In English teaching, writing has always played a very important role. We can learn from NMET (National Matriculation English Test) that writing accounts for 17% (25 points in total 150 points) in the total score, which is a large proportion. In recent years, the research on negative language transfer has made a great process inside and outside. Among these studies, negative transfer mainly appears more in vocabulary, discourse, syntax, and form. The thesis does a key research on negative transfer on syntax. Taking the error analysis and language transfer theory as a theoretical basis, the study explores the syntactic negative transfer of English writing in high school students. 

2. Literature Review

In recent years, many domestic and overseas linguists have done a lot of researches to language transfer. In this paper, some theories used will be introduced.

2.1 Language Transfer

Corder though that transfer is a kind of communication strategy, which is “borrow”. He stressed that behavior of borrow is a kind of language phenomenon. And language transfer belongs to the transfer on structure (Corder,1981: 67).

Ellis defined “transfer” as a kind of suppose that studying task A may affect the study of task B. Also he thought language transfer may be the most important concept in the theory and practice of education (Ellis,2000: 76). Ellis classified “transfer phenomenon” into positive transfer, negative transfer, overuse and so on.

Based on the summary of researching language transfer for decades, Odlin defined language transfer as an influence made by commonality and difference between target language and any other acquired language (Odlin,2001: 35). And he classified language transfer into positive transfer, and negative transfer. Positive transfer occurs when the prior knowledgeable benefits the learning task,that is, when a previous item is correctly applied to present subject matter (Odlin,2001: 149). When the second language and native language have the same sentence patterns, the same grammar rules or the same expressions, the transfer benefits the learning. Negative transfer occurs when the previous performance disrupts the performance on a second task. It can also be referred to as interference (Odlin,2001:150). When the native language and the target language have the totally different expressions, rules or patterns, while the learners apply them to learn the target language, it will still interfere with learning.

2.2 Error Analysis

Errors mean language learners product an unacceptable form of language as they lack the ability to achieve a set of real or imagined standard, but mistakes mean those that Learners have the ability to correct in language use (James,2001: 273).

Errors refer to a kind of systematic error caused by learners’ not mastering the language system, but mistakes are a kind of language using error caused by learners’ fatigue, stress, distraction,etc. (Luo Xiaojie,2003: 69 ).

Corder is the modern sense pioneer of errors analysis. He said, “Error is a significant part that reveals the differences between transitional language syntax and the target language grammar in second language acquisition.” (Corder, 1981: 21 )

Errors refer to a part of the language which is not successful. James said, “Error analysis is a progress that researches the appearance, nature, facts, and outcomes of unsuccessful language.” (James, 2001: 62)文献综述

Corder thought that the language of learner was systematic, and had its own syntax. Learners didn't mean to make mistakes, so we could not judge their language as errors. Nonetheless James refuted that “ungrammatical” referred to the grammar out of the target language, which  phenomenon in nature is wrong. 

Error analysis reflects mainly in writing and speaking. In the writing English of learners, teachers can use error analysis to take different methods and ways to guide and teach students in allusion to different types of errors and factors.