Analysis of Subordination Errors in Students' Writings: A Study of Selected Teacher Training Colleges in Ghana

Abstract

This study is aimed at examining how students of selected Teacher Training Colleges handle one important aspect of sentence structure, i.e. “subordination”. Data were collected from written scripts, and tests responded to by 150 participants from three selected colleges. These were analyzed by identifying both correct and incorrect uses of subordinators to link sentences in their compositions. Findings from the tests and the written scripts showed that participants faced a significant level of difficulty in the use of subordination as well as difficulty with identifying the types and functions of subordinate clauses in sentences. This meant that the majority of the participants lacked the linguistic understanding of subordination. The study suggests that subordination be given the attention it deserves at the Teacher Training Colleges and other levels of education in Ghana since it is one of the important skills needed to form meaningful sentences in English language.

Keywords: analysis, errors, teacher training colleges, subordination, subordinators