The ups and downs of preposition error detection in ESL writing

Abstract

In this paper we describe a methodology for detecting preposition errors in the writing of non-native English speakers. Our system performs at 84% precision and close to 19% recall on a large set of student essays. In addition, we address the problem of annotation and evaluation in this domain by showing how current approaches of using only one rater can skew system evaluation. We present a sampling approach to circumvent some of the issues that complicate evaluation of error detection systems. © 2008. Licensed under the Creative Commons.