A Corpus-Based Study of Conjunction Used in Academic Writing by Saudi ESL Learners

The purpose of this paper was to investigate the frequency of English connectors usage in the writing of pre-intermediate learners of ESL and present findings based on a quantitative approach methodology. Furthermore, the data was monitored within a short corpus built from written essays by ESL students of King Saud University. Other research related to Saudi students’ writing has tackled the ‘underuse’, and ‘overuse’ of connectors despite their investigation of causes, this study limited itself to the analysis of both stages that calculated both the frequency of items either the basic and advanced as long as their underuse and overuse. This study used the quantitative method because it is appropriate to measure the frequency of using connectors by students. The results showed that both stages prove the underuse of academic connectors such as (moreover, however, and furthermore). On the other hand, the result illustrated a fundamental overuse of a wide range of basic connectors such as (also, but, so, and, with, etc.). The findings offer no evidence of reason beyond the avoiding of some connector usage as it is not the primary aim of this paper.