ABSTRACT

Making an analysis of foreign language learners’ errors in their writing can help to improve their writing competence. The present study, applying the taxonomy of  inter lingual errors, intralingual errors and performance errors, taking the TEM-4 writing texts as samples, analyzes the main types of the errors in English majors’ writing and explores their causes with a view to providing practical writing strategies and helping improve English majors’ writing accuracy. Results of the analysis show that the main errors fall into the categories of collocation, verb use and syntax and that they are committed mainly because of ignorance of grammar rules, over-generalization, word-to-word translation and inappropriate choice of words. 

Key words：error analysis; second language writing; English major

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

ABSTRACT

摘要

Chapter One INTRODUCTION-1

1.1 Background of English Majors’ Writing-1

1.2 Purpose and Significance of the Present Study-2

1.3 Structure of the thesis-2

Chapter two LITERATURE REVIEW-4

2.1 Error Analysis-4

2. 2 Identification of Errors-5

2.3 Classification of Errors-6

2.4 Causes of Errors-7

2.5 Studies on Error Analysis in EFL Writing-8

Chapter Three RESEARCH DESIGN-9

3.1 Research questions-9

3.2 Participants-9

3.3 Instruments and Procedures-9

3.4 Error Counting-10

Chapter Four RESULTS AND DISCUSSION-11

4.1 Error Types and Their Frequencies-11

4.2 Causes of the Errors-13

4.2.1 Intralingual errors-13

4.2.2 Interlingual errors-15

4.2.3 Performance errors-17

Chapter five CONCLUSION-18

REFERENCES-20

APPENDIX-22