Facing Difficulties in the Acquisition of the English Passive by L1 Speakers of Hungarian
Facing Difficulties in the Acquisition of the English Passive by L1 Speakers of Hungarian

Summary/Abstract: Hungarian learners of English encounter difficulties when learning the passive constructions. Based on my classroom experience, passive is one of the most difficult phenomena when it comes to teaching it, and therefore it is well worth some investigation. Furthermore, the direct method does not allow possibilities for presenting Hungarian structures corresponding to the passive voice in English, as a consequence Hungarian students learning English as a foreign language use the passive constructions erroneously or will totally avoid using them. The present paper will demonstrate with empirical evidence that, leaving the direct method aside for a while, presenting properly the characteristics of the English passive and its Hungarian counterpart structures, with some practice, we can get students to understand, form and use the passive constructions in appropriate contexts. The intervention provides a methodological model for teaching the English passive voice.

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