English light verbs are a category of verbs that occur in V+N forms where the primary sense of the light verb is provided by the noun. As EFL learners are not familiar with the linguistic properties of the lexical collocations (LC) of English light verbs, they seem to have great difficulty using this type of LC. This study investigates EFL learners' competence in using LC that involve the light verbs have, make, and take. The participants were two hundred students from several universities in northern Taiwan. After they were divided into three groups according to their English proficiency, they were required to complete a lexical collocation translation test. The test contained forty-three questions on the target LC, each containing a light verb have, make, or take, and a noun object. The results of the study showed that there were differences in learners' performance of the target LC. Learners as a whole scored highest in LC of have and lowest in LC of make. A number of first and second language influences could have an impact on learners' performance. Overgeneralization in the use of light verbs have and take in the LC of make was one major reason; the positive transfer or interference from learners' first language in the use of articles in the LC of have and take was another. In terms of the performance pattern, the highest proficiency group scored best in LC of have, second in LC of make, and third in LC of take; whereas the lower proficiency groups scored best in LC of take, second in LC of have, and third in LC of make. The different performance patterns of the three groups revealed possible information of the acquisition order of the target LC: LC of take might be the subtype that was acquired earliest; LC of make could be the subtype that was developed most slowly; and LC of have might be the subtype that was acquired most quickly.
