Notion English prepositions

Implications for teaching

Since learners tend to translate everything into their mother tongue, teachers should be very careful when teaching English, especially prepositions. They need to realize that there is no exact one-to-one translation from English to Vietnamese and vice versa. Referring to the discussion “prepositions with directional verbs”, we know that when translating a sentence from English to Vietnamese or Vietnamese to English, sometimes we may add or omit the prepositions. For instance, we may not use preposition “to” with directional verbs in Vietnamese. Moreover, as discussed in the section Locative prepositions above, we can realize that a Vietnamese preposition may have several prepositions which are equivalent to them in English. Therefore, teachers should ask learners to take notice of this issue and know when to use the most appropriate preposition. In sum, to make sure the exact preposition is used, learners should observe how a preposition is used in a certain context. They should not translate directly using prepositions in their language since prepositions can be used differently in different language.

Moreover, the difference between Vietnamese and English prepositions is mainly due to semantics and the notion of reference (quan niệm quy chiếu), so it is vital that teachers have enough knowledge of these fields to explain to students completely. Culture difference and the habit of using prepositions in each language are also the things that teachers should bear in mind. If teachers are very careful about these things, students may reduce making mistakes when using prepositions.

Conclusion