ERRORS OF CONCORD IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE USAGE AMONG SS2 STUDENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Cover Page – – – – – – – – – i
Declaration Page – – – – – – – – ii
Approval Page – – – – – – – – iii
Dedication Page – – – – – – – – iv
Acknowledgement Page – – – – – – – v
Abstract – – – – – – – – – vi
Table of Contents – – – – – – – – vii

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study – – – – – 1-3
1.2 Statement of the Problem – – – – – – 3-4
1.3 Purpose of the study – – – – – – 4
1.4 Significance of the Study – – – – – – 4-5
1.5 Research Questions – – – – – – – 5
1.6 Scope / Delimitation of the Study – — – – 5-6
1.7 Operational Definition of Terms – – – – – 6

CHAPTER TWO: REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURES
2.1 Concept of Concord – – – – – – 7-11
2.2 Types of Concord – – – – – – – 11
2.2.1 Subject-Verb Concord – – – – – – 12-13
2.2.2 Pronoun-Antecedent Agreement – – – – 13-15
2.2.3 Notional Concord – – – – – – – 15
2.2.4 Concord of Proximity – – – – – – 15-16
2.2.5 Distance Concord – – – – – – – 16-17
2.3 Rules of Concord – – – – – – – 17-26
2.4 Concept of Error – – – – – – – 26-29
2.5 Errors of Concord – – – – – – 29-30
2.6 Method of Correcting Concord Errors – – – 31-33
2.7 Summary of the Review – – – – – – 33

CHAPTER THREE: RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
3.1 Research Design – – – – – – – 34
3.2 Research Population and Sample Size – – – – 35
3.3 Sampling Technique – – – – – – 35
3.4 Instrument for Data Collection – – – – 36
3.4.1 Description of the Instrument – – – – – 36
3.4.2 Procedure for Instrument Development – – – 36-37
3.5 Validity and Reliability of the Instrument – – – 37
3.6 Method/Procedure for Data Collection – – – 37-38

CHAPTER FOUR: DATA PRESENTATION, ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
4.0 Introduction – – – – – – – 39
4.1 Data Presentation – – – – – – – 39-46
4.2 Discussion of the Findings – – – – – 46-49

CHAPTER FIVE: SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION
5.1 Summary of Findings – – – – – – 50-51
5.2 Conclusion – – – – – – – – 51-52
5.3 Recommendations – – – – – – 52
5.4 Limitations of the Study – – – – – – 53
5.5 Suggestions for Further Research – – – – 55
References – – – – – – – –
Appendices – – – – – – –

ABSTRACT
This research work investigates the errors of Concord in English Language usage among Senior Secondary School two Students of Jos South L.G.A of Plateau State. The study observed that errors of concord abound in the English language usage of students, and it has become a problem in effective and operative communication. The study’s main objective was to examine and carefully observe the errors and correct them appropriately. The researcher adopts the survey research design, using a sample of ninety (90) students from three (3) selected secondary schools in Jos South L.G.A of Plateau State. The stratified random sampling technique was used in obtaining data for the research. The researcher used an objective test as the instrument for data collection. Simple percentage table was used in presenting the data collected. The findings are that the types of concord which the students encountered the most difficulty with are; Concord of Proximity with 60% of error and Notional Concord with 56% of error. Subject-verb concord, Pronoun-Antecedent Concord and Distance Concord recorded minimal but very significant levels of error which are; 37%, 29% and 16% respectively. Generally, the percentage of correctness in the study was 60% while the percentage of error was 40%. It was recommended, among others, that more attention should be given to the teaching of Notional Concord and Concord of Proximity which the students have more problems with.

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
Speaking and writing are useful only when they communicate meaning, and they only communicate meaning when the speaker or writer puts words together in a way the reader or listener understands. This means that both the reader and writer or the listener and speaker have to follow the same rules for putting words together. Following these rules is called correct language usage. This makes language the same for everyone. To achieve such proficiency in communication and language use, the knowledge of grammatical units such as parts of speech and grammatical concord is relevant.
Errors occur in various levels of grammar such as tense, punctuation etc; concord is not an exception. The second language learner is bound to make errors but when carefully examine and corrected, it leads to competence on the part of the learner. Many students find difficulty in learning and using concord because of the copious rules associated with the selection of correct words and arrangement of the words in sentences, because most of the rules do not tally with the rules of sentence formation of the learner’s L1. Nonetheless, concord is vital in each language structure because it entails the correct combination of words that form the subject and predicate in a given structure. In other words, there can barely be any significant/meaningful expression in any given language without the correct use of concord which involves the subject that often occupies the left side and the predicate usually at the right side of the sentence structure, mostly dominated by a verb based on their role and classification.
Furthermore, concord errors in sentences occur as a result of ignoring the rules of grammatical agreement, over-generalization of the rules, use of wrong tenses, mother tongue interference etc. This therefore will lead to ungrammatical sentence formations, absurd sentences, ambiguous sentences etc, which may eventually lead to wrong interpretation and reaction. That is why coherence is important because it is the careful arrangement of sentence elements, so that their relationships are clear within the context of the sentence.
Therefore, words which are building blocks in a language must be strung together in such a way that the intended meaning is not in any way distorted. It then means that at both syntagmatic and paradigmatic levels, care and caution must be exercised so that meaning is adequately cared for. Again, the various components that makeup a sentence are referred to as elements of clause structure. These are subject, verb/predicator, object, compliment, and adjunct [SVOCA]. A sentence may have all or a combination of these in different degrees. A sentence may also contain only verb/predicator, especially an imperative sentence. Therefore, since language is a system with choices open to the speaker/writer, a wrong choice could engender ungrammaticality. To forestall this, certain rules must be obeyed among which are the rules of concord.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
It is crystal clear that errors of concord abound in the English language usage of students, either in written or spoken form and it has become a problem in effective and operative communication. It is also obvious that errors in English language usage have a negative impact on the meaning of the message being passed across in the sentence in which it is used. Without the correct use of concord in communication, the intended message will not be adequately conveyed. Once there is an error in concord, the whole message in the structure will be absurd.
Therefore, this study will help in identifying and correcting concord errors among students, thereby reducing the rate of errors made by students and improving their performance in English language usage.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
1. To identify the various forms of error in concord.
2. To classify the identified errors
3. To explain why such errors occur.
4. To provide solutions (corrections) to the errors.
1.4 Significance of the Study
This study can serve as a particular reference material in academic situations of senior secondary schools. It can also serve as a reference material for researchers carrying out further research on this research topic or on a similar topic. It is therefore a prominent concern of the researcher to develop a comprehensive document that can be used as a good reference material to those concerned.
This study will also be relevant to students in a way of assisting them to understand the rules of concord, identify concord errors and also make correction of errors made in their everyday English language usage. It will also help them to develop competence in the use of concord.
1.5 Research Questions
Following the rate of errors of concord in English language usage of senior secondary 2 (SS 2) students, the following research questions have been posed by the researcher to find direction for the study.
1. Are there errors of concord in English language usage of SS 2 students?
2. What are the most prominent types of concord errors found in the English language usage of SS 2 students?
3. Do the errors of concord affect clarity of speaker or writer and the meaning of the sentence structure?
4. In what way(s) can the errors of concord be corrected among students?
1.6 Delimitation of the Study
This study is restricted to senior secondary Two (SS 2) students in Jos south local government area of plateau state. The result obtained from the sample school/students will be used to analyze the errors of concord in English language usage of SS2 students in that area and to proffer solutions [corrections] to the errors.
1.7 Operational Definition of Terms
Concord: Grammatical agreement between the subject and the verb in the sentence. The relationship between grammatical elements in a sentence.
Error: The state, quality or condition of being wrong. Incorrect use of language.
Usage: The manner or the amount of using something. The habit or accepted practice.
Rules: Regulations, laws or guidelines.
Analysis: Separating into constituent elements in order to study the nature, function or meaning.