A study of phrasal verb preference by Thai EFL learners
Transcript of A study of phrasal verb preference by Thai EFL learners
A STUDY OF PHRASAL VERB PREFERENCE
BY THAI EFL LEARNERS
BY
MR. THONGCHAI BOONGTONG
AN INDEPENDENT STUDY PAPER SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL
FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE
OF MASTER OF ARTS IN
TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
LANGUAGE INSTITUTE
THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY
ACADEMIC YEAR 2015
COPYRIGHT OF THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY
A STUDY OF PHRASAL VERB PREFERENCE BY THAI
EFL LEARNERS
BY
MR. THONGCHAI BOONGTONG
AN INDEPENDENT STUDY PAPER SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL
FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE
OF MASTER OF ARTS IN
TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE
LANGUAGE INSTITUTE
THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY
ACADEMIC YEAR 2015
COPYRIGHT OF THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY
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Independent Study Paper Title A Study of Phrasal Verb Preference by Thai
EFL Learners
Author Mr. Thongchai Boongtong
Degree Master of Arts
Major Field/Faculty/University Teaching English as a Foreign Language
Language Institute
Thammasat University
Independent Study Paper Advisor Assoc. Prof. Pornsiri Singhapreecha, Ph.D.
Academic Years 2015
ABSTRACT
Having been inspired by previous research on phrasal verb avoidance in
Chinese learners of English (Liao and Fukuya, 2004), this study investigated Thai
learners’ preference of English phrasal verbs, in comparison with the single verb
counterparts. In addition, it examined if proficiency level affected the learners’
choices. Ten phrasal and single verb counterparts were adopted from Liao and
Fukuya’s research (2004). The phrasal verb test sentences were largely similar to
those of Liao and Fukuya’s while the single verbs were embedded in newly
constructed contexts. Attempts were made to maintain degrees of informality across
the phrasal and single verb contexts. In total, forty four test items (i.e. 10 phrasal verb
targets, 10 single verb targets, and 24 filler sentences) were used to elicit the learners’
preference. Thirty Thai students of different proficiency levels, i.e. beginning (15),
intermediate (8) and upper intermediate (7), participated.
The study employed the acceptability judgment task, unlike that of Liao and
Fukuya. The researcher asked the participants to rate their acceptability of the
individual sentences on a five point scale (between -2 and +2). Data revealed different
patterns for different proficiency groups. Firstly, the beginners preferred the phrasal
verbs to the single verbs (0.7 vs. 0.4). Secondly, the intermediate learners preferred
the single verbs to the phrasal verbs (0.4 vs. 0.6). Thirdly, the upper intermediate
learners preferred both types equally (1.1 and 1.1). It can be concluded that across the
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groups the Thai learners favored phrasal verbs to a large extent, and proficiency
affected phrasal verb preference only with the intermediate level.
Unlike the lowest proficiency group in Liao and Fukuya’s study (2004) which
preferred single verbs more than phrasal verbs, the beginning L2 learners in this study
preferred phrasal verbs at a higher rate than they did the single verb counterparts.
Thus, at an early stage of L2 acquisition, phrasal verbs could be a preference. The
results may not lend support to the avoidance issue, as both the beginning and upper
intermediate learners remarkably accepted phrasal verbs. The study, alternatively,
suggests input, as another attributing factor.
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AKNOWLEDGMENTS
I have many people to thank who all had a hand in helping me carry out this
study.
I am grateful to my adviser, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Pornsiri Singhapreecha for her
valuable time, constant encouragement, and useful advice. It would not have been
accomplished without her kind support.
I would like to thank Ajarn Dr. Upsorn Tawilapakul who provided such
valuable comments for further improvement.
I always thank Narisa Imprasert, a nice classmate from TEFL #17 and Sean
Mulvihil, a kind reviewer from ELT #1 who helped review the questionnaire of this
study.
I also want to express my gratitude to all LITU teachers and staffs for their
dedication.
To my friends in the last batch of TEFL 17, I thank for you guys’ assistance
and love.
Dear my family, I can make it through because of your ultimate love.
Thammasat University Thongchai Boongtong
Bangkok, Thailand June 2016
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
PAGE
ABSTRACT (1)
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS (3)
TABLE OF CONTENTS (4)
LIST OF TABLES (6)
LIST OF FIGURES (7)
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1
1.1 Background 1
1.2 Research Questions 2
1.3 Objectives of Study 2
1.4 Definitions of Terms 3
1.5 Scope of the Study 3
1.6 Significance of the Study 3
1.7 Limitations of the Study 4
1.8 Organization of the Study 4
CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 5
2.1 Overview of Avoidance Phenomenon 5
2.2 Definition of Phrasal Verbs in English 5
2.3 Syntactic Structure of Phrasal Verbs 6
2.4 Previous Study in Avoidance of English Phrasal Verbs
and Effects of Language Proficiency 8
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CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 11
3.1 Materials 11
3.2 Target Phrasal Verbs and Their Counterparts 12
3.3 Participants 13
3.4 Procedures 13
3.5 Data Analysis 14
CHAPTER 4 RESULTS 15
4.1 Proficiency Levels of Participants 15
4.2 Average Preference of Phrasal Verbs versus
Single Verbs across Three Groups 15
4.3 Phrasal Verb Preference among Beginners 17
4.4 Phrasal Verb Preference among Intermediate Learners 19
4.5 Phrasal Verb Preference among Upper Intermediate
Learners 21
4.6 Thai Learners’ Phrasal Verb Preference and
English Proficiency 24
CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION, DISCUSSION AND
REOMMENDATIONS 25
5.1 Summary of the Study 25
5.2 Summary of the Findings 25
5.3 Conclusion and Discussion 26
5.4 Pedagogical Implications 27
5.5 Recommendations for Further Study 27
REFERENCES 29
APPENDIX A 31
APPENDIX B 33
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LIST OF TABLES
TABLES PAGE
Table 1: Target Phrasal Verbs and Their Single Verb Counterparts 12
Table 2: No. of the participants in each level 15
Table 3: Average Preference Rates of PVs and SVs across Three Groups 16
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LIST OF FIGURES
FIGURES PAGE
Figure 1. Average Preference Rates of Single Verbs and
Phrasal Verbs across Three Groups 16
Figure 2: Average Preference Rates between Single Verbs and
Phrasal Verbs among Beginning Learners 17
Figure 3: Average Preference Rates between Single Verbs and
Phrasal Verbs among Intermediate Learners 20
Figure 4: Average Preference Rates between Single Verbs and
Phrasal Verbs among Advanced Learners 22
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CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
Thai EFL learners commonly confront incomprehensible structures and
vocabulary. Teachers have found it even worse when second language (L2) learners
ignore overcoming such problems and leave their ignorance behind. In many cases
they are prone to avoid using those difficult structures and generate the sentences
from their own understanding which sometimes sounds unnatural. This study selected
one feature relating to multiple lexical items in English known as phrasal verbs for an
investigation. Phrasal verbs (PVs) come up frequently in all types of perception and
production, i.e. listening, speaking, reading, and writing. There has been a growing
interest in the investigation of PVs in EFL learners (Folse, 2004: Laufer, 1997).
Furthermore, Cornell (1985) also argues that the PVs appear in all registers, from the
real informal level, such as, street slang to the most academic forms of the language.
Therefore, understanding their structures and meanings could lead Thai EFL learners
to comprehend natural English better.
Most EFL learners share similar problems in acquiring some aspects of the
target language which consequently leads to incomprehension. Celce-Murcia and
Larsen-Freeman (1999) remark that EFL learners whose L1s (e.g. Chinese, Korean,
and Hebrew) do not have PVs are more likely to experience difficulty with English
PVs, and avoid using them. Language avoidance is commonly attributed to learners’
limitations of knowledge of a particular form. In this situation, as Laufer (2000) notes,
they may substitute the form they are not sure about for a less difficult form or word
to reduce errors.
One significant factor that has been assumed to influence L2 learners to resort
to avoidance strategies is their language proficiency (Liao and Fukuya, 2004). They
found PVs to be influenced by proficiency, as data from the intermediate participants
suggest. Based on the findings, participants at the intermediate level, (the lowest
proficiency in their study), avoided producing PVs whereas the advanced learners did
not.
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Inspired by the avoidance issue, this study chose one of the hard-to-understand
aspects, i.e. phrasal verbs of English, as a basis for the investigation. It examined
whether or not Thai learners preferred phrasal verbs to single verbs. As briefly noted,
phrasal verbs appear in many types of input such as newspapers, novels, text books,
academic journals, TV news, and songs. Some examples of PVs that the learners may
have a chance to experience are below:
“But you didn't have to cut me off
Make out like it never happened and that we were nothing.
And I don't even need your love
But you treat me like a stranger and that feels so rough” (Somebody that I
used to know, Gotye feat.Kimbra)
From the excerpted lyrics above, some PVs such as make out can often be
heard in English songs. If the learners listen to English songs regularly, they have
already been exposed to such phrasal verbs. Also, the PVs can appear in daily
newspapers we read. The example below is a headline obtained from the Bangkok
Post, where called for, a phrasal verb, is used.
“PHNOM PENH -- A Cambodian court on Tuesday jailed a university
student for 18 months for inciting crimes in an anti-government Facebook post that
called for regime change.” (Bangkok Post, 2015)
By skimming through a newspaper, learners encounter a variety of PVs.
Presumably, a lack of knowledge and understanding would cause them not to want to
use these kinds of verbs and even prevent them from reading further.
In addition to acquiring phrasal verb preference data, pedagogically, the study
will benefit ELT. The findings of this study will inform ELT practitioners of how to
develop materials to enhance their students’ use of phrasal verbs in daily English
language-related situations.
1.2 RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1.2.1 To what extent do Thai learners prefer English phrasal verbs?
1.2.2 Does English proficiency affect phrasal verb usage?
1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
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1.3.1 To raise the awareness of Thai EFL teachers the importance of phrasal
verbs which have been encountered regularly by the students. The findings will
reveal if Thai EFL learners avoid using phrasal verbs or not.
1.3.2 To help Thai EFL teachers apply the findings from this study to their
lessons with a hope that the English course would be better designed.
1.3.3 To promote the teaching of phrasal verbs intensively so that the
students would be familiarized with these kinds of verbs.
1.4 DEFINITIONS OF TERMS
Phrasal verb (s) or PV(s) is a verb that combines with a particle such as an
adverb and preposition or both. A new combination results in a meaning, different
from those of the originals.
Single verb (s) or SV(s) is a verb that has no particle.
1.5 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This study focuses on the use of phrasal verbs among Thai students. The set
of phrasal verbs and single verb counterparts is restricted to a set selected from a
larger set in Liao and Fukuya (2004). According to them, they are regularly used in
real speech and general conversations. Participants’ preferences of phrasal and single
verbs were determined by means of a plausibility rating test (adapted from that of
Wang’s (2014).
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
The findings will contribute to the literature on L2 acquisition of phrasal verbs
and pedagogy.
1.6.1. By means of the plausibility rating test, the extent to which L2 learners
prefer phrasal verbs in relation to single verb counterparts will be revealed.
1.6.2. As the study employed learners’ proficiency, the study can answer the
question as to whether proficiency affects phrasal verb preference, an aspect that
requires substantiation in the literature.
1.6.3. The results will indicate how well Thai EFL learners understand English
phrasal verbs. Material developers including Thai teachers in general can use the
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findings to readjust their lessons, such as adding extra lessons or exercises related to
phrasal verbs.
1.7 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
In constructing sentences containing single verb counterparts of the chosen
phrasal verbs, the researcher attempted to maintain degrees of informality to be
compatible with those in the phrasal verb sentences. The resulting contexts of the
single verbs, which have been checked by a native speaker, can be considered
analogous in informality, despite meaning differences.
1.8 ORGANIZATION OF THE STUDY
The remaining part of this study is organized as follows. Chapter two
describes the review of literature and relevant research. Chapter three describes the
research methodology, i.e. materials, target phrasal verbs and their counterparts,
participants, procedures and data analysis. Chapter four reports the results of this
study. Chapter five consists of the summary of the study, the summary of the findings,
discussion, conclusion, pedagogical implications, and recommendations for future
research.
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CHAPTER 2
REVIEW OF LITERATURE
This chapter presents the issue of language avoidance, the definition of phrasal
verbs, the syntactic structures of English phrasal verbs, and the avoidance of phrasal
verbs in relation to English proficiency.
2.1 OVERVIEW OF AVOIDANCE PHENOMENON
According to (Tiamtawan, 2013), avoidance behavior is a phenomenon of
second language (L2) learners who avoid using a target language (TL) when they are
confronting the difficult or unfamiliar structure in the L2 as it does not occur in their
L1. In this respect, as Richard et al. (2002) remark, they would create a simpler
sentence or use the identical form that exists in their mother tongue for substitution.
Investigations on avoidance behaviors of second language learners in the 70’s
such as the studies by Schachter (1974) and Kleinmann (1977, 1978) have received a
lot of attention from many researchers. From Schachter’s point of view, studying
forms of a foreign language that learners tend to consistently avoid can yield a deeper
understanding of the learners’ knowledge. To know the reason behind avoidance
behavior, Schachter (1974) conducted an experiment with native speakers of Chinese,
Japanese, Persian and Arabian on their use of relative clauses. Errors made in their
composition, based on the contrastive analysis method, were analyzed and the results
significantly showed that the Chinese and Japanese produced English relative clauses
less frequently than the Persian and Arabian learners. Schachter (1974) concludes that
the students would avoid producing a particular construction in the target language if
they found that it was difficult to understand. She added that the previous transfer
studies were not able to explain the phenomenon of avoidance.
Kleinmann (1977, 1978) conducted experiments addressing EFL avoidance
strategies with native speakers of Arabic, Spanish and Portuguese. He found a
correlation between fluency of using L1 and various affective variables such as
confidence and the state of anxiety. In his study, the comprehension of using
grammatical structures, i.e. passive, present progressive, infinitive complements and
direct object pronouns, was administered, as a means to diagnose the occurrence of
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avoidance. Kleinmann’s findings support Schachter’s claim that the difference of L1
and L2 incurred avoidance. Although Kleinmann’s findings can be interpreted as
supporting differences between L1 and L2, those predicted by Contrastive Analysis,
Kleinmann himself addresses that affective states, i.e. confidence and facilitating
anxiety, have to be taken into consideration.1
Liao and Fukuya (2004) address the phenomenon of avoidance behaviors, the
issue initiated by Schachter (1974), in relation to some particular English structural
patterns of Chinese learners.2 They investigated the avoidance of using phrasal verbs
in Chinese learners and speculated that the original cause of this phenomenon was
interlanguage difference.
While acknowledging factors unrelated to L1 and L2 structural differences
proposed in recent studies as potential accounts, this study attempts to substantiate
research on phrasal verb avoidance. Methodologically, the multiple choice task in
Liao and Fukuya (2004) may not be able to capture precisely the picture of L2 phrasal
verb preference. The current study employed a refined methodology, by using a
plausibility scale. In addition, it utilized two versions, phrasal and single verb
counterparts as a means to investigate L2 learners’ avoidance. In particular, Thai
learners’ relative preferences of the two verb types were used as data toward this
objective.
2.2 DEFINITION OF PHRASAL VERBS IN ENGLISH
A phrasal verb is defined simply as a verb proper followed by an invariable
particle that functions as one unit in lexical and syntactic ways (Darwin & Gray,
1999; Quirk, Greenbaum, Leech, & Svartvik, 1985). There are many attempts to
classify phrasal verbs. Some regard their relationship among the verb proper and the
particle; others focus only on its meaning. According to Cornell (1985), the meaning
of phrasal verbs can be easily predicted if both elements are known. Also, most of the
1
Other factors that have been discussed, in relation to learners’ avoidance, in more recent studies
include L1 form, distribution, and function of the entity under investigation (Kamimoto et al, 1992) and
pragmatic differences (Li, 1996). 2
As Schacter (1974) remarks, the occurrence of avoidance behavior, a situation where similar forms or
ideas, generally simpler or easier, are produced by L2 learners, is worth an investigation.
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phrasal verbs are non-idiomatic. For example, the meaning of rush and steam are well
known by the learners. Thus, it is not difficult to guess the meaning of the phrasal
verb rush away and steam off.
Dagut and Laufer (1985) suggest three kinds of phrasal verbs as follows:
a) Literal – those phrasal verbs with a straightforward meaning according to
their components: go out, take away, come in, etc.
b) Figurative – those phrasal verbs creating a new meaning: turn up, let
down, etc.
c) Completive – those phrasal verbs which their particle describes the result
of the action: cut off, burn down, etc.
2.3 SYNTACTIC STRUCTURE OF PHRASAL VERBS
Phrasal verbs have the same function as other lexical verbs (Ju-Young, 2015).
That means they can be transitive or intransitive verbs. Transitive phrasal verbs, e.g.
turn on, call off, and turn off, take direct objects.
Intransitive phrasal verbs do not require any direct objects as we can see in
sentences like:
My car broke down.
Maria always gets up early.
However, some phrasal verbs can be used as both transitive and intransitive verbs,
as shown in the examples below.
The terrorists burned down many schools. (Transitive)
The fire in the school gradually burned down. (Intransitive)
Another unique syntactic property is that they can have both separable and
inseparable constructions. That means sometimes the particle can be separated from
the verb by the direct object and sometimes it cannot. One important point to note in
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mind is that when the direct object is a pronoun, it is necessary to separate the particle
from a verb, for example:
1. John throws away the ball.
2. John throws the ball away.
3. John throws it away.
4. *John throws away it.
The direct object the ball can be placed after the phrasal verb throws away, or it
can be inserted between the phrasal verb and its particle as shown in sentence 2.
When the direct object is a pronoun, it must be placed right after the verb. Sentences 3
and 4 illustrate grammaticality and ungrammaticality, with regard to pronoun
placement in relation to phrasal verbs. Note that an asterisk marks ungrammaticality.
On the other hand, some phrasal verbs do not allow the particles to be separated
from the verbs. When the two parts are intervened by a lexical noun phrase or a
pronoun, ungrammaticality arises, as sentences 5, 6, and 7 illustrate.
5. I came across a good article last night.
6. *I came a good article across last night.
7. *I came it across last night.
Apart from the specific features of the phrasal verbs above, Celce-Murcia and
Larsen-Freeman (1999) mention that some phrasal verbs require a specific
preposition, such as, check up on, look down on, keep up with, come up with. Thus,
the teachers should provide as many examples as possible to the students so that they
can become familiar with the phrasal verbs’ forms.
2.4 PREVIOUS STUDY IN AVOIDANCE OF ENGLISH PHRASAL
VERBS AND EFFECTS OF LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY
Dagut and Laufer (1985) conducted their study with Israeli learners. They
studied the use of phrasal verbs that have no equivalent verb forms in Hebrew. The
study also focused on the avoidance of three types of phrasal verbs; literal, figurative
and completive. Three groups of participants of the study were drawn from advanced
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Hebrew learners. All groups were asked to do three tests, i.e. a multiple-choice test, a
translation test, and a verb-memorizing test. The result revealed that all the
participants largely avoided using figurative phrasal verbs, and preferred the one-
word verbs. Dagut and Laufer (1985) simply concluded that differences between L1
and L2 played a key role in avoidance behavior.
Hulstijn and Marchena (1989) conducted a study with learners of Dutch, a
language in which phrasal verbs exist. They found that the Dutch learners did not
avoid using the phrasal verbs. Regardless of the availability of phrasal verbs in Dutch,
they hypothesized that the Dutch learners would generate avoidance in term of
semantic reasons. Hulstijn and Marchena (1989) administered the same test forms
(multiple-choice, memorization and translation) to elicit the information from those
Dutch students. The participants were intermediate and advanced learners as they
wanted to see if high proficiency would affect the usage of avoidance or not. The data
showed that both groups did not avoid phrasal verbs. Hulstijn and Marchena (1989)
presented two interesting findings about avoidance. Firstly, the Dutch learners did not
avoid the phrasal verbs; instead they did avoid idiomatic phrasal verbs they found too
similar to their phrasal verbs in Dutch. This finding confirmed that both differences
and similarities between L1 and L2 can cause avoidance.
In addition to L2 learners’ lack of phrasal verb knowledge, some other factors
such as similarities and differences between L1 and L2 have been attributed to the
issue of avoidance. Moreover, some researchers claim that L2 learners’ proficiency
also plays a role. Results from Mattar’s (2003) experiment showed that less advanced
learners are more prone to rely on avoidance strategies. Mattar (2003) states that more
advanced participants are more competent, so they are more confident when they
communicate in L2. This observation is supported by the findings in Liao and Fukuya
(2004), which suggests avoidance of English PVs among Chinese learners.
Liao and Fukuya (2004) assume that the learners’ proficiency levels might
have an effect on their underproduction of the verbs. In their study, the participants
were divided into three groups according to their proficiency levels: native speakers
of English, advanced Chinese learners of English, and intermediate Chinese learners
of English. Based on the multiple choice test of their study, the intermediate learners
used PVs 45% of the time, the advanced learners 75% of the time, and the native
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speakers 84% of the time. Liao and Fukuya (2004) remark, based on the intermediate
learners’ data, that L2 learners avoid using PVs and prefer one-word verbs. Further
confirmation comes from the study of Pazhakh (2007), who proposes that the
avoidance aspect of L2 learners is influenced by their language proficiency. Having
examined avoidance strategies in Iranian EFL learners’ writing pieces, Pazhakh
(2007) found that participants with low proficiency were likely to employ avoidance
strategies more frequently than those with higher proficiency.
The relationship between language proficiency and the avoidance issue will be
discussed in relation to the study’s findings in chapter 5.
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CHAPTER 3
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
This chapter describes materials (3.1), a set of target phrasal verbs (3.2),
participants (3.4), procedures (3.5), and data analysis (3.6).
3.1 MATERIALS
The Michigan placement test was employed to categorize learners into
different levels, i.e. beginner, intermediate and upper intermediate.
In this study, the test of Liao and Fukuya (2004) which was used with Chinese
intermediate learners and advanced learners has been adapted. Instead of forming the
test in multiple choices as Liao and Fukuya, this study investigated only ten phrasal
verbs and their ten counterparts used in Liao and Fukuya’s experiment. A
questionnaire based upon this research was designed in the form of preferential
acceptability which required participants to rate their preference on a scale of
acceptability.
In the questionnaire, ten sentences were constructed based on ten phrasal verbs
and another ten were created based on ten single verbs. A single word verb sentence
has a phrasal verb counterpart.3 Apart from these 20 sentences, 24 filler sentences
have been produced in order to distract participants from being aware of the
questionnaire’s intent. The target sentences were placed randomly among the filler
sentences, e.g. those with unnatural readings or wrong lexical aspects of verbs. The
test has asked the participants to rate the acceptability of each verb in each sentence;
thereby their preference will be implied.
The test has been provided in two sets (set A and B) in order to ensure that the
ordering of items does not affect the participant’s judgments. Appendix A shows a list
3
In constructing the sentences containing the single verbs, attempts were made to maintain a certain
degree of informality, so that a single verb would be a chosen alternative. In (ia) and (ib) below, either
showed up or appeared may be used interchangeably.
(i) a. I didn’t expect to see Emily at the party. I was surprised when she showed up.
b. I was surprised when Mike appeared at the party last night. I thought he was on a business trip.
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of sentences with a PV and an SV. Sentences with a phrasal verb in set A appear in
no. 2, 6, 13, 18, 22, 28, 33, 36, 40, and 43, sentences with a phrasal verb in Set B
appear in no. 3, 4, 10, 11, 22, 34, 35, 38, 40 and 41.
In each item, the participants were asked to rate the acceptability of each
underlined verb or phrasal verb in that sentence based on a first-come-to-mind basis.
The acceptability is ranged from -2 to +2, whereas -2 represents completely
unacceptable and the +2 represents completely acceptable.
3.2 TARGET PHRASAL VERBS AND THEIR COUNTERPARTS
The study gathers ten phrasal verbs and their counterparts based on the
previous study of Liao and Fukuya (2004). The chosen phrasal verbs and their single
verb counterparts appear in Table 1 below.
A phrasal verb Its counterpart
Show up Appear
Show off Boast
Go off Explode
Let down Disappoint
Brush up on Improve
Make up Invent
Go away Leave
Run into Meet
Give in Surrender
Get up Wake
Table 1: Target Phrasal Verbs and Their Single Verb Counterparts
In the previous research of Liao and Fukuya (2004), the test was designed in
three formats: multiple-choice, translation and recall. Researchers then analyzed if a
specific kind of test affected the participants’ avoidance behavior of using phrasal
verbs or not. However, this research mainly assessed preferential degrees between
phrasal verbs and single verbs of Thai learners, by adapting phrasal verb and single
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verb stimuli in Liao and Fukuya’s (2004) study.4 In this research, these
aforementioned phrasal verbs were placed in newly constructed contexts and were
used as a means to check the learners’ preference as described earlier in the material
section.
3.3 PARTICIPANTS
Thirty Thai students participated in the acceptability judgment task. The
participants were divided into different groups, i.e. beginning, intermediate, and upper
intermediate, based on their scores of the Michigan placement test. Seven were
graduate students pursuing their master’s degrees. The remaining participants were
second year undergraduate students.
The graduate students’ group had been studying English for at least 15 years
or more before their participation. The rest of the participants, who had fewer than 15
years of English education, were studying in their second year of the undergraduate
level.
3.4 PROCEDURES
Firstly, all of the participants were asked to do a shorter version of the
Michigan Placement Test. The test paper consisted of 20 reading comprehension
items, and 30 items of vocabulary comprehension. Subsequently, all of them were
asked to do the acceptability test. There were 44 items in total in the acceptability test
paper.
The participants were divided into three different levels, based on their scores
on the Michigan Placement Test. Those with scores within the ranges of 6-19, 20-32,
and 33-46 were assigned beginning, intermediate, and upper intermediate groups,
respectively. The cut-off points were obtained by means of score tallying, which
revealed clear differences between groups. That is, there was a gap in scores between
beginning and intermediate, and intermediate and upper intermediate, respectively.
The target stimuli were checked by a native English speaking editor.
Essentially, the researcher’s aim was to maintain degrees of informality across the
4
Liao and Fukuya (2004) found that these phrasal verbs were chosen far more frequently than their
counterparts.
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phrasal verb and single verb versions. The editor was aware of this requirement and
undertook this task, accordingly.
Each participant spent approximately 15 minutes on the Michigan Placement
test and another 15 minutes on the acceptability judgment task. The participants were
asked to do the test chronologically without skipping any item or returning to change
the chosen answer.
3.5 DATA ANALYSIS
Scores from the participants’ acceptability ratings of the individual PVs and
their counterparts were recorded on a group by group basis. Furthermore, their overall
performance was summarized. The relevant steps were as follows:
3.4.1 Firstly, the score of each PV and SV, based on the participants’
responses, was entered in an Excel spread sheet. The average acceptance rate of each
PV and SV, per group, was obtained.
3.4.2 Within level, the average scores of the PVs and SVs were compared in
order to see the students’ preference rates.
3.4.3 Across three levels, the average scores of PVs and SVs were compared
in order to see the extent to which the participants accepted PVs and SVs.
3.4.4 Once the comparisons of the preference of PVs across three groups
were made, the answers for the research questions were provided.
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CHAPTER 4
RESULTS
The previous chapter has identified the materials, the participants, the
procedures of collecting data and the data analysis. This chapter will demonstrate the
results analyzed from the participants’ responses.
4.1 PROFICIENCY LEVELS OF PARTICIPANTS
According to Michigan Placement Test scores, there are three proficiency
levels of the participants: beginner, intermediate and upper intermediate. See table 2
below:
No. of scores Level No. of participants
Between 6-19 Beginner 15
Between 20-32 Intermediate 8
Between 33-46 Upper Intermediate 7
Total 30
Table 2: No. of the participants in each level
The participants were divided into three different levels, based on their scores
on the Michigan Placement Test. Those with scores within the ranges of 6-19, 20-32,
and 33-46 were assigned beginning, intermediate, and upper intermediate groups,
respectively. The cut-off points were obtained by means of score tallying, which
revealed clear differences between groups. That is, there was a gap in scores between
beginning and intermediate, and intermediate and upper intermediate, respectively.
According to the questionnaires that the participants responded to, the data
revealed both similar and different phrasal verb preferences. Some phrasal verbs were
favored by one group while they were less favored by the other groups. The data will
be reported chronologically starting from the average preference rates across groups,
followed by the individual groups’ preference rates.
4.2 AVERAGE PREFERENCE OF PHRASAL VERBS VERSUS SINGLE
VERBS ACROSS THREE GROUPS
16
As described in the material section in Chapter 3, the level of acceptability
was predetermined on a scale of -2, -1, 0, +1, and +2. The average preference rates of
phrasal verbs and single verbs across three groups, calculated on the basis of the
above scale, appear in Table 3 below.
Level of learners Phrasal verbs Single verbs
Beginner 0.7 0.4
Intermediate 0.4 0.6
Upper intermediate 1.1 1.1
Table 3: Average Preference Rates of Phrasal Verbs and Single Verbs across Three
Groups
The graph in Figure 1 shows the preference rates of phrasal verbs and single
verbs across all groups.
Figure 1: Average Preference Rates of Phrasal Verbs and Single Verbs across Three
Groups
According to figure 1, in the beginning group, the average acceptance rates of
PVs and SVs were 0.7 and 0.4, respectively. This means that the learners in this group
accepted the phrasal verbs at a slightly higher rate than they did the single verbs.
0.7
0.4 0.4
0.6
1.1 1.1
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
PVs SVs
Average Use of Phrasal Verbs vs. Single Verbs Across
Three Groups
Beginner Intermediate Upper intermediate
17
Therefore, it can be assumed that they largely understand the use of phrasal verbs in
informal contexts, compared to their slight knowledge of SVs.
In the intermediate group, the average acceptance rates of PVs and SVs were
0.4 and 0.6 respectively. This, in contrast to the pattern above, suggests that their
knowledge of PVs is rather limited, compared to that of SVs.
Interestingly, in the upper intermediate group, the two structures of verbs were
equally accepted. The results indicate that this group of learners understands the two
verbs types equally well.
4.3 PHRASAL VERB PREFERENCE AMONG BEGINNERS
In this section, the beginning group’s preferential pattern of both verbs will be
discussed.
Figure 2: Average Preference Rates between Single Verbs and Phrasal Verbs among
Beginning Learners
0.69
0.54
0.69
0.46 0.54
0.62
-0.31
0.54
0.38
-0.46
0.77 0.77
0.46 0.54
0.54 0.69
1
0.69
-0.6
-0.4
-0.2
0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1
1.2
Single Verb VS. Phrasal Verb Preference of
Beginning Learners
Single verb Phrasal verb
18
According to Figure 2, the beginning learners largely preferred the use of
phrasal verbs. Some phrasal verbs such as show up, show off, let down, make up, go
away, run into, give in and get up were preferred at a greater rate than their
counterparts.
As an illustration, the sentences below were extracted from the participants’
responses. Sentences in the left column were highly accepted while the sentences on
the right hand side were less accepted. It should be noted that some SVs and PVs
appeared in the past form.
Highly accepted Less accepted
I didn’t expect to see Emily at the
party. I was surprised when she
showed up.
I was surprised when Mike
appeared at the party last night. I
thought he was on a business trip.
Marvin likes to show off. But I
don’t think that he has anything to
be proud of.
I’m going to visit our trading
partners in China next month. I
think it’s time for me to improve
my Chinese.
He is one of those people who
never lets down his friends. That’s
why everyone loves him.
Paul is trying very hard to get into a
university, because he doesn’t want
to disappoint his parents.
I was late for my date last night, so
I made up a story about a traffic
jam.
When Jane does not turn in her
homework on time, she usually
invents a story about problems with
her computer.
I told my ex-boyfriend to go away.
I don’t want to see him for a while.
Can you just leave? I need some
peace and quiet.
Even though we’ll graduate soon,
every now and then we will run
into each other on the street.
While I was walking to the park, I
met my old friend whom I had
never seen for years.
The students are fighting against
the school's policy, and they'll
never give in.
Chris and Emmy were arguing
about who would be the child’s
custodian. Neither one surrendered.
19
When the weather is nice, I love to
get up early.
I love to wake around 8.00 am if it
is a holiday.
Out of ten words, the number can account for 80% in phrasal verb preference.
However, in some circumstances, some words such as “improve vs. brush up on”
were equally preferred as in the following examples:
I’m going to visit our trading partners in China next month. I think it’s time
for me to improve my Chinese.
The company is sending me to Germany again. I guess it’s time to brush up on
my German.
Only one PV was less preferred than its counterpart, i.e. go off vs. explode. See the
actual sentences below.
*There weren’t that many people in the building when the bomb went off.
We had just visited the Erawan shrine in the morning, before the bomb
exploded.
The sentence with the asterisk is less accepted.
The high frequency of the preference of PVs among this group leads to the
assumption that the learners are familiar with these words in non-formal conversation
and their knowledge of PVs was not second to the SVs. This might be the reason as to
why their perception of the PVs was quite high.
4.4 PHRASAL VERB PREFERENCE AMONG INTERMEDIATE
LEARNERS
According to the intermediate learners’ responses, the result reveals that the
learners in this group considerably accepted the SVs, unlike those of the beginners.
Hereinafter, their results will be explained in detail with the reference to Figure 3.
20
Figure 3: Average Preference Rates between Single Verbs and Phrasal Verbs among
Intermediate Learners
Figure 3 illustrates the preference of each phrasal verb and its counterpart.
Among the intermediate learners, the preference rate of PVs seems to be smaller than
that of the beginning group. Only three PVs, i.e. make up, go away and get up were
accepted at a higher rate than their counterparts, as shown with their contexts in the
target sentences below. Evidently, these PVs were highly accepted by the beginners as
well.
1.6
1
0.7 0.8
1
-0.2
0
1.4
0.6
-0.3
1.2
0.7
0.4
0.1 0.1 0.2
0.6 0.7
-0.5
0.3
-1
-0.5
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
Single Verb VS. Phrasal Verb Preference of Intermediate
Learners
Single verb Phrasal verb
21
Highly accepted Less accepted
I was late for my date last night,
so I made up a story about a
traffic jam.
When Jane does not turn in her
homework on time, she usually
invents a story about problems
with her computer.
I told my ex-boyfriend to go
away. I don’t want to see him for
a while.
Can you just leave? I need some
peace and quiet.
When the weather is nice, I love
to get up early.
I love to wake around 8.00 am if
it is a holiday.
One interesting point here is the instance of give in; it can be seen that the
learners’ preference was quite low while the beginning learners accepted it more
readily. The relevant target sentences appear below.
*The students are fighting against the school's policy, and they'll never give in.
Chris and Emmy were arguing about who would be the child’s custodian. Neither one
surrendered.
The sentence with the asterisk was notably unaccepted by the intermediate
learners, compared to its counterpart.
From the results revealed above, it can be said that their knowledge of PVs is
limited, compared to that of SVs. Compared to the beginners, their understanding of
PVs is slightly lower. Given the two data sets, proficiency may not play a crucial role
with regard to phrasal verb preference.
4.5 PHRASAL VERB PREFERENCE AMONG UPPER INTERMEDIATE
LEARNERS
Next, the results based on the upper intermediate learners’ responses will be
reported with reference to Figure 4.
22
Figure 4: Average Preference Rates between Single Verbs and Phrasal Verbs among
Advanced Learners
At this level, on average there is an equal acceptance rate between the PVs and
the SVs (1.1 and 1.1). In terms of PVs, five frequently accepted PVs include show up,
show off, make up, go away and get up. The relevant sentences are shown below.
1.71
0.43
1.86 1.86 2
-0.29
1.29
2
0.57
-0.43
2
1 1
-0.43
1
1.86 1.86
1.14
-0.14
2
-1
-0.5
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
Single Verb VS. Phrasal Verb Preference of Upper
Intermediate Learners
Single verb Phrasal verb
23
Highly accepted Less accepted
I didn’t expect to see Emily at the
party. I was surprised when she
showed up.
I was surprised when Mike
appeared at the party last night. I
thought he was on a business trip.
Marvin likes to show off. But I
don’t think that he has anything to
be proud of.
I’m going to visit our trading
partners in China next month. I
think it’s time for me to improve
my Chinese.
I was late for my date last night, so
I made up a story about a traffic
jam.
When Jane does not turn in her
homework on time, she usually
invents a story about problems
with her computer.
I told my ex-boyfriend to go away.
I don’t want to see him for a while.
Can you just leave? I need some
peace and quiet.
When the weather is nice, I love to
get up early.
I love to wake around 8.00 am if it
is a holiday.
It should be noted that the highly accepted PVs are identical to those found in
the beginning level. Three additional PVs, i.e. let down, run into and give in were
highly accepted by the beginners, but not the upper intermediate learners. Instead,
they highly accepted their SV counterparts, i.e. disappoint, meet and surrender
respectively.5 See the relevant sentences below:
Highly accepted in beginners Less accepted in upper
intermediates
Paul is trying very hard to get into
a university, because he doesn’t
want to disappoint his parents.
He is one of those people who
never lets down his friends. That’s
why everyone loves him.
While I was walking to the park, I
met my old friend whom I had
Even though we’ll graduate soon,
every now and then we will run
5
Some verbs appeared in the past form in the questionnaire.
24
never seen for years. into each other on the street.
Chris and Emmy were arguing
about who would be the child’s
custodian. Neither one
surrendered.
The students are fighting against
the school's policy, and they'll
never give in.
Interestingly, let down was highly rejected by the upper intermediate group,
while it was accepted moderately by the other two groups. As noted earlier, the rates
of acceptance at this level were equal, with 50% across both the PVs and SVs. This
indicates that the learners at this level can understand the use of PVs and SVs equally
well.
4.6 THAI LEARNERS’ PHRASAL VERB PREFERENCE AND ENGLISH
PROFICIENCY
This section is concerned with the second research question, i.e. whether Thai
learners’ phrasal verb preference is affected by proficiency level. As reported in
sections 4.2, the preference of PVs is higher than that of SVs in the group of
beginners. With regard to the intermediate group, the reverse direction is found, that
is, the preference of PVs is lower than that of SVs. In term of the upper intermediate
group’s preference, they accepted both of the structures at the same level. Given that
the participants accepted the PVs readily at the early stage of L2 acquisition, despite a
drop in preference at the intermediate level, it can be concluded that the findings do
not support proficiency effects.
25
CHAPTER 5
CONCLUSION, DISCUSSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
This chapter presents (1) a summary of the study, (2) a summary of the
findings, (3) the discussion of the findings, (4) the conclusion (5) Pedagogical
implications, and (6) recommendations for further study.
5.1 SUMMARY OF THE STUDY
This section summarizes the objectives, materials, target phrasal verbs and
their counterparts, participants and procedures of the study.
5.1.1 Objectives of the study
The study attempts to investigate the extent to which PVs are preferred among
Thai learners and the effects of English proficiency on the preference of PVs.
5.1.2 Task, target phrasal verbs and their counterparts
The acceptability judgment task with a five point scale was employed. In
developing a relevant test, a questionnaire, including 20 target sentences with PVs and
SVs and 24 filler sentences, was designed. The ten PVs and ten SVs are mutual
counterparts, and they were adapted from the previous work of Liao and Fukuya
(2004).
Thirty participants who joined this study were graduate and undergraduate
students with an English educational background between 12-17 years. They read the
sentences and rated their preference, by marking a score of their choice between -2 to
+2 (highly unacceptable to highly acceptable).
With regard to the procedures, after dividing the learners into three groups
based on their scores of the Michigan placement test, the participants’ preference rates
of PVs per group was calculated.
5.2 SUMMARY OF THE FINDINGS
The results of the study can be summarized as follows:
26
5.2.1 With regard to the beginning learners, the acceptance of PVs occurred
at a greater rate than with the SVs. The average acceptance rates of PVs and SVs are
0.7 and 0.4, respectively.
5.2.2 Among intermediate learners, the acceptance of SVs was greater than
that of PVs (0.4 vs. 0.6). This suggests that they are likely to use SVs more than PVs
in informal situations.
5.2.3 The acceptance of PV is equal to that of SVs among upper
intermediate learners (1.1 and 1.1). This implies that they can alternate between PVs
and SVs in informal conversation.
5.2.4 Given that the beginning learners accepted PVs at a higher rate than
they did SVs, this indicates that they largely understand PVs and may have the ability
to use them. Since knowledge of PVs exists at an early stage of L2 development, we
conclude that English proficiency does not affect L2 learners’ phrasal verb usage.
5.3 CONCLUSION AND DISCUSSION
The part is presented in relation to the two research questions posed earlier.
5.3.1 Research Question 1 asked to what extent the Thai learners prefer
using English PVs. To answer this question, comparisons of the acceptance rates of
PVs vs. SVs across three groups were made. The beginning group preferred PVs to
SVs. The reverse pattern was found in the intermediate group, and the upper
intermediate group equally preferred both verb types. It is interesting to note that the
intermediate learners accepted the PVs at a smaller rate than they did SVs despite a
higher proficiency level than that of the beginners. A drop and a rise in preference
between the PVs and SVs might be a transition to the next level, where both the PVs
and SVs were favored equally.
5.3.2 Research Question 2 asked whether or not English proficiency affects
their PV usage. We formed this question following Liao and Fukuya’s (2004)
observation. In other words, the more proficient learners are, the less they resort to
avoidance strategies. However, as the results reveal, the beginners accepted PVs more
frequently than the intermediate did, which was unexpected. Thus, the fact that the
knowledge of PVs is readily present at an early stage is inconsistent with the claims
27
by researchers in prior studies (Hulstijn and Marchena, 1989; Liao and Fukuya, 2004;
Pazhakh, 2007. It is likely that these learners had frequent and intensive exposure to
PVs before their participation in the current study, and consequently were familiar
with the target PVs fairly well.
In respect of a comparison between the lower two groups and the upper
intermediate group, it is obvious that the upper intermediate preferred the PVs
identically to the SVs, which suggests that higher proficiency allows for an alternation
between the two verb types. Thus, it is noteworthy that while proficiency level may
not play a role in the recognition of phrasal verbs, it facilitates a switch between
phrasal verbs and single-word verbs.
5.4 PEDAGOGICAL IMPLICATIONS
We make the following recommendations, by incorporating certain findings,
as follows.
5.4.1 There were some PVs that were commonly preferred (i.e. make up, go
away, and get up), but their SV counterparts (invent, leave, and wake) were slightly
preferred. Given these findings, EFL teachers may teach the two types of verbs in a
relative fashion. Thus, integrating PVs and their SV counterparts into regular
vocabulary lessons may promote learners’ vocabulary capacity. The learners can be
familiar with PVs and their SV counterparts and will be able to use the two structures
interchangeably.
5.4.2. There is a decline in the PV preference and a rise in the SV preference
in the intermediate group, and the pattern changes with higher proficiency. If
consistency in the L2 input partly accounts for the change, it is important that EFL
teachers ensure that input be provided to the learners adequately and consistently. If
L2 learners receive consistent input and practice through the lessons and resources
that integrate PVs and SVs, it is likely that they will be able to understand and use the
two verb types successfully.
5.5 RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY
Based on the findings and conclusions of this study, the recommendations below can
benefit future studies.
28
5.5.1 Only ten phrasal verbs and their counterparts have been chosen from
Liao and Fukuya’s (2004) study. Future research may explore the use of phrasal verbs
in other aspects. As there are three types of phrasal verbs mentioned in chapter 2,
future research may focus on the phrasal verb type that is highly used among Thai
learners.
5.5.2 Future research may utilize a Thai learners’ corpus by extracting top
ten frequently used phrasal verbs, as a basis for an investigation, and replicate the
methodology of this study. The findings may yield interesting aspects, different from
the preferential patterns reported in the current study.
29
REFERENCES
Celce-Murcia and Larsen-Freeman (1999), as cited in The use of English phrasal
verbs in American spoken corpora. International Journal of Language Studies, 9(2),
27-48.
Cornell (1985), as cited in Avoidance of Phrasal Verbs: The Case of Chinese Learners
of English. Language Learning, 54(2), 197. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9922.2004.00254.x
Dagut and Laufer (1985), as cited in Avoidance of Phrasal Verbs: The Case of
Chinese Learners of English. Language Learning, 54(2), 197. doi:10.1111/j.1467-
9922.2004.00254.x
Hulstijn and Marchena (1989, as cited in Avoidance of Phrasal Verbs: The Case of
Chinese Learners of English. Language Learning, 54(2). doi:10.1111/j.1467-
9922.2004.00254.x
Ju-Young, L. (2015). The use of English phrasal verbs in American spoken
corpora. International Journal of Language Studies, 9(2), 27-48.
Kamimoto et al (1992). A second language classic reconsidered- The case of
Schachter’s avoidance. Second Language Research, 8, 251-277
Kleinmann, H.H. (1977, 1978) as cited in Avoidance of Phrasal Verbs: The Case of
Chinese Learners of English. Language Learning, 54(2), 197. doi:10.1111/j.1467-
9922.2004.00254.x
Laufer, B. (2000). Avoidance of Idioms in a Second Language: The Effect of L1-L2
Degree of Similarity. Studia Linguistica, 54(2), 186.
Laufer, B., & Eliasson, S. (1993). What causes avoidance in L2 learning: L1-L2
difference, L1-L2 similarity, or L2 complexity? Studies in Second Language
Acquisition, 15, 35-48.
30
Mattar, H. (2003). Is avoidance ruled out by similarity? The case of subordinating
conjunctions/adverbs in English and Arabic. Poznan Studies in Contemporary
Linguistics, 38, 103-115.
Pazhakh, A. (2007). An Investigation on Iranian EFL Learners’ application of
avoidance strategies in their writings. Iranian Journal of Language Studies, 1/(1), 1-
14.
Schachter, J. (1974). An error in error analysis. Language Learning, 24, 205-214
Tiamtawan, S. (2013). Avoidance of the use of English participial reduced relative
clauses among L1 Thai learners. Learn Journal Issue 2, 2003, pp.12-28
Liao, Y., & Fukuya, Y. J. (2004). Avoidance of Phrasal Verbs: The Case of Chinese
Learners of English. Language Learning, 54(2), 193. doi:10.1111/j.1467-
9922.2004.00254.x
31
APPENDIX A
Sentences (1) to (10) below illustrate the target PV and SV sentences before being
randomization, used in the Acceptability Judgment task.
The (a) and (b) versions represent phrasal verb sentences and their single verb
sentence counterparts, in respective order.
(1) a. He is one of those people who never lets down his friends. That’s why
everyone loves him.
b. Paul is trying very hard to get into a university, because he doesn’t want to
disappoint his parents.
(2) a. I didn’t expect to see Emily at the party. I was surprised when she showed
up.
b. I was surprised when Mike appeared at the party last night. I thought he was
on a business trip.
(3) a. I told my ex-boyfriend to go away. I don’t want to see him for a while.
b. Can you just leave? I need some peace and quiet.
(4) a. The students are fighting against the school's policy, and they'll never give
in.
b. Chris and Emmy were arguing about who would be the child’s custodian.
Neither one surrendered.
(5) a. The company is sending me to Germany again. I guess it’s time to brush up
on my German.
b. I’m going to visit our trading partners in China next month. I think it’s time
for me to improve my Chinese.
(6) a. Marvin likes to show off. But I don’t think that he has anything to be proud
of.
b. I was surprised when Mike appeared at the party last night. I thought he was
on a business trip.
(7) a. When the weather is nice, I love to get up early.
b. I love to wake around 8.00 am if it is a holiday.
(8) a. I was late for my date last night, so I made up a story about a traffic jam.
b. When Jane does not turn in her homework on time, she usually invents a
story about problems with her computer.
(9) a. There weren’t that many people in the building when the bomb went off.
32
b. We had just visited the Erawan shrine in the morning, before the bomb
exploded.
(10) a. Even though we’ll graduate soon, every now and then we will run into
each other on the street.
b. While I was walking to the park, I met my old friend whom I had never
seen for years.
33
APPENDIX B
Student ID: ___________________
Directions: Each item below contains one or two sentences. Please rate the
acceptability of a sentence with an underlined word/phrase. Circle the number that
represents your judgment on a scale of -2 to +2 (-2: completely unacceptable; 2:
completely acceptable; 0: don’t know). There are 44 items. Please do the test from
item 1 to 44. Do not skip items or return to revise the items that you have already
rated.
ค ำแนะน ำ: แตละขอดานลางประกอบดวยประโยคหนงถงสองประโยค ทานรสกวาการใชค าทขดเสนใตในแตละประโยคเปนท
ยอมรบไดมากนอยเพยงใด กรณาวงกลมหมายเลขทตรงกบการตดสนใจของทานจากระดบการยอมรบตงแต -2 ถง +2 (โดยให -2 = ทานคดวาเปนทยอมรบนอยทสด 0 = ไมทราบ และ +2 = ทานคดวาเปนทยอมรบมากทสด) แบบทดสอบนมทงหมด 44 ขอ ใหทานท าแบบทดสอบแตละขอเรยงตามล าดบจากขอ 1 ถงขอ 44 โดยไมขามขอหรอยอนกลบมาแกไขขอทท าไปแลว
1. Even though he always tells the truth, this story was uncomfortable.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
2. He is one of those people who never lets down his friends. That’s why
everyone loves him.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
3. Cows are plant-eating animals. Farmers throughout the country are
encouraged to breed them.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
4. When Jane does not turn in her homework on time, she usually invents a story
about problems with her computer.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
5. The economic situation is already very bad and it is getting worse.
34
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
6. I didn’t expect to see Emily at the party. I was surprised when she showed up.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
7. I’m starting a new job next week. I’m quite overwhelmed about it.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
8. Can you just leave? I need some peace and quiet.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
9. The cost of living is increasing. Every year things are becoming more
expensive.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
10. The world is changing. Things never stay the same.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
11. Chris and Emmy were arguing about who would be the child’s custodian.
Neither one surrendered.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
12. The cashier was fired because of her effectiveness.
35
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
13. The students are fighting against the school's policy, and they'll never give in.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
14. There are four availabilities, and I have appointments with all of them after
lunch.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
15. Yesterday was the hottest day of the year so I decided not to go to anywhere.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
16. I love to wake around 8.00 am if it is a holiday.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
17. Emmy likes snobbish clothes.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
18. The company is sending me to Germany again. I guess it’s time to brush up on
my German.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
36
19. The population of the world is rising very fast but food resources seem to be
less.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
20. While I was walking to the park, I met my old friend whom I had never seen
for years.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
21. Everyone left the building in the evening in light of the security guard.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
22. Marvin likes to show off. But I don’t think that he has anything to be proud of.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
23. Some of my friends like to boast about their grades.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
24. Our old printer is broken, and it’s time to replay it.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
25. An explosion is really a sudden expansion in volume caused by rapid burning.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
37
26. I want to plant a rosebush in my flower garden because it has a lot of space.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
27. Hay containing too much moisture will spoil and it cannot be processed into
fodder.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
28. When the weather is nice, I love to get up early.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
29. We had just visited the Erawan shrine in the morning, before the bomb
exploded.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
30. Journalists are writers who are engaged in gathering and presenting news.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
31. Ken is still ill, but he is recovering gradually.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
32. The process is not minimal for our company.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
33. I was late for my date last night, so I made up a story about a traffic jam.
38
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
34. I was surprised when Mike appeared at the party last night. I thought he was
on a business trip.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
35. Our journey from London to Istanbul by train was very intelligent.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
36. There weren’t that many people in the building when the bomb went off.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
37. Our sales manager can diverge the best price.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
38. I’m going to visit our trading partners in China next month. I think it’s time
for me to improve my Chinese.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
39. This hotel’s rate is cheaper than the others’ in town so it is always fully
booked.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
40. Even though we’ll graduate soon, every now and then we will run into each
other on the street.
39
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
41. The manager should encourage the procedure to reduce the workers’ errors.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
42. Paul is trying very hard to get into a university, because he doesn’t want to
disappoint his parents.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
43. I told my ex-boyfriend to go away. I don’t want to see him for a while.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
44. The book I’m reading now is not good, but it is honorary.
|---------------------|-------------------|------------------|-----------------------|
-2 -1 0 +1 +2
Completely Unacceptable Don’t know Completely Acceptable
Thank you very much for your cooperation. Your identity will not be revealed, and
the information will be used for the interests of this research only.
40
BIOGRAPHY
Name Mr. Thongchai Boongtong
Date of Birth November 25, 1983
Educational Attainment 2006: Bachelor Degree of Arts (English)
Work Position Translator Editor
Proekwaree Communications Ltd.
Work Experiences 2015- Present: Translator Editor
Proekwaree Communications Ltd.
2013-2014: Global Resources Coordinator
EQHO Communications Ltd.
2006-2013: Front Desk Staff
Triple Two Silom Hotel