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Difference or Disorder?

CONTRASTIVE ANALYSIS FOR LANGUAGE: MORPHOSYNTAX

Feature Mandarin English Examples of Errors
Pronoun Neither gender nor Subject pronouns: Me mom is
case (e.g. subject vs. he/she/they/we here.*/ My mom is
object) are here.
differentiated. Object pronouns: Them go to
him/her/them/us school.*/They go to
school.
Possessive pronouns: That him car.* /
my/your/his/her That’s his car.
Articles Does not use articles Has definite (the) and I have cat.*/I have a
indefinite (a, an) cat.
articles
Conjunctions Usually conjoins ideas Usually conjoins ideas Mary ate dinner.
by juxtaposing related with a conjunction Mary was
sentences word hungry.*/Mary ate
dinner because she
was hungry.
Adjectives Adjective follows noun Adjective precedes The ball red is
noun deflate.*/The red
ball is deflated.

The car clean.*/The
clean car.
Plurality No plural markers Add an /s/ to the noun I want two
sandwich.*/I want
two sandwiches.

Verb Verbs do not conjugate Verb conjugates to I am eat.*/I am
conjugations to show change in demonstrate tense eating.
tense changes
She eat.*/She ate.

The boy read.*/The
boy will read.

Auxiliary Do not exist Do exist I sick.*/I’m sick.
verbs and the
copula (to be)
Note: Sentences marked with an asterisk (*) are not grammatical.
(Li & Thompson, 1981; Ross, 1978)

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