A corpus based study of the use of adverbs in EFL learners’ writings investigating problems and suggesting Solutions

Abstract

This study investigates the use of adverbs by second year EFL students at the department of English, Larbi Ben Mhidi University-OEB. The main tool of investigation consisted of a corpus analysis including thirty exam papers of 'written expression' and 'linguistics' modules. The papers were selected randomly from three groups of second-year. Relying on Biber's (1999) classifications of adverbs, data was analyzed manually in terms of frequency, variety, and problems concerning adverbs' use. The results revealed that second-year students used a considerable amount of adverbs in their written output in both modules. In addition, they tend to employ various types of adverbs. However, it was noticed that they still have difficulty in using them appropriately. It is suggested that explicit and systematic instruction on adverbs' accurate use is required.