SLA researches show that interlanguage variation is caused by multiple factors. Following the multi-factor approach, the present research has investigated the effects of three specific factors on the acquisition and production of relative clauses by Chinese English Majors: types of the subordinate clauses (single or double/embedded), syntactic functions of the relative pronouns and the time pressure. Results show that the subjects' performances varied significantly when conditions changed, and it was found that the syntactic functions of the relative pronouns and the time pressure had great influence on such variation, but different types of the subordinate clauses had no influence at all. Besides, more detailed study found that another two factors might also have certain effects: (1) the existence of context of discourse; (2) different object functions of the relative pronouns. Findings of the present research could provide implications for the improvement of ways to evaluate the language proficiency of English learners.
