Syntactic Errors in Verb Phrases Made by English Major Students in Written Composition at Omar Al-Mukhtar University

Salah Abdalhameed; Awad Alshalwy

Authors

Salah Abdalhameed Department of Applied Linguistics, School of Languages, Libyan Academy of Postgraduate Studies Author
Awad Alshalwy Department of Applied Linguistics, School of Languages, Libyan Academy of Postgraduate Studies Author

Keywords:

Syntactic Errors in Verb, Phrases Made, English Major Students, Written Composition, Omar Al-Mukhtar University

Abstract

This study aimed to analyze the syntactic errors made in verb phrases by 35 students in written composition. The participants were English major students at the third and fourth years at Omar Al-Mukhtar University. Each participant wrote an essay and the written samples were collected for the analysis. The study classified the errors made by the participants using James’s (2013) Surface Structure Taxonomy. The analysis of the data revealed that the participants produced a total of 545 verb phrases, of which 461 (84.59%) were correct and 84 (15.41%) were incorrect. Of the 84 incorrect verb phrases, 41 (48.84%) were classified as misformation, 25 (29.76%) were due to addition, and 18 (21.43%) were due to omission. The learners made 44 interlingual errors and 40 intralingual errors. The number and type of errors varied significantly across participants. The analysis attributed these errors interference from the participants' first language, and individual differences in language proficiency and learning strategies. This study provides insights into the challenges faced by language learners in producing verb phrases in second language writing and emphasizes the need for tailored instruction and support to develop language proficiency.

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