A Corpus-Based Study of Chinese EFL Learners’ Use of Relative Clauses  in English Writing

Yifan Feng; Suthathip Thirakunkovit

Authors

Yifan Feng Faculty of Liberal Arts, Mahidol University
Suthathip Thirakunkovit Faculty of Liberal Arts, Mahidol University

Keywords:

Relative Clauses, ICNALE, Chinese EFL Learners, Error Analysis

Abstract

This study investigates the use of English Relative Clauses (RCs) in the writing of Chinese EFL learners across four proficiency levels (A2, B1-1, B1-2, B2+), focusing on frequency, accuracy, and error types. Based on a corpus of learner essays, results showed an average of 4.647 RCs per 500 words and an overall accuracy rate of 87.16%. Despite this high accuracy, error analysis revealed four main categories: head-noun-related, relativizer-related, gap-related, and sentence-structure-related errors. The most frequent subtype, subject-verb disagreement, often disrupted sentence cohesion. A one-way ANOVA found no significant differences in RC use or error rates across levels, suggesting a developmental plateau. Persistent errors, especially in subject-verb agreement, may stem from L1 transfer, rule overgeneralization, and fossilization. These findings point to the need for targeted instruction to address fossilized patterns. Key recommendations include explicit teaching of RC structures, focused error correction, and practice emphasizing subject-verb agreement and sentence structure. Such interventions may enhance the accuracy and complexity of learners’ RC usage.

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