A Corpus-based Analysis of Verb Errors in Senior High School Students’ English Writing

Authors

  • Xinke Weng School of Foreign Languages, China West Normal University, Nanchong, China Author
  • Huaqing He School of Foreign Languages, China West Normal University, Nanchong, China Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.63313/ESW.9072

Keywords:

Corpus-based analysis, English writing, Error analysis, Senior high school, Verb errors

Abstract

English verbs have consistently posed a significant challenge for English learners in China, and many students make verb errors in their English writing. To investigate the prevalence and nature of students’ verb use, 242 compositions from 7 different senior high schools were collected to analyze students’ verb errors based on the classification of CLEC. Research findings revealed that the frequencies of verb errors from highest to lowest were as follows: tense errors, finite errors, agreement errors, auxiliary verb errors, set phrase errors, pattern errors, non-finite errors, voice errors, and mood errors. Also, there were statistically significant differences across different proficiency levels of students, and the reasons for students’ verb errors were discussed, including interlingual and intralingual transfer. Finally, some pedagogical implications were proposed to guide students’ learning of English verbs.

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Published

2025-07-01

How to Cite

A Corpus-based Analysis of Verb Errors in Senior High School Students’ English Writing. (2025). Education and Social Work, 2(2), 11-25. https://doi.org/10.63313/ESW.9072