All of these show that college English writing skills still have a serious shortage. The problem is not only restricts the improvement of students’ English level, and also become an important aspect of the overall development of the college students. And the factors which lead to this problem is also multifaceted, here we come to analyze in detail.
Ⅲ. The Factors that Influence Non- English Major Students’ English Writing Ability
3.1. The Lack of Vocabulary and the Weak of Grammar
We all know that an article is composed of many sentences, and the sentence is constituted by a group of vocabulary. However, it is grammar, which can reasonably link the vocabulary together to form a complete sentence. If the writing is likened to build a building, then the vocabulary and grammar is the foundation of the building. If the foundation is not stable, not firm is the building. Visible, vocabulary and grammar in the writing process is to play a particularly important role.
First, in terms of vocabulary, on the one hand, a lot of learners are not good at accumulating vocabulary; on the other hand, though they remembering the words, they do not know how to use them. If the term shortages, it is difficult to write a good essay. Secondly, English words have different semantic features and strong application characters. If you only knew what the word meant, but do not realize how to use, it is easy to make mistakes. For example: “In china, one family can grow only one child.” This sentence is obviously wrong, and the root knot of the error is in the wrong match of vocabulary. The word of “grow” in the sentence, which means desirable “parenting”, but not with “grow a child” in conjunction. We can be replaced it with “raise a child”.
To compare with Chinese, English is more changeable. Such as a simple Chinese word “说”，can be expressed in English as “say, grunt, exclaim, announce, scream, shout, whisper” and other words. Visible that in English writing, different contexts and emotions need to use different words, and this is another reason why vocabulary is difficult to grasp.
Secondly, in terms of grammar, the statistics show that the 50% of writing errors in CET4 and CET6 are related with the syntax. Visible, students’ syntax is weak. On the one hand, students are not good at sum up grammar rules by themselves. So, there will be often state errors, inconsistencies or subject-predicate or sentence is not complete and other errors; on the other hand, many college English teachers have not carried out the study of grammar during their teaching, which results in that many students’ syntax still at the high school level. But we know that the knowledge of grammar in high school is very fundamental, and completely unable to meet college English learning (Jiang 4:36).
The accumulation of vocabulary and the master of grammar have a direct impact on the level of writing. Lacking of vocabulary, which will lead students have a empty content in writing, not clear expression of the theme, and unreadable of the article. Rather weak grammar will bring about that words can not form a sentence and sentences can not compose of chapter. From these it is easy to see that lack of vocabulary and the firmly master of grammar build-up is the main factor that affects students' inadequate writing ability.
3.2 Excessive Dependence on the Thinking of Mother Tongue
English writing skill is stressed as a central ability in a foreign language teaching. Foreign language writing research in the international association of second language acquisition is highly valued. Since the 1960s, the depth and breadth of the research is very sizable.
The study shows that a major feature in Chinese students' English writing is to rely on the thinking of mother tongue, and the thinking of mother tongue almost applied in the whole course of Second Language Writing and plays multiple roles in second language writing. Native language level has a direct or indirect impact on Second Language Writing capabilities, which effect English writing ability most significant are Chinese writing ability, Chinese vocabulary skills and writing ability in Chinese discourse. The study also shows that the more that the students depend on the thinking of mother tongue, the worse writing ability is. 非英语专业学生英语写作能力的影响因素及对策研究(3):http://www.751com.cn/yingyu/lunwen_5397.html