Abstract

The paper reports a pre-experimental design that aimed to describe the most frequent mistakes in writing effective sentences in academic essays written by university students. The mistakes were classified into five types: sentences without subject, excessively long sentences, run-on sentences, unfinished sentences, and hanging clauses. It also aimed to determine whether two techniques called Consciousness Raising and Noticing techniques could help the subjects reduce the proportion of their ineffective sentences. The ten subjects were instructed to write academic essays before being taught with the two techniques, and later were instructed again to write essays after being taught with the two techniques. The whole treatment spanned a semester, consisting of twelve sessions in the classroom. The result indicated that run-on sentences, hanging clauses, and excessively long sentences were the most frequent mistakes in their essays. Meanwhile, the Consciousness-Raising and Noticing techniques only had a significant impact on the category of excessively long sentences. The subjects made significantly fewer mistakes in this category after the application of the two techniques. Some implications for further research and practical applications are then presented.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.