Errors in the speech of students and their correction is a large and complex topic, which is devoted to more than one scientific work. The format of the blog article does not allow us to consider this issue in detail, so I only touched on the main points.

Previously, I have already published 2 notes on errors and their correction. In one you can find a classification in the other advice on how

Since the article turned out to be voluminous, I divided it into 3 parts. The first is devoted to the role of errors, the second is the classification of errors, and the third is the correction of errors.

PART 1.

The role of errors.

The authors of English-language manuals on the methodology use different terminology to describe errors. Someone distinguishes slips, mistakes, errors, blunders and faults, someone uses only terms slip, mistake and errors, others delimit only error(the mistake that the student makes due to the fact that he does not have the necessary knowledge) and slip(a student can formulate a thought correctly, but makes a mistake due to inattention, fatigue, stress, or some external circumstances). In this article, I will also limit myself to terms error and slip, and, if necessary, I will specify in parentheses what kind of error we are talking about.

Errors occur for two main reasons. The first is the influence of the students' native language (which is referred to as L1 in English sources), called interference(interference) or transfer. If interference occurs, learners use the sounds and lexical and grammatical structures of their native language (L1) in the target language.

The second reason is that it takes some time for students to get used to the new rules and structures. As they master them, students will inevitably make mistakes, which can be called developmental errors. Such errors can be found both in the speech of foreign language learners and in the speech of young children mastering their native language. For example, children often say "I went" instead of "I went" - they apply the rule of using one unit of language to another unit of language, that is, they make a mistake that can be called overgeneralization. Such errors eventually disappear both from native speech and from the speech of students, as the level of language proficiency increases.

Errors - part interlanguage(interlanguage), that is, a language intermediate between native and studied, spoken by students at the elementary level. Interlanguage is constantly changing, being processed, developed and improved. Many researchers believe that interlanguage, like mistakes, is an important stage in language learning.

Growth errors and errors caused by native language influences often disappear on their own, without correction, as the student improves the language. Moreover, corrections will only be really useful if the student is ready for them, that is, is at the necessary stage in the personal learning process.

Sometimes mistakes do not disappear, but on the contrary, they are fixed, and students make them again and again for a long time. Such errors are also called "petrified" (fossilized, from the English fossil - fossil, fossil). Rooting out such errors is not an easy task, requiring time and patience. Read more about errors of this type.

On a note.

• Careful consideration needs to be given to how and when to correct students.
• Don't expect immediate results. Learning is a gradual process and mistakes are inevitable.
• In some cases, errors can be ignored, especially if the main purpose of the task is to develop fluency.
• If the error distorts the meaning of the statement, then it is worth paying special attention to it. For example, the absence (in English) of the ending - s in the 3rd person singular in does not interfere with the understanding of the meaning of the statement, while the use of Present Simple instead of Past Simple can seriously impede communication.
• Some students in the class need to be corrected, while others do not. It all depends on the level of the language and personal characteristics.
• Mistakes help the teacher to understand how well the students have learned the material, and whether it is necessary to work on something extra.

Exercise.

Underline any errors in the written work of one of your students. Can you determine what caused the error in each case? Do all errors need to be corrected? If you have the opportunity, discuss your ideas with another teacher.

Additional materials.

"The Practice of English Language Teaching", by Jeremy Harmer, Pearson Education 2001 (Chapter 7).

PART 2.

Classification of errors.

Students can make mistakes both in speech and in writing.

In oral speech, students may make mistakes in pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and style (for example, use colloquial expressions in a business communication situation). In writing, they may make mistakes in grammar, spelling, paragraph organization, punctuation, and so on.

You will find various methods for correcting errors in oral speech in the 3rd part of the article.

Mistakes in writing

To correct errors in written speech, teachers usually make special notes in the margins indicating the type of error. For English, the most commonly used icons are:

∧, MW- missing word

ew- extra word

Sp- spelling error

WF- word form (change verb to noun, noun to verb, etc)

WO- wrong word order

aux- auxiliary verb incorrect, missing etc

T-verb tense wrong

Art- article wrong, missing

A, Ag— agreement of adj, past participle etc.

Prep- wrong preposition

? - Ask me (I don't understand)

/ - too many words

✓ - good sentence or expression

A.W.- awkward, perhaps grammatically correct, but doesn't sound natural

On a note.

• Students make mistakes for various reasons: ignorance of a word or structure, interference (influence) of their native language, difficulty in articulating various sounds, strong excitement, dyslexia and dysgraphia, and many others. If we understand the cause of the error, we can find the best way to fix it.
• There are various approaches to correcting errors in speech and writing.
• If we correct every mistake students make, they will quickly lose their motivation to learn. There are no universal recommendations on how and when to correct mistakes, this is decided by the teacher in each case, based on the level, age and psychological characteristics of the students, as well as the purpose of the assignment.
• Mistakes should not be viewed as something negative, they are an integral part of learning a language - both native and foreign. A mistake is primarily not an indicator that the student is not coping with the task, but a chance to learn something new.

Tasks.

Look again at the icons used to indicate error types. Which of them are familiar to you? What icons did your teachers use? What do you use in your work? Do you use any notation not listed in this article?

Additional materials.

Learning Teaching, Jim Scrivener, Macmillan 2005, Chapter 9, Section 3.

PART 3

When we correct students, we show them that they made a mistake. We can also show them how to fix this error.

Errors are corrected in different ways, depending on whether they are made in oral or written speech.

Also, different approaches are used to correct different types of errors - errors (when the student makes a mistake because he does not know a word, expression, grammar rule, etc.) or slips (when the student knows how to express his thought correctly, and can correct the mistake yourself if the teacher points it out).

Correction of errors in oral speech.

In oral speech, errors can be corrected in one of the following ways.

1. Draw on the board time period(timeline). It illustrates the use of various to describe events in the past, present and future. In English, this technique can be effective for correcting errors like "I have seen that movie a week ago." The timeline might look like this:
It shows that the action happened in the past, at a certain time, so the use is erroneous, the correct option would be "I saw that movie a week ago".

2. Palm. We raise our palm and say a sentence pointing to our fingers, with one finger corresponding to one word. This technique can be used if the student missed a word (point to the finger and keep quiet), or if you want the student to use the short form rather than the long form, for example, isn't, but not is not(put two fingers together).

3. Facial expressions and gestures can come to the rescue if you do not want to interrupt a student, but want to show that he made a mistake. Facial expressions and gestures can be different, everything here is determined by the cultural context and the age of the students.

4. Phonemic symbols. If students are familiar with , then you can hang a board in the classroom with large written icons that are visible from afar. Not all symbols can be placed on the board, but only those that cause difficulties for students most often. When a student mispronounces a particular sound, you point to him on the board.

5. Echo. You repeat what the student said with an upward (interrogative) intonation, thus indicating that somewhere he made a mistake. This technique works well if the error is minor and you are confident that the student can correct it on their own.

6. Correction after completing the task. If the main goal of the task is to develop fluency, and not correctness (accuracy) of speech, then you should not correct students during the task. You might want to write down any major mistakes and then discuss them at the end of the lesson, either individually or with the whole class. You can write the mistakes on the board and ask the students to find and correct them.

7. Students can correct each other's mistakes or fix your own mistakes on one's own. In some cases you will need to point out the mistake (but not say the correct answer), in others the students can find the mistakes themselves. For example, if in one mini-group the task is performed by students with different levels of training, then more advanced students can correct those who speak the language worse.

8. Ignoring errors. In writing, as a rule, all errors are corrected. In oral speech, in some cases it makes sense to ignore errors. We can write down the most common mistakes and discuss them after the task with the whole class.

It does not make sense to correct the mistakes that students make due to the fact that they do not know the necessary structures. So, if an elementary-level student tries to talk about how he spent the weekend, without having an idea of ​​\u200b\u200bhow time is formed, you should not correct him. It is better to listen, and then discuss the features of the formation and use of various tenses and structures. Do not correct shy or lagging students so as not to frighten them. You can also ignore small slips that the student can correct if necessary.

Correction of mistakes in writing.

When checking written work, the following approaches are used.

1. Teacher can not only mark errors with special characters, but also write the correct version.

2. Students can check work each other, make necessary corrections, or discuss whether they are necessary.

3. Students can correct mistakes on one's own, guided by the instructions developed for them.

4. Ignoring errors. As I wrote above, in writing most often all errors are corrected, but in some situations they can be ignored (for example, when younger students write postcards to their parents).

On a note.

• In the classroom, the teacher most often combines various approaches and techniques. In some cases, it is necessary to correct the student. Sometimes you just need to point out the error and ask the student to correct it themselves, and sometimes it's best to just ignore the errors. It all depends on the situation, the objectives of the task and the characteristics of the students.

Exercise.

1. Remember what error correction techniques your teachers used. Think about what techniques you most often use. Which techniques listed in the article seem most useful to you? What techniques have you not used before but would like to try?

2. Think about how you would correct a student's mistakes in the following situations: a) during a training presentation; b) during the preparation of a dialogue in pairs.

Write down your ideas (200-250 words).

Authentic English textbooks are now better than ever. English File, Outcomes, Cutting Edge, Straightforward and many more are great. But they have one drawback - they are written for thousands of people from all over the world. As a result, errors inherent in native speakers of a particular language are not dealt with in these textbooks. But it's okay, teachers come to the rescue!

As an English teacher, I have been hearing and correcting mistakes every day for 13 years now. To correct a little less, I have compiled a list of the most common mistakes that Russian students make in English speech. These mistakes are made by most students of different ages, genders, professions, levels, completely independently of each other. The order is random.

On Monday or Tuesday, I always ask students: “What did you do at the weekend?” and I hear in response “I with my friends went to the cinema.” It is correct to say My friends and I went to the cinema or I went to the cinema with my friends. In English, the word order "subject + verb" is almost unshakable. There is little that can be put between them. Prepositional phrases are not allowed.

When students don't know how to say something, they ask me or murmur “How to say this?” under their breath. It is not right. This is a question, and questions in English are built using auxiliary verbs. Correct, for example, like this: How do I say this? How do I put this? What's the word for this? What do you call this? (“How do you call this?” By the way, another mistake. What is correct in the last option.) How to can be used in affirmative sentences, for example, “I don't know how to say this” or “I will show you how to do it,” but not in questions.

That's right, just feel good. Moreover, feel yourself has a meaning that you most likely do not want to use in an English lesson. I don't even feel comfortable explaining it. Better google it yourself. Truth.

Yes, “I look forward to hear from you” is wrong. Yes, you need to use the -ing form after to and say I look forward to hearing from you. No, this is not an exception to remember. There is an explanation.

The thing is that to can be a particle before a verb (I want to go) or a preposition (go to Moscow). When it is a particle, the infinitive should be used, but when it is a preposition, the -ing form should be used. In the case of look forward to, this is precisely the preposition, as in these examples: I am used to getting up early; I devote a lot of time to writing my blog; We must commit to working hard.

In English, the future is just near, not near, as in Russian. You just need to come to terms with this and talk in the near future.

In Russian, "on the street" is often just outdoors. If “it’s cold outside”, it means that it’s also cold in parks, on the embankments, and so on. In English, in the street means exactly "on the road / in the city / with buildings on both sides." Therefore, if you go for a run in the park or play football in the yard, this is outside / outdoors, not in the street.

Last time does not mean "in recent times', but 'last time'. For example: “The last time I went to the cinema was in August” or “When was the last time you watched a movie in English?” "Recently" is lately / recently. For example, “I haven’t talked to my best friend a lot lately” or “I’ve been chainwatching The Big Bang Theory recently.”

It is rightly said: a different language means a different way of thinking. Sometimes you wonder why they, English speakers, do it this way and not otherwise. For example, why in English the word "advice" (advice) can only be in the singular? Or, say, why does “funny” mean both “funny/funny” and “suspicious”?

At the same time, we, native speakers of the Russian language, often forget about this difference and translate our thoughts, tracing (repeating) our native language. There is even an expression "Rungli". This neologism denotes a certain “dialect” of English created by the Russians. Here are typical mistakes in English:

• Russian mistakes in English pronunciation (more details in the articles “ ”, “ ”),
• incorrect use of tenses of English verbs (read the article “ ”).
• a bunch of other errors, which will be discussed below.

I feel a substitution: on the incorrect use of a number of English words

Often, we translate some phrases incorrectly, because we think that in English they sound the same as in Russian, which leads to lexical errors in English.

This phenomenon extends to many words. Let's start with the pronouns:

When we want to clarify the name of something, we use the interrogative pronoun “how”.

Example: “What is it called in English?” - the Russian speaker says and points to a certain object.

Then we translate this sentence in the image and likeness, making a very common mistake:

Not right: Howdo you call this in English? orHow is it named in English?

Correctly: Whatis it called in English? (or What is the English for this?)

Another tricky case:

Not right: I have a sister which study at school

Correctly: I have a sister whostudies at school (I have a sister, who goes to school)

The same “awkwardness” can await us in polite forms of address:

A person who has been studying English for a long time knows that “Thank you” should be answered with either “You are welcome” or “My pleasure”. But there are often cases of tracing the Russian “please”, which confuses foreigners 🙂 I will give a few more examples of politeness that is strange for foreigners:

Not right: repeat something unheard with the word “what?” (What?)

Correctly: Excuse me? (or Sorry?)

Not right:Give me a cup. (for a foreigner, especially a stranger, this phrase will sound rather rude, since it is an indication, almost an order)

Correctly:Could you give me a cup, please?

Prepositions are another headache:

For me personally, by the way, the most powerful. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I've never been able to pass for all 10 points 🙁

Example: "I'm mad at him!" - we speak in Russian, and then also translate into English.

Not right: To be angry on somebody

Correctly: To be angry with somebody

A number of more complex examples for our understanding:

Not right: In this moment

Correctly: At themoment (at the moment)

Not right: It depends from him (or Depend of him)

Correctly: It depends onhim (it depends on him)

Not right: Divide on groups

Correctly: Divide into groups

Not right: To wait somebody

Correctly: to wait forsomebody (wait for someone)

Not right: to graduate school

Correctly: to graduate fromschool (finish school)

Not right: To listen to somebody/music

Correctly: To listen tomusic (listen to music)

Not right:To be afraid somebody/something

Correctly: To be afraid ofsomething (to be afraid of something)

Remember that in Russian nouns have forms of indirect cases, and in English cases are formed with the help of prepositions (hence the “legs” of such inconsistencies “grow up”). Read more in the article " ”.

You're talking too much: about adding unnecessary words

Here is an example that has already become a classic:

“I feel good,” we say in response to the question of empathizers.

How to translate this sentence into English? Just remember the James Brown song 🙂

Not right: I feel myself good

Correctly: I feel good

Not right: I am agreeing with you

Correctly:I agree with you (linking verb is not required because agree is a verb)

Not right:<…>and etc.

Correctly: <…>etc. (etc.)

You are clearly not saying something: about ignoring the right words

First of all, this, of course, concerns the articles. It is very simple to explain this error: they do not exist in Russian. I will not repeat the rules for using the article - you can find this information in many sources (for example, in ). Let me just say that Russian people can often speak AT ALL without using articles, despite the fact that it is necessary to use them!

Don't Trust the "False Friends of the Translator"

“It’s from another magazine,” a friend of mine once said to a saleswoman who asked me to pay for a bottle of water he bought at another store.

– May be it’s from another shop? she asked slyly 🙂

There are a lot of such interlingual homonyms:

• “abuse” means “abuse, insult” (and not a burden);
• "accord" - agreement (not a chord);
• "Antarctica" - AntarcticaYes(not Antarctica ka);
• "baton" - rod, conductor's baton (not a long loaf);
• "cabinet" - a cabinet with drawers (not an office);
• “compositor” is a typesetter, not a composer;
• "data" - data, facts, information (not a date);
• “examine” - to examine, examine (not an exam), etc.

In order not to get into an awkward situation, such words need to be remembered. By the way, Lingualeo has a whole . Add them to your dictionary and run through different workouts 🙂 Or at least come in and have a laugh!

List of "dangerous" places

I will name a number of “traps” that lie in wait for us, native speakers of the Russian language:

1. Discrepancy between Russian and English countable/uncountable words.

I already mentioned one such word at the beginning of the article - advice.

Not right: My mother gave me good advice s

Correctly:My mother gave me good advice (even if we mean a few tips).

Another word that can confuse us is news. The catch with this word is that it only has a singular form.

Not right: What are the news?

Correctly: What is the news?

2. In addition, there are set expressions in which we use the plural, and they use the singular:

Not right: no problem s

Correctly:No problem (No problem, or Not a problem)

Not right: no comment s

Correctly:no comment (no comments).

3. There are polysemantic words in Russian, for the translation of which in English different words are already used.

For example, the word “finger” is the final part of both hands and feet in Russian. Whereas in English - in the first case, you need to use “finger” (finger), and in the second - “toe” (toe).

Examples of such words

So, I propose to end the review on this and indulge in learning English so that not a single mistake sneaks into your impeccable speech 🙂 Good luck!

In order not to miss new useful materials,

Dedicated to my students...

Everyone begins to learn a foreign language with one main goal - to learn to speak. And our task is to teach you to speak correctly. In the learning process, all students make mistakes, and teachers, in turn, correct, explain the rules and reinforce them in speech in order to avoid repeating mistakes. But is it always possible to "avoid"? How many times from lesson to lesson did you say “ I agree”, “It depends on”, “I feel myself good"? Well, sooo much! And for these “infectious” errors, it’s not an indicator at all! If at the initial stage such mistakes still forgivable, then the students of the levels intermediate, Upper Intermediate and Advanced should seriously reflect on their behavior and realize their mistakes! :-)

In this article, we will look at what is “on hearing”, what prevents us from speaking correctly - the most common and mistakes of our students ( spelling mistakes is a topic for a separate discussion).

Pronunciation mistakes

NB! If you have trouble understanding , use our online dictionary. Just double-click on any word, and you can listen to how it is pronounced correctly.

The proverb “We write Manchester, but we say Liverpool” perfectly characterizes the features and. And I perfectly understand the difficulties that arise when pronouncing the sounds [ θ ] and [ ð ] (think / this), [w] and [ v] (which are often pronounced like a Russian sound [v]), difficulties in pronouncing words such as conscientious, circumstances etc. But these pronunciation difficulties are usually easy for students to overcome, which cannot be said about the following words:

• Colleague- instead of [ ˈkɔliːg] pronounce [ kɔˈliːg] - probably by analogy with the Russian word "colleague" with the stress on the second syllable.
• Hotel- instead of [ həuˈtɛl] pronounce [ ˈhəutɛl]. The reason is unclear. In Russian, the word "hotel" is also pronounced with an accent on the second syllable. There is a hypothesis that the pronunciation [ ˈhəutɛl] associated with the song Eagles “Hotel California”.
• Also- instead of [ ˈɔːlsəu] pronounce [ ˈaːlsəu] - once again we forget that the rules of reading the Russian language do not apply to English!
• Since- instead of [ sɪns] pronounce [ saɪns] - this is a favorite mistake of those who memorized the rules of reading in an open / closed syllable VERY well. But, as they say, woe from the mind ...
• Has haez] pronounce [ haz].
• Put– elementary-level students instead of [ put] pronounce [ pʌt] - cm. since.
• to live(to live) - instead of [ lɪv] they say [ laɪv], a live(alive) [ laɪv] pronounce [ lɪv]. Exactly the opposite!
• policeman- instead of [ pəˈliːsmən] pronounce [ ˈpɔliːsmən]. The reason for this error still remains for me complete mystery! :-)
• Additional- instead of [ əˈdɪʃənl] they say [ aˈdɪʃənl] - something like also.
• Stopped, worked etc. - pronounce [ stoped], [wəːkɪd]. At the same time, everyone knows the rule very well: ɪd] pronounce only after the sounds [ t], [d] (hated, decided), and in other cases [ t] (after [ k], [p], [f], [s], [ʃ ], [tʃ]) or [ d] (after voiced ones).
• Born- instead of [ bɔːn] (to be born) say [ bəːn] → burn(burn, burn). And instead of saying when you were born, it turns out that you are reporting that they did something incomprehensible to you, most likely ... burned?!
• Society- instead of [ səˈsaɪətɪ] they say [ ˈsɔsɪətɪ] – as I see, so I read!
• Stomach- instead of [ stʌmək] they say [ ˈstomʌtʃ] is the same story as with society.

So, remember the basic rule of reading English words: not sure - check it in a dictionary.

Grammar mistakes

Sometimes funny expressions and sentences come up, but let's start with the "unfunny" most common mistakes.

Rules for using prepositions("", "", "") are hated by almost everyone. Still would! A lot needs to be memorized and learned by heart, so they often use the wrong preposition, skip it or use it where it is absolutely not needed. Many, I think, are familiar with the mistakes that teachers correct in almost every lesson:

• I went to somewhere – to extra here → I went somewhere(I went somewhere).
• I phoned to him → I phoned him(I called him).
• I came to home → I came home(I came home). Easy to remember - we don't need an excuse (reason) to come home, so don't use it!
• We discussed about it → We discussed it(we discussed this). BUT We talked about it(we were talking about it).
• I went to holiday → I went on holiday(I went on vacation).
• To influence on smth → To influence smth(influence something). BUT To have influence on smth(to have an impact on something).
• In the weekend → At the weekend(on the weekend).
• In 5 o'clock → At 5 o'clock(at 5:00).
• It depends on smth → It depends on smth(it depends on something).
• Last week → _Last week(last week).
• Next year → _Next year(next year).
• Monday → Monday(on Monday).
• This also includes the use of particle to: can to / should to / must to / may to- never use particle to after these!

Sometimes they "fail" plural forms of nouns (« », « »):

• children's
• peoples
• mans
• woman's
• And, of course, advices- everyone knows, but forgets that the noun advice(advice) - and is used only in the singular. For example:
  

  He gave me a lot of useful advice. He gave me a lot of useful advice.

Many students like to say "I am" so much ( I am) where they do not need to "be" at all. The result is: “I am working”, “I am agreeing”, “I am going”, etc.:

• I agree- classics of the genre! → I agree / I don't agree(I agree/disagree).
• I am working etc. → I work(I'm working).

And here is where to be be expected, it is often overlooked:

• I_ tired → I am tired(I'm tired).
• I_ afraid (I don't afraid / scared) of → I am afraid (I am not afraid / scared) of(I'm afraid / I'm afraid).

Mistakes are also common when the “wrong” word is used, “in the wrong” meaning, changes. Here are the most favorite of them:

• To make photos instead of To take photos(take pictures).
• I very much like / I very much need instead of I like it very much / I need it very much(I really like/need it).
• He said what instead of He said that(he said that...).
• I forgot my book at work instead of I left my book at work(I forgot the book at work).
• I like reading books instead of I like reading books(I like to read books).
• Hardly(barely, barely, forcefully) instead of hard(hard): He hardly works → He works hard. Mixing up the words hardly and hard, you called a person a lazy person, not a hard worker!
• Use because instead of that's why, For example: She is ill because she stayed at home → She is ill that's why she stayed at home(i.e., “she didn’t get sick because she stayed at home,” but “stayed at home because she got sick”).

The following grammatical errors are often made:

• It's depend on → It depends on(it depends on the...).
• It's often rain → It often rains(it often rains). In this context rain is a verb.
• It's mean that → It means that(it means that...).
• superfluous it: Supermarket it is a place where we can buy food → Supermarket_ ​​is a place where we can buy food(supermarket is a place where we can buy food).
• Some common questions are given short answers with incorrect : Are you ready? – Yes, I do. → Are you ready? – Yes, I am. Remember that in the short answer ( Yes / no) we use the auxiliary verb with which the question began: Do you speak English? – Yes, I do; Is he a student? – No, he isn't.
• misused other / another- you can read more about this in our article "".
• Misuse say / tell / speak. More about this - ""
• He looks like young → He looks_ young (he looks young). And here like used if followed by / . For example: He looks like his father (he looks like his father).
• I haven't a car instead of I don't have a car / I haven't got a car(I do not have a car).
• And, of course, the subordinate clause with if (when), which is NEVER used. That is, instead of must speak .

Funny mistakes

All the errors mentioned above can be called “serious”, but there are also “funny” ones. So, for example, the expression I feel fine makes you think about the actions of the speaker, because in such a combination feel translated as "touch", "feel" and the phrase I feel fine sounds pretty weird, doesn't it? :-) If you want to say that you feel great, then you should say I feel fine.

For some reason, problems arise when answering simple questions “How are you?”, “What is the weather like today?”. Consider examples:

• How are you?(how are you?) - I am good(I'm good). Of course, you are a good person, but you need to answer: I am well/fine(I'm fine).
• How are you doing?(how are you?) - I am doing nothing(I do nothing). Nobody asks what you are doing. Looking forward to hear how you are doing, i.e. I am well/fine.
• What is the weather like today?(what is the weather today?) - Yes, I like it(Yes, I like her) → The weather is fine today(it's a good weather today).

Very often you can hear how everyone loves you and needs you:

• English needs me for my job(English needs me) instead I need English for my job(I need English for work). English will do without you. English doesn't need you! :-)
• These new shoes like me(these new shoes love me) instead I like these new shoes(I like these new shoes).

There are also students with high or low self-esteem:

• I am interesting(I'm interesting) instead I am interested in it(I'm interested).
• I am very good(I'm very good) instead I am very well(doing very well).
• I am boring(I'm boring) instead I'm bored(I'm bored).
• I am scary(I'm terrible) instead I am scared(I'm scared).

And some went there, I don't know where:

• I went to the magazine (magazine– magazine) instead of I went to the shop(I went to the store).

Let's present the above errors in the form of a table that needs to be printed out and hung above the desk (next to). :-) Here are the most frequent examples:

(*.pdf, 361 Kb)

Top 40 most common mistakes made by our students
№	Mistake	Correct option
1	Colleague	Colleague [ˈkɔliːg]
2	Hotel	Hotel
3	Also [ˈaːlsəu]	Also [ˈɔːlsəu]
4	Since	Since
5	Policeman [ˈpɔliːsmən]	policeman
6	Society [ˈsɔsɪətɪ]	Society
7	Stopped, worked	Stopped, worked
8	I went to somewhere	I went_ somewhere
9	I phoned to him	I phoned him
10	I came to home	I came home
11	I went to holiday	I went on holiday
12	To influence on smth	To influence_ smth
13	It depends on smth	It depends on smth
14	Discuss about smth	Discuss_smth
15	Last week	_Last week
16	Monday	Monday
17	In 5 o'clock	At 5 o'clock
18	In the weekend	At the weekend
19	Childrens, peoples, mans, womens	Children, people, men, women
20	A lot of advice	A lot of advice
21	I agree	I agree
22	I_ tired	I am tired
23	It's mean that	It means that
24	I_ afraid / I don't afraid	I am afraid / I am not afraid
25	I very much like it	I like it very much
26	He said what	He said that
27	I haven't a car	I don't have a car / I haven't got a car
28	If the weather will be fine, we'll go for a walk	If the weather is fine, we'll go for a walk
29	I feel fine	I feel fine
30	I forgot my book at work	I left my book at work
31	It's often rain	It often rains
32	How are you? – I am good	How are you? – I am well/fine
33	How are you doing? – I am doing nothing	How are you doing? – I am well/fine
34	What is the weather like today? – Yes, I like it	What is the weather like today? – The weather is fine today
35	English needs me for my job	I need English for my job
36	These new shoes like me	I like these new shoes
37	I am interesting	I am interested in it
38	I am boring	I'm bored
39	I am scary	I am scared
40	I went to the magazine	I went to the shop

If you have been learning English for a long time, then you should also have a “favorite rake” - mistakes that do not want to go away. Share them with us, and maybe then we can fight them together!

Jon Gingerich, editor of O'Dwyer's magazine in New York and host of workshops and trainings in copywriting and writing, has collected the most common mistakes in English, which he regularly encounters not only in personal communication, but also in newspapers, magazines, and even popular books.

If you want to speak and write competently, you should familiarize yourself with this information. Regardless of how much time and money you spent on language courses.

1. Who and whom

Who ("who") is a subject pronoun along with "he", "she", "it", "we" and "they". The word is used when the pronoun acts as the subject of a sentence. Whom ("whom"), on the other hand, refers to object pronouns along with "him", "her", "it", "us" and "them" and is used when denoting the object of a sentence. If you are , replace who with "he" or "she" and whom with "him" or "her". For example, I consulted an attorney whom I met in New York - cf. I consulted him ("I consulted with a lawyer whom I met in New York - that is, I consulted with him").

2. Which and that

This is one of the most common mistakes you encounter. That is a restrictive pronoun. For example, I don't trust fruits and vegetables that aren't organic. This refers to all non-organic fruits and vegetables. In other words, I only trust organic fruits and vegetables. Which represents a relative clause, that is, it implies options that may be optional. For example, I recommend you eat only organic fruits and vegetables, which are available in area grocery stores. In this case, you do not need to go to a special organic food store. Which defines and what limits.

3. Lay and lie

This is the gem of all grammatical errors. Lay is a transitive verb. It requires a direct object and one or more objects of speech to which its action will extend. Lay is the present of this verb (for example, I lay the pencil on the table), and the past is laid (for example, Yesterday I laid the pencil on the table). Lie is an intransitive verb. It doesn't require an object. The present is lie (for example, The Andes mountains lie between Chile and Argentina), the past is lay (The man lay waiting for an ambulance). The most common occurs when the author uses the past tense of the transitive verb lay (for example, I laid on the bed), when he actually means the past tense of the intransitive lie verb (I lay on the bed).

4 Moot

Contrary to popular belief, moot does not mean something superfluous/redundant/excessive. This word defines a controversial subject or a subject open to discussion. For example, The idea that commercial zoning should be allowed in the residential neighborhood was a moot point for the council controversial issue for advice).

5. Continuous and continuous

These words are similar, but there is also a difference between them. Continuous means something that happens intermittently over time. Continuous is about something that happens constantly without stopping or pauses. For example, The continual music next door made it the worst night of studying ever or Her continuous talking prevented him from concentrating. focus").

6. Envy and jealousy

The word envy ("envy") implies the desire for someone else's good fortune. Jealousy ("") has a more negative meaning. This is the fear of competition, which is often present in personal relationships. Envy is when you want to look as good as your friend, and jealousy is what happens to you when your partner admires another person.

7 Nor

Nor expresses a negative state. It literally means "no". You should use nor if your sentence has a negative connotation and is followed by another negative condition. For example, Neither the men nor the women were drunk ("Neither the men nor the women were drunk"). Everyone knows the rule of using neither - nor and either - or tandems, but it is important to remember that nor should be used as a second negative condition only with a verb. If it is a noun, adjective or adverb, use or correctly. For example, He won't eat broccoli or asparagus ("He doesn't want to eat broccoli or asparagus" - the first negative verb extends to the first and second nouns.

8. May and might

May implies possibility, and might implies uncertainty. You may get drunk if you have two shots in ten minutes ("You can get drunk if you drink two shots within 10 minutes") means a real possibility of intoxication. You might get a ticket if you operate a tug boat while drunk ("You can get a fine if you drive a tug boat while drunk") - implies the likelihood of what can happen in principle. Someone who says I may have not more wine means that they don't want more wine right now. And if he uses the word might, it will mean that he does not want wine at all. In this context, might would be more correct.

9. Whether and if

Many writers believe that the two words have the same meaning. But it's not. Whether expresses a state where there are two or more alternatives. If is used in a situation where there are no alternatives. For example, I don't know whether I'll get drunk tonight or I can get drunk tonight if I have money for booze. money").

10 Fewer and less

Less is used for hypothetical quantities. Few and fewer are for things you can. For example, The firm has fewer than ten employees or The firm is less successful now that we have only ten employees.

11. Farther and beyond

The word farther means measured distance. Further is used to denote an abstract length that you can't always measure. For example, I threw the ball ten feet farther than Bill or The financial crisis caused further implications.

12. Since and because

Since refers to time, and because refers to causation. For example, Since I quit drinking I've married and had two children ("Since I quit drinking, I have a wife and two children") or Because I quit drinking, I no longer quarrel over this with my wife (" Since I stopped drinking, I no longer quarrel with my wife over this).

13. Disinterested and uninterested

Contrary to common usage, these words are not synonymous. Disinterested person means "disinterested person" or "impartial person". For example, a hedge fund manager may be interested in promoting a stock despite the fact that he does not receive any financial benefit from it. In this case, he is unselfish. The same can apply to judges. If you mean a person who is not interested in anything (indifferent, indifferent), then you need to use the word uninterested.

14. Anxious

If you are not afraid for them, you do not need to say that you are anxious to see your friends. In this case, you are most likely eager (strive) or excited (excited). To be anxious means impending fear or, but not that you are looking forward to something.

15. Different than and different from

Another difficult point in grammar. The adjective different is used to indicate a difference. When this word is followed by a preposition, it must be from, which is close to separate from, distinct from, or away from. For example, My living situation in New York was different from home. Different than is used very rarely - in cases where the preposition than connects concepts. For example, Development is different in New York than in Los Angeles.

16. Bring and take

To use the words bring and take correctly, the author must know whether the object is moving away from or away from the object. If to the side, use bring, and if from, use take. For example, a husband might say Take your clothes to the cleaners (“Take your clothes to the dry cleaners”), and a dry cleaner might say Bring your clothes to the cleaners (“Bring”).

17. Impactful

And there is no such word. The lexeme impact can be used as a noun (The impact of the crash was severe) or as a transitive verb (The crash impacted my ability to walk or hold a job - The accident affected my ability to walk or work "). Impactful is a made up buzzword that just shouldn't be used.

18. Effect and effect

A simple hint can be used to deal with this dilemma: affect is almost always a verb (e.g. Facebook affects people's attention spans - "Facebook affects people's attention spans"), and effect is almost always a noun (e.g. Facebook's effects can also be positive - "The effects of Facebook can also be positive"). Affect means "to influence" or "to create an impression", that is, to cause an action / result (effect). However, there are some exceptions. Effect can be used as a transitive meaning "to do something" or "to happen". For example, My new computer effected a much-needed transition from magazines to Web porn. There are also rare instances of affect being used as a noun: His lack of affect made him seem like a shallow person.

19. Irony and coincidence

Two more words that many people use incorrectly. As in Russian, irony (irony) means the discrepancy between the series of events between the expected and actual results. For example, Barbara moved from California to New York to escape California men, but the first man she ended up meeting and falling in love with was a fellow Californian. ended up falling in love with a California man"). Coincidence ("coincidence"), on the other hand, is a series of events that seem planned, when in fact they had a random character. For example, Barbara moved from California to New York, where she ended up meeting and falling in love with a fellow Californian.

20. Nauseous

Another of the most common mistakes. Nauseous ("nauseous") does not mean nausea as a result of illness, but that someone or something disgusts others. For example, That week-old hot dog is nauseous ("That week-old hot dog is nauseous"). When you become disgusted and sick as a result, you will become nauseated. For example, I was nauseated by the idea of ​​traveling together.

To avoid similar mistakes in the future, John Gingerick recommends using The Elements of Style by William Strunk (Jr.) and Alvin Brooks White (E. B. White).

What difficulties in English grammar have you encountered? Share your experience in the comments.