Abstract
The present study aims to analyze the common writing errors made by EFL students at Dhofar University in the Sultanate of Oman. The study included 93 first-year students enrolled in a university requirement course. The students’ written English essays were collected to carry out the analysis. A number of errors in the students’ essays are identified and classified into various types. The results of the analysis of the students’ writing samples show that the common errors of EFL students at Dhofar University are basically related to spelling and grammar. Spelling and grammatical errors are classified into different types, with a frequency count for each type of error. Grammatical errors account for the biggest number of errors which are distributed on eight different types. These types are listed in order based on their frequency as follows: (1) verb tense and form, (2) plurality (3) subject-verb agreement (4) prepositions (5) part-of-speech (6) word order (7) articles (8) adjective form. Spelling errors, on the other hand, are classified into four types which are listed in order as follows: (1) omission (2) substitution (3) insertion (4) transposition. Based on these results, a number of recommendations for treatment of writing errors are suggested.
Highlights
There has been recently a growing interest in the field of error analysis
We present the findings of the study and a detailed analysis of the common writing errors most frequently made by 93 first-year EFL students at Dhofar University
The common writing errors are classified into two main types: spelling errors and grammatical errors
Summary
There has been recently a growing interest in the field of error analysis. Researchers interested in errors analysis have observed that error analysis is very important for both learners and teachers. According to Alhaysony (2012), error analysis is advantageous for both learners and teachers. It is needed to show them the aspects of language that are difficult for them. As for teachers, it provides them with information about the students’ errors. They work on correcting their students’ errors. This improves their teaching methods and thirdly they could focus on those areas that need reinforcement
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