10 Common Mistakes English Learners Make - and How to Correct Them.
Sabrena Doherty 
Download your FREE step-by-step guide to improving your English HERE.
As an English language teacher in Spain, with 10 years experience, I have heard a lot of mistakes from people learning the language. A lot of these mistakes are very commonly repeated, often because students are directly translating from their own language. They are also bad habits that the student can have as they improve their English, and it can be difficult to stop making them.
In this blog, we will look at 10 of the most common mistakes that English language learners make, when they are speaking or writing in English. We will also look at how to say or write them correctly, and what you can do to improve in this area.
Mistake number 1.
Pronunciation of regular verbs with ED endings in the past tense or participle.
The rule for this is simple. If the verb ends with a T or a D as the last consonant, it's an extra syllable, for example, attracted /əˈtræktəd/.
If it doesn't end with T or D you have to put the sounds together, in other words, there is no extra syllable. For example, stepped (/stEpt/) or asked /Askt/ .
Mistake number 2.
The questions to ask about personality and appearance.
How is he? means his present state of health or his present state. It is not the right question when you want to know about appearance or personality.
e.g. How is your sister today? Is she feeling better?
What does he look like? is the question to ask about physical appearance.
e.g. I don´t think I know your sister - what does she look like?
What is he like? is the question to ask about personality.
e.g. What is your sister like? She seems quiet and shy.
Mistake number 3.
This mistake is related to using comparative and superlative.
If the adjective has 1 or 2 syllables, we add -er for comparative and -est for superlative. For example:
Big, bigger, biggest, &
Small, smaller, smallest.
We don't say more bigger. nor do we say more small or more smaller.
If it has more than two syllables, we say more beautiful, and the most beautiful (note - there are exceptions to this rule that we go into in more detail in our membership programme here).
Mistake number 4.
This mistake is related to used to.
We use used to in several ways:
For a regular event in the past - Used to + INFINITIVE
e.g. I used to go to school on foot.
I used to live in Ireland.
Usually I don´t hear mistakes in this.
However, people usually make mistakes with the following structure:
To be accustomed to - TO BE + USED TO + GERUND.
or
To become accustomed to - TO GET + USED TO + GERUND
Examples of this are:
I am used to living in Spain.
I get used to living in new places quickly.
The common mistake that people use in this case is using the INFINITIVE after USED TO.
Another error when students are writing or speaking English is saying I used to for something regular in the present, instead of saying usually.
For example:
WRONG: I used to go to the gym in the morning, then I come home and shower.
CORRECT: I usually go to the gym every morning.
Mistake number 5.
Fun versus funny.
The quick rule for this is funny equals laughing. If you're not laughing, it's not funny.
e.g. He tells funny jokes because I laugh.
The party was fun.
It was a fun party.
He is a fun guy.
It's a lot of fun being with that guy.
The grammatical explanations are:
Funny (adjective)
- Causing laughter or amusement; humorous.
e.g.That movie was so funny, I laughed until I cried. - Difficult to explain or understand; strange or odd.
I had a funny feeling you'd be around. That´s funny, I thought I left my keys here.
Fun
noun
enjoyment, amusement, or light-hearted pleasure.
"The children were having fun in the play area".
adjective
amusing, entertaining, or enjoyable.
"It was a fun evening, your friends are fun".
So remember - if you don't laugh, it's not funny.
Mistake number 6.
Saying for example we are 3 in relation to the number of people. In English, if we say ´We are 3´, we think of the age of the people, not the number of people.
The correct way to say this is:
There are 3 of us.
Mistake Number 7
Using the verb TAKE for food and drink is not correct. In relation to consuming something, we only use the verb TAKE for medication or drugs. e.g. I take a painkiller when I have a headache.
In relation to food or drink, we use the verb have, drink, eat, or similar.
Examples include: I have a drink or I drink a drink. I have food, or I eat food.
I have breakfast at nine o'clock. I have coffee and toast for breakfast.
Mistake number 8.
People IS.
This is wrong because people are countable in English.
You should say people are.
Mistake number 9
MAKE a question. The verb MAKE in this case is wrong.
The correct verb to use is ASK a question.
e.g. I ask lots of questions of my students.
And finally, mistake number 10
CLOSE FROM.
In this case it is an error to use the preposition FROM.
The correct way to say this is CLOSE TO.
e.g. I live close to the pharmacy.
So those are ten of the more common errors that we regularly hear - but of course, there are a lot more.
So what is the solution - how can you stop making these mistakes?
Firstly, one thing to remember when speaking another language is that you do not have to speak perfectly - the objective of a language is to understand and be understood. As you improve, you can work on improving your errors, but don't allow these mistakes to stop you from speaking English - this is the only way to improve, and honestly, people don't notice and they are just happy that they can communicate with you. I have travelled a lot and before I became an English teacher when I spoke with non-native speakers and heard a mistake, I would think to myself that it sounded very exotic, not that it sounded wrong.
So be brave and speak English, even if you make mistakes!
Now, what can you do to correct these mistakes?
To correct these mistakes, you need to be aware of them. When you notice yourself making a mistake, try to immediately correct it. It is also a very good idea to have someone correct your mistakes. If you speak English regularly at work or socially for example, ask a colleague or friend with a higher level to correct you. If you take English class, be sure that your teacher is correcting your mistakes. In our classes for example, we always correct mistakes (except during roleplays so as not to interrupt the flow), and we make a note of the mistakes during class and spend 5 minutes reviewing and correcting them at the end of class, giving homework assignments where necessary. As a result students improve their mistakes and bad habits much more quickly.
For more information on our online group classes, click here.
For more common mistakes, check our Youtube video here:
Download your FREE step-by-step guide to improving your English HERE.
MORE ABOUT INGLÉS CON KILLIAN:
Categories: Grammar & Vocabulary, Improve Your English