EVALUATING STUDENTS’ ABILITIES IN USING ENGLISH PREPOSITIONS IN WRITING

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate University students’ abilities in using prepositions in their English writing, it focuses on recognizing the underlying reasons of students’ place and time prepositional errors and it also attempts to offer recommendations to overcome students’ difficulties of misusing prepositions. However, in order to achieve the research purpose, the tools of data collection were a test for students and a questionnaire for lecturers. The population of this study were lecturers and students of Sudan University of Science and Technology. The sample of the study consisted of forty two students from the third level of Sudan University of Science and Technology, specialized in English language, faculty of Education, and twenty five lecturers also who teach English as a foreign language. The researcher adopted a descriptive method to analyze the data obtained. The findings revealed that the students encounter some difficulties in using place and time prepositions while writing, distinguish and between they the are also unable to and the preposition prepositional adverb. The findings were discussed in the light literature. difficulties following: of As the the hypotheses solutions to researcher and relevant overcome recommends these the 1. Teachers should raise students’ awareness of the importance of prepositions in writing, 2. Teachers should adopt effective and modern techniques in teaching prepositions. 3. Expand the space allocated for prepositions in the syllabus.