An analysis of errors in using English articles by 10th graders at Quảng Xương III High School, Thanh Hóa Province = Phân tích lỗi sử dụng mạo từ tiếng Anh của

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES
*********************


NGÔ THỊ KHUYÊN


AN ANALYSIS OF ERRORS IN USING ENGLISH ARTICLES BY 10
th

GRADERS AT QUẢNG XƢƠNG 3 HIGH SCHOOL,
THANH HOÁ PROVINCE

Phân tích lỗi sử dụng mạo từ tiếng Anh của học sinh lớp 10 trƣờng THPT
Quảng Xƣơng 3, tỉnh Thanh Hoá


M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS


FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY
CODE: 60140111

Hanoi, 2014
VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI
UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES
FACULTY OF POST-GRADUATE STUDIES
*********************


NGÔ THỊ KHUYÊN


AN ANALYSIS OF ERRORS IN USING ENGLISH ARTICLES BY 10
th

GRADERS AT QUẢNG XƢƠNG 3 HIGH SCHOOL,
THANH HOÁ PROVINCE

Phân tích lỗi sử dụng mạo từ tiếng Anh của học sinh lớp 10 trƣờng THPT
Quảng Xƣơng 3, tỉnh Thanh Hoá


M.A MINOR PROGRAMME THESIS


FIELD: ENGLISH TEACHING METHODOLOGY
CODE: 60140111
SUPERVISOR: NGUYỄN VĂN TRÀO, PhD.

Hanoi, 2014


i
DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this is my own research work conducted on the
sources listed in the References part of the study.

Signature


Ngô Thị Khuyên

ii
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This thesis would not have been possible without the assistance and support
of many individuals. I wish to acknowledge and express my appreciation of
these people for their invaluable contributions.
I am most grateful to my supervisor, Dr. Nguyễn Văn Trào, for his great
assistance, encouragement, enthusiasm and valuable comments, which have
played a very important role during the course of writing this thesis. Without
his precious support and invaluable guidance, this thesis would never been
completed.
I also would like to send my thanks to all the lecturers from Faculty of
Postgraduate Studies, University of Languages and International Studies,
Vietnam National University, Hanoi who have provided me with invaluable
sources of knowledge and instructions during my study.
I would wish to thank my colleagues and my students at Quảng Xương 3
High School for their willingness to participate in this study.
Finally, my sincere thanks also go to my family and friends whose support
has been of great significance to my thesis.







iii
ABSTRACT

This study aims at providing a comprehensive account of the types of errors
produced by the 10
th
graders at Quảng Xương 3 High School (QXHS) in their
use of articles, based on the Surface Structure Taxonomies (SST) of errors.
Data were collected from written samples of 100 10
th
grade students at
QXHS. The students were given forty-five minutes to write on one of four
topics appropriate with their level. Analysis of errors in the students‟ written
samples revealed that omission errors were the most frequent (49.83%),
followed by errors in addition (43.14%), and substitution errors were (7.02%)
the least. Furthermore, the results shows that the errors root from both inter-
lingual and intra- lingual sources. From the data analysis results, pedagogical
implications were given to solve the problems.

iv
ABBREVIATIONS

EFL
English as a Foreign Language
L2
Second Language
L1
First Language
SST
Surface Structure Taxonomies
EA
QXHS
Error Analysis
Quảng Xương High School


LIST OF TABLE

Table 1: Frequency of errors according to SST

v
TABLE OF CONTENTS
DECLARATION………………………………………………………… i
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS… …………………………………………… ii
ABSTRACT……………………… ……………………………………… iii
ABBREVIATIONS………………………………………………………… iv
LIST OF CHARTS……………… ………………………………………….iv
TABLE OF CONTENTS………….…………………………………………v
PART A: INTRODUCTION………………………………………………….1
1. Rationale…………………………………………………………… 1
2. Objectives of the study……………………………………………… 1
3. Research questions………………………………………………… 2
4. Scope of the study……………………………………………………2
5. Significance of the study…………………………………………… 2
6. Structure of the thesis………………………………………………… 2
PART B: DEVELOPMENT……………………………………………….…4
CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW……………………………………4
1. Theoretical background……………………………………………… 4
1.1.Errors 4
1.1.1. Definition of errors………………………………………… 4
1.1.2. The distinction between “error” and “mistake”…………… 5
1.1.3. Sources of error occurrence………………………………….5
1.1.4. Types of errors…………………………………………….…9

1.1.5. The benefits of analyzing errors……………………… ….11
1.1.6. Error analysis……………………………………………….11
1.2. An overview of English article system……………………….….12
1.2.1. Classification of English articles……………………….….12
1.2.2. System of article usage………………………………….…16


vi
2. Previous studies on similar theme……… …………………………17
3. Summary…………………………………………………… …… 19
CHAPTER II: METHODOLOGY…………………………………… …20
2.1. Overview………………………………………………….……20
2.2. Participants………………………………………………….….20
2.3. Instrument of data collection……………………………….… 20
2.4. Procedure…………………………………………………….…22
2.5. Data analysis……………………………………………… … 22
CHAPTER III: RESULT AND DISCUSSION ……………………….…24
3.1. Omission error………………………………….………………24
3.2. Addition error………………………………….……………….27
3.3. Substitution error………………………………….……………29
3.4. Chapter summary………………………………… ……… …30
PART C: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATION……………….31
1. Summary of major findings………………………………… ……31
2. Pedagogic implications………………………………… ……… 32
3. Limitations and Suggestions for further research……… ……… 33
REFERENCES………………………………………… ………………34
APPENDICES……………… ………………………………………… I

1
PART A: INTRODUCTION
This part gives rationale, objectives, the research questions, the scope
of the study and the structure of the thesis.
1. Rationale
The English article system has been a challenging area from both
teaching and learning perspectives for ages. Articles include multiple
functions and contain a very complex subsystem. According to many
researchers, article usage can be considered as number one problem in many
writing classrooms. However, articles do not seem to be a great obstacle in
comprehension. The students therefore believe that the article is a small part
of English grammar and they do not pay very much attention to them.
According to Lado (1957), it is interference of the first language that is a
barrier for learning a second language. Learners‟ first language seems to have
an effect on the learning of the English article system. According to Standwell
(1997), non- native English speakers have some problems in using the English
articles correctly irrespective of their native language. Among numerous
languages in the world, Vietnamese as well as Japanese and Russian do not
include any articles while English does.
The students at Quảng Xương 3 High School, from my observation, often
make errors in using articles in writing. As an English language teacher, the
researcher is aware of the importance of the error analysis in using articles
and really keen on finding ways to help the students. This desire has led to my

intention to carry out the present research work.
2. Objectives of the study
The objectives of this thesis are to:
 investigate and find out the types and causes of errors in using English
articles in the writing by the QXHS students;


2
 build sufficient error correction techniques to prevent and eliminate
these errors;
 help the teachers and students gain an insight into the use of using
articles in writing.
3. Research questions
The main purpose of this research is to analyze the errors in using
English articles by the 10
th
QXHS graders. The following questions are
addressed:
(1) What types of article errors in writings do the QXHS students
make?
(2) What are the possible sources of the errors?
4. Scope of the study
It is believed that different types of learners committed different types
of errors and type of errors are various according to different stages in
learning process. Within the framework of a minor M.A thesis, the study is
confined itself to errors in the use of English articles in writing by the 10
th

QXHS graders.
5. Significance of the study

It is hoped that the findings of the present research would be useful to
Vietnamese teachers of English as well as learners of English. Once the type
and the causes of a particular error are properly found, teachers will have a
better understanding of students‟ problem in using articles in writing and can
develop proper solutions.
6. Structure of the thesis
The thesis is composed of three main parts and references



3
Part A: Introduction
This part gives reasons for choosing the topic, objectives, the research
questions and methods of the study. It also narrows the scope of the study and
briefly presents an overall outline of the research study.
Part B: Development: This part consists of three chapters
Chapter 1: Literature review
This chapter reviews the literature related to the study. Errors and error
analysis in English language learning are discussed. The literature related to
errors is given; it includes the notion of errors in language leaning, the
distinction between errors and mistakes, main causes of errors. The theoretical
background on English articles and a minor comparison between the definite
article and indefinite articles are also provided.
Chapter 2: Methodology
Chapter three describes in detail the research methodology: including
the subjects, instruments of data collection and methods of data analysis.
Chapter 3: Presentation and analysis of data
Chapter four presents the statistical results and the analysis of the
collected data.
Part C: Conclusions and recommendations

Part C provides a summary of major findings and pedagogic
implications.
The thesis is ended with REFERENCES.


4
PART B: DEVELOPMENT
CHAPTER I: LITERATURE REVIEW
In this chapter, the literature related to errors and articles in writing is
discussed in order to provide the study with the sufficient theory background.
1. Theoretical background
1.1. Errors
1.1.1. Definition of errors
In the history of English language teaching, numerous definitions of
errors have been proposed by many linguists and researchers in terms of their
differences. Corder (1973:259) refers to errors as breaches of the code. In
other words, errors deviate from what is regarded as the norm. Dulay et al
(1982: 138) stress that errors are seen as “the flawed side of the learner speech
or writing or parts of conversation or a composition that deviates from
selected norms”. Richards (1974:184) also shares this view: “An error in the
speech or writing of a second or foreign language learning is the use of a
language item (e.g., a word, a grammatical item, a speech act, etc) in a way
which a fluent or native speaker of the language regards as showing faulty or
incomplete learning”. Similarly, Liski and Puntamen (1983: 227) have said
that “an error occurs where the speakers fail to follow the pattern or the
manner of speech of educated people in English speaking countries today”.
From the definitions, it is clear that an error is the unsuccessful use of the
target language in speech and writing by the learners in comparison with that
by the native speakers.
However, when learners come up with a set of rules to produce new

patterns in the target language, they cannot avoid committing errors. Errors
are no longer considered as an evil sign of failure, in teaching and learning, to
be eradicated at any cost; rather, they are seen as a necessary part of the


5
language learning process because they are the evidence showing that the
learners are working toward the correct rules.
1.1.2. The distinction between “error” and “mistake”
The distinction between “errors” and “mistakes” has been given by
many linguists though it is impossible to indicate any sharp differentiation.
According to Klassen (1991), the term error is used to refer to a form of
structure that a native speaker deems unacceptable because of the lack of
language competence. Chomsky (1965) initiates the distinction when he
suggests that there are two types of errors: one resulting from verbal
performance factors, the other from inadequate language competence.
Later, Corder (1967) names the former mistakes and the later error.
Mistakes are said to be unsystematic in nature and correctable when attention
is drawn to its producers. Errors, on the other hand, refer to any systematic
deviations from the rules of the target language system.
While Yulianti (2007: 9) differentiates a mistake from an error carefully,
she states:
- A mistake is a slip that a learner can self-correct.
- An error is what a learner cannot self-correct.
It is then suggested that a mistake is just a slip that the learner forgets the
right form while, an error is a deviation which is made by the learner because
he does not know the rule and he/she will make it repetitively.
1.1.3. Sources of error occurrence
There are a number of reasons for how learners make errors; they take
root from both social factors and cognitive factors (Myles, 2002). Basically,

two types of causes are classified: (1) first language interference-interlingual
source and (2) causes independent of the first language interference -
intralingual source.


6
i. Interference from the native language
Whenever an error appears, there is likelihood that the mother tongue is
responsible. Traditionally, the notion of first language interference is
understood as a negative transfer from the first language to the target
language. It is the way of learning new habits is hindered by previously learnt
ones. Language is a set of habit, and learning a new language is a process
formulating a new habit. Lado (1957) claims that “errors are originated in the
learners‟ disposition to transfer forms and meanings, and the distribution of
forms and meanings of their native language and culture to the foreign
language and culture” (1957:1). Beardsmore (1982) suggests that many of the
difficulties a second language learner has with the phonology, vocabulary and
grammar of the second language are due to the interference of habits from the
first language. The formal elements of the first language are used within the
context of the second language, resulting in errors in the second language, as
the structures of the first and second languages are different.
Corder (1967) observes that language learners make hypotheses about
the language they are learning, try to compare it with their native language,
then come to the conclusion that errors in foreign language reflect the first
language‟s features. Later in 1978 he recasts interference as learners‟ reliance
on the first language as their strategy of communication, which means
learners use literal translation as a learning strategy to overcome their
ignorance. In fact, Vietnamese beginners learning English have a tendency to
transfer the word order of Vietnamese into English, which results in their
errors in writing.

It is believed that there are four major factors that encourage foreign
language learners to use their native language in second language acquisition.
Firstly, it is the performance pressure. When learners are forced to perform


7
tasks they do not want or their linguistic competence fail to meet, they fall
back on the language most familiar to them that is their mother tongue. Under
writing pressure, learners may rely on systematic resources from their native
language for the achievement and synthesis of meaning Windowson (1990).
Secondly, the limited foreign language environment also contributes to errors
in language learning. The lack of natural linguistic inputs with native speakers
results in learners‟ recourse on their language. Moreover, language tasks
assigned for the learners have a significant effect on their verbal production.
Among these tasks, translation is said to “increase the foreign language
learners‟ reliance on the first language structures” (Dulay et al, 1982:110).
Lastly, an important factor associated with the learner‟s use of foreign
language acquisition is the monitor (Dulay et al, 1982:110). Learners tend to
think in the first language and attempt to put the idea in the target language. In
short, the first language interference takes place because of four factors:
performance pressure, limited language environment, manner of eliciting
verbal performance and the monitor use. These four factors are defined as
social factors affecting writing in foreign languages (Myles, 2002).
ii. Causes independent from the first language
The common root of common errors in English does not only lie in
cross-association and instinctive translation of the mother tongue, but also in
the usages of English itself; for these usages provide the only factor which is
common to all regions, all students and all methods (French, 1958:7). Causes
independent from the first language consist of overgeneralization, false
concepts hypothesized, incomplete application of rules, cross association, and

fossilization.
Overgeneralization: In case of overgeneralization, learners apply the
strategies they have learnt to new learning situation. More specially, they base


8
on their past learning experience to produce deviant structures in the target
language. There are two main reasons for overgeneralization; the first one is
that learners want to diminish linguistic complexities, and the other one is the
superficial similarities of structures in the target language. Overgeneralization
is also linked with redundancy reduction. This happens when learners find
that some grammatical aspects are unimportant in conveying meaning. This
occurrence is popular in descriptive writing which learners often use the
present simple tense instead of past tense though the action happen in the past.
False conceptualization: Learners‟ faulty understanding of the distinctions of
the target language items leads to false conceptualization; Richard (1971)
blames poor presentation or presentation based on the contrastive approach
for the confusion such as the use of verbs “come / go”, “was / is”, of past and
present markers. It is suggested that effective ways to minimize learners‟
confusion are choosing non-synonymous contexts for related words or
phrases and not using exercises based on contrast and transformation.
Incomplete application of rules: According to Richard (1971), two factors
leading to an incomplete application of rules are the use of question in the
classroom as elicitation techniques and learners‟ interest in communication
which helps them to achieve efficient communication without a mastery of
the target language rules.
Cross association: George (1972) proposes that the notion of cross
association is different from overgeneralization in the way that interference
does not come from the prior learning items, but from the adverse direction. It
is “the phenomenon of mutual interference between partially learned items,

neither being inhibited, but one or both being affected by the other” (George,
1972:153).


9
Fossilization: “Fossilization is referred as a phenomenon that takes place as a
learner internalizes an incorrect form” (Brown et al., 1987: 186). This is
believed to exist in adolescents and adults‟ pronunciation, and also manifests
in some syntactic structures or vocabulary a learner uses. Three factors
contribute to this phenomenon: mother tongue influence, communication
needs, and teachers‟ feedback.
To sum up, the five causes above can explain for language learners‟
error committing. However, it is difficult to decide exactly which process is
applied in a certain error, and many processes might operate simultaneously
and reinforce each other in causing the learners to produce errors.
1.1.4. Types of errors
The achievement of language learning and teaching may not be
flawless as thought. The imperfection derives from the difference between the
expected output of the language learning and the real result of such process.
While the teacher often requires and expects learners to make as few errors as
possible, learners in fact commit errors of different extent and levels. Due to
the variety of errors, it is necessary to classify errors in specific groups. The
categorization of errors is based on various criteria and aspects.
Richards et al (1974) believes that both children learning the first
language, and children and adults learning foreign languages are likely to
produce errors of following types:
i) The omission of grammatical morphemes
ii) The double marking of a given semantic feature
iii) The over generalized application of irregular rules
iv) The use of one form of several required

v) The wrong word ordering


10
Nevertheless, Corder (1973) has a different way to classify errors. In his
view, it is the expressive and receptive behavior in language learning that
cause expressive and receptive errors; learners tend to make more productive
errors than receptive errors. Keshavarz (2012:59) shares the same view with
Corder that competence in a language is of two kinds: receptive and
productive; errors can also be classified as receptive and productive.
Receptive errors are those which result in the listener‟s misunderstanding of
the speaker‟s intentions, and productive errors are those which occur in the
language learner‟s utterances.
On the basis of linguistic levels, errors can be categorized into
grammatical, discourse, phonological and lexical errors. Grammatical errors
lay emphasis on grammatical accuracy rather than fluency, which may be
obstacles for communication proficiency. The immediate teacher correction is
not necessary if the purpose of the language course is to provide
communicative proficiency. Discourse errors are those related to non-
observance of the target language conventions, and they are the
manifestations of the leaner cultural and pragmatic knowledge of language
users. Phonological errors are related to incorrect pronunciation, word stress
and intonation. Lexical errors occur when learners use wrong word class or
inappropriate words.
1.1.5. The benefits of analyzing errors
Errors are normal and unavoidable during the learning process as
Richard (1974: 95) mentions that no one could learn without making errors.
Meanwhile, Lengo (2003: 1) mentions that errors are believed to be an
indicator of the learners‟ stages in their target language development. So, it is
important to analyze the errors because there are many benefits in analyzing

the errors, such as:


11
(a) A device which the learner uses in order to learn (Selinker, 1992:
150)
(b).To fully grasp and understand the nature of the errors made, and
(c). Instead of just being able to explain the rules and correct the errors
(Mei Lin Ho, 2003: 1).
1.1.6. Error analysis
Writing is a complex process even in the first language. Undoubtedly, it
is more complicated to write in a foreign language. Consequently, lots of
researchers have intended to identify the common errors EFL students make
in writing the second language. Of course, a better understanding of the error
and the origin of such error in the process of EFL writing will help teachers
know how students‟ difficulties in learning that language. Moreover, it will
aid in the adaptation of appropriate teaching strategies to help EFL students
learn better.
Therefore, EA can be considered as a fundamental tool in language
teaching in order to reorganize teacher‟s point of view and readdress his/her
methodology for fixing and fulfilling the students‟ gaps (Vasquez, 2007). In
other words, as Corder (1967) defines, EA is a procedure used by both
researchers and teachers which involves collecting samples of learner
language, identifying the errors in the sample, describing these errors,
classifying them according to their nature and causes, and evaluating their
seriousness. The purpose of error analysis is, in fact, to find “what the learner
knows and does not know” and to “ultimately enable the teacher to supply
him not just with the information that his hypothesis is wrong, but also,
importantly, with the right sort of information or data for him to form a more
adequate concept of a rule in the target language” (Corder, 1974: 170).

12
Consequently, the review of the previous studies that follows addresses itself
to the sources of errors rather than the most frequent EFL learners‟ errors
reported in various studies. At first, for this review of literature, it is necessary
to study known and popular error taxonomies and classifications.
1.2. An overview of English article system
Alexander (1998: 55) defines that “articles are determiners which affect
the meaning of the noun, and make it clearer by showing which particular
thing we are referring to”. It means that the English article is the part of
speech used to indicate nouns and to specify their application.
1.2.1. Classification of English articles
There are two types of English articles. They are definite and indefinite
articles:
i. Definite articles
According to Halliday and Hasan “The definite article has no content.
It merely indicates that the item in question is specific and identifiable; that
somewhere the information necessary for identifying it is recoverable”
(1976:71). “The definite the never varies in form whether it refers to people or
things, singular or plural” (Alexander, 1998: 55)
a. Form: The
The is the same for singular and plural and for all genders:
Ex: the woman the man the book
the women the men the books
b. Use of The:
-Before a noun which has become definite as a result of being mentioned a
second time.
Ex: I have bought a car. The car is over there.
-Before a noun made definite by the addition of a phrase or clause:

13
Ex: The pupil in uniform The boy with the red hat
The woman that I knew The house where he lived
-When the object or group of objects is unique or considered to be unique:
Ex: the earth the sea the sky the equator the
stars
-Before superlative and first, second… used as adjectives or pronouns, and
only:
Ex: The first week the best day the only way
-Before a noun which by reason of locality can represent only one particular
thing:
Ex: Ann is in the garden (the garden of this house).
Please pass the wine, please. (the wine on the table).
-The + singular noun can represent a class of animals or things:
Ex: The whale is in danger of becoming extinct.
The can be used before a member of a certain group of people:
Ex: The small shopkeeper is finding life increasingly difficult.
-The + adjective represents a class of persons.
Ex: The old = old people in general.
-The is used before certain proper names of seas, rivers, group of islands,
chains of mountains, plural names of countries, deserts, regions:
Ex: The Atlantic The Netherlands The Thames
The Sahara The Azores The Alps
The Strand The Sudan …
-The is used before other proper names consisting of adjective + noun or
noun + of + noun
Ex: The National gallery The Tower of London

14
-The with names of people has a very limited use. The + plural surname can
be used to mean
„the… family‟
Ex: The Smiths = Mr. and Mrs. Smiths (and children)
c. Omission of the
The definite article (the) is not used:
-Before names of people.
-Before abstract nouns except when they are used in a particular sense:
Ex: Men fear death
(But: The death of Prime Minister left his party without a leader.)
-After a noun in the possessive case, or a possessive adjective:
Ex: The boy‟s uncle = the uncle of the boy.
It‟s my (blue) book = the (blue) book is mine.
-Before names of meals:
Ex: The Scots have porridge for breakfast
(But: The wedding breakfast was held in her family‟s house.)
-Before names of games:
Ex: He plays gold.
ii. Indefinite articles
Quirk et al. (1985:272) give this definition:
The indefinite article is notionally the “unmarked” article in the sense that is
used (for singular count nouns) where the condition for the use of the do not
obtain. That is, a/ an X will be used where the reference of X is not uniquely
identifiable in the shared knowledge of speaker and hearer.
a. Form: A - An
A is used before a word beginning with a consonant, or a vowel with a
consonant sound:

15
Ex: a man a hat a university a European a one-
way street
An is used before words beginning with a vowel (a, e, i, o, u) or words
beginning with a mute h
Ex: an apple an island an uncle an egg an hour
an onion
Or individual letters spoken with a vowel sound:
Ex: an MP an SOS an X
A / An is the same for all genders:
Ex: a man a woman an actor an actress a table
…
b. Use of A / An
- Before a singular noun which is countable (i.e., of which there is more
than one) when it is mentioned for the first time and represents no
particular person or thing.
Ex: They live in a flat. He bought an ice-cream.
- Before a singular countable noun which is used as an example of a
class of things:
Ex: A car must be insured. (= All cars /Any car must be insured.)
- With a noun complement. This includes names of professions:
Ex: She‟ll be a dancer.
- In certain expressions of quantity:
Ex: a lot of a great many a great deal of a
couple a dozen
-With certain numbers:
Ex: a hundred a thousand a half kilo of…
- In expressions of price, speed, ratio…

16
Ex: four times a day sixty km an hour …
-In exclamations before singular, countable nouns:
Ex: Such a long queue! What a pretty girl!
c. Omission of A / An
A / An is omitted:
-Before plural nouns.
A/An has no plural form. So the plural of a dog is dogs, and an egg is
eggs.
-Before uncountable nouns.
-Before names of meals, except when these are preceded by an adjective:
Ex: We have breakfast at eight.
He gave us a good breakfast.
1.2.2. System of article usage
Quirk and Greenbaum (1973) set up two different systems of article use
depending on the type of reference:

DEFINITE
INDEFINITE

SPECIFIC
REFERENCE
The tiger


The ink
A tiger

(Some) ink

The tiger
(some)
tigers

GENERIC
REFERENCE
The tiger
A tiger
Tigers

Ink

With definite specific reference, the definite article is used for all noun
classes:


17
Ex: Where is the pen I bought?
Where are the pens I bought?
Where is the ink I bought?
With indefinite specific reference, singular count nouns take the indefinite
article a(n), while non-count and plural count nouns take zero article or
unstressed some (any) in non- assertive contexts.
Ex: I want a pen / some pens / some ink.
I don‟t want a pen / any pens / any ink.
2. Previous studies on similar theme
Much research has been conducted with a focus on analysis of error in
writing. Bataineh (2005: 56) claims “unlike earlier error analyses, native
language transfer is found to play a role which is at best minimal”. Of course,
his study exclusively aims at identifying the kinds of errors Jordanian first,

second, third and fourth year university EFL students made in the use of the
indefinite article. The nine types of errors are as follows:
(1) deletion of the indefinite article
(2) writing a as part of the noun/ adjective following it
(3) substitution of the indefinite for the definite article
(4) substitution of the definite for the indefinite article
(5) substitution of a for an
(6) use of the indefinite article with unmarked plurals
(7) use of the indefinite article with marked plurals
(8) use of the indefinite article with uncountable nouns, and
(9) use of the indefinite article with adjectives
Another grammatical error that is frequently found in Taiwanese EFL
students‟ compositions is the misuse of English articles. Chen (2000)
considers that English articles could be one of the most difficult grammatical