PROBLEMS OF ENGLISH AUXILIARIES AMONG STUDENTS OF THE FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC, OKO

BY

UGOJI, STELLA C. PG/MA/06/42197

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH AND LITERARY STUDIES FACULTY OF ARTS

UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUKKA

NOVEMBER 2009

TITLE PAGE

PROBLEMS OF ENGLISH AUXILIARIES AMONG STUDENTS OF THE

FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC, OKO

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APPROVAL PAGE

I, Professor Samuel. Onuigbo, of the Department of English and Literary Studies,

University of Nigeria, Nsukka, do approve this project as having fulfilled the

requirements for the award of the Master of Arts in English and Literary studies of the

University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

_________________ Supervisor

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CERTIFICATION

This is to certify that this project is an independent study carried out by Ugoji,

Stella C. With the registration number: PG/MA/06/42197 of the Department of English

and Literary Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, and that this work has not been

presented in part or full for the award of any diploma or degree in this or any other

university.

_______________ _______________________ Supervisor Head of Department _________________________ _____________________ Dean, Faculty of Arts External Examiner

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DEDICATION

This thesis is dedicated to God who saw me through these years in the University.

I give Him all thanks for without his partnership I would not have made it.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to express my indebtedness and appreciation to a good number of

people for their inspiration, encouragement and support without which the work would

certainly not have been successful. I am thankful to God who saw me through all my

endeavours with good health, provision and journey mercies throughout the course of my

studies. I want to say a big thank you to my spiritual director, the Rev. Fr Fidelis Ugozor,

the Rev. Fr. Paul Azuakor, Sster Ebele Nwuzor and all the children of God in St Peter’s

Catholic Church, Oko for their spiritual support and prayers throughout these years. My

special appreciation goes to my project supervisor, Prof. Samuel Onuigbo, who with

outstanding diligence, patiently read and corrected the earlier versions of this work. I am

highly indebted to him. A big thank you goes to my friends Mrs Egwuchukwu Ike-

Okafor, Mrs Oby Okoye, Uche Udenweze and Dr. Mrs Ngozi Onwuka for their

encouragement, love, support and advice throughout this programme. Thank you. I wish

to express my profound gratitude to Mr. Chibuzor Onunkwo, for his brotherly and

friendly role throughout the course of this project. My thanks also go to the Dean, Faculty

of Arts, Prof. Damian Opata, and all the lecturers in the Department of English and

Literary Studies for their various contributions to my academic growth. May God bless

you all.

I am not forgetting you my father Anthony Ujoji and my brothers Michael,

Cosmas and my only sister Maria. I thank you for all the help you gave me especially

when I was in need. May God bless and reward you a thousand folds. Above all, I give all

the glory, adoration, honour and thanksgiving to the Eucharistic Jesus for the guidance,

healthy body, journey mercies, sustenance and wisdom he provided me for this project.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title page --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- i

Approval ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ii

Certification ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ iii

Dedication -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- iv

Acknowledgements --------------------------------------------------------------------- v

Table of Contents ----------------------------------------------------------------------- vi

Abstract ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- vii

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION --------------------------------------------- 1

1.1 Background of the Study --------------------------------------------------------- 1

1.2 The Objectives of the Study ------------------------------------------------------ 6

1.3 The Relevance of the Study ------------------------------------------------------ 7

1.4 The Research Problem ------------------------------------------------------------ 9

1.5 The Scope of the Study ----------------------------------------------------------- 10

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW------------------------------------ 11

2.1 Auxiliaries in the English Grammar ……………………………………… 14

2.2 The Problems of English Auxiliaries……………………………………… 15

2.3 Functions of Auxiliary Verbs……………………………………………… 18

2.4 Improper Use of Auxiliary Verbs…………………………………………. 20

2.5 Summary…………………………………………………………………... 20

CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY -------------------------------------- 21

3.1 The Research Design --------------------------------------------------------------- 21

3.2 The Areas of Study------------------------------------------------------------------ 21

3.3 The Population ---------------------------------------------------------------------- 22

3.4 The Sampling Technique----------------------------------------------------------- 22

3.5 The Research Instrument----------------------------------------------------------- 22

3.6 The Method of Data Analysis ---------------------------------------------------- 25

CHAPTER FOUR: THE ANALYSIS OF DATA ------------------------------ 26

4.1 The Analysis of Sentences -------------------------------------------------------- 28

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CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION --------------------- 32

5.1 Discussion of Findings ------------------------------------------------------------- 32

5.2 Conclusion --------------------------------------------------------------------------- 33

5.3 Suggestions and Recommendations for Further Studies ---------------------- 34

Works Cited-------------------------------------------------------------------------- 36

Appendix -------------------------------------------------------------------------- 39

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ABSTRACT

The English verb poses major difficulty to learners and users of English as a second

language. Part of the problem lies on the interference relationship between the verb

system in English and the verb system of the learner’s native language. For proper

manipulation of the grammatical structure of the target language, however, the learner

must be able to handle the various aspects of the verb effectively. The problem of the

main verb in English is enormous but the difficulty of proper use of the auxiliary verbs is

more complex since learners have to first distinguish between the main verb and the

auxiliaries in terms of structure and function. Therefore, if the second language learner

must be effective in the grammar of the English language, there is the need for him to

have good knowledge of the verb system since the verb by its nature is problematic. The

teacher and the learner should be conscious of this inevitable position of the verb and

accord the teaching and learning of the English verb in general and its auxiliaries in

particular the attention and seriousness they deserve. This research was therefore

designed to examine the problems inherent in the English verb with particular reference

to its auxiliaries. Descriptive method of data collection was used where a sample of the

population was administered with written test to find out the level of efficiency in the use

of verbs and auxiliary verbs, and to show how misuse could hinder effective

communication. On the basis of the findings of this research, it was discovered that the

students display confusion in the proper use of the English auxiliaries. Also they do not

have clear knowledge of the verbal element. They find it very difficult to differentiate

between the past forms of the auxiliary verbs and their modal equivalent. Another major

problem in effective manipulation of verbs is the inherent structural irregularities within

the verb system. Based on these findings, the following recommendations were made.

Teachers of the English language in Nigerian schools should be encouraged by improving

their initiatives through conferences and seminars in English language teaching. Again,

the government and heads of schools should ensure that only graduate teachers and

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experts in English language are assigned the duty of teaching the English grammar. The

study shows that it is only by identifying the problems and handling them effectively that

learners and users of auxiliary verbs in English could improve their proficiency in the

grammar of the language.

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

The place of the English language as a language of compromise is well

established as it serves as the only language that cuts across ethnic boundaries in Nigeria.

It behoves learners, therefore, to do everything possible to learn it well and become

competent in it.

Accuracy in speech and writing makes effective understanding a reality. But

wrong sentences or misuse of words can hinder communication. They can be likened to

defective electric wiring which possesses a loose screw or an unsoldered joint that may

simply break the circuit and obstruct the functioning of a machine or cause a short-

circuiting that will burn down a building. The effect of bad English is quite similar to this.

It may result in misunderstanding and may short–circuit the listener’s inflammable

temper and lead to fire alarm. (Eyisi, 2003:11).

Writing is a crucial art in the process of learning a foreign language, like English,

which has become the language of global communication. The ability to write clearly is

essential for effective communication and critical to employment and production in the

contemporary world.

In the use of language both the spoken and written English are considered

important for effective communication. Educators in Nigeria, as well as university and

polytechnic lecturers all over the country, have had some complaints ranging from poor

quality of the writing of their graduates and misuse of the English auxiliaries among the

students. They are currently faced with the challenge of adopting and developing a wide

range of methods for effective teaching of English writing. This, of course, is not an easy

task. Nothing gladdens the hearts of teachers more than the fact that their students are

doing well in their subject areas. Teachers of English in Nigeria yearn to share in this joy.

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Their usual concern is how to eliminate all the errors committed by their students, and so

helps them speak and write English correctly (Eyisi, 2003:12).

Unfortunately, in a second language situation, such as Nigeria, the errors became

multifarious with regards to the English auxiliaries because students study the target

language against the background of their mother tongues in which they have attained a

reasonable degree of competence. The verb is a major part of speech in English. Among

the major parts of speech, the verb plays about the most important role in helping us to

communicate our ideas. It is possible in some sentences for us to omit the other major

parts of speech (Noun, Adjective or Adverb) without altering the meaning, but the

omission of the verb produces a meaningless group of words. It is the verb that states

what somebody or something does or what state the person or thing is in, as in the

following examples. .

John walks to school everyday.

My mother cooked rice yesterday.

The auxiliary verb has received many definitions from different writers as well as

practioners. Crystal (1995:212) sees the auxiliary (or helping) verbs as those verbs that

assist the main verb in a clause to express basic grammatical contrasts, such as in person,

number, and tense. They do not follow the same grammatical rules as the main verb

which is why they must be considered as a separate class.

Onuigbo (2005: 22) in his own view maintains that the primary function of the

auxiliary verbs is to help the main or full verbs to form their tenses – past and present.

And to form futurity in the English language, the presence of the auxiliary verbs is

indispensable. They are further sub-divided into two: Primary and Modal auxiliary verbs.

Primary Auxiliary Verbs are only three in the language. They are have, do and be.

The three have two common features. One, they all end in ‘s’ in their third person

singular present tense. For example:

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Emmanuel is here.

Okoro always has a radio set.

Bello does his work well.

Two, the three in some sentences function as full verbs and in some others they help the

main verbs of the sentences to form their tenses. In these sentences, they are used as full

verbs:

They had a nice meal after the long fasting.

She did her house chores in time.

But in the sentences below they help the main verbs to form their tenses:

Jane is washing her clothes.

They were arguing over the electric bills.

The butcher had killed the cow.

Note, however, that the verb be is the most inflected verb amongst the three. In fact, it is

the most inflected verb in the English language. Its forms include: am, are, is, was, were,

being, been, and be.

The Modal Auxiliary Verbs are the second type of the auxiliary verbs. Busman (1996:

307) states that modal auxiliaries “are semantically defined subset of verbs which express

modal meaning in connection with an infinitive of a main verb: can, want, must, should,

may, shall, will, would as well as some marginal ones (dare, ought to, etc.)”. He goes

ahead to state that two main functions of modal verbs are:

(a) Specification of the semantic relationship between the subject and the action

described by the verb, such as suspicion, necessity, permission.

(b) Expression of the speaker’s subjective attitude towards the utterance; i.e. they

serve as paraphrases of verbal mood.

Crystal (1992:317) cited in Ndimele Trends in the Study of Languages &

Linguistics (2005) describes modal auxiliaries as “verb-like words, which typically

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express speakers’ attitudes towards the factual content of an utterance, such as

uncertainty, possibility, and necessity.” Unlike the primary ones, they are never used as

full verbs in sentences. Below is a list of some of the modal auxiliary verbs with their past

forms:

PRESENT PAST

shall should

will would

may might

can could

dare dared

must must

ought ought

Note that the modal auxiliary verbs neither take the –ed and –en suffixes nor the –

ing suffix of verbs. Note further that even though in American English, the auxiliary

verbs shall and will, are used interchangeably, in British English, especially in the formal

styles, there is still the maintenance of the slight distinction between the two as prescribed

by classical grammarians. To indicate simple future in British English, shall is preferred

to will in the first person singular and plural.

I shall go to Lagos on Tuesday.

We shall eat rice in the morning.

It is further recommended that will should indicate futurity in the second and third

person singular and plural.

He will travel to Abuja the day after tomorrow.

They will plait their hair in a fortnight.

Apart from the above definitions, Ogbulogu’s (1998) definition differs slightly by

saying that auxiliary verbs are those verbs that are used to complete the meaning of other

verbs. They are also called helping verbs, anomalous, finites, special finites or modal

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auxiliaries by writers. In making complete the meanings of other verbs, they help to

indicate tense, aspect, mood, and even voice.

Some see grammar simply as a set of normative rules that determine correctness.

A sentence therefore, is incorrect if it contravenes any of the rules. Based on the

characteristics of written English, normative rules of grammar have their foundation on

logic, aesthetic qualities of the forms used, history of usage, and authoritative support of

usage by the best writers (Oluikpe, 1979:47). It appears that the yardstick for admission

into the select group of the educated in the Nigerian situation is one’s performance in the

English language. It means also that the bastion of education, at least as the public sees it,

is the development in the student of a high level competence in the English language

(Oluikpe, 1979:47).

To develop this needed competence and to ensure a high level of performance,

one has to internalize the structure of the language to the point of automacity (Oluikpe,

1979:47). Critics of the products of our educational institutions believe, therefore, that

our students are poor performers in the use of auxiliary verbs as well as in the English

language because they have not internalized the grammar of the language to the point of

automacity. In this research, the common expressions made by users and learners of the

English language as it concerns the auxiliary verbs in the Federal Polytechnic, Oko is

looked into. Some of these expressions have remained so consistent in their high

frequency of occurrence that many people now feel that they are acceptable in English.

As a result, in many cases, it becomes very difficult for a teacher to convince his students

that such expressions, which they have heard, and read for over a long period of time

even from well-educated people are sheer grammatical blunders (Eyisi, 2003:12).

The thrust of this work is to show that an erroneous expression remains an

erroneous expression; it does not matter who says it or who writes it. It is anticipated that

after going through this project, one will make correct use of auxiliary verbs so much part

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of one’s thought that whenever one speaks or writes, the correct version will appear

spontaneously.

Thus, holding the view that competence in grammar is as consequential as

competence in communication, the researcher sought to investigate, identify and analyze

the problems of the English auxiliaries among the students of Federal Polytechnic, Oko.

1.2 The Objectives of the Study

Many students display some confusion in the use of English auxiliaries. In

linguistics, an auxiliary (also called helping verb), is a verb functioning to give further

semantic, or syntactic information about the main verb following it. In English, the extra

meaning an auxiliary verb imparts alters the basic form of the main verb to have one or

more of the following functions: passive, progressive, perfect, modal, or dommy. The

primary auxiliary verbs are “be,” “do,” and “have.” The modal auxiliaries are can, could,

may, might, shall, should, will, would, and must. Modal verbs are defined as a category of

the auxiliaries in that they too are “helping” verbs. They help the main verb to express a

range of meanings: possibility, probability, certainty, permission, request, instructions,

suggestions, offers and invitations, wants and wishes, obligation and necessity (Jarvie,

1993).

There is a syntactic difference between an auxiliary verb and a full verb; that is,

each has a different grammatical function within the sentence. In English, and in many

other languages, there are some verbs that can act either as auxiliary or as full verbs, such

as be (“I am writing a letter;” “ I am a postman”) and have (“I have written a letter;” “I

have a letter”). In case of “be”, it is sometimes ambiguous whether it is auxiliary or not;

for example, “The ice cream was melted” could mean either someone/something melted

the ice cream (in which case melt would be the main verb) or the ice cream was mostly

liquid (in which case be would ‘be’ the main verb).

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This project is based entirely on the problems of the English auxiliaries among the

students of Federal Polytechnic, Oko. The objective of this work is therefore, to make

known to readers the importance and functions of the English auxiliary verbs and to learn

from commonly misused expressions to avoid ambiguity, confusion, misunderstanding

and embarrassment, which the misuse creates in everyday communication in our students.

It builds up a body of knowledge about the proper and improper uses of the English

auxiliaries.

In specific terms, the study aims at the following,

(a). To analyze critically the written tests of second year students of Federal

Polytechnic, Oko with a view to identifying systematic and recurrent errors in

their use of English auxiliaries.

(b). To classify the errors identified in the order of frequency.

(c). To discuss fully reasons that might have engendered the errors analyzed in the

study.

1.3 The Relevance of the Study

Language is that organized system of communication by man. Every language has

its peculiarities and no two languages are exactly the same. Code-mixing is often

encountered in language contact situations and these are quite common among second

language users in Nigeria.

Nigeria is a multilingual society with over four hundred spoken languages. Only

three: Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba are recognized as the major native languages by the 1999

constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. These three, of course, have written

forms. The English Language is not indigenous to Nigeria but it is her lingua franca.

Languages serve the same purpose but the English language has an edge over the other

languages of the world. Quirk (1978) says that “English is the world’s most important

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language”. The language has been so well accepted that it has become the linguistic

property of the educated Nigerians. It is the language of formal education, newspapers,

journals, law courts and the main medium of communication in this multilingual nation,

Nigeria.

It is true that studying or speaking a foreign language is not always easy because

of the complex nature of language learning and also because the structures of the second

language are normally in contradiction with the structures of the learners’ first language.

However, because of the place of pride, which English has occupied in Nigeria, the

structures of the language have to be mastered. The mastery is necessary to avoid

linguistic embarrassment, promote international intelligibility, and reduce to the barest

minimum, the learning of English by analogy. Unfortunately, the use of English language

auxiliaries constitutes a great problem to many of our students and learners of the

language. Thus, competence in grammar is as consequential as competence in

communication. The misuse of auxiliary verb is not even peculiar to the students but also

among older users of the language.

This project is relevant because it aimed at bringing to the fore, the various

conventional uses of the auxiliary verbs while pointing out at the same time common

areas of misuse by these students and users of the English language. This will enable both

the students and other users of the English to overcome the problems of the learning and

use of the auxiliaries.

The study is equally significant in the following ways:

a. It will contribute to existing knowledge on the importance of grammaticality and

acceptability of the English language communication and show how the abuse can

pose a threat to effective communication in the students and their teachers.

b. It will reveal those common problematic areas and show how their misuse hinders

effective communication.

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c. It will be beneficial to all users of English in Nigeria, especially English

instructors and learners.

d. The result of the finding will highlight those linguistic obstacles which hinder

effective communication among teachers and students and thus stimulate more

researchers into the field of investigation.

Finally, the suggestions that will be given at the end of the study will go a long

way in improving the quality of both the written and spoken English of the students and

the entire populace. Teachers of English language will be spurred into more research for

better and improved methods of teaching English language so as to minimize and

eradicate grammatical errors in students’ writing.

1.4 The Research Problem

Nigerian students in tertiary institutions are the products of two languages, the

mother tongue (L1) and English language (L2). These students who are most of the time

not well grounded in the English language often engage in transliteration due to

interference of their first language. The students display confusion in the use of English

auxiliaries. Such misuse either changes the intended meaning or brings about non-

standard English usages, which cause a breakdown in communication. There is a

syntactic difference between an auxiliary verb and a full verb; that is, each has a different

grammatical function within the sentence. The auxiliaries are used and misused mostly

with the past participle, passive voice, present participle, progressive aspect and perfect

aspect. The need to examine these areas which have not been fully analyzed is the central

focus of this project. There is a great difference between the auxiliaries and the main

verbs. Much work has been done in the area of the main verb and the problems

experienced by the second language learners but the auxiliaries are yet to be given the

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kind of detailed study we have with the verbs. This explains why the project is designed

to provide part of the data required for effective study of the auxiliary verbs in English.

Poor performance of these students in English language has caused a lot of

anxiety and grief not only to the students but also to educationists, teachers, parents and

even the government. Investigations have shown that students’ poor performance in

English language is basically in the area of grammar and structure. One of the problems is

that many Nigerian speakers of the English language cannot speak and write the language

effectively and express Nigerian thoughts and values adequately. It is this problem that

the project sets to examine in order to find out, identify and analyze the problems of the

English auxiliaries among the users and learners of English in the written tests of year II

students of Federal Polytechnic, Oko.

1.6 The Scope of the Study

This work does not claim to be exhaustive because of the constraints posed by

time and space. This topic is apparently unexplored by many scholars and as a result, the

researcher is faced with the problem of books that deal extensively on the topic.

However, the data for the study are largely drawn from the written tests of year II

students of Federal Polytechnic, Oko. The test will deal mainly on the misuse of the

English auxiliaries and give examples of such misuse from sources mentioned above.

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CHAPTER TWO

LITERATURE REVIEW

Auxiliaries in the English Grammar

The essence of this chapter is to review the relevant literature in the field with

reference to the problems of English auxiliaries. Oji (1988:5) writes that “in the not too

distant past, it was propounded that knowledge of grammar was not essential for the

mastery of a given language.” Those who accepted the theory failed to understand that

one’s mother tongue is not the same as one’s second language in terms of the process of

language acquisition. Everybody concedes that one speaks one’s mother tongue without

necessarily bothering oneself about the grammatical conventions of the language. A

second-language learner, on the other hand, has to command, to a considerable degree,

the grammar of such a language before he can make pretensions to the mastery of it,

because, whereas a first language speaker or learner has internalized the repertoire from

which he draws the grammatical rules of his language, the second language leaner is not

so endowed.

For this reason, it appears that the falling standard of English in West Africa as

elsewhere is, in great part, due to the neglect which has been the lot of English grammar

in schools, polytechnics and universities.” Brook (1990:12) cited in Ozioko (2007: 15).

writes that “knowledge of the grammar of a language borne out of thorough linguistic

study is a prerequisite to proficiency in language.” Proficient use of a language reduces

ambiguity, which can hamper communication. People who have sound knowledge of

English grammar, for instance, and their counterparts who do not have such a privilege

may end up giving different meanings and interpretations to English sentenses. The

auxiliary verbs are part of the grammatical units, which the learner must acquire. As has

been noted earlier Onuigbo 2005 also joined the aforementioned scholars to reinforce the

importance of auxiliary verbs. Oji (1988:25) opines that auxiliary verbs have the main

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function of helping the lexical verbs to form their tense. Thomson and Martinet

(1986:109) assert that auxiliaries help to form a tense or an expression, hence the name.

They combine with present or past participle or with infinitives to form the tenses of

ordinary verbs.

According to Ogbulogu (1998:53), auxiliary verbs are those verbs that are used to

complete the meaning of other verbs.

In sentences (1-3), the verb in italics are usually called ‘auxiliary verbs.’

(1) It is raining.

(2) You have been overcharged.

(3) It must have been raining.

These auxiliary verbs are distinguished from other verbs by two characteristics:

They are each followed by a non-finite verb which they ‘support’ in various ways. The

term ‘auxiliary verb’ refers to this support role (Think of ‘auxiliary teacher,’ a support

teacher.) They are also syntactically special in a number of ways that are quite separate

from the support role; for example, English auxiliary verbs are unlike other verbs in

allowing subject inversion:

(4) It is raining - Is it raining?

(5) She wrote a book – BUT NOT Wrote she a book?

The trouble is that these two characteristics are separate and each defines a

different group of verbs to which grammarians give distinct names:

Verbs that combine with a following non-finite verb are often called ‘catenative

verbs’ (where the term ‘catenative’ means ‘chaining’ – Latin catena, ‘chain’). This term

includes verbs like get, keep, start, help as well as the traditional auxiliary verbs:

(6) She was/got chosen for the job

(7) She was/kept talking

(8) She ought/started to talk

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(9) She will/helped wash up.

Verbs that allow subject inversion (and other grammatical patterns to be listed

below) are called ‘operators.’ So the rule for subject inversion is to ‘put an operator

before the subject.’ This term includes the verb ‘be’ in all its uses, and not just when it

supports another verb, and also the verb ‘have’ when it means ‘possess.’ All the

following sentences therefore, contain operators which are not catenatives.

(10) She is ready – Is she ready?

(11) She has some money – Has she any money?

The clear cases of auxiliary verbs combine the two sets of properties, so we can

provisionally define auxiliary verbs like this:

An auxiliary verb is a catenative which is also an operator. The auxiliary verbs

defined by this criterion are:

* be, when followed by a non-finite verb (is working, was chosen, is to go)

* have ,when followed by a past participle (have finished).

* do, when followed by an infinitive (did know)

* will, shall, can, may, must, ought

* (for some speakers) used, dare and need.

An auxiliary verb is a verb which accompanies the lexical verb of a verb phrase, and

expresses grammatical distinctions not carried by the lexical verb, such as:

* person

* number

* tense

* aspect and

* voice

An auxiliary verb is a word that modifies the meaning of another verb in a sentence and

may also be known as a helping verb.

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Auxiliary verbs, according to Ndimele (1999:104) have been traditionally described as

helping verbs in the sense that they help the main verbs to bear markers of tense, aspect,

mood and negation, in most languages. In English, the auxiliary verb normally precedes

the main verb. Ononye et al (1992:9) see the auxiliary verbs as the helping verbs. They

cannot exist on their own but help to make up verb phrases.

Nutsukpo (1990:74) says that the word ‘auxiliary’ comes from the Latin word

auxilium, meaning help. Thus, auxiliary verbs are alternatively called helping verbs. And

they do help to form various constructions, and to indicate the mood of a speaker/writer.

2.2 The Problems of English Auxiliaries

Experts in Nigerian English have identified three major groups of users of the

English Language based on the levels of performance. The first group comprises those

Nigerians whose use of English is similar in many respects to the standard used by an

average educated Englishman. The second group consists of those whose use of English

is quite high, but not as high as that of those in the first group. The third group consist of

those Nigerians whose use of English is full of mistakes in pronunciation, choice of

words and grammar. Areas of major difficulty usually lie in the handling of English

tenses, but the grammar and lexis of one language often interfere with the other. This is

supported with the fact that languages are diverse and any attempt to pattern them as

traditional grammarians attempted would prove erroneous. It is, therefore, wrong for

English users and learners to omit the English auxiliaries simply because of the

interference of their mother tongue. Strevens (1973) cited in Oluikpe (2007:105) sums up

the relationship between language, science and technology in this way:

Being a scientist or technologist entails learning a number of habits of

thought, that these habits of thought directly affect his use of language,

and that the scientist can only function as scientist if he learns how to

use language appropriate to these habits of thought.

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Ikeagwu (1991) cited in Ozioko (2007), identified language as a major impediment to

effective communication in the media. He also says that the English language dominates

every other language in Nigerian media houses. Since language is the barrier, and since

English is the major language, it then implies that incompetence in the knowledge and in

the use of the language, is the greatest cause of the barrier in communication in the

media. Frank Angelo complains that ‘lack of precision in our use of words in stories and

headlines are things that disturb our readers and listeners.” Supporting him, Crowell

warns that “without a subject, a verb seems to be giving command.’

2.3 Functions of Auxiliary Verbs

Rodney Huddleston, (1996) posits that auxiliary verb may be defined as applying

to a syntactically distinct verb class whose members have the following properties.

(a) They express meanings or mark grammatical categories of the kind that are often

expressed or marked by inflections – e.g. tense, mood, aspect, voice.

(b) They function as dependent to the verb they enter into construction with.

In linguistics, an auxiliary (also called helping verb, auxiliary verb, or verbal

auxiliary) is a verb functioning to give further semantic or syntactic information

about the main or full verb following it. In English, the extra meaning an

auxiliary verb imparts alters the basic form of the main verb to have one or more

of the following functions: passive, progressive, perfect, modal, or dummy.

Ujowundu, C.O. (2001) in his own view posits that auxiliary verbs are

those “that help the main verbs to perform the functions they do in sentences. In

traditional grammar, they are referred to as helping verbs.”

Palmer, F. R. (1974) says that the ‘auxiliary verbs differ morphologically

from the other verbs in several ways. First, none of them have a present third

person singular form that differs from other present forms only by having final – s

[ s ], [ z ] or [ iz ]. Most of them, have no distinct third person (I can, he can) at

16

all, while the form is, has and does [dΛ z] cannot (in spoken form) be interpreted

phonologically as am (or are), have and do [ du: ] respectively, plus – s.

The verb BE has other idiosyncratic forms too. Lastly, most of the

auxiliary verbs have ‘weak’ forms, as well as ‘strong’ forms, the former occurring

only when unstressed.

Auxiliary verbs are a small class of words, made up of primary auxiliary

like be and modal auxiliaries can. Auxiliary verbs are structurally necessary for

certain constructions (especially negative and question clause), and these

constructions enable us to distinguish them from main verbs.

(a) Auxiliary verbs can be placed before the negative word not:

I am not working today.

(b) Auxiliary verbs can be placed before the subject in questions:

Can I help?

An auxiliary verb can occur without a main verb, but only where the main verb is omitted

because it is supplied by earlier context.

I can speak French as well as she can.

According to Bussman (1996:45) cited in Ndimele (2005) the auxiliary is a

“subcategory of verbs which can be distinguished from the main verbs by semantic and

syntactic criteria.” Auxiliaries typically occur as exponents of morphological categories

such as tense, mood, voice, number and person.

It is also very significant that McCawley (1971:79) cited in Palmer (1979) argues

‘that the traditional term auxiliary verb is syntactically justified;’ yet his analysis, which

treats tenses as well as the auxiliaries as underlying sentences, is clearly not based upon

the syntactic behaviour of the auxiliaries, but solely upon a decision to treat all the

grammatical – semantic features in this way.

17

Ifejirika, E. (2002:22) defines auxiliary verb as a verb that helps another verb in a

sentence to make complete sense. The only verb forms that compulsorily need an

auxiliary verb are the verbs in the continuous or progressive aspect.

Modern English auxiliaries are a set of verbs which can be identified by their

mophosyntactic behaviour and by their semantic properties (or lack thereof).

Aremo Bolaji (2004:327) maintains that ‘auxiliaries are normally used only as

modifiers in the verb phrase. But sentences with only an auxiliary as the predicator are

often formed and used in informal speech.’

According to Utuagha B.I.C. (1994:215), auxiliary verbs are helping verbs. They

have the function of helping the main verbs to form their tenses.

H. E. Palmer pointed out that man has a spontaneous capacity for acquiring

speech as well as studial capacity. Palmer by no means belittle the studial process in

language learning and teaching. Nevertheless, he expressed himself as follows:

….it would appear that nearly everything that the average person actually does when

learning a foreign language comes under the heading of the studial process. He learns

rules in other to become proficient in analysis and synthesis; for the same purpose, he

memorizes the exceptions to the rules. He becomes (or hopes to become) an expert in

pulling words to pieces and in reconstructing them from roots and affixes, in sentence

making and sentence breaking. He learns chiefly by eye, and expresses himself chiefly by

pen-grasping hand. Indeed, he becomes so proficient in converting the spoken into the

written form that he cannot understand or retain the foreign words or sentences he learns

until he has converted them into an imaginary written form which, in his imagination,he

reads off words by word similarly, he finds himself only able to express himself by dint

of reading aloud the sentences which he is constructing bit by bit by a complicated

process of “mental writing.” He attaches great importance to etymology, and the time he

might spend is associating words with their meanings is often devoted to working out

18

what meanings the natives attach to their words and forms but much time identifying the

units of etymology and in tracing them from one language to another(John

Wilson,1967:40).

Umeh, S.C. (1998:33) posits that an auxiliary verb is a ‘verb used with the main

or lexical verb to show tense, mood, voice etc. Auxiliary verbs are sometimes called

anomalous, finites, special finites or modal auxiliaries.” Egwuchukwu, Ifensor (1996:24)

in her own view maintains that an auxiliary verb “is a helping verb, it helps the main verb

to form a verb group and assume its intended meaning.”

Uzoma, C.O. (ed) (1986:21) cited in Nka a Journal of The Arts (2001:45) was of

the view that ‘the verb is the most difficult part of speech for a second language user to

manipulate.’ Again ‘be,’ ‘have’ and ‘do’ are classified as auxiliary verbs but they still

function as lexical verbs in some cases. Also the verbs ‘could,’ ‘should,’ ‘would’ and

‘might’ are primarily used as past forms of ‘can,’ ‘shall,’ ‘will’ and ‘may.’ But

experience has shown that many a time these auxiliary verbs perform modal functions. It

is common to come across sentences like:

Please, do lend me your book.

She would visit me whenever she found it convenient.

2.4 Improper Use of Auxiliary Verbs

In view of the circumstance the second language learner or user is usually in

difficulty differentiating between the past forms of the auxiliary verbs and their modal

equivalent. This difficulty is evident in the confused manner the second language user

manipulates the modal auxiliary verbs and the past forms of the auxiliary verbs.

The overlap in categorization of the English verb is definitely a source of problem

to a second language user. He can hardly pin down some of the verbs of dual class so as

to be able to identify them with one class or another. Consequently, he uses the verb

indiscriminately, which ultimately gives rise to ill-formed utterances. The inconsistency

19

in the number of morphological variants each verb has made in the case of ‘be,’ which

has eight variants. The forms are be, am, is, are, was, were, been and being. With regard

to the inconsistency in the morphological variants of the verbs, one thing that is usually

striking is that there is the principle stating why some verbs should have either four or

five variants while others should have six or eight forms. In the face of this

circumstance, the second language leaner is helpless, and may resort to guessing as a way

out of his predicament.

Of all the verbs which can occur in either the simple present tense or the present

progressive tense with quite different dictionary meanings, one of the most common –

and most difficult to master – is ‘have.’ ‘Have’ presents peculiar difficulties, not only

because it may appear in several different tenses with different lexical meanings, but

because it occurs sometimes as a verb and sometimes as an operator. Even when it is

used as a verb, its patterning is sometimes more like an operator. In some uses, it may

combine directly with ‘not’ to form the negative and may stand in front of the subject in

questions. For example:

He has a dictionary (has = possesses)

He hasn’t a dictionary? (hasn’t = does he possess?)

Has he a dictionary? (has he? = does he posses?)

The low achievement of student in English language has become a cause for

concern to many Nigerians. The West African Examination Council (1990 – 2000) in

Igbeyi (2002) cited in NJOLCS, (2007) has cried out that we might be heading for a

crisis unless the schools and education authorities take steps to arrest the deteriorating

situation “before the standard of English comes crashing on our head.”

The World Bank report on Nigerian graduates in the Guardian Newspapers (2001)

cited in Otagbuluagu (2007:22) highlighted among others “poor mastery of the English

Language.” The report emphasized the poor abilities of Nigerian students in the oral and

20

written expression of English and concluded that students are inadequately prepared in

the English Language. The observation made by this writer through interaction with

students and while marking students’ answer scripts show that most of them have

problem with communication, that is, communicating their ideas effectively. The need

for a virile instructional approach capable of improving students’ achievement in English

language therefore necessitated this study, an approach that can stimulate communication

in the language classroom.

Zaid (1995) cited in Igbeyi (2007) suggests as a second language situation, a

pedagogical methodology in which the learning activities play a key role. This

methodology is seen as a practical orientation to modify traditional practices and to

increase the number of opportunities for language application in the classroom. There are

substantial theoretical and empirical grounds for believing that opportunities to negotiate

meaning through interaction, facilitates comprehension.

To state that the verb is the heart of the English grammar is to say the obvious.

Therefore, if the second language learner must be thorough in the grammar of the English

language, there is the need for him to have good knowledge of the verb and the auxiliary

as well. Since the verb and its auxiliary by nature are problematic, the teacher and the

learner should be conscious of this inevitable situation and accord the teaching and

learning of the English verb and its auxiliary in particular and the English grammar in

general the attention and seriousness they deserve. It is by so doing that the problems

inherent in the English verb and its auxiliaries among students and users would be

adequately taken care of. It is hoped that when the problems are taken care of, this would

pave way for appreciable competence in the use of English in a second language

situation.

2.5 Summary

21

The auxiliary verb is an outstanding area of English grammar which has received a lot

of critical attention from notable scholars. Notable among these scholars are Nzebunachi,

Oji, Samuel Onuigbo, Joy Eyisi, Brook, Thompson and Martinet, Ndinele to mention no

more. These scholars in their various works have critically examined the problems

associated with the misuse of auxiliary verbs. Even though, much work has been

undertaken in this area of studies, there is more work to be done. This project work is an

attempt to open up the problems and possibly to offer solution to the problems.

22

CHAPTER THREE

METHODOLOGY

The chapter is designed to show the methodology adopted to achieve the

objectives of this study for a meaningful research to be carried out, certain methods of

data collection should be involved. For the purpose of this study, the researcher will

collect examination scripts of the Year II students and analyze the tests by paying

particular attention to the grammatical errors, which are based on the problems of the

auxiliaries.

3.1 The Research Design

This is usually the blue print which determines the nature and scope of the study

carried out. According to Nworgu (1991:50) “a research design is a plan or blue print

which specifies how data relating to a given problem should be collected and analyzed. It

provides the procedural outlines for the conduct of any given investigation.” For the

purpose of this study, the researcher adopted a descriptive research design which

according to Best (1970: 40) is “ the condition or relationships that exists, practices that

prevail, belief, points of view or attitudes that are held, processes that are going on,

effects that are being felt or trends that are developing in order to describe, compare,

contrast, classify, analyze and interpret the entities and events.”

3.2 The Areas of Study

The area refers to the locality where the study is carried out. In this study the area

is Federal Polytechnic, Oko in Orumba North Local Government Area of Anambra State.

It is a Federal Institution located along Ekwulobia Umunze road. The group of people to

be tested are the Year 11 students in various disciplines whose mother tongue is Igbo

language, Hausa or Yoruba. The Year II students have had training in the use of English

language but still display some confusion in the use of English auxiliaries, and this test or

research is designed to test their abilities to manipulate the English auxiliaries in the

23

second language situation. It is believed that some sentences will be presented to them to

give the exact picture of their use of auxiliaries. The reason the researcher chose this

place is because English is the second language mainly spoken in the areas where the

school is situated.

3.3 The Population

The population of this study comprises ND11 students of Federal Polytechnic,

Oko. The Institution has thirty departments that house ND11 students with a total

population of 2,000. The number of learners and users of English as a second language

carefully selected from the population is the second year students of Federal Polytechnic,

Oko. They are expected to underline and fill in the correct verbs in the spaces provided.

Their performances and their abilities will be indicated. The students are tested

individually with the prepared sentences that are expected to reveal their grammatical

errors, which are based on the problems of the auxiliaries.

3.4 The Sampling Technique

The people to be used are randomly selected from the bigger population. There are

many departments in Federal Polytechnic, Oko but the departments that will be used are

the Departments of Computer Engineering, Business Administration, Estate Management

and Department of Food Science and Technology a total of 268 students.

3.5 The Research Instrument

One instrument was used to collect data for this study and it is the written test.

The written test will be administered to the students to see how competent they are in the

use of English auxiliaries and common expressions made by users and learners of the

English language. Some of the sentences where the students are required to identify the

correct verbal elements used in sentences are given below.

24

Circle the verbal element

1. Ballanda was deceived by the magician..

2. All the four boys are detained.

3. Hassan’s has been invited by the police.

4. She has been nominated for the award.

5. She has been promoted to the next level.

6. She has been cheated.

Complete each of the following sentences with the suitable option from the list given.

7. Ebere had ______ her work.

a) do (b) did (c) done (d) doing

8. If it rains, he ______ go to the farm.

a) will (b) would (c) would have to (d) went

9. I am not a lecturer, ________ I ?

A) aren’t (b) aint (c) am I (d) do

10 For the past two hours, I_________ been going through this list without finding my

name.

a) have (b) had (c) having (d) has

11. Ballanda was ___________ deceived by the magician.

a) being (b) been (c) be (d) beings

12. All the four boys _________ detained.

a) was being (b) is being (c) has being (d) are being

13. Hassan’s _________ invited surprised everybody

a) being (b) been (c) be (d) not been

14. Having ________ nominated, he took everything for granted.

a) been (b) being (b) be (d) beings

25

15. Our not having _________ promoted should not bother us.

a) being (b) been (c) be (d) beings

16. These boys shouted that they ______ been robbed.

a) have (b) had (c) has (d) having

17. The thieves ________ left before the police arrived.

a) has (b) have (c) had (d) haven’t

18. He ___________ come if he knew the way.

a) will (b) will not (c) would (d) ‘ll

19. The doctor prescribed that he ______ take the drug after meal.

a) shall (b) should (c) will (d) could

20. The police________here by now, but from the way things are, they are not here.

a) will be (b) can be (c) ought to be (d) dare to be

21. Jerome _________ seek favour in his youth.

a) is used (b) used to (c) uses to (d) using to

22. We know Ojo________ do the job if he was around.

a) can (b) can’t (c) could (d) could be able

23. Borake ______ not touch Betty.

a) dares (b) dare (c) daren’t (d) didn’t dare

24. Chioma ______ assisting her with the house chores.

a) is (b) were (c) will (b) may

25. The students that studied hard ________ pass the examination.

a) may (b) will (c) would (d) can

3.6 The Method of Data Analysis

26

The students’ answers are collected and analyzed in order to determine areas of

their problems in the use of the English auxiliaries. The analysis will reveal the correct

answers and areas of difficulty in the use of the English auxiliaries. The student tests will

be analyzed and appropriate corrections will be given. In other words, the wrong and

correct sentences will be clearly written down and differentiated.

27

CHAPTER FOUR

THE ANALYSIS OF DATA

This chapter deals with the presentation of the findings and the analysis of the

data collected. The sentence administered to the students show their levels of

understanding of the English auxiliaries. Below is the list of sentences administered to

these students on auxiliaries. They are required to circle the verbal element in this section

A:

1. Ballanda was deceived by the magician.

2. All the four boys are detained.

3. Hassan’s has been invited by the police.

4. She has been nominated for the award.

5. She has been promoted to the next level.

6. She has been cheated.

The students are also required to complete each of the following sentences with the

suitable option from the list given.

7. Ebere had ______ her work.

a) do (b) did (c) done (d) doing

8. If it rains, he ______ go to the farm.

a) will (b) would (c) would have to (d) went

9. I am not a lecturer, ________ I ?

A) aren’t (b) aint (c) am I (d) do

10 For the past two hours, I_________ been going through this list without finding my

name.

a) have (b) had (c) having (d) has

28

11. Ballanda was ___________ deceived by the magician.

a) being (b) been (c) be (d) beings

12. All the four boys _________ detained.

a) was being (b) is being (c) has being (d) are being

13. Hassan’s _________ invited surprised everybody

a) being (b) been (c) be (d) not been

14. Having ________ nominated, he took everything for granted.

a) been (b) being (b) be (d) beings

15. Our not having _________ promoted should not bother us.

a) being (b) been (c) be (d) beings

16. These boys shouted that they ______ been robbed.

a) have (b) had (c) has (d) having

17. The thieves ________ left before the police arrived.

a) has (b) have (c) had (d) haven’t

18. He ___________ come if he knew the way.

a) will (b) will not (c) would (d) ‘ll

19. The doctor prescribed that he ______ takes the drug after meal.

a) shall (b) should (c) will (d) could

20. The police________her by now, but from the way things are, they are not here.

a) will be (b) can be (c) ought to be (d) dare to be

21. Jerome _________ seek favour in his youth.

a) is used (b) used to (c) uses to (d) using to

22. We know Ojo________ do the job if he was around.

a) can (b) can’t (c) could (d) could be able

23. Borake ______ not touch Betty.

a) dares (b) dare (c) daren’t (d) didn’t dare

29

24. Chioma ______ assisting her with the house chores.

a) is (b) were (c) will (b) may

25. The students that studied hard ________ pass the examination.

a) may (b) will (c) would (d) can

The major concern of this chapter is to analyze the results of the data collected.

The first set of questions administered to students in Section A is based on verbal element

while Section B is based on primary and modal auxiliaries. The twenty-five questions on

the use of auxiliaries were given to the selected population. The answers provided by the

students revealed that the students have little knowledge of auxiliary verbs and their

application. Again, it was discovered that they found it difficult to differentiate between

the past forms of the auxiliary verbs and their modal equivalent. They found difficult to

indicate the verbal element in the sentences in Section A. In Section B, many students

could not differentiate between the primary auxiliary been and being, has, had and have,

and their modal counterparts will and would, should, could etc.

4.1 The Analysis of Sentences

In the process of data collection, a lot of errors were discovered. There is wrong

manipulation of the English auxiliaries. The most important task in analyzing the

students’ written tests is to classify their test according to their performance in

percentages. Though this is not an easy task, the researcher has tried to record their

performance both in section A and B and according to their percentages.

In the course of the analysis, the errors were identified in the (268) two hundred

and sixty-eight written tests of the entire NDII students. The table for the errors is shown

below as it concerned the verbal element.

30

Number of

Students

Percentage of

students

Raw score Percentages

score

119

37

39

53

16

4

44.4%

13.8%

14.5%

19.7%

6 %

1.5%

0/6

1/6

2/6

3/6

4/6

5/6

0%

16.67%

33.33%

50%

66.67%

83.33%

268 100%

Out of the two hundred and sixty-eight students that were tested, none scored 6/6

in section A. However, 119 students representing 44.4% of the total students sampled

scored 0/6 which is 0%; 37 students representing 13.8% of the students scored 1/6 which

is equivalent to 16.67%. So also, 39 students representing 14.5 % of the respondents

scored 2/6 which represents 33.33%. Again, 53 students representing 19.7% of the

students sampled scored 3/6 which is 50%. 16 students representing 6% of the

respondents scored 4/6 which is 66.67%. 4 students representing 1.5% of the entire

students scored 5/6 which represents 83.33%

To get percentage of students

%5.11

100268

4%5.14

1100

26839

%61

10026816

%8.131

10026837

%7.191

10026853

%4.441

100268119

=

==

==

xx

xx

xx

And to get percentage score

31

%33.831

10065

%3.331

10062

%66.661

10064

%6.161

10061

%501

10063

%01

10060

==

==

==

xx

xx

xx

From the analysis made, it is observed that the majority of the students in NDII

find it difficult to indicate the verbal element in the sentences. The above errors, no doubt,

are verb-related errors. The second language user experiences this kind of problem

mainly because of his inadequate knowledge of the English verb. This handicap is partly

traceable to the complexities and irregularities which characterize the English verb. This

is why Uzoma (1986:21) was of the view that ‘the verb is the most difficult part of the

language for a second language user to manipulate.’

In Section B where the students were tested on primary and modal auxiliaries, it

was discovered that they display some confusion on the use of “been” and “being.”

“Been” is used for action that has already taken place. It usually co-occurs with has, have

and had while “being” co-occurs with am, is, are, was and were to produce the

progressive form. The progressive form expresses what the situation is or was at the time

of reference.

Again ‘be,’ ‘have’ and ‘do’ are classified as auxiliary verbs, while the verbs

‘could’, ‘should’, ‘would’, and ‘might’, are primary auxiliaries used as past forms of

‘can’, ‘shall’, ‘will’, and ‘may’. But from the analysis, it is observed that the students and

the second language learners usually find it difficult to differentiate between the past

forms of the auxiliary verbs and their modal counterparts.

In Section B, which is made of nineteen questions, the students’ performance in

the use of auxiliaries was very poor.

32

Number of

students

Percentage of

students

Raw score Percentage

score

4

5

14

14

31

52

44

43

34

21

5

1

1.4%

1.8%

5.2%

5.2%

11.5%

19.4%

16.4%

16%

12.6%

7.8%

1.8%

3.7%

8/19

9/19

10/19

11/19

12/19

13/19

14/19

15/19

16/19

17/19

18/19

19/19

42.10%

47.36%

52.63%

57.89%

63.15%

68.42%

73.68%

78.94%

84.21%

89.47%

94.73%

100%

268 100%

From the above table, 4 students representing 1.4% of the entire student scored

8/19 which is equivalents to 42.10%. 5 students representing 1.8% scored 9/19 which is

equivalent to 47.36%. However, 14 students representing 5.2% scored 10/19 which is

equivalent to 52.63%. 14 students representing 5.2% scored 11/19 which is equivalent to

57.89%. So also, 31 students representing 11.5% of the respondents scored 12/19 which

represents 63.15%. 52 students representing 19.4% of the students sampled scored 13/19

which is 68.42%. 44 students representing 16.4% scored 14/19 which is equivalent to

73.68%, 43 students representing 16% scored 15/19 which is equivalent to 78.94%. 34

students representing 12.6% scored 16/19 which is equivalent to 84.21%. 21 students

representing 7.8% scored 17/19 which is equivalent to 89.47%. 5 students representing

1.8% scored 18/19 which is equivalent to 94.73%, and only 1 student representing 3.7%

scored 19/19 which is equivalent to 100%.

This shows that the student have little knowledge of primary and modal auxiliaries

33

CHAPTER FIVE

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION

5.1 Discussion of Findings

In this chapter, the findings from the data are interpreted. The analysis of the

findings on the single word test given to students shows many errors arising from a lack

of knowledge of the verbal element and little knowledge of primary and modal

auxiliaries. The result of the data collected indicates that the auxiliaries are misused since

the students do not observe the syntactic difference between an auxiliary verb and a full

verb. Each has a different grammatical function within the sentence but the students do

not understand what is meant by verbal element as confirmed from the analysis where

119 students could not identify any verbal element in Section A.

On the other hand, the sentences in Section B were centered mainly on auxiliary

verbs. From the tests, it was observed that the students do not know when to use “been”

and “being,” “had,” “has,” and “have.”

In view of the circumstances, the second language learners or users usually find it

difficult to differentiate between the past forms of the auxiliary verbs and their modal

counterparts. This difficulty is evident in the confused manner the second language user

manipulates the modal auxiliary verbs and the past forms of the auxiliary verbs. The

common errors that occur in a second language learner’s or user’s writing or speech are

error of tense, error of subject-verb agreement, error of spelling and error of

pronunciation. This goes to support Eyisi (2003:11) “that accuracy in speech and writing

makes effective understanding a reality but defective punctuation, wrong spellings, poor

pronunciation and erroneous sentences or misuse of words can hinder communication.”

According to her, speaking and writing correctly in the English language with precision

34

and with self-consciousness are not only forms of good manners but are also considered a

wonderful assert to any Nigerian who acquires it. From the findings I observed that

students display confusion in the use of auxiliary verbs especially in the case of “being”

and “been.” That is why the auxiliary verbs were misused by the students and 75% of the

total population do not have the knowledge of what verbal elements are and that is why

also many of them identify the gerund that performs the work of the subject as a verbal

element. It is therefore observed from the findings that many students display confusion

in the use of the auxiliary verbs. The blind, no matter the circumstance, can never lead the

blind. It therefore implies that the teaching of the language at all levels of our educational

system should rest squarely on the experts who are knowledgeable in the use of English.

It is only a teacher who knows the complexities of the verbs and how they are

manipulated that would be able to teach them effectively. In the words of Oluikpe

(1979:47) that… “our students are poor in the English language because they have not (as

they themselves did) internalized the grammar of the language to the point of automacity”

The view of Oluikpe is important because at all levels of our educational system,

emphasis is not usually placed on the teaching of the English grammar. As a result, the

learners in some cases are confused when it comes to the intricacies of grammar

especially as it concerns the verb. The teachers of the English language should therefore

devote much time in teaching grammar. In doing, so, much attention should be paid to the

verb as most of the things taught in grammar revolve around it.

5.2 Conclusion

Having seen the level of competence of our students in manipulating the auxiliary

verbs and verbal element, the researcher draws some conclusions based on the findings.

The aberration in the use of English auxiliaries has led to a poor use of English. Not only

does the misuse of auxiliaries among the students of Federal Polytechnic, Oko bring

35

about ungrammaticality and technical deviations, it is also bereft of the intuitive sense of

linguistic appropriateness. All these lead to “stylistic dysfunction” in the use of English,

thereby making the effectiveness of communication weak.

Areas of major difficulty usually lie in the handling of English tenses, but the

grammar and lexis of one language often interfere with the other. Of all the verbs which

can occur in either the simple present tense or the progressive aspect, one of the most

common-and most difficult to master-is ‘have.’ “Have” presents peculiar difficulties, not

only because it may appear in several different tenses with different lexical meanings, but

because it occurs sometimes as a verb and sometimes as an operator. Even when it is

used as a verb, its structure is sometimes more like an operator. The students do not have

adequate knowledge of the English auxiliaries, which are the most difficult aspect of

grammar for a second language user. The students also find it very difficult to

differentiate between the past forms of the auxiliary verbs and their modal equivalent.

Another major problem of the verbs is the irregularity between nouns and verbs. The

learner finds it difficult to understand why a plural verb has no’s’ or ‘es’ marker while

singular verb has. Even when the learner is convinced to accept the situation, he is yet

thrown into another confusion when the sees the verb ‘have’ used as lexical verb with

‘has’ as its singular form instead of ‘haves’.

One factor that has glaringly militated against effective teaching of English as a

second language at all levels of our educational system is paucity of qualified English

language teaches. To overcome this problem, there is always the temptation to place the

responsibility of teaching English language on non-English specialist. This situation is

quite unhealthy because it does not give room for effective teaching of the language.

5.3 Suggestions

36

The results from the students showed that they do not have a good knowledge of

English grammar especially as it concerns the English auxiliaries. English grammar

affects communication when it is not properly and effectively handled and when there is

no mastery of the structures of grammar.

Students who are the main target of this study should involve themselves in

problem solving and reflection exercises in writing. They ought to subject themselves to

frequent linguistic tests in English grammar especially in the English auxiliary verbs.

Also, they should refresh their knowledge of English by listening and paying attention to

the BBC and by reading “hand literature.” Such linguistic exposures will help them know

the correct forms of the language. For an English learner to attain proficiency, he must

take pains in studying the language.

It is also pertinent to state that the use of the English dictionary direction is very

helpful. The dictionary is an essential tool for study and is the best company any student

can keep (Osakwe and Ihekweazu, 1996:1). But unfortunately, dictionary-work is a

neglected area in second-language teaching (David Williams, 1990:115). The learners of

English as a second language should cultivate the habit of making effective use of the

dictionary as experts are of the opinion that a good English dictionary is the best teacher

of the English language. The learner should insist on learning verbs and their uses in

contexts rather than in isolation.

This study does not give final answer in the analysis of errors in students’ written

tests. Rather, it discusses only the problems of the English auxiliaries among the students

of Federal Polytechnic, Oko, using NDII students as the selected population. It is

therefore, recommended that such analysis should be done in primary, and secondary

schools as well as universities and polytechnics to find out whether the problems are

peculiar to NDII students.

37

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40

APPENDIX

Answers to the written Test 1. was deceived

2. are detained

3. been invited

4. been nominated

5. been promoted

6. been cheated

7. done

8. will

9. am

10. have

11. being

12. are being

13. being

14. been

15. been

16. had

17. had

18. would

19. should

20. ought to be

21. used to

22. could

23. dare

24. is

25. would