BINH DUONG PROVINCAL PEOPLE’S COMMITTEE THU DAU MOT UNIVERSITY DO THI THANH THUY THE USE OF PHRASAL VERBS IN ACADEMIC WRITING BY ENGLISH MAJORED STUDENTS AT THU DAU MOT UNIVERSITY MAJOR: ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDIES MAJOR CODE: 8220201 MASTER THESIS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDIES BINH DUONG PROVINCE - 2023 BINH DUONG PROVINCAL PEOPLE’S COMMITTEE THU DAU MOT UNIVERSITY DO THI THANH THUY THE USE OF PHRASAL VERBS IN ACADEMIC WRITING BY ENGLISH MAJORED STUDENTS AT THU DAU MOT UNIVERSITY MAJOR: ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDIES MAJOR CODE: 8220201 MASTER THESIS IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE STUDIES SUPERVISED BY TRAN QUOC THAO, PHD BINH DUONG PROVINCE - 2023 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to all those who have made it possible for me to complete this Master’s Thesis. This has been an incredible and unforgettable journey that I will never forget. I would like to express my most grateful and sincere thanks to my supervisor, Dr. Tran Quoc Thao.
I am so grateful for the numerous hours that he dedicated to me and my research. He was always available to offer his encouragement. Besides, he added inspiration to my research and strengthened my passion for the field of English Language. This research is not completed without the help of my lovely classmates.
I was very fortunate to have terrific mates who gave me useful and constructive advice. I would like to thank Ms. Huynh Thi Ngoc Thao for her consultancy and her encouragement. I am very fortunate to have great parents.
I would like to thank my mother for her unconditional support. She is a great source of encouragement throughout my time at Thu Dau Mot University. I have dedicated this research to my father for the time he has been to me Finally, thanks to my sister and brother-in-law. Thanks for their spiritual and financial help whenever I was in trouble.
i STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY I certify my authorship of the Master’s Thesis submitted today entitled: THE USE OF PHRASAL VERBS IN ACADEMIC WRITING BY ENGLISH MAJORED STUDENTS AT THU DAU MOT UNIVERSITY In terms of the statement of requirements for Theses in Master’s programs issued by the Higher Degree Committee of Faculty of English Language, Thu Dau Mot University. Binh Duong Province, March 2023 Signature ……………………………. DO THI THANH THUY ii RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS I hereby state that I, DO THI THANH THUY, being a candidate for the degree of Master of English Language accept the requirements of the University relating to the retention and use of Master’s Theses deposited in the Library. In terms of these conditions, I agree that the original of my Master’s Thesis deposited in the Library should be accessible for purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the Librarian for the care, loan, and reproduction of theses.
Binh Duong, March 2023 Signature ……………………………. DO THI THANH THUY iii ABSTRACT This study aimed to investigate the utilization of phrasal verbs in academic writing by English majored students at Thu Dau Mot University. The research questions addressed are: (1) What are the types of phrasal verbs used in academic writing by English majored students at Thu Dau Mot university? (2) What are the functions of phrasal verbs in academic writing by English majored students at Thu Dau Mot university? (3) What are the underlying reasons for the use of phrasal verbs in academic writing by English majored students at Thu Dau Mot university? Data were collected from 50 English majored students at Thu Dau Mot University through small group interviews and by building a corpus of 150 academic writings with an average length of 250 words. The findings reveal that the most commonly used types of phrasal verbs by English majored students in academic writing were particle verbs, prepositional verbs, and phrasal-prepositional verbs.
The functions of phrasal verbs were found to be diverse, with the most frequent being expressing cause and effect, describing a process, and signaling transitions between ideas. The reasons for the use of phrasal verbs in academic writing by English majored students were related to linguistic factors, such as the desire for variety and the influence of L1 transfer, and academic factors, such as a lack of awareness of the expectations of academic writing in English. Overall, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of the use of phrasal verbs in academic writing by English majored students and provides insights into the underlying reasons that influence their use. Keywords: academic writing, English, function, phrasal verb, reason iv TABLE OF CONTENT ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
i STATEMENT OF ORIGINALITY. ii RETENTION AND USE OF THE THESIS. iv TABLE OF CONTENT.v LIST OF TABLES. viii LIST OF FIGURE.
Background of the study. The statement of the problem. Purpose of the study. Scope of the study.
Significance of the study. Definition of key terms. Organization of the study. Characteristics of academic writing.
Types of phrasal verbs. Functions of phrasal verbs. The use of phrasal verbs in academic writing. Reasons for using phrasal verbs.
Information and training. Semi-structured interview. Data collection procedure .6 Data analysis procedure. Interview data analysis.
Validity and reliability. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION. Types and frequency of phrasal verbs used in essays by English majored students. Functions of phrasal verbs used in essays by English majored students.
The underlying reasons for using phrasal verbs used in essays by English majored students. The use of phrasal verbs used in academic writing by English majored students, including types, frequency and functions. The underlying reasons for the use of phrasal verbs in academic writing by English majored students. Summary of the main findings of the thesis.
Limitations of the study. Recommendations for further research.83 vii LIST OF TABLES Table 3. Framework for essay analysis.1: The number of phrasal verbs from the corpus analysis.2: Top 10 phrasal verbs in academic writing.3: Functions of the phrasal verbs in terms of syntax. 46 viii LIST OF FIGURE Figure 2.1: The number of phrasal verbs from the corpus analysis.
INTRODUCTION In this chapter, we will go over the background of the study, while also provide the overall purpose and research question. From there, we also briefly describe the defined scopes as well as the contribution or significance of this study. Background of the study English is an international language used to present scientific research at conferences around the world. However, using English fluently is a challenge for people from non-English speaking countries, including Vietnam and other countries around the world.
To write a scientific article in English, English as Second Language (ESL) learners must spend a lot of time learning and looking up how to use unknown phrases (Vu and Burns, 2014). Along with the continuous development of society in science, technology, and education in the era of national industrialization and modernization, English plays an increasingly important role; it is a tool to help learners learn human knowledge, and a communication tool in an open, integrated country situation (Nguyen, 2011). Because of its importance, it is essential to learn and improve the quality of English in schools. Therefore, to learn English well, students need to practice all skills: Listening, Speaking, Reading, Writing and Grammar.
Teaching grammar has always been focused on teaching foreign languages in Vietnam. In addition, there are many grammar points that are quite difficult for students especially verbs (phrasal verbs), especially in the given context of academicwritings. Memorizing and using fairly proficient verbs seems to be very difficult thing for learners. However, if a student learns the grammar in general and the verb phrase well, the language they use will become natural and the student's English level will also improve.
Phrasal verbs are widely uby the native speakers of English in oral and written communication. According to Bolton (2012; as cited in Mahmoud Abdulmoneim, 2015: 263) 1 states that most native English speakers often use one or more phrasal verbs in their daily life. It can be said that most of the sentences, paragraphs, novels, films, speech in English use phrasal verbs. It means as the learner of English, the students could not ignore the use of phrasal verbs in their daily life.
There are many different perspectives on phrasal verbs. As stated by Mahmoud Abdulmoneim (2015, pg.35): “phrasal verb is a combination of two or three words functioning as a unit of meaning. Realizing these difficulties, in Bera (2017), researchers in Italy launched the Lugdwig language search tool to help people write correct English sentences by finding similar patterns in Articles published on famous news sites such as New York Time, BBC, and so on. However, this tool only supports writing in ordinary English, and is limited to scientific and academic research fields.
In addition, author Yu-Chih Sun at National Chiao Tung University, Taiwan has built a website application to support writing scientific articles and looking up useful phrasal verbs. However, the author's method uses hand-drawn phrases, namely, assigned by students to read and select useful phrases in the article, then experienced teachers will check if the phrase is a useful phrase in the article or not (Liu et al, 2011). FLOW (Chen et al, 2012) is a writing support system that directs user interaction to suggest phrases used in drafting scientific articles for Chinese people. The distinctive feature of the system is that it helps users to complete articles without being interrupted by words that they do not know in English.
For Vietnamese language today, there is a website "www.com" that supports English learners, when the user queries Vietnamese keywords, the application will search in the built-in database. is available to provide complete English sentences that are commonly used for everyday communication. The website's database system has about 300,000 pairs of bilingual Vietnamese- English sentences, English sentences translated into Vietnamese sentences suitable to the context and culture. Therefore, the practice of using phrasal verbs 2 is promoted in the context of academic writing to prove for the efficiency of the language and professional writing skills of writers.
The statement of the problem Academic writing plays a crucial role in higher education, particularly in the context of Thu Dau Mot University in Vietnam, where students are expected to produce high-quality academic papers, including scientific research and theses. However, many English learners, including English majored students at Thu Dau Mot University, struggle with using phrasal verbs in their writing, which can result in imprecise language and lower grades. This is partly due to the fact that many ESL course teachers do not teach common English phrases, which are essential for academic writing and conversation. Writing academic essays at Thu Dau Mot University level can present a variety of challenges for students.
One major obstacle is the need to demonstrate a high level of contextual understanding, meaning the ability to clearly and accurately convey the relevant information and concepts related to the topic being discussed. This requires students to conduct thorough research, critically evaluate sources, and synthesize information effectively. Another challenge is maintaining coherence and cohesion in the essay. This involves ensuring that ideas flow logically and that there is a clear and consistent connection between paragraphs and sections.
Additionally, students must strive to produce high- quality essays that meet the standards of academic writing, including clear and concise language, appropriate use of evidence, and correct formatting and citation practices. Overall, these challenges require a combination of strong writing skills, effective time management, and dedication to producing high- quality work. Purpose of the study Vocabulary used in academic writing is one of critical issues for English majored students at Thu Dau Mot University, especially with the use of phrasal verb. It is trivial to enrich their language to be more acquainted with English academic writing.
At the same time, it is grasping the use of native English speakers using phrasal verb and meanings.