The use of personal pronouns in the writing of argumentative essays by efl writers Introduction

Conclusion
Gilquin et al. (2007) called learner corpora ‘the missing link in EAP pedagogy’ and they wrote that:
What L2 learners need is EAP resource books addressing the specific problems they encounter as non-native writers. By showing in context the types of errors learners make, as well as the items they tend to underuse or overuse, learner corpora make such an approach possible (p.324).

I agree with them that learner corpora are an important pedagogical tool but I do not believe we should wait for textbooks to be written. Individual teachers can compile corpora based on strict design criteria that can be used to represent the wide range of variables that affect learner language, both learner variables (mother tongue background, proficiency levels, etc.) and task variables (genre, topic, etc.) in a particular class (Granger, 2002). A textbook is a general guide, which does not always relate specifically to the needs of a group of learners that their teacher will be aware of. Therefore by using learner corpora and a consciousness-raising approach like ‘noticing’ we can make students aware of the use and function of personal pronouns in academic writing and how they can be used to shape our identities as writers.