MITIGATING GRAMMATICAL AMBIGUITY IN ENGLISHPREPOSITIONAL PHRASES AT DZINDI CIRCUIT SECONDARY SCHOOL,SOUTH AFRICA

Abstract

Even though tenses are an essential component of the English language, tense substitution poses a significant challenge for non-native English speakers. This study investigated a strategy to mitigate grammatical ambiguity in English prepositional phrases at Dzindi Circuit Secondary School, South Africa. Grounded by Noam Chomsky’s Transformational Generative Grammar and Oyinlola's Contrastive Analysis Hypothesis, this study adopted a qualitative approach to obtain an in-depth understanding of the phenomenon. The study population consisted of 99 Grade 11 English First Additional Language (FAL) learners in the 2025 academic year. Sixteen (16) learners were randomly selected for this study. Data were collected using a closed-ended questionnaire, as it provides predetermined responses to facilitate informed decision-making. They were analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 29, due to its new interpretative enhancements. Before the 'syntax surgery strategy' was utilised, learners were incapable of mitigating ambiguity in English prepositional phrases, minimising. However, after using this strategy, learners’ performance was outstanding. The study’s implications call for the use of a ‘syntax surgery strategy’ to mitigate grammatical ambiguity in English prepositional phrases, which have consistently been challenging many literary scholars. However, it was limited by sample and time constraints. Future researchers can further study the current topic. This study argues for the frequent use of the syntax surgery strategy in this regard.