Avoiding run-on sentences and sentence fragmnts via free writing as a pedagogical tool : a case study of Iraqi college students

Abstract EN

EFL learners face many difficulties when asked to write academic English paragraphs.

They tend to make specific types of errors.

The most common types of errors in EFL learners’ academic writings are Run-on Sentences and Sentence Fragments.

In this paper, it is hypothesized that using Free Writing Technique can enhance the EFL learners’ academic writing skills in general and decrease their production of Run-ons and Fragments in particular.

Therefore, the present study is a case study, investigating the writing of 12 undergraduate students of Department of English Language (Students are chosen from both Morning and Evening classes), College of Arts at Mustansi-riyah University.

A 2-hour-per-week course was designed for 8 weeks for the selected students.

Although the course students were taught certain writing styles, such as writing organization, grammatical structures, or language functions, the technique adopted in this course helps them to write for the sake of writing only.

In other words, Free Writing helps them write not only to learn, but also to write and reflect on the topics in question.

Conducting such a study is believed to be of interest for two specific reasons.

First, it raises students’ awareness about both Run-ons and Fragments in order to minimize their use in their academic writing.

Second, it is done to adopt an interactive.