MODAL VERBS IN ENGLISH ESSAYS WRITTEN BY CZECH SECONDARY-SCHOOL STUDENTS
MODAL VERBS IN ENGLISH ESSAYS WRITTEN BY CZECH SECONDARY-SCHOOL STUDENTS

Author(s): Věra Sládková
Subject(s): Language studies, Education, Foreign languages learning, School education
Published by: Masarykova univerzita nakladatelství
Keywords: central modals; quasi-modals; lexical verbs; learner corpus; error patterns;
Summary/Abstract: This paper presents the findings of a frequency analysis of modal verbs and their complementation in 390 English school-leaving essays written by Czech secondary-school students in a high-stakes B1 level exam. These constitute a learner corpus, CZEMATELC 2017. The study reveals a very high proportion of correct complementation patterns, but predominantly with lexical verbs at A1 and A2 CEFR levels. The most frequent errors are the complementation of modal verbs by past-tense forms of lexical verbs and the absence of complementation.

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