Публикации Методическая разработка "Grammar mistakes in modern English songs"

Всероссийский сборник статей и публикаций института развития образования, повышения квалификации и переподготовки.

Язык издания: русский
Периодичность: ежедневно
Вид издания: сборник
Версия издания: электронное сетевое
Публикация: Методическая разработка "Grammar mistakes in modern English songs"
Автор: Погодская Инна Сергеевна

Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS I. INTRODUCTION.................................................................................1 2 2. APPEARANCES OF MISTAKES......................................................4 4. MISTAKE CATEGORIES ......................................................................6 4.1 IMPROPER USE OF THE OBJECTIVE PRONOUN .....................6 4.5 THE USE OF AIN`T .........................................................................................9 4.6 DOUBLE NEGATIVES..................................................................................................11 4.7 THE SUBJECT-VERB AGREEMENT...............................................................................12 4.8 INCORRECT VERB CONJUGATION..............................................................................13 tc4.10 WHO VS. THAT........................................................................14In my work I have come across common mistake occurrences such as improper use of the objective pronoun, double negative or incorrect verb conjugation. Each mistake occurrence is divided into its own subchapter, where I explain the grammar rules and I show grammatically incorrect cases on some examples of the song lyrics. I examine the song lyrics in search for grammar mistakes, then I explain the mistakes and I suggest suitable solution for some of them.INTRODUCTIONI analyze mistakes and explain the difference between them. It also exposes the reasons why there tend to be mistakes in song lyrics.The main part of this thesis is a determination of goals and their achievement. For our main goals, we chose to find out whether students are able to detect a mistake in an extract.Introduction Every day I listen to music. I can’t imagine my life without it. It is impossible not to pay attention to all those songs with a catchy melody. I prefer songs of foreign singers and one day when I listened to the song “It don’t matter” by Alok, Sofi Tukker and Inna, I paid attention to the mistake, it was rather obvious. The mistake was in subject-verb agreement. So I decided to study language in other songs, find and analyze grammatical mistakes, define the reasons of them and describe the most typical and common grammatical mistakes in modern English songs. It is the aim of my research. The object of the research is pop music. The subject of the research is texts of modern English songs. Theoretical value of this research is that this material helps us to learn some grammar structures and know more about reasons of mistakes.The methods of the research are:1. analyzing texts of songs2. scan3. comparing4. testing So, the aim defines next problems:1.To study theoretical information; 2.To ask students of different age and define the role of songs in their lives3.To find and analyze texts of modern English songs which have grammar mistakes 4.To expose the reasons of mistakes in song lyrics.5. To summarize and systematize the information on the issue6. To work out the presentation to this work.The hypothesis of the research is to suppose that modern songs may be grammatically incorrect

First I decided to ask my classmates what music they listen. I asked 25 students. 72 per cent prefer listening foreign music and only 28 per cent of students listen to Russian songs. Also I realized what genres of music they prefer

MISTAKE CATEGORIES

2. 1.Appearances of mistakes I have come across two different types of mistakes. The first one is with no stylistic benefit to the song and the second one is with the stylistic benefit, often used to make one-word rhyme with another. Sometimes the lyrics simply need to fit in the rhyme or melody, but they are often incorporated into the lyrics on purpose, to make it sound more natural or cool. We must consider the fact that in popular music grammar is not essential. People are aware of song lyrics and that they are not always grammatically correct. Sometimes what appears to be incorrect is in fact common in spoken language, since songwriters use English that is natural for them.2. 2. Inappropriate pronoun use Pronouns are words which stand for a noun, a whole noun phrase, or several noun phrases, or which refer directly to some aspect of the situation. Subject pronouns are used to substitute the subject of the verb. Object pronouns are used instead of nouns, usually in order to avoid repetition of nouns. It is very common to mix up the subjective pronoun “I” with its objective version “me”, especially in the phrases “you and I/me”. Chaёl “Don’t speak” – “As we die, both you and I”Bryan Adams, “Run to You” – “But that’d change if she ever found out about you and I.” Lady Gaga, “You and I” – “You and I” (the title of the song) Lady Gaga, “Bad Romance” – “You and me could write a bad romance.”One Direction, “You and I” – “Nothing can come between you and I/”2. 3. Improper use of the second conditional tenseThe rule says that the past subjunctive should use the plural form of the verb “to be” in the singular usage as well. In the second conditional, when expressing hypotheses, wishes or conditions that are contrary to some other fact, the verb “be” needs to take the plural form “were” for every personal pronoun, yet in many songs, the first person singular pronoun “I” is followed by “was” instead of “were”. Gwen Stefani, “Rich Girl” – “If I was a rich girl…”Justin Bieber “Boyfriend” – ‘If I was your boyfriend, I’d treat you good’* In this line, there is also a mistake in putting the adjective “good” in the place of the adverb “well”.Sam Smith, “I’m Not the Only One” - ‘I wish this would be over now.’Edward Maya, “Stereo love”, “If I was just another dusty record on the shelf.” 2.3. Irregular Verbs In order to achieve a rhyme, lyrics sometimes contain a form of a verb which does not exist in grammatically correct English, often created by adding the regular verb past tense “–ed” suffix after a verb which already is in its past simple form or after a verb which should be in its irregular past tense form instead.Justin Timberlake, “What Goes Around” – “When you cheated girl, my heart bleeded girl.” The word “bleed” is an irregular verb, and the past form is “bled. 2. 4. Subject-Verb Agreement It is also one of the most common mistakes. The missing “-s” is a frequent phenomenon in songs, usually because of the number of syllables needed for a line. Other problems include using the plural form instead of the singular or omitting the subject – even if it is easy to identify from the context who the subject is, it should still be physically present in the sentence.Fifth Harmony, “He Like That”, “He like that love, love, love.”Justin Bieber, “Love Yourself”, “My mama don’t like you and she likes everyone.”Timbaland, “The Way I Are”, “Can you handle me the way I are.”MIKA, “Talk About You”, “Walk* through the city like stupid people do, A million faces, but all I’m seeing is you.”*The subject is missing here.Merk & Kremont “Sad Story (Out Of Luck)”, ‘Now he don’t talk too much, talk too much.”2.5. Double Negatives The term “double negatives” means two forms of negation in one sentence. Using two negatives is not rare in song lyrics. In some languages, double negatives are used for emphasis.Bill Withers, “Ain’t No Sunshine.” Justin Timberlake, “Can’t Stop the Feeling” , “And ain’t nobody leaving soon, so keep dancingI don’t need no reason, don’t need controlFergie “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody” The Rolling Stones, “I Can’t Get No (Satisfaction)”Pink Floyd, ‘Another Brick in the Wall”, “We don’t Need No Education”.

The use of informal speech

Shortenings of words are often used in songs. They are introduced by short forms of words, which appear in speech if we pronounce the words fluently. The examples are the followinnng: According to the Cambridge Guide to English Usage, ain’t is associated with informal, casual and dialectal speech and comes from spoken language as well as from written text. “Ain’t is a centuries-old contraction meaning am not, is not, are not, has not, or have not. In music lyrics ain’t is very common and is not considered to be grammatically incorrect, but rather informal. Alicia Keys “If I Ain’t Got You” Clean Bandit, “Solo”, “As if you're gonna get away with this…”Alok, “Don't Say Goodbye”, “Ain't going home tonight”Rihanna & Will.i.am, “ Photographs”, “Here's a little story I've gotta tell”Olivia Addams, “Stranger”, “I don't wanna leave my home”Missing of endings in the wordsLast sounds of some words are sometimes missed. It is common for informal speech. Apostrophe (') is used instead of missing letters in writing speech.For example, wit’–withtalkin’–talkingsingin’–singingEd Sheeran “Bad Habits”, “Nothin' happens after two, it's true, it's true.”1.First I decided to ask my classmates what music they listen. I asked 25 students. 72 per cent prefer listening foreign music and only 28 per cent of students listen to Russian songs. Also I realized what genres of music they prefer. 48 % listen to pop music, 36 % choose rock and 16 per cent are fond of listening to rap. 96 % of my classmates don’t pay attention to the mistakes in English songs and the rhythm is more important for 96%.CONCLUSION As I have stated large amount of the most successful songs worldwide contains some grammatical mistakes. The most common mistake is using of informal speech. Using these forms of words can change the rhythm pattern, these mistakes are beneficial to the song, they reduce the number of syllables. The second most common mistake is the double negative. This kind of mistake is the most controversial one because in many cases the authors used the double negative on purpose to support the negation. The third most frequent mistake is in the subject-verb agreement. This mistake can be beneficial in case the incorrect version increases or reduces the number of syllables. 1.First I decided to ask my classmates what music they listen. I asked 25 students. 72 per cent prefer listening foreign music and only 28 per cent of students listen to Russian songs. Also I realized what genres of music they prefer. 48 % listen to pop music, 36 % choose rock and 16 per cent are fond of listening to rap. 96 % of my classmates don’t pay attention to the mistakes in English songs and the rhythm is more important for 96%.CONCLUSION As I have stated large amount of the most successful songs worldwide contains some grammatical mistakes. The most common mistake is using of informal speech. Using these forms of words can change the rhythm pattern, these mistakes are beneficial to the song, they reduce the number of syllables. The second most common mistake is the double negative. This kind of mistake is the most controversial one because in many cases the authors used the double negative on purpose to support the negation. The third most frequent mistake is in the subject-verb agreement. This mistake can be beneficial in case the incorrect version increases or reduces the number of syllables. 1.5 How Incorrect Grammar in Song Lyrics Affects a LearnerDespite the fact that many song lyrics contain improper use of grammar, it does not necessarily need to have a negative impact on the learner. Just as everything does have its advantages and disadvantages, incorrect grammar in songs has them both as well.There are a few positives about this whole problem. One of them is that when learners notice a mistake and remember its fallacy, they can later work with this information and useit for the accurate use of language. As a plus of using song lyrics with incorrect grammar asan educational tool, Voldanová (2017) sees the fact that when students or learners look forthe mistakes on their own, they need to put more effort and focus more while listening to English songs.After stating the pros and cons of song lyrics with poor grammar, they may appear as a double-edged knife, which, in some way, they really are. Still, if used for studying purposes properly, they may help learners improve their language skills more than songs with the perfect use of grammar.«Sad Story (Out Of Luck)»[Merk & Kremont]A sad story, might find it boringLost his mum to a drug named HeroinFather’s gone, so grandma’s left with everythingTwo grandkids and a daughter’s coffinI never really knew him when he was growing upBut I assumed that it was a little fuckedNo parents for him to look up toJust a brother whom I knew was a dodgy fuckShit, I used to think he was a dickTried too hard to fitAnd never grow out of it[Merk & Kremont]Now he don’t talk too much, talk too muchHe’s probably given up, given upI think he’s had enough, had enoughCause he ran out of luck, out of luck[Merk & Kremont]Now he don’t talk too much, talk too muchHe’s probably given up, given upI think he’s had enough, had enoughCause he ran out of luck, out of luck[Merk & Kremont]Never left his home townThat’s what probably did itNever saw the other worldsThat he didn’t want to go and get itOccupied by fitting in where mindsA small west, small thingsMake the small things feel so tallWill he ever change?Well apparentlyHe reapplied for college and was waiting for his gradesIt wouldn’t help his caseOh, I couldn’t ever say[Merk & Kremont]Now he don’t talk too much, talk too muchHe’s probably given up, given upI think he’s had enough, had enoughCause he ran out of luck, out of luck[Merk & Kremont]Now he don’t talk too much, talk too muchHe’s probably given up, given upI think he’s had enough, had enoughCause he ran out of luck, out of luck[Merk & Kremont]But wait my life’s out, a night outBrothers in town, some doubt, a few fightsNow kicked out clubs, shit the suns upOne looks all it took for his girl to cuss at anotherDudes being dudesThey blow at the chest to impress these breastsThat’d just started this messThey must protect the damsel in distressSo other girl’s man decides to clench his fistsAnd then he threw and missedBrother’s hit, as did hisDropped him quick, then one kick to the headOh shit other man is dead[Merk & Kremont]Now he don’t talk too much, talk too muchHe’s probably given up, given upI think he’s had enough, had enoughCause he ran out of luck, out of luck[Merk & Kremont]Now he don’t talk too much, talk too muchHe’s probably given up, given upI think he’s had enough, had enoughCause he ran out of luck, out of luck[Merk & Kremont]And now he’s locked away21 years of ageHow many lives will go to waste?As far as gravesUntil I see some fucking changeOh, and I don’t even know howWe continue toFight one another now…Сlean bandit soloYou speak to meAnd in your words I hear a melodyBut in the twilight it's so hard to seeWhat's wrong for meI can't resistUntil you give the truth a little twistAs if you're gonna get away with thisYou're not sorryI can't believe I fell for thisI fell through the holeDown at the bottom of your soulDidn't think you could goSo lowLook at what you've doneYou're losing meHere's what you've wonGot me planning to goSoloSoloYou sing to meToo bad you couldn't even stay on keyIf your life is such a mysteryWhy don't you just stick to acting?Oh, here you go again (Go again)You couldn't find my number until when (Until when)You thought that you could get to my best friendWithout a script your game is lackingI can't believe I fell for thisI fell through the holeDown at the bottom of your soulDidn't think you could goSo lowLook at what you've doneYou're losing meHere's what you've wonGot me planning to goSoloSoloI'd rather go out to a party aloneThan have to walk around with you on my armNow that I'm proud to admit that we're doneGood luck trying to find me, oh'Cause I didn't think you could goSo lowLook at what you've doneYou're losing meHere's what you've wonGot me planning to goSoloNow we're done'Cause you got me planning to goSoloSoloSoloSoloAlok“Don't Say Goodbye”I hate to love itHate to love the way you keep me burningBurning for your touch but you don't give itGive it to me only when you need itI know you need itBut when you come my wayWhen you come my wayPut it all on meBut you never seeAin't going home tonight(Ain't going home tonight)Unless you come with meOoh na na, ooh na naOoh na na, ooh na naOoh na na, ooh na naDon't say goodbye, bye, bye, bye, byeStay one more night, night, night, night, nightYou make it rightDon't say goodbyeDon't say goodbye, bye, bye, byeStay one more night, night, night, night, nightYou make it rightDon't say goodbyeLove me wantingSomething 'bout me craving gets you goingA taste in every space that we're alone inThen tease me on the dancefloor till the morningYeah, 'till the morningBut when you come my wayWhen you come my wayPut it all on meBut you never seeAin't going home tonight(Ain't going home tonight)Unless you come with meOoh na na, ooh na naDon't say goodbye, bye, bye, bye, byeStay one more night, night, night, night, nightYou make it rightDon't say goodbyeDon't say goodbye, bye, bye, byeStay one more night, night, night, night, nightYou make it rightDon't say goodbyeThe way you play me, I can't controlJust wanna be the one who can take you homeYou tell me that you want it, you wanna tellBut keep me waitingDon't say goodbye, bye, bye, bye, byeStay one more night, night, nightYou make it rightDon't say goodbyeDon't say goodbye, bye, bye, byeNight, night, night, night, night (one more night)RightDon't say goodbyeOlivia Addams, “Stranger”I'm crying, I'm crying, I'm crying so badMy waterproof make-up is still intactBut you can see I'm so sad, so sadMy baby, you know, you know (you know)Babe, I got a stranger in my mindAnd I ain't got a clue how to tell youGot a stranger in my mindBut you still hold me better at nightBabe, I got a stranger in my mindAnd I ain't got a clue how to tell youGot a stranger in my mindBut you still hold me better at nightSticks and stones may brake my bonesI don't wanna leave my homeCuz you always keep me on my toes (oh)Now look what you've doneI'm crying, I'm crying, I'm crying so badMy waterproof make-up is still intactBut you can see I'm so sad, so sadMy baby, you know, you know (you know)Ed SheeranBad HabitsOne, two, three, fourOoh, oohEvery time you come around, you know I can't say noEvery time the sun goes down, I let you take controlI can feel the paradise before my world implodesAnd tonight had something wonderfulMy bad habits lead to late nights endin' aloneConversations with a stranger I barely knowSwearin' this will be the last, but it probably won'tI got nothin' left to lose, or use, or doMy bad habits lead to wide eyes stare into spaceAnd I know I'll lose control of the things that I sayYeah, I was lookin' for a way out, now I can't escapeNothin' happens after two, it's true, it's trueMy bad habits lead to youOoh-ooh, ooh-oohMy bad habits lead to youOoh-ooh, ooh-oohMy bad habits lead to youEvery pure intention ends when the good times startFallin' over everything to reach the first time's sparkIt started under neon lights, and then it all got darkI only know how to go too farMy bad habits lead to late nights endin' aloneConversations with a stranger I barely knowSwearin' this will be the last, but it probably won'tI got nothin' left to lose, or use, or doMy bad habits lead to wide eyes stare into spaceAnd I know I'll lose control of the things that I sayYeah, I was lookin' for a way out, now I can't escapeNothin' happens after two, it's true, it's trueMy bad habits lead to youOoh-ooh, ooh-oohMy bad habits lead to youOoh-ooh, ooh-oohWe took the long way 'roundBurned 'til the fun ran out, nowMy bad habits lead to late nights endin' aloneConversations with a stranger I barely knowSwearin' this will be the last, but it probably won'tI got nothin' left to lose, or use, or doMy bad habits lead to wide eyes stare into spaceAnd I know I'll lose control of the things that I sayYeah, I was lookin' for a way out, now I can't escapeNothin' happens after two, it's true, it's trueMy bad habits lead to youOoh-ooh, ooh-oohMy bad habits lead to youOoh-ooh, ooh-oohMy bad habits lead to youIn my work I have come across common mistake occurrences such as improper use of the objective pronoun, double negative or incorrect verb conjugation. Each mistake occurrence is divided into its own subchapter, where I explain the grammar rules and I show grammatically incorrect cases on some examples of the song lyrics. I examine the song lyrics in search for grammar mistakes, then I explain the mistakes and I suggest suitable solution for some of them.INTRODUCTION I analyze mistakes and explain the difference between them. It also exposes the reasons why there tend to be mistakes in song lyrics. The main part of this thesis is a determination of goals and their achievement. For our main goals, we chose to find out whether students are able to detect a mistake in an extrac. References:

Adolphs S., & Schmitt N. (2003). Lexical coverage of spoken discourse. Applied Linguistics, 24(4).

Murphey, Tim. Music & Song. Oxford: University Press, 1992. Print Graham. C. 1993 Granmrar chants: More Jazz Chants. OUP.

Korostelev V.S.. Passov E.I. The process of learning the lexical side of speech as a system / Problems of the communicative method of teaching the foreign side of speech / VGPL Voronezh, 1980.

Alderson, J.C. (2007). Judging the frequency OfEnglish words. Applied Linguistics. 28 (3).

Sinkevich G.S.. Song in English lessons / G. S. Sinkevich / / Foreign language at school. 2002 - P. 50 -53.

Kadebostany “Castle in the snow”The light is fading nowMy soul is running on a puffThat I cannot reachMy brain is turnin'And my head is hurtin'Every day a little bit moreThe light is fading nowMy forces is being sucked byA bloody leachMy fear is smilin'And my threat is singin'Every night a little bit moreI cannot see anythingI am blindfoldedI can hear the birdsI can see them flyI can see the skyI can hear the birdsI can see them flyI can see the skyIt's about to cryI'm a zombieI don't know what to doI should be done in the placeBut I gotta stay, stay stayStay stay stay stayI can hear the birdsI can see them flyI can see the skyI can hear the birdsI can see them flyI can see the skyIt's about to cryI can hear the birdsI can see the skyI can hear the birdsI can see the skyIt's about to cryI'm so lonelyI don't know if I get throughI wanna be floating in spaceBut I gotta stay, stay stayStay stay stay stayI can hear the birdsI can see them flyI can see the skyI can hear the birdsI can see them flyI can see the skyIt's about to cryI can hear the birdsGym Class Heroes“Stereo Hearts”My heart's a stereoIt beats for you, so listen closeHear my thoughts in every note, oh oh.Make me your radioTurn me up when you feel lowThis melody was meant for youJust sing along to my stereoIf I was just another dusty record on the shelfWould you blow me off and play me like everybody else?If I asked you to scratch my back, could you manage that?Like it read well, check it Travie, I can handle thatFurthermore, I apologize for any skipping tracksIt's just the last girl that played me left a couple cracksI used to used to used to used to, now I'm over thatCause holding grudges over love is ancient artifactsIf I could only find a note to make you understandI'd sing it softly in your ear and grab you by the handKeep it stuck inside your head, like your favorite tuneAnd know my heart's a stereo that only plays for youMy heart's a stereoIt beats for you, so listen closeHear my thoughts in every note, oh ohMake me your radioTurn me up when you feel lowThis melody was meant for youJust sing along to my stereoOh oh oh oh to my stereoOh oh oh oh so sing along to my stereoIf I was an old-school, fifty pound boomboxWould you hold me on your shoulder, wherever you walk?Would you turn my volume up in front of the cops?And crank it higher everytime they told you to stop?And all I ask is that you don't get mad at meWhen you have to purchase mad D batteries.Appreciate every mixtape your friends makeYou never know we come and go like on the interstate.I think finally found a note to make you understandIf you can hit it, sing along and take me by the handKeep myself inside your head, like your favorite tuneYou know my heart's a stereo that only plays for youMy heart's a stereoIt beats for you, so listen closeHear my thoughts in every note, oh ohMake me your radioTurn me up when you feel lowThis melody was meant for youJust sing along to my stereoOh oh oh oh to my stereoOh oh oh oh so sing along to my stereoI only pray you'll never leave me behind (never leave me)Because good music can be so hard to find (so hard to find)I take your hand and pull it closer to mineThought love was dead, but now you're changing my mindMy heart's a stereoIt beats for you, so listen closeHear my thoughts in every note, oh ohMake me your radioTurn me up when you feel lowThis melody was meant for youJust sing along to my stereoOh oh oh oh to my stereoOh oh oh oh so sing along to my stereo