VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – HCM CITY UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES  MASTER THESIS INVESTIGATING COMMON ERRORS IN THE USE OF ENGLISH PREPOSITIONS BY NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITY OF NATURAL SCIENCES A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (TESOL) Supervisor: ĐINH ĐIỀN, Assoc Prof - Ph D Candidate: ÂU MINH TRIẾT – TESOL 2005 - 2010 - CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I hereby certify my authorship of the thesis submitted today entitled: INVESTIGATING COMMON ERRORS IN THE USE OF ENGLISH PREPOSITIONS BY NON-ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITY OF NATURAL SCIENCES In terms of the Statement of Requirements for Theses in Master’s Programs Issued by the Higher Degree Committee Ho Chi Minh City, March 2010 ÂU MINH TRIẾT RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS i I, hereby state that I, AÂu Minh Triết, being the candidate for the degree of Master of TESOL, accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Master’s Thesis deposited in the library In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my thesis deposited in the library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the library for the care, loan or reproduction of the thesis Ho Chi Minh City, March 2010 ÂU MINH TRIẾT ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my deepest gratitude to my thesis supervisor, Associate Professor, Doctor Ñinh Ñiền, for his explicit guidance and valuable support to the completion of my thesis Without his whole-hearted guidance, I could not have finished the thesis I am also grateful to all my teachers, especially Doctor Nguyễn Kiều Thu and Doctor Nguyễn Hoàng Tuấn, for valuable and helpful instructions during the three-year TESOL course (2005-2008) I should also like to express my special thanks to the library staff of the University of Social Sciences and Humanities who help me with my search for reference materials I also would like to sincerely thank Mr Phan Văn Báo, the Headmaster of Ha Tien High School I have been offered wonderful conditions to fulfill my learning from him, without his support, I would be unable to fulfill my learning In addition, I am indebted to all my colleagues and classmates, especially Mr Võ Duy Minh, the class monitor, who give me valuable advice and assistance in developing the study Thanks also to my students for their cooperation in giving truly response to the questionnaire Finally, my special thanks to my family for their unfailing support iii TABLE OF CONTENTS  Page Certificate of originality i Retention and use of the thesis ii Acknowledgements iii Table of contents iv List of figures ix List of tables x List of abbreviations xi Abstract xii CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY 1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PURPOSE 1.3 RESEARCH QUESTIONS 1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY 1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY 1.6 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY 1.7 STRUCTURE OF THE THESIS 10 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW 11 2.1 ERRORS VERSUS MISTAKES IN LEARNING SECOND LANGUAGE 11 2.2 ENGLISH PREPOSITIONS 12 2.2.1 CLASSES OF ENGLISH PREPOSITIONS 13 2.2.1.1 SPATIAL PREPOSITIONS 13 2.2.1.2 TEMPORAL PREPOSITIONS 14 2.2.1.3 LOGICAL PREPOSITIONS 15 2.2.2 ERRORS IN THE USE OF ENLISH PREPOSITIONS 15 2.3 CORPUS LINGUISTICS 18 2.3.1 BROWN CORPUS 21 iv 2.3.2 PAUL NATION’S 1000 MOST FREQUENT WORD FAMILIES 22 2.4 BRITISH NATIONAL CORPUS 23 2.4.1 AN OVERVIEW OF BRITISH NATIONAL CORPUS 23 2.4.2 HOW TO USE BRITISH NATIONAL CORPUS 24 2.5 SUMMARY 27 CHAPTER 3: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 28 3.1 RESEARCH DESIGN 28 3.2 SUBJECTS 29 3.3 RESEARCH PROCEDURES 29 3.4 INSTRUMENTS AND MATERIALS 31 3.4.1 INSTRUMENTS 31 3.4.1.1 QUESTIONNAIRE 32 3.4.1.2 TEST GENERATOR SOFTWARE OF EXAMVIEW 6.2 33 3.4.1.3 SOFTWARE OF CONCORDANCE VERSION 3.2 33 3.4.1.4 MICROSOFT OFFICE EXCEL 34 3.4.1.5 PERCENTAGE 35 3.4.2 MATERIALS 35 3.4.2.1 QUESTIONS ON PREPOSITIONS 36 3.4.2.1.1 FOR THE TESTS 36 3.4.2.1.1.1 CONSTRUCTING THE TEST QUESTIONS 36 3.4.2.1.1.2 CONSTRUCTING THE DIFFICULTY LEVEL TO THE WORDS USED IN THE QUESTIONS 38 3.4.2.1.1.3 ADMINISTERING THE TEST 39 3.4.2.1.2 FOR THE FINAL EXAM 40 3.4.2.2 COURSE BOOK 40 3.5 SUMMARY 40 CHAPTER : FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 41 4.1 DATA ANALYSIS 41 v 4.1.1 DETAILED ANALYSIS OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE 41 4.1.1.1 STUDENTS’ PERSONAL INFORMATION 42 4.1.1.1.1 STUDENTS’ GENDERS 42 4.1.1.1.2 STUDENTS’ PRIVATE TUTORS 43 4.1.1.1.3 STUDENTS’ SELF-ASSESSMENT 44 4.1.1.2 STUDENTS’ POINTS OF VIEW 45 4.1.1.2.1 QUESTION 45 4.1.1.2.2 QUESTION 46 4.1.1.2.3 QUESTION 47 4.1.1.2.4 QUESTION 48 4.1.1.2.5 QUESTION 49 4.1.1.2.6 QUESTION 50 4.1.2 DETAILED ANALYSIS OF THE TESTS AND EXAM PAPERS 50 4.1.2.1 RESULTS BASED ON THE PREPOSITIONS 51 4.1.2.1.1 PREPOSITION AT 51 4.1.2.1.2 PREPOSITION BEHIND 51 4.1.2.1.3 PREPOSITION BY 52 4.1.2.1.4 PREPOSITION FOR 53 4.1.2.1.5 PREPOSITION IN 53 4.1.2.1.6 PREPOSITION INTO 54 4.1.2.1.7 PREPOSITION ON 55 4.1.2.1.8 PREPOSITION OVER 55 4.1.2.1.9 PREPOSITION THROUGH 56 4.1.2.1.10 PREPOSITION TO 57 4.1.2.2 RESULTS BASED ON THE SPATIAL, TEMPORAL AND LOGICAL MEANINGS 57 4.2 FINDINGS 59 4.2.1 WITH THE QUESTIONS ABOUT PERSONAL INFORMATION 59 4.2.2 WITH THE QUESTIONS ABOUT STUDENTS’ ATTITUDES 59 4.2.2.1 STUDENTS’ POINTS OF VIEW TOWARDS THE USE OF BNC 60 vi 4.2.2.2 STUDENTS’ POINTS OF VIEW TOWARDS THE USE OF ENGLISH PREPOSITIONS 60 4.2.3 WITH THE PREPOSITIONS 61 4.2.4 WITH SPATIAL, TEMPORAL AND LOGICAL MEANINGS OF THE PREPOSITIONS 64 4.3 DISCUSSION 64 4.3.1 RELIABILITY OF THE DIFFICULTY LEVEL OF WORDS USED IN THE QUESTIONS FOR TESTS 64 4.3.2 RESPONSE TO THE RESEARCH QUESTIONS 68 4.4 SUMMARY 72 CHAPTER 5: CONCLUSION, IMPLICATIONS & RECOMMENDATIONS 73 5.1 IMPLICATIONS 73 5.2 RECOMMENDATIONS 74 5.3 CONCLUSION 75 BIBLIOGRAPHY 77 ONLINE BIBLIOGRAPHY 81 APPENDIX A 83 APPENDIX B 88 APPENDIX C 92 vii viii LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: The interface of British National Corpus 25 Figure 2: The results of searching for the phrase “on the river” ………………………… 26 Figure 3: The results of searching for the phrase “under the river” 26 Figure 4: The number of students in the distributions of genders 42 Figure 5: The distribution of the students’ periods in learning English 43 Figure 6: Students’ self-assessment for their English level 45 Figure 7: Students’ points of view towards using British National Corpus in learning English prepositions 46 Figure 8: Students’ behavior for reading British National Corpus’ examples 48 Figure 9: Students’ attitudes towards the roles of prepositions in contexts 48 Figure 10: Difficulties causing students to use prepositions incorrectly 49 Figure 11: Improvement after using British National Corpus 50 Figure 12: The common aspect in making errors for prepositions tests of students in the research in the academic year of 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 71 ix 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 A into C in B over D for Endill was getting trouble because of all his questions A for C into B over D in Barney was standing my seat when I returned A into C over in B D by I was travelling Athens on my way home from the Lebanon A in C through B to D into A behavior pattern will last adult-hood A into C in B over D for If trains always leave schedule, why so many of them arrive late at the other end? A in C on B over D into The most popular game in England the summer is cricket A for C in B into D over We persuade fear A through C into B in D to I live Sweden A over C in B into D for 22 I had to go town on some business A over C in B for D into 23 We hope to finish painting the house noon tomorrow A into C in B over D by 24 I had been planning this trip Mexico for over a year A to C into B in D through 25 He was not yet halfway ‘Sense and Sensibility’ A into C to B in D through 26 I should have his answer the first of next month 103 27 28 29 30 31 32 A over C by B in D into Statistically, the safest way of travelling is air A by C into B in D over Alison came across and stood her A by C into over B D in The ashes were dumped all the floor A behind C into B over D in Picking your nose public is not illegal, but it is certainly an offence against good manners A for C over B into D in The vicar wore a red and white jacket his clerical shirt A over C behind B into D in The blindfold was tied Ari’s eyes A in C over B into D behind 33 Luce once told JFK lunch, ‘I taught Kenneth Galbraith to write’ A into C in B over D behind 34 The survivors of the Titanic were sea for several days before being rescued A at C over B into D in 35 the last twenty year our rural communities have gradually wasted away A over C into B in D behind 36 Children the age of one year start their colds with a sudden high temperature A in C into B behind D over 37 You’re lucky you weren’t the window A by C in B over D into 38 The river runs the ocean 104 39 40 41 42 A in C into B over D for We tied him a kitchen chair A to C into B in D through It was divided two sections A over C in into B D for The journey involved taking the boat from Trelleborg the south coast of Sweden to Travemunde in West Germany A in C into B over D on John has got very strange taste clothes, hasn’t he? A in C over B for D into 43 There is a shift of balance which will continue the mid 1990s A in C over B for D into 44 My last train leaves Euston 11.30 A over C into B at D in 45 They finished the project schedule A behind C over B in D into 46 She’s well school leaving age A behind C in B into D over 47 They lived there from early February Thanksgiving 1967 A in C through B into D to 48 The man the desk watched them register A over C behind B in D into 49 I’ve never read anything Dickens A in C into B by D over 50 Many of the audience walked out sheer boredom A through C into B to D in 105 Exam paper FINAL TEST IN ENGLISH Time: 60 minutes I GRAMMAR & WRITTEN STRUCTURE A Grammar: Choose the best completion She often imagines _ the first woman President of the United States A became B to become C becoming D becomes Many patients are in the surgery, and they are expected _ A to be examined C for examining B to be examining D to have examined Tom is a junior He _ in this university for nearly three years A has learned B is learning C learn D learned The of the family was the most successful A more gentle B gentler C the most gentle D gentlest This computer needs It cannot run the program necessary for my schooling A upgrading B be upgraded C to upgrade D upgraded Peter _ got good marks because he doesn’t study hard A hardly ever B hard never C hard ever D hardly never Our father _ home when it rained so heavily last night A is riding B had riding C was riding D rode The lesson is difficult to understand so the teacher is trying to explain _ over and over A his students it C it to his students B it his students D it for his students a foreign language is not the work which can be done for a short time A To learn B Learning C In order learn D So to learn 10 Manchester United team played than we thought it would be A More badly B worse C as badly D badlier 11 My friend can math problems accurately a calculator A from B by C on D with 12 It was beginning when the students of this university reached their school A to have rained B raining C rained D to rain 13 Jane reads many kinds of books, but she hasn’t read English novel A any B some C the D an 14 The Prime Minister about the new law of income on TV at the moment 108 A interviews C is interviewed B been interviewed D is being interviewed 15 Parents should not let their children out late without controlling A to stay B being stayed C stay D staying B Written Structure: Each item in this part has four underlined words or phrases which are marked A, B, C, and D Identify the one underlined word or phrase that must be changed in order for the sentence to be correct 16 It was an extremely frightened experience in my life A B C D 17 Frank is usually swimming before work, but this morning he is jogging A B C D 18 We are used to live next door to each other at one time A B C D 19 The severely disable needs full-time care A B C D 20 We arrived to London at o’clock in the morning A B C D 21 The toaster was one of the most early appliances to be developed for the kitchen A B C D 22 Before you leave, please duplicate that file by make a copy on the CD-ROM A B C D 23 The movies are one of the most popular forms of entertainment A B C D 24 It took them at least two hours learning how to pronounce these words A B C D 25 Venus, the second planet from the Sun, is exactly almost the same size as the Earth A B C D II VOCABULARY: Choose the best answer 26 DNA carries the genetic which tells any organism how to build itself A enzyme B blue-print C anemia D embryo 27 My resignation was totally with recent events A connectedless B disconnected C unconnected D inconnected 28 His story is about the _ which is imagined to be very large, ugly and frightening A wizard B witch C detective D monster 29 “≤” is the symbol which represents being in mathematics A much less than C equal to or less than 109 B not equal to D equal or greater than 30 “Register” is the commonly used to describe different levels of formality in language A scale B word C system D term 31 The whole room was in a mess Piles of books and newspapers the floor A left B are thrown C littered D are put 32 The police remain _ of his statement They don’t accept any of his words which are not based on the most complete evident available A unchanged B skeptical C worried D objective 33 These programs will _ with your existing software so that they work together A connect B integrate C communicate D get along well 34 I need to _ this skirt! It is too short for me to wear A longeren B lengthen C enlong C enlength 35 A(n) _ is a scientist whose work deals with the relation of plants and living creatures to each other and to their environment A biochemist B environmentalist C ecologist D biologist 36 Why are these two schools so _ from each other? A interested B safe C aware D different 37 Her success had _ the faith her teachers had put in her A lost B justified C stopped D changed 38 A is a large area of land which is covered chiefly with trees and shrubs A timber B forest C swamp D desert 39 English is spoken as a language in Australia A first B second C foreign D third 40 It is unnecessary for you to it again There is no point in what was already done A duplicating B finishing C making D completing III READING: Choose the best answer to each question Scientists today are studying ocean currents more and more intently Most it using satellites and other high-tech equipment However, oceanographer Curtis Ebbesmeyer does it in a more-fashioned way – by studying movements of random junk A scientist with many years’ experience, he started this type of research in the early 1990s when he heard about hundreds of athletic shoes washing up on the 110 shores of the northwest coast of the United States There were so many shoes that people were holding swap meets to try and match left and right shoes to sell or wear Ebbesmeyer started investigating and found out that the shoes – about 60,000 in total – fell into the ocean in a shipping accident Ebbesmeyer realized this could be a great experiment If he learned when and where the shoes went into the water and tracked where they landed, he could learn a lot about the patterns of the ocean currents The Pacific Ocean Northwest is one of the world’s best areas for beachcombing because of converging winds and currents, and as a result, there is a group of serious beachcombers in this area Ebbesmeyer got to know a lot of them and asked for their help in collecting information about where the shoes landed In a year he collected reliable information on 1,600 shoes With this data, he and a colleague were able to test and refine a computer program designed to model ocean currents, and publish the results of their study As the result of his work, Ebbesmeyer has become known as the scientist to call with questions about any unusual objects found floating in the ocean 41 Ebbesmeyer _ A designed model ocean currents by himself B designed model ocean currents by beachcombers C with his colleague worked on their research D refined a computer program on shoes 42 Ebbesmeyer started his research – the ocean currents – in the _ A late 1990s B last 1990s C mid 1990s D early 1990s 43 Which of the following is NOT true? A The objects which float in the ocean can be useless again B Ebbesmeyer designed model ocean currents and published the results of the study C Ebbesmeyer is an oceanographer who has many years’ experience D Ebbesmeyer called with questions about any unusual objects found floating in the ocean 44 When he found out that the shoes – about 60,000 in total – fell into the ocean in a shipping accident, he A realized this could be a great experiment B could know where they landed at once C could know the patterns of ocean currents D tried to find and match left and right shoes to sell 45 Which of the following is closest in meaning to the word ”junk” as used in paragraph 1? A useless things B special objects C athletic shoes D drifting things 111 46 The word “their” in paragraph refers to A beachcombers in the Pacific Northwest B the workers at the seashores C Ebbesmeyer and beachcombers D Ebbesmeyer and his colleague 47 The text is mainly about Ebbesmeyer’s A business B discovery C childhood D schooling 48 Ebbesmeyer has become known as the scientist to call with questions about found floating in the ocean A reliable information C uncommon objects B athletic shoes D ocean currents 49 Ebbesmeyer studied ocean currents by studying movements of A high-tech equipment C satellites B current circuits D random junk 50 Beachcombers at the Pacific Northwest helped him a lot because they A design ocean currents C know where the shoes landed B know converging winds and currents D are Ebbesmeyer’s colleagues IV.CLOZE TEST: Choose the best completion The idea of harnessing the power of the seas for the production of (51) has existed for some time Yet the efficiency of most systems developed to date is inadequate, making the electricity they generate (52) expensive than burning fossil fuels (53) a result, few operational systems have (54) However, concern over the continuing use of fossil fuels has led to (55) investment in such systems over the last (56) years Ocean power, in all its many forms, is essentially a (57) energy resource The power derives from the energy of the Sun, (58) is stored as heat in the oceans, or it is transferred from the atmosphere to the sea in the form of waves Tidal energy (59) from the force of gravity from the Sun and (60) acting on the water of the ocean basin 51 A energy B fuel C pure water D materials 52 A too B less C more D so 53 A With B As C For D In 54 A developed B been developed C developing D be developed 55 A increased B decreasing C increasing D decreased 112 56 57 58 59 60 A more A renewable A who A resulted A Jupiter B few B unrenewable B that B results B Neptune C little C unrenewed C which C resulting C Moon D less D renewed D where D to result D Mars THE END ANSWER KEYS PREPOSITIONS-TEST 1 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 Raise the gun TO your shoulder, aim at the target, and shoot She bought her wedding dress IN an exclusive shop The hills here are covered with wildflowers IN early spring It snows here every year IN December Toby was in the hospital for two weeks after his motorcycle accident ON the freeway I've been THROUGH all this with the police From exhaustive researches INTO the matter, scientists now confirm that we are all getting older The plane leaves tomorrow morning AT 8:00 AM He carried on working long INTO the night At ten TO nine she was ready to leave Although I practice quite a lot, I never seem to win very often AT tennis There is no bridge OVER the river We were running BEHIND schedule when we boarded a bus for Suva Mike was sitting AT his desk in his office Nathan was able to exchange money AT the exchange counter While they were hiking on Ridgeback Mountain, Laurels and Frank saw a bear IN the woods Michael is leaving ON Friday We’ve usually INTO May before the weather changes If you can’t finish the report by Friday, please try to get it done OVER the weekend He worked from dawn TO dusk They plan to invest INTO Hong Kong He was the moving spirit BEHIND this venture to the Arctic He went THROUGH High School with her Could you hold on FOR a few moments? Would you like to contribute TO our campaign fund? 113 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 THROUGH the years there was, of course, a great deal of rebuilding Jane is arriving AT o'clock We talked FOR an hour Joanna has a cut ON her left arm Normally, on New Year's Eve, it's tradition to kiss the one you love AT midnight He was one of the strongest drives BEHIND the women’s movement With luck, we should be in London BY o’clock I was waiting on the corner BY Tim Horton’s for over an hour The cat is BEHIND the armchair We always go outside and play in the snow ON Christmas day While Dave was AT the top of the Eiffel Tower, he could see several tourist boats on Seine Why don't we go TO the movies tonight? Peter traveled to London ON the train The dog ran INTO the house There’s no point in getting upset OVER things that are beyond your control I boarded the train FOR New York He went TO his friend's house They began to drop out of the race one BY one He trotted THROUGH the sand I tripped OVER the cat and fell downstairs The brown bears found ON Kodiak Island are the largest in the world She was pouring some hot liquid from a thermos flask INTO a cup I’m leaving FOR Washington on Tuesday morning I think the film’s a bit weak AT the end Think of a number Now multiply it BY seven 114 PREPOSITIONS-TEST 2 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 The clock is ON the mantelpiece The whole of our organization is BEHIND you, at every minute He worked FOR a large firm The village had bought it FOR me It was already three and a half hours BEHIND schedule She takes great pride IN her work He stood BY her while she telephoned I did a lot of thinking OVER Christmas He gave the money TO the cook BY 11p.m all the ships were back I know from experience that I my best work early IN the morning The bus would leave Malmo AT 9.30 on Friday evening He sent a copy of his will to his bank FOR safe keeping The best reason for having strict rules AT school is that it gives the pupils something to rebel against when they are older There has been a sharp increase IN house prices in recent months I didn’t trust the post, so I delivered the parcel BY hand ON balance, air travel offers the best value for money ON May Day, in a startling departure from tradition, the President got on a bicycle and rode round Red Square Let Albert work it out; he has an aptitude FOR figures We’d all better arrive ON time tomorrow; otherwise we might miss the train He had not seen her FOR several years I decided to travel BY bus He got INTO bed Tall people are definitely at an advantage AT a football match He noticed a pretty girl sitting ON a bench I see Brian’s put his house ON sale Mind you, I don’t think it’ll be very easy to sell Adam went TO the station to meet Sheila He walked back to the village BEHIND his brother We’ll all be dead BY then The driver BEHIND me began hooting He decided to spend the first week with his aunt IN Liverpool It was a quarter TO eleven Liverpool is not the most beautiful city IN the world There are lots of books IN the bookcase I feel the growing power of the sun as it lifts INTO the day He is BEHIND other boys of his class They attempted to gain access THROUGH a side entrance 110 38 OVER the valley, a full moon was rising 39 Do sit down Mr Brown will join you IN a moment 40 We would leave Nairobi at midday and drive THROUGH the night to Ferguson’s Gulf 41 He had not slept or eaten properly FOR almost thirty-six hours 42 She puts the table BY the sofa 43 He worked from dawn TO dusk 44 I have walked between twenty and thirty miles IN a day 45 Could you come back in half an hour? Mr Barton’s AT lunch 46 You could tell AT a glance that he was no ordinary speaker 47 Every summer I like to travel TO Britain to visit my family and friends 48 We’re already well BEHIND schedule 49 I went back to my daughter and husband AT weekends 50 His tongue stuck TO the roof of his mouth 111 PREPOSITIONS-TEST 3 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 Stage was eventually completed nearly two years BEHIND schedule Most people think the government is to blame FOR rising unemployment I was in college from 1927THROUGH1932 He looked up as Gant shut the door BEHIND him I’ve taken this watch TO pieces, and now I can’t put it together again Although their marriage was not a happy one, they decided to stay together FOR the sake of the children Do you take pride IN your appearance, or are you just vain? The doctor walked over TO the door and opened it Forecasting has already been substantially improved THROUGH computer analysis The teacher told the students to hand in their term papers BY Wednesday He goes to school from Monday TO Friday He flew on OVER the school house This car may be old, but it’s still IN very good condition Endill was getting INTO trouble because of all his questions Barney was standing BY my seat when I returned I was travelling THROUGH Athens on my way home from the Lebanon A behavior pattern will last INTO adult-hood If trains always leave ON schedule, why so many of them arrive late at the other end? The most popular game in England IN the summer is cricket We persuade THROUGH fear I live IN Sweden I had to go INTO town on some business We hope to finish painting the house BY noon tomorrow I had been planning this trip THROUGH Mexico for over a year He was not yet halfway THROUGH ‘Sense and Sensibility’ I should have his answer BY the first of next month Statistically, the safest way of travelling is BY air Alison came across and stood BY her The ashes were dumped all OVER the floor Picking your nose IN public is not illegal, but it is certainly an offence against good manners The vicar wore a red and white jacket OVER his clerical shirt The blindfold was tied OVER Ari’s eyes Luce once told JFK OVER lunch, ‘I taught Kenneth Galbraith to write’ The survivors of the Titanic were AT sea for several days before being rescued OVER the last twenty year our rural communities have gradually wasted away Children OVER the age of one year start their colds with a sudden high temperature You’re lucky you weren’t BY the window 112 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 The river runs INTO the ocean We tied him TO a kitchen chair It was divided INTO two sections The journey involved taking the boat from Trelleborg ON the south coast of Sweden to Travemunde in West Germany John has got very strange taste IN clothes, hasn’t he? There is a shift of balance which will continue INTO the mid 1990s My last train leaves Euston AT 11.30 They finished the project BEHIND schedule She’s well OVER school leaving age They lived there from early February THROUGH Thanksgiving 1967 The man BEHIND the desk watched them register I’ve never read anything BY Dickens Many of the audience walked out THROUGH sheer boredom Exam paper C A A D A A C C B 10 B 11 D 12 D 16 C 17 A 18 A 19 B 20 B 21 C 22 C 23 A 24 C 25 C 26 B 27 B 31 C 32 B 33 D 34 B 35 B 36 D 37 B 38 B 39 A 40 A 41 C 42 D 113 46 D 47 B 48 C 49 D 50 C 51 A 52 C 53 B 54 A 55 B 56 B 57 A 13 A 14 D 15 C 28 D 29 C 30 D 43 A 44 A 45 A 114 58 C 59 B 60 C ... This thesis aims at investigating the common errors in the use of the ten most frequent English prepositions by non- majored English students at the University of Natural Sciences (UNS) The ten...CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I hereby certify my authorship of the thesis submitted today entitled: INVESTIGATING COMMON ERRORS IN THE USE OF ENGLISH PREPOSITIONS BY NON -ENGLISH MAJOR STUDENTS AT UNIVERSITY. .. were used to consider their common errors in the use of English prepositions in term of the preposition itself and in terms of the spatial, temporal and logical meanings of prepositions The findings