Understanding “the” in L2 writing: Article use in formulaic sequences among beginning and intermediate Chinese learners of English

This study investigates the use of articles in formulaic sequences in L2 English writing by Chinese learners, focusing on both target sequences and ungrammatical instances. Writing samples from two learner corpora were analyzed, one at the beginning level (N = 802,974 words) and the other at the intermediate level (N = 803,008 words), derived from the EF Cambridge Open Language Database. The learner corpora were analyzed for article-embedded formulaic sequences, which had previously been identified as fundamental expressions in academic speaking and writing. The core expression approach was used to identify errors related to articles, which were categorized as omission, addition, and misformation errors. Error types in both learner corpora were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. The findings indicated that intermediate learners produced more article-embedded formulaic sequences than beginners, but with comparable accuracy. Specifically, intermediate learners produced greater numbers of omission errors, but fewer misformation errors than their counterparts. This study offers insights into the cross-proficiency variations in the use of article-embedded formulaic sequences in L2 writing, with implications for teaching these sequences to enhance L2 academic writing.