AN INVESTIGATION INTO LACK OF ADVERBIAL/ TENSE AGREEMENT IN THE SPOKEN ENGLISH OF SELECTED UNDERGRADUATES

Abstract

This study examines the lack of agreement between time adverbials and tenses in the spoken communication of selected undergraduates in Abuja. The study begins by looking at the rule-governed nature of the English language and how abiding by these rules enhances effective spoken and written communication. The study then briefly reviews literature bordering on key concepts in the topic. Thereafter, the paper discusses the methodology used in the collection of data from participatory and non-participatory observation aided by field notes comprising jottings of sentences of interest obtained from the spoken discourses of a cross-section of first-year students of three universities. Using the Error Analysis technique, the paper analyses the various sentences obtained from the subjects of the study by identifying and classifying the wrongly used adverbials and tenses along with their correct forms. The paper goes on to discuss the findings, which clearly establish a lack of agreement between the time expressed by the adverbials and tenses used in the sentences analysed. The findings also reveal that the present perfect tense, along with prepositional phrases functioning as adverbials, were the most erroneously used among the different tenses and various adverbials in the language. The paper concludes by emphasising the importance of these findings that do not only unravel the pattern of the errors common among the target group but also how this knowledge can help in pedagogy by bringing about targeted teaching aimed at addressing these problems and, by extension, enhancing proficiency and effectiveness in communication.