Research on Chinese University Students’ Understanding of “Verbs of Saying

This study used the Rasch model to analyze the Chinese undergraduate students' understanding of five verbs of saying in English: speak, say, talk, discuss, and tell. The study found that Chinese students could not clearly distinguish the use of these verbs of saying. At the same time, there was a hierarchy of difficulty for Chinese students in understanding these verbs of saying. According to the research results, the reasons for the occurrence of the hierarchy were lack of knowledge of verbs of saying, confusion in the similar structure of these verbs, and lack of test-taking skills. Educational implications about improving Chinese undergraduate students' understanding were also suggested to enhance the use of the verbs of saying and improve their test-taking skills.