Abstract
The introductory it pattern, as in It is important to consider the issue of learning outcomes, is a versatile tool that has proved challenging for learners of English. Taking Quirk et al.‘s (1985: 1392) seven syntactic types as the starting point, the present corpus-based study aims to map out the full inventory of this pattern in non-native-speaker and native-speaker student writing. Comparisons are made across native-speaker status, academic disciplines, and level of achievement (higher-graded papers vs. lower-graded papers). The material comprises student papers from three corpora: Advanced Learner English Corpus (ALEC), Michigan Corpus of Upper-level Student Papers (MICUSP) and the British Academic Written English (BAWE). The results show that while there are only small differences across native-speaker status, there are noteworthy differences across the academic disciplines. Furthermore, the students at a lower level of achievement show a preference for one syntactic type in particular. All in all, it seems that this pattern deserves a place among discipline-specific conventions taught to university students.
Original language | English (US) |
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Title of host publication | Corpus Linguistics, Context and Culture |
Publisher | de Gruyter |
Pages | 307-338 |
Number of pages | 32 |
ISBN (Electronic) | 9783110489071 |
ISBN (Print) | 9783110486728 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Jan 1 2019 |
Externally published | Yes |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Arts and Humanities
- General Social Sciences