility by english BA major students at middle
east university
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International Journal of English

Importantly, English grammar test was developed to 22 V 24

gather data and was analyzed by descriptive statistics
23 W 37
to obtain the students’ problems and grammatical
errors. 24 X 40
25 Y 41
Results of the study
The researcher presents the results of the test Table (02) criteria of the scores
which aimed at investigating the errors in using Criteria Frequency %
modal verbs made by grade 11 students of a Fail = less than 40 marks 18 72%
government school in Nintavur educational division. Fair – 40 to 49 marks 07 28%
The questions under investigating were as follows: Good = 50 to 59 marks 0 …….
1. Is there any significant difference and Very good = 60 to 69
inability in making the sentences by using 0 …….
marks
modal verbs for permission, offer, obligation, Excellent = 70 to 100
0 …….
and possibility by the students of Km/Imam marks
Qazzali Maha Vidyalaya? Total 25 100%
2. Is there ability among students to understand Table (02) shows that 72% of the students
the use of modal verbs? obtained scores less than the test cut – off level. This
3. Is their ability among students to use modal result reveals the students’ inability to use modal
verbs with correct forms in proper situations? verbs correctly. The same table show that 28% of the
students got scores ranging from 40 to 49.
Detailed results of the test Table (01) Again, this result is confirmed by the fact that
Students Marks none of the students could reach a good, very good
1 A 25 and excellent grades. This percentage confirms the
2 B 31 idea that most of the student who could pass the cut
– off level of the test could not get high scores and
3 C 37
this reflects their shaky ability to use modal verbs
4 D 47
5 E 47 Summary of the test results
6 F 30 The researcher has identified a number of errors
7 G 45 made by the students while using modal verbs. They
8 H 14 are as follows.
9 I 21
Addition
10 J 34
The students have done the errors of addition
11 K 42 which are indicated by the presence of an ‘unwanted’
12 L 45 item in sentences. The unwanted items do not appear
13 M 27 in a well-formed utterance. This happens when the
14 N 31 learners overuse certain grammatical rules of the
15 O 24 target language.
For examples
16 P 34
In this case the students failed to identify some
17 Q 30
unwanted items in sentences
18 R 24 I must to go
19 S 29 They can to come tomorrow
20 T 32 You are should eat
21 U 33 Reconstruction of sentences should be

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International Journal of English

I must go I can’t do this work

They can come tomorrow She may not come to my home
You should eat
Misodering
Omission The students have made errors of misordering
The researcher has found some Omission errors which are indicated by the incorrect placement of
which are indicated by the absence of certain item certain morphemes.
that must appear in sentences. This usually happens For examples
in the early stages of second language acquisition. I am not can listening
For examples I not would like to go
You must knowledge about that Reconstruction of sentences should be
He would done this work I can’t listening
They should money I wouldn’t like to go
Reconstruction of sentences should be
You must have knowledge about that Results related to the questions
He would have done this work Results related to the first question
They should have money The first question of the study “Is there any
significant difference and inability in making the
Misformation sentences by using modal verbs for permission,
They are also misformation errors among students offer, obligation, and possibility by the students of
which are indicated by the use of wrong forms. Km/Imam Qazzali Maha Vidyalaya? Results are
For examples presented in table (1)
He don’t must smoke Investigating the ability to make the sentences by
Me can’t do this work using modal verbs for permission, offer, obligation,
She not may come to my home and possibility.
Reconstruction of sentences should be
He mustn’t smoke

Table (01) - Making the Sentences Test

Correct sentences Wrong sentences
Function
Frequency % Frequency %
permission 14 56% 11 44%
Offer 09 36% 16 64%
possibility 08 32% 17 68%
Obligation 06 24% 19 76%
Total 37 37% 63 63%
Table (1) above shows that 37% of the sentences grammatical structure of the modal verbs in making
created by the students were correct and 63% of sentences. This shows that the students have the
the sentences were wrong. The lowest percentage insufficient knowledge of grammar structure in the
of the correct sentences for obligation was 24%. form of the modal verbs.
On the other hand, the highest percentage of wrong
sentences was 76% on obligation. Results related to the second question
The results in table (1) show that of the students have The second question of the study “Is there ability
among students to understand the use of modal
created correct sentences for permission whereas
verbs?” results are presented in table (2)
the students on offer Birati and an application Multiple choices test for investigating the ability
have created wrong sentences due to lack of the to understand the use of modal verbs.
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International Journal of English

Table (02) - Multiple choices test results

Question Correct answers Wrong answers
numbers Frequency % Frequency %
01 08 32% 17 68%
02 10 40% 15 60%
03 07 28% 18 72%
04 12 48% 13 52%
05 06 24% 19 76%
06 05 20% 20 80%
07 11 44% 14 56%
08 09 36% 16 64%
09 14 56% 11 44%
10 03 12% 22 88%
11 05 20% 20 80%
12 16 64% 09 36%
13 7 28% 18 72%
14 9 36% 16 64%
15 17 68% 08 32%
16 10 40% 15 60%
17 6 24% 19 76%
18 4 16% 21 84%
19 6 24% 19 76%
20 11 44% 14 56%
Total 176 35.2% 324 64.8%

Table (2) above shows that 64.08 of the students’ Results related to the third question
answers were wrong whereas 35.2 of the students’ The second question of the study “is their ability
answers were correct. The highest percentage of among students to use modal verbs with correct
wrong answers was 88% on statement no.10.on the forms in proper situations”? Results are presented in
other hand, the lowest percentage of correct answers table (03)
was12 %. Fill in the blank test for investigating the ability
The results in table (2) show that 64.8 % of the to use modal verbs with correct forms in proper
students has the inability to understand the use of situations.
modal verbs.

Table (03) – fill in the blank test results

Question Correct answers Wrong answers
numbers Frequency % Frequency %
01 12 48% 13 52%
02 9 36% 16 64%
03 6 24% 19 76%
04 16 64% 9 36%

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International Journal of English

05 5 20% 20 80%
06 7 28% 18 72%
07 17 68% 8 32%
08 4 16% 21 84%
09 9 36% 16 64%
10 3 12% 22 88%
11 11 44% 14 56%
12 4 16% 21 84%
13 5 20% 20 80%
14 6 24% 19 76%
15 8 32% 17 68%
16 11 44% 14 56%
17 4 16% 21 84%
18 6 24% 19 76%
19 8 32% 17 68%
20 9 36% 16 64%
Total 160 32% 340 68%

Results reported in table (3) show that 68% of The findings of the study revealed that there is
the answers were wrong. The highest percentages a significant difference and inability in correctly
of wrong answers here was 88%, 84% and 80% on making the suitable sentences by using modal verbs
statements no 10, no 08, no 17 and no 05.while the for permission, offer, obligation, and the possibility
lowest percentage of correct answers was 12%. by the students.
The table shows that 32% of the students have
answered correctly whereas the 68% of them have Discussion of findings related to the second
the troubles and difficulties to use modal verbs with question
correct forms in proper situations. Is there ability among students to understand the
use of modal verbs?
Discussion, Conclusion and The results show that majority of the students
Recommendations (64.8%) has the difficulties and troubles to understand
This study investigated the errors while using the the usages of modal verbs.
modal verbs by grade 11 students of a government
school in Nintavur educational division. This Discussion of findings related to the third question
chapter presents a summary and a short discussion Is their ability among students to use modal verbs
of the findings of the three questions. The chapter with correct forms in proper situations?
concludes with recommendations and suggestions Results revealed that the students have answered
for future research. correctly whereas the 68% of them have the troubles
and difficulties to use modal verbs with correct forms
Discussion of findings related to the first question in proper situations.
Is there any significant difference and inability
in making the sentences by using modal verbs for Conclusions
permission, offer, obligation, and possibility by the This study aims at investigating the errors in the
students of Km /Imam Qazzali maha vidyalaya? use of modal verbs by grade 11 students of Km/Imam
Qazzali Maha Vidyalaya in Nintavur educational
division.. It is clear that 68 % of the students could
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International Journal of English

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