AN ANALYSIS OF SENTENCE STRUCTURE ERRORS IN ESSAY WRITINGS COMMITTED BY SOPHOMORES AT CAN THO UNIVERSITY, VIETNAM

Abstract

This study investigates the common sentence structure errors and the source of those errors, focusing on the four types of sentences such as simple, compound, complex, and compound-complex. The data source for this study was collected from 80 writings composed by EFL second-year students. Simultaneously, the researchers designed an interview to explore the causes of errors, from which some resolutions were proposed. The findings revealed that there were seven (7) types of errors in terms of sentence structure: (1) Dangling Modifier, (2) Squinting Modifier, (3) Illogical Sentence, (4) Fragmented Sentence, (5) Run-on Sentence, (6) Inappropriate Coordinating Conjunction, and (7) Inversion of Subject-Verb. Those errors were caused by mother tongue influence, teaching approaches and materials, lack of grammatical knowledge and others. This research contributes to the discipline of linguistics by giving out several possible solutions that can help learners to prevent in their compositions. Article visualizations: