Exploring errors made by Libyan University students when forming relative clauses in English

Abstract EN

The present study aims to examine how grammar courses can help Libyan EFL university level students acquire, master, and produce complex syntactic structures of the English language.

It focuses on relative clauses in English, and examines some of the problems associated with acquiring and producing this kind of complex structures by Libyan EFL (English as a Foreign Language) learners.

Concerning the kinds of errors made by the participants, the study sheds light on three areas of relative clauses in English.

The first two areas investigated here are correct relative pronoun choice and the difference between defining and non-defining relative clauses as they are among the topics covered in the Advanced Grammar course from which the participants in this study are taken.

The third investigated area tests the participants‟ ability to produce correct relative clauses in English and which types of relative clauses will be easier for them to produce.

The results showed that the Libyan participants have some problems in choosing the appropriate relative pronouns and problems in assessing whether the relative clauses convey defining or non-defining information.

Regarding relative clause formation, the results demonstrated that the participants could not always produce correct structures.

They also revealed that some types of relative clauses were more accessible to the participants than others.

This study demonstrated that the frequency of production or acquisition order of relative clauses was OS> OO and SO> SS.