Proform Dynamics in Constituency: Insights from EFL Student Sentences
Abstract
This research investigates the distribution and challenges of proform use among English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners at Tadulako University, focusing on proform verb phrases (ProVP) and proform prepositional phrases (ProPP). Using a quantitative descriptive approach, data was gathered through tests and questionnaires from samples of 36 fifth-semester students. The analysis reveals that verb phrase proforms, especially those involving tense and aspect, are more challenging for EFL students compared to prepositional phrase proforms. Four factors influencing proform use were identified: first language interference, limited practice in real life, lack of motivation, and ineffective teaching methods. These findings highlight the need for enhanced syntactic training in EFL instruction to improve students’ understanding and application of proforms, supporting more effective sentence construction and overall linguistic competence.
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References
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Carnie, A. (2013). Syntax A Generative Introduction (Third Edit). Wiley-Blackwell.
Cornish, F., & Salazar Orvig, A. (2016). A Critical Look at the Notion “Pro-form”. Evidence from Indexical Markers, Spoken Discourse and (French) Child Language. Language Sciences, 54, 58–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.langsci.2015.11.001
Demirci, K. (2014). Pro-forms: Are Pronouns Alone in the Function of Representation? Bilig, Journal of Social Sciences of the Turkish World, 68, 97–116. https://doi.org/10.12995/bilig.2014.6805
Dewi, N. P. D., Putri, D. R., & Hermawan, D. (2023). Wordy Wordy Card for an Innovative Teaching Method for Learning English. Indonesian Journal of Educational Development (IJED), 4(2), 184–193. https://doi.org/10.59672/ijed.v4i2.2823
Gaillat, T. (2019). A Multifactorial Analysis of This, That and It Profroms in Anaphoric Constructions in Learner English. Cahiers de Praxématique, 72. https://doi.org/10.4000/praxematique.5668
Ibad, P., Jamiludin, & Bocahri, S. (2014). Developing Students’ Mastery on Noun Phrase in Sentence Construction of the Eleventh Graders through Constituent Test. E-Journal of English Language Teaching Society (ELTS), 2(4), 1–13.
Indu, P. V., & Vidhukumar, K. (2020). Research Designs: An Overview. Kerala Journal of Psychiatry, 32(1), 64–67. https://doi.org/10.30834/kjp.32.1.2019.179
Ismahani, S., Budiman, Azmi, K., Fikri, H., & Hizbullah, G. (2024). Syntax Aspects in Children Development of Sentence Structure. Fonologi : Jurnal Ilmuan Bahasa Dan Sastra Inggris, 2(1), 198–206. https://doi.org/10.61132/fonologi.v2i1.420
Kakzhanova, F. A. (2019). The Aspect and Tense Verb Categories and Their Relations. International Journal of Innovative Technology and Exploring Engineering, 8(12), 396–399.
Lee, J. (2011). Verb Tense Generation. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 27(Pacling), 122–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2011.10.590
Martias, D. L. (2021). Statistika Deskriptif Sebagai Kumpulan Informasi. Fihris: Jurnal Ilmu Perpustakaan Dan Informasi, 16(1).
Mithun, M. (2019). Tense and Aspect in Morphology. Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Linguistics, June 2019. https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199384655.013.548
Müller, S. (2023). Grammatical Theory: From Transformational Grammar to Constraint-based Approaches. (S. Müller (ed.); Fifth revi). Language Science Press. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.7628029
Purinanda, F. H. (2020). Developing an Interactive HTML5-Based Game for Tenses Learning for Senior High School Students. Lingua Pedagogia, Journal of English Teaching Studies, 2(1), 61–67. https://doi.org/10.21831/lingped.v2i1.32881
Rahmawati, H. (2023). Korean Drama and Popular Culture on Youth in RCTI From a Cultivation Theory Perspective Percentage of Respondents Interested in Using South Korean Products and Services 2019. Persepsi: Communication Journal, 1, 22–31.
Roberts, N. B. (2016). Analysing Sentences: An Introduction to English Syntax. In Routledge (Fourth). https://doi.org/10.2307/417024
Samohyl, R. (2020). Sample Size and Uncertainty when Predicting with Polls: The Shortcomings of Confidence Intervals. Survey Practice, 13(1), 1–11. https://doi.org/10.29115/sp-2020-0001
Sari, L. I., Bochari, S., & Usman, S. (2024). A Syntactic Analysis of Constituent Structure in Sentences Written by EFL Students. Jurnal Ilmiah Lingua Idea, 15(1), 35–47. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.20884/1.jli.2024.15.1.9971
Tallerman, M. (2019). Understanding Syntax (5th Ed). Routledge. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.4324/9780429243592
Published
2025-07-18
How to Cite
SANDHI, Muhammad Adithya Huzaifah et al.
Proform Dynamics in Constituency: Insights from EFL Student Sentences.
e-Journal of Linguistics, [S.l.], v. 19, n. 2, p. 01-08, july 2025.
ISSN 2442-7586.
Available at: <http://ojs.unud.ac.id/index.php/eol/article/view/120968>. Date accessed: 08 aug. 2025.
doi: https://doi.org/10.24843/e-jl.2025.v19.i02.p01.
Section
Articles
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
