Conjunctions as Cohesive Devices in the Writings of English as Second Language Learners

In a Hallidayan approach, this paper examines the use of various forms of conjunctions in the writings of students in English as Second Language situations. It has found a significant difference in the use of ‘and’ between high and low rated texts. The conjunctive ‘and’ is seen to have a less unifying function, it is therefore avoided in the high rated texts but vigorously utilised in the low rated ones. In addition, the study further reveals that there is no significant difference in the use of other conjunctives. For example with ‘temporal’, and ‘demonstratives’, these are scarcely employed in any of the texts. The conclusion drawn is that these ESL students have yet to master the mechanics of text connection through conjunctions and recommends extra efforts towards the teaching of conjunctions to achieve the proficiency level required of students.