Common errors in English grammar books for middle school students in Korea: Focusing on determiners and participles

This study investigates how determiners and participles are described in English grammar books published in Korea and how they differ from those found in internationally recognized grammar references. A total of 18 grammar books―six different series, each consisting of three levels―for middle school students from major Korean publishers were examined. The results show that Korean English grammar books categorize determiners as adjectives―rather than treat them as a separate part of speech as do all the internationally recognized grammar references― leading to theoretically incorrect and pedagogically unhelpful labels such as “quantitative adjectives” and “demonstrative adjectives.” As for participles, their use is explained as attributive or predicate, as with adjectives, but the distinction between the two is often illustrated with incorrect examples. Moreover, the common practice of explaining the functions of participles as modifying nouns or complementing subjects or objects does not seem pedagogically helpful and can lead to students’ confusion. These findings highlight the importance of using correct grammatical terms and providing appropriate examples in English grammar books published in Korea to help prevent students’ errors and misunderstanding of English grammar.