COMMON ERRORS IN WRITING APPLICATION LETTER OF THIRD YEAR TEACHER EDUCATION STUDENTS AT CAGAYAN...

College of Teacher EducationCagayan State University

COMMON ERRORS IN WRITING APPLICATION LETTER OF THIRD YEAR TEACHEREDUCATION STUDENTS

AT CAGAYAN STATE UNIVERSITY, LASAM CAMPUS SY 2014-2015

An Action Research Presented to the Faculty


Lasam, Cagayan

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree

BACHELOR IN SECONDARY EDUCATIONMajor in English

Lord Mark Jayson B. Ilarde

Jackielen B. Romero

Novie Joy T. Molina

2014


APPROVAL SHEET

This research proposal entitled, “COMMON ERRORS IN WRITING

APPLICATION LETTER OF THIRD YEAR TEACHER EDUCATION

STUDENTS” prepared and submitted by LORD MARK JAYSON B. ILARDE,

JACKIELEN B. ROMERO and NOVIE JOY T. MOLINA in partial fulfillment of

the requirements for the course Language Research.

Approved by the Tribunal on Oral Examination with a grade of

_____________.

___________________________________

_____________________________ ______________________________

______________________________ ______________________________

__________________DATE

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Acknowledgement

The researchers express their heartfelt gratitude and sincerest appreciation to

those who extended their assistance and encouragement in the accomplishment of

this study. They feel to mention their facilitation to the following.

Mrs. Dolores C. Quebral., our Campus Executive Officer for her motherly

motivation and encouragement;

Mrs. Janilete R. Cortez, our Adviser for all the insights, recommendation and

most of all her sincere support during the crucial period of accomplishing this study;

Mrs. Judelyn Cantor, Dean of the College of Teacher Education for her

constructive critics and suggestions;

Mrs. Catherine Salva, Campus Librarian for her unselfish assistance in

lending some references needed throughout the process of the study;

Dr. Gilbert C. Magulod Jr., for his untiring efforts and invaluable guidance

and assistance;

To their loving family, for all the years of patience and endurance provided

them, to their love and support especially on financial matters;

Above all to our Almighty Father for His bountiful blessings and graces He

showered to us.

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Dedication

To our Family, thank you for the love, understanding and support.

To our friends and classmates, who are always there for us if we need their help and ideas.

Above all, to our Almighty God, who has been and always been the source of all that

they have.

This humble work is lovingly dedicated.

RESEARCHERS,

Jayson

Jackie

Novie

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

APPROVAL SHEET----------------------------------------------------------------- i

ACKNOWLEGEMENT------------------------------------------------------------ ii

DEDICATION---------------------------------------------------------------------- iii

TABLE OF CONTENTS------------------------------------------------------------ iv - v

CHAPTER

PAGE

1. INTRODUCTION---------------------------------------------------------- 1 - 2

Conceptual Framework------------------------------------------------ 3

Research paradigm----------------------------------------------------- 4

Statement of the Problem---------------------------------------------- 5

Significance of the study---------------------------------------------- 5 - 6

Research Hypothesis--------------------------------------------------- 6

Scope and Delimitation of The Study-------------------------------- 6

Definition of Terms----------------------------------------------------- 7

2. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE AND

STUDIES

Review of Related Literature and Studies-------------------------- 8 - 14

3. METHODS AND PROCEDURE

Research Design------------------------------------------------------- 15

Locale of the Study---------------------------------------------------- 16

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Research Instrument--------------------------------------------------- 16

Respondent and Sampling Procedure--------------------------------16

Data Gathering Procedure---------------------------------------------17

4. DISCUSION OF FINDINGS------------------------------------------- 18- 22

5. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Summary------------------------------------------------------------- 23

Conclusions---------------------------------------------------------- 24

Recommendations--------------------------------------------------- 25

Bibliography--------------------------------------------------------- 26

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Chapter 1

Background of the Study

Introduction

A letter plays a vital role in applying to any job. The way you present the

letter is your first introduction to the person who could be your new employer. The

purpose of these written texts is to persuade the admissions committee to accept the

writer’s application (Callaghan, 2004).

Researchers interested in error analysis observed that errors are

advantageous for both learners and teachers. It provides information to the teachers

on students’ errors. This helps the teachers in three ways, firstly to correct their

errors, secondly to improve their teaching and thirdly to focus on those area that need

reinforcement (Al-haysoni, 201G2).

Moreover, application essays give you an opportunity to explain -- through

narrative, example, and analysis -- aspects of your personal, educational and

professional history that may have led you to pursue an advanced degree at a

particular institution. Admissions committees rely heavily on these essays to put a

face on impersonal test scores and grade point averages. (UW-Madison Writing

Centre, 2004)

Furthermore, in composing good letter writing, you should notice some

aspects and one of the important aspects that should be mastered in getting a well-

structured writing is the use of a high-standard English grammar. Poor grammar and

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spelling which are unprofessional can damage the reputation of both you as the

writer and the school you came from.

In regard to the writing skill, it cannot be denied that writing in English

Language is not always as easy as writing in your own language since there are some

different rules in the writing systems sometimes causing you to write many errors in

sentences.

Generally, most institution will ask you to write a job application letter

accompanied by resume as a requirement for taking one of the positions offered.

Your attractive letter with its resume can do much to help you secure the job of your

choice.

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Conceptual Framework

This study will be conducted to identify the Common Errors in Writing

Application letter of third year Teacher Education students at Cagayan State

University, Lasam Campus SY 2014-1015.

The researchers conceptualized that common errors in writing application

letter are related to the instructional program done by the language teachers the

aforementioned theories of writing application letter, error analysis theory and the

rest reached a common point in supporting the variables indicated.

As mentioned, instructional program of the school and the teacher is

determined by the writing ability of the students.

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Research Paradigm

Independent Variable Dependent Variable

Figure 1: The research paradigm shows the relationship between the independent

variable and dependent variable.

Common Errors in Writing

Application Letters

Proposed/ Revised Instructional Program

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Statement of the Problem

Generally, this study aimed to survey “Common Errors of Third Year

Education students in Writing Application Letter of CSU-Lasam.”

Specifically, it sought to:

a. discover the language, grammatical, and letter-form errors of third year Education

students of CSU-LASAM;

b. suggest remedial instructions needed in teaching writing letters of application

Significance of the Study

The result of this study would provide information about the common errors

of third year teacher education students.

Therefore, this research study will likewise be advantageous to the following

groups of people.

The School Administrators, the result of this study would somehow help

them think for the betterment of the school which will affect the writing skills of the

students in Writing in the Discipline subject.

The Dean, the result of this study will be a great basis in improving programs

and techniques which will test the writing abilities of the students.

The Teachers, the result of this study will give them the idea on what are the

things to provide that could help the students, this study will also help them know the

best teaching strategies for more effective teaching process.

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The Researchers, they will be able to share information to the concern

officials and faculty through the findings of their study.

The researcher who will conduct a similar study could base from its results.

Students, having ideas on the interest of students in studies, learners shall

place in higher level of their learning tasks and motivates them accepts greater

responsibilities for learning.

Research Hypotheses

1. There is no significant difference on the errors in writing application letters

among third year students.

2. There is no relationship between language instructions and the writing ability

of the students.

Scope and Delimitation of the Study

This study will mainly concern on the Common Errors of the selected Third

Year students in Writing Application Letter. This proposed research will serve as a

basis for language teachers on what remedial instruction would be needed in teaching

writing letters of application.

Moreover, the assessment of the corpus will be limited on the

grammar and format. There are many kinds of grammatical errors found in

their work but the researchers just take four highest numbers of total errors

namely: prepositions, verb, article and tense.

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Definition of Terms

Addition – adding unnecessary verbs, prepositions, articles.

Application letter - it is used to show your intent on applying for a certain

job/position.

Articles - a determiner that may indicate the specificity of reference of a

noun phrase.

Complimentary Close - is the term prior to your signature in an application

letter.

Corpus – a collection of writings of a specific kind or on a specific subject.

Errors - a deviation from accuracy or correctness; a mistake, as in action or

speech.

Layout - the visual structure for a user interface.

Mis-formation – the incorrect formation of words in a sentence.

Mis-ordering – the wrong order of words in a sentence

Omission – words that not included or forgot to put in a sentence.

Salutation - is a greeting used in a application letter.

Tense - is a category that locates a situation in time, to indicate when the

situation takes place.

Verb - A content word that denotes an action, occurrence, or state of

existence.

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Chapter II

Review of Related Literature and Studies

Related Literature

An application letter is a formally written one-page letter that accompanies a

resume and other requested documentation in application for a job or academic

program. Application letters are often synonymous with cover letters, and in addition

to describing what materials are included in the application, an application letter

should also take time to highlight the qualifications that prepare the writer for

acceptance into the job or academic program.

Application letters typically begin with an introductory paragraph that states the

position being applied to, reveals how the minimum qualifications for the position

are met and asks the reader to continue reading to learn more about the applicant's

qualifications.

Paragraphs that follow the introduction paragraph typically highlight the top reasons

the applicant should be considered. For experienced applicants, these paragraphs

typically highlight work experience and workplace projects of significance. For less

experienced applicants and new graduates, these paragraphs might highlight

academic experience, such as classes taken that would be useful in this position or

any particular academic projects or honors received.

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An application letter should also include a concluding paragraph that express

appreciation to the receiver for taking the time to consider the application. The final

sentence should convey that the applicant looks toward the future by asking for a

formal interview in-person, online or by phone. © letterwritingguide.com

Format of Application Letter

As a formal letter, at least there are three format styles used in business letter,

they are fully block, blocked, and semi blocked style. In fully blocked style all letter

parts begin at the left margin, except for the printed letterhead; the body of the letter

is not indented, and double spacing is used to separate the paragraphs. While blocked

style, like fully blocked, all letter parts begin at the left margin, except the dateline,

complimentary closing, company signature with the writer’s name are placed up to

the right-hand margin. The next style is semi-blocked, the date, complimentary close

and signature with the writer’s name are set to the right-hand margin, and the body is

indented for each paragraph. Open punctuation is often used; this reduces typing

time as there is no need for any unnecessary full stops and commas. Whichever

layout, enclosure usually appears below the signature element and flushes with the

left margin. It is important to know that whichever format you adopt, you have to be

consistent, do not mix styles. It is stated by Taylor (2004) explaining that whichever

layout you use for business documents, the most important rule is consistency, i.e.

ensuring that all documents are displayed in the same format. A well-displayed,

easy- to- read letter will attract attention at once and create a favorable first

impression.

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Parts of Application Letter

The following is an explanation of the parts of the application letter. (Geffner,

1995)

Sender address, at the minimum, contains the street address, the city, the state, and

the code. The sender’s name does not appear at the top of the letter.

Date is typed a few lines below the sender. It should not be written in figures as they

can be confusing; (i.e. 11.1.12 means 11th January 2012 in the UK but 1st November

2012 in the USA) it is better 11 January, 2012.

Inside Address typed begins with flush with the left margin. If you know the

surname you are writing, the appropriate courtesy title (Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms) should be

shown. It is written on the first line of the address. If you do not know the name you

can write The Personnel Manager or HRD Department or Carroll & Associates, Inc.

Salutation is a kind of greeting to open letter. There are several types of salutations,

as shown below.

a. Dear Sir opens a letter written to a man whose name you do not know.

b. Dear Sirs is used to address a company.

c. Dear Sir or Madam is used to address a person of whom you know neither the

name nor the sex.

d. Dear Madam is used to address a woman, whether single or married, whose name

you do not know.

e. Dear (name) is used when you know the name of the person you are writing to, for

example: Dear Mr Smith, not Dear Mr J Smith or Dear Mr John Smith.

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The body consists of three or four paragraphs; the important thing is you must be

consistent in writing the body.

a. The first paragraph/opening must attract favorable attention.

b. The second paragraph consists of personal data, educational background,

experience and qualification,

c. The third paragraph/closing, you close your application letter with a specific

request for action and give the reader a good reason for inviting you for an interview.

Complementary Close placed below the last line of a letter’s body has two most

common complimentary closes, they are Yours faithfully and Yours sincerely. If the

letter opens with Dear Sir or Dear Madam, then close it with Yours faithfully while it

opens with Dear Mr/Mrs/Miss/Ms Smith then close it with Yours sincerely.

Seven Application Letter Mistakes

By Peter Vogt, Monster Senior Contributing Writer

The student's resume was impressive. The formatting was impeccable, the content

was excellent, and he did a great job of focusing on accomplishments instead of job

duties. If I were an employer, I would have been impressed.

Then I looked at his cover letter and imagined the employer tossing that perfect

resume into the trash bin.

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Many college students and recent grads destroy their resumes by accompanying them

with halfhearted or downright terrible cover letters. While some employers don't

bother reading cover letters, most do. And they will quickly eliminate you if you

make these cover letter mistakes:

Using the Wrong Cover Letter Format

The student's cover letter looked more like a cut-and-paste email than a business

letter. It had no recipient information, no return address and no date. The letter

screamed unprofessional.

Be sure your cover letter uses a standard business-letter format. It should include the

date, the recipient's mailing address and your address.

Making It All about You

It may seem counterintuitive, but your cover letter, like your resume, should be about

the employer as much as it's about you. Yes, you need to tell the employer about

yourself, but do so in the context of the employer's needs and the specified job

requirements.

Not Proofing for Typos and Grammatical Errors

Employers tend to view typos and grammatical errors as evidence of your

carelessness and inability to write. Proofread every letter you send. Get additional

cover letter help by asking a friend who knows good writing double-check your letter

for you.

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Making Unsupported Claims

Too many cover letters from college students and recent grads say the applicant has

"strong written and verbal communication skills." Without evidence, it's an empty

boast. Give some examples for each claim you make. Employers need proof.

Writing a Novel

A good cover letter should be no longer than one page. Employers are deluged with

resumes and cover letters, and their time is scarce. Make sure your cover letter has

three or four concise but convincing paragraphs that are easy to read. If your

competitor's letter rambles on for two pages, guess which candidate the employer

will prefer.

Using the Same Cover Letter for Every Job and Company

Employers see so many cover letters that it's easy for them to tell when you're using

a one-size-fits-all approach. If you haven't addressed their company's specific

concerns, they'll conclude you don't care about this particular job.

It's time-consuming but worthwhile to customize each cover letter for the specific job

and company.

Not Sending a Real Cover Letter

Some job seekers -- college students, recent grads and even those with years of work

experience -- don't bother sending a cover letter with their resume. Others type up a

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one or two-sentence "here's my resume" cover letter, while others attach handwritten

letters or sticky notes.

There is no gray area here: You must include a well-written, neatly formatted cover

letter with every resume you send. If you don't, you won't be considered for the job.

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CHAPTER III

Methods and Procedure

This chapter consists of the description of the design, locale of the study,

research instrument, and gathering of data, and data analysis, data use in the study.

Research Design

This study will use the descriptive qualitative design. The design is the most

appropriate since it helps determine the extent which the different variables are

related to each other. The design will be made possible in the description of the

students’ common errors in knowledge, skills and attitudes in the language subjects.

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Locale of the Study

This study will be conducted at Cagayan State University at Lasam Centro 02

Lasam, Cagayan for S.Y. 2014-2015. Cagayan State University at Lasam is one of

the Campuses of Cagayan State University System. Considering the fact, that there

are no studies conducted in error analysis on writing application letter in CSU-Lasam

particularly in the College of Teacher Education. The researchers have chosen

Cagayan State University-Lasam as the study area in conducting this study to be able

to determine the waterloo of the respondents and it’s implication to their writing

skills.

Research Instrument

The research instrument to be used in gathering data is the Application

Letters written by selected Third Year Education Students. This instrument provides

valid and reliable information to be gathered from the respondents.

Respondent and Sampling Procedure

The respondents of this study were the Third Year Education Students at

Cagayan State University at Lasam Campus. The respondents were selected through

“Fish bowl Picking”.

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Data Gathering Procedure

The researchers sought permission from the Campus Executive Officer of

Cagayan State University at Lasam to conduct the study. Furthermore, permission

was likewise sought from the Associate Dean of College of Teacher Education to

allow us to float the survey.

The researchers personally administered the survey to the respondents to

ensure the reliability of the study.

After retrieving the survey, the data was analyzed, classified, tallied,

summarized, and tabulated.

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Chapter IV

Discussion of Findings

This chapter discussed the results of the data gathered in this study.

A. Grammatical Errors

Grammatical errors occur when the patterns of arrangement of words in

sentences are not appropriate with the patterns and roles that have been in language

being used. The grammatical errors made by the students could be caused by lack of

understanding of the target language rules as stated by Brown (2000:208).

The 30 students who have made application letters have been chosen

randomly as the subject of this study. There are many kinds of grammatical errors

found in their work. The total of 72 grammatical errors has been found. The writers

just take four highest numbers of total errors; subject-verb agreement, redundancy,

preposition and tenses of verb.

Table 1: Shows the type and number of errors

Type of Errors The Number of Errors

Subject-Verb Agreement 29

Redundancy 12

Preposition 18

Tenses of Verbs 13

Total 72

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Classification of Errors

a. Subject-Verb Agreement

The number of errors in Subject-Verb Agreement is 29. The errors committed

are mostly in the Form and Use.

Some example in this category as follows:

In this example, the respondent commits error in infinitive because the rule

says the format should be “to” plus the base form of the verb. He also omits the verb

“am”.

b. Redundancy

The number of errors in Redundancy is 12.

Example:

Repetition of same sense in different words.

c. Preposition

The number of errors in this part is 18.

Some example in this category as follows:

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d. Tenses of Verbs

B. Spelling

Spelling errors. One applicant said he was well suited for "writting and

editing chores... contac t (sic) me at the adrwss (sic) below." Would you give him

your editing work? Another writer said she would enjoy "hearing form (sic) us."

Some write “I here many good things” and another write “For the shake of my

Family”. Word processing spell checkers make mistakes; so proof everything. We

found 22 misspelled words in this category.

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C. Abbreviation

Abbreviating Cir., Ave., Dec., and all other words. Take time to spell

words out. It looks so much better. We have found 6 abbreviated words in the

gathered data.

D. Forgetting the Date

Date is very important in a letter, so that the recipient of the letter may know

when to act upon the said application letter. 10 respondents forgot to write the date.

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E. Using the word "I" too much

Some letters are filled with 10 or 20 I's. Make sure yours aren't.

Advertising is about "you." Emphasize "you" rather than "I." 2 letters were

found to commit errors in this part.

F. No Punctuation

Some respondents forgot the act of inserting standardized marks or signs in

written application letter to clarify the meaning and separate structural units. We

found 29 unpunctuated statements.

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Chapter V

Summary, Conclusions and Recommendation

This chapter presents the summary of findings, conclusions and

recommendation of the study based on the gathered data.

Summary

The study was conducted to determine the common errors of Third year

Teacher Education students of Cagayan State University at Lasam SY 2014-2015.

The total of 30 students was used as the respondents of this study,

from the three sections of third year education students of Cagayan State University

at Lasam Campus. The respondents were selected through “Fish Bowl Picking”.

The researcher sought permission from the Campus Executive Officer of

Cagayan State University at Lasam to conduct the study. Furthermore, permission

was likewise sought from the Associate Dean of College of Teacher Education to

allow us to float the survey.

The researcher personally administered the survey to the respondents to

ensure the reliability of the study. After retrieving the survey, the data was analyzed,

classified, tallied, summarized, and tabulated.

On the level of significant of common errors in writing application letter of

third year education students such as the teachers, students and researchers, all were

significant. So the result revealed that they are all significant which means they are

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all inter-related to its other regarding the common errors of application letter of third

year education students.

Conclusions

Having analyzed those thirty data, the conclusions were drawn. Firstly, the

subject has produced 72 grammatical errors in four categories, the subject-verb

agreement, redundancy, preposition and tenses of verbs. Based on the gathered data,

the researcher finds the highest number of grammatical errors in Subject –Verb

agreement with 29 errors, followed by errors in prepositions (18), then tenses of

verbs (13), and the least is redundancy (12). It is revealed that a large portion of

errors results due to difficulty in mastering the rules of English Language. So, there

is a relationship between language instructions and the writing ability of the students.

Second, with regard in letter layouts, errors are plentiful in misspelled words

(22), abbreviation (6), letters with no date (2), using “I” too much (7) and

unpunctuated sentences (29). The errors found in writing application letter are

probably caused by the lack of mastery of the parts of application letter and the

proper writing of a letter. And there is a significant difference on the errors in

writing application letters among third year students.

Finally, the writer sincerely hopes that this study would be beneficial for

English teachers and the learners. For English teachers especially Language teachers,

they could use the result of this study as an input to prepare teaching materials.

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Recommendation

On the basis of the finding and conclusions, the researchers recommended

that there are two things should be done by them. Firstly, the teachers should put an

emphasis on teaching application letter especially the rules how to organize a good

application letter by giving more practicing and homework and check them together

with the students. Secondly, relating to writing competence to support writing letter,

the teachers should also pay more attention to writing to help learners to develop

skills in constructing sentences. The error patterns made by the students could help

the teachers in focusing the materials. In connection to this the library should be

provided more updated books, magazines and instructional materials with regards to

writing application letter. While for the students, they should not be careless

anymore in their work. Reading more English books, newspapers, and magazines is

one of the ways to overcome their problems besides doing some practicing

themselves.

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Bibliography

Al-haysoni, 2012

letterwritingguide.com

Mark Braund, Chief Executive Officer at InterQuest Group PLC

Parks, C., "An Analysis of Language, Grammatical, Punctuation, and

Letter-Form Errors of Fourth-Grade Children's Life Letters" (1938).

Master's Theses. Paper 314.

Peter Vogt, Monster Senior Contributing Writer

Ragam Jurnal Pengembangan Humaniora Vol. 12 No. 3, December

2012

Taylor, Shirley. (2004). Model Business Letters, E-mails & Other

Business Documents. Great Britain: Pearson Education Limited.

UW-Madison Writing Centre, 2004

WordWeb Dictionary

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COMMON ERRORS IN WRITING APPLICATION LETTER OF THIRD YEAR TEACHER EDUCATION STUDENTS AT CAGAYAN...

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