Abstract
We introduce a new method for learning to find collocation-syntax patterns from a corpus for the purpose of assisting English as a Foreign Language (EFL) learners in writing fluently and avoiding errors. In our approach, each word in sentences is transformed into elements aimed at generating candidate patterns for statistical analysis and filtering. The method involves generating candidate patterns from elements of each word, extracting patterns matching predefined templates, and filtering salient collocations and complementational patterns for each word that we focus on. We extract grammatical patterns, collocation patterns, and collocation-syntax patterns to provide writing suggestions. We present an interactive writing environment, WriteAhead, that automatically displays examples grouped by patterns to prompt the users as they write away, or mouse around a draft during self-editing. Preliminary experiments and evaluation show that WriteAhead with the acquired patterns and examples has the potential to improve writing and improve writing skills in the long run.