The Use of Subject-verb Agreement in Present and Past Simple in English by Preparatory School Students in Zawia

Abstract

This study investigate the use of subject-verb agreement in present and past simple in English by students.

The subjects of the study were forty preparatory school students in Zawia and it also included ten teachers who teach the preparatory phase in this area. The tools which were used, in this study were a written test for students and a questionnaire for teachers in Al-Moterd preparatory school in Zawia .

The researcher used Spearman Brown method with an expert analyzing the results.

The findings of the study proved:

• Students do not know exactly about subject-verb agreement in present and past tense.


• Students confused with singular subjects and irregular plural subjects such as oxen and mice.


• Students also confused with regular plural subjects and words that seem to be plural since they end with "s" such as maths and news.


• The interlingua error is the main factor in causing errors in subject-verb agreement in present and past simple.


• English teachers focus more on the content of textbook rather than the correct use of subject-verb agreement.


• It is recommended that teachers of English should focus both oral and written practice to reinforce students' knowledge of subject-verb agreement in English.


• It is also recommended that they should create atmosphere for students in order to make them feel free to ask when they face difficulties in subject-verb agreement.