Tackling the “independent clause as subject” problem

This article discusses the nature and causes of a common problem
encountered by intermediate ESL learners in Hong Kong — the problem of
using an independent clause as a subject in sentences such as “Snoopy is
leaving makes us all very happy” and suggests an algorithmic approach to
error correction to help students overcome the problem. It is suggested that
both L1- and L2-related factors may contribute to students’ making of the
error. The algorithmic approach suggested, which aims at arousing students’
consciousness of the nature of the anomaly and providing some effective ways
of correcting it, is characterized by four main features: (1) pedagogically
sound input requiring minimal cognitive effort; (2) proceduralized steps
supported by instructive examples; (3) explicit rules to help learners conceptualize the correction procedure; and (4) reinforcement exercises.
Remedial instruction materials designed for correcting the anomaly and for
alerting students to the differences between an independent clause and a
dependent clause — a linguistic concept essential for the effective correction
of the structure — are included for exemplification. It is argued that with the
help of carefully-designed algorithmic steps which take the form of
instructional language or questions, students can be guided to progressively
approximate the target language norm.