There are a lot of mistakes the learners make in learning English. It should be remembered that like all languages, English is fun to learn, and making mistakes is a part of the learning process. First and foremost, you need to evaluate the reason why you want to learn English: is it merely because of the inherent interest in the language, or is it because another person wants you to learn it. Well, if the latter is the case, it is best you stop because you will easily lose interest soon enough.
It is also important as a learner to have a fixed set of goals. You may have this purpose of traveling to a country where English is the only spoken language. This is when you learn survival English and you may know a lot of helpful phrases, but don’t know how to string them into words, or for pronunciation and listening skills.
What are Some Commonly Made Mistakes?
Learners of the English language usually make some tiny errors in the initial stages of their learning process. Given below is a brief list:
Commonly Misspelled Words
- Its and it’s
- To, too and two
- There, their, and they’re
- You, you’re and your
- For and since
- Of and have in confidential
- Has been and has gone
- Than and then
Using double negatives such as sentences like ‘They are not traveling anywhere special’ that is often confused with sentences like ‘They are not traveling nowhere’.
Words Often Confused
- Except, expect, and accept
- Advise and advice
- A lot, allot and alot
- Effect and affect
- Lonely and alone
- Alright and all right
- Already and all ready
- Ambivalent and indifferent
- All together and altogether
- Anyone and any one
- Some and any
- In and at
- A part and apart
- Beside and besides
- Gone and been
- Lend and borrow
- Boring and bored
- Control and check
- Overcome and over come
Use a Learning Agenda
Keeping an agenda is important to avoid the basic mistakes that are made in the English language learning process. Dedicate a particular time span per week for learning the language. Make the start a slow one in order to go ahead with the flow, and once you are in the grind of the process, then pick up the speed. Make use of the time you have at hand – like traveling home from work, in the bus or on the local train.
Magic Tips to avoid Mistakes – Read, Write, Listen, Speak
Usually, students should learn to master the 4 above mentioned skills and synchronize them for mastering them for effective communication. These communicative skills can be classified into two groups:
- Input: Listen with your ears; read with your eyes
- Output: Speak with your mouth and write with your hand
Go for regular reviews and revisions which will help you in all kinds of English study – General English or Business English or academic English. The advantage of enrolling for a good language course is to incorporate the brain within review sessions. You should pay attention to speak and write as well because this is helpful as a practicing tool using appropriate grammatical phrases and constructions. Study English everyday, especially during times when the brain is at its receptive best.