English Grammar Point Language Transfer Issue Sample Transfer Error Language Background Cause of Difficulty INFINITIVES & GERUNDS Substitution with infinitives Uses for or that in infinitive phrases She left for go to college. (She left to go to college.) I want that you go. (I want you to go.) Spanish Arabic Spanish uses a prepositional form that translates as for. Arabic uses a that clause where English uses the infinitive. Gerunds Does not exist I enjoy read books. (I enjoy reading books.) Vietnamese, Mandarin, Haitian Creole There is no gerund form in Vietnamese, Mandarin, or Haitian Creole. (See more specific information in “Verb” category.) NOUNS Plural forms Omits the -s from plural nouns I have three brother. (I have three brothers.) My friend Amir has eleven brother. (My friend Amir has eleven brothers.) Mandarin, Vietnamese, Tagalog Arabic Nouns do not change form to show the plural in Mandarin or Vietnamese. In Arabic, singular nouns are used after a numeral above ten. Possessive forms Avoids using ‘s to indicate possession House of my uncle (my uncle’s house) Dog my father (my father’s dog) Spanish, Tagalog Vietnamese, Arabic In Spanish, possession is often described using a prepositional phrase. In Vietnamese, a noun follows the object. In Arabic, genitive constructions pose an issue. GRAMMAR TRANSFER CHARTS Txlix
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