ESL students, who wish to write well, need some help in understanding and avoiding mistakes in their writing. There are 4 main types of mistakes in written language:
- spelling
- punctuation
- grammar
- usage
Spelling mistakes:
English spelling is irregular and even native speakers have difficulties with it. Spelling mistakes do not usually prevent the reader from understanding what the writer is trying to say, but they can create a negative impression. So it is recommended to remove mistakes from important pieces of writing. The best way to do this is using a spell check. You can also use a dictionary.
Remember: Extensive reading in English helps ESL students to learn English spelling patterns, so if you want to improve your spelling, read more!
Punctuation mistakes:
ESL students need to have basic ideas about punctuations and learn certain aspects of the English punctuation system, such as the way to punctuate direct speech. In general, however, the most serious of punctuation mistakes are made not only by ESL students, but by native speakers too. These mistakes occur when there is no clear understanding of what a sentence is, and when students use fragments (incomplete sentences) or run-ons (sentences that do not end when they should). Punctuation mistakes can often be spotted if the students read the writing aloud.
Remember: Extensive reading both in English and the mother tongue, will help you understand the concept of the sentence, its structure and basics of good writing.
Grammar mistakes:
Grammar mistakes are the next type of errors commonly made by ESL students. Good examples of grammar mistakes are choosing the wrong English verb tense for expressing an idea or using it in an incorrect form. For instance, if an ESL student chooses the word "arrangement" instead of the word "appointment" and uses it in the sentence like "I have an arrangement" instead of "I have an appointment", nobody will understand it. Another example of grammar mistake is using the articles (a/an/the) incorrectly. Placing words in the wrong order in a sentence are also grammar mistakes.
Some grammar mistakes are easy for learners to correct themselves, particularly if they read their writing aloud. Other grammar mistakes are not easy to find; however, because the learner simply does not know the correct way to express an idea in English. Looking in a grammar book will not often help in such situation - the best thing to do is to ask a native speaker to check the writing.
Usage mistakes:
Usage mistakes are the final type of errors often seen in ESL students' writing. A usage mistake does not break a grammar "rule"; but it is a word or phrase that a native speaker would never use to express the particular meaning. A usage mistake is a word or a phrase that is grammatically possible, but not usual in standard English. Native speakers of English rarely make usage mistakes, but ESL students make them very often.
In other words, usage mistakes might look and sound like your thought has been translated into English from your native language word by word, which does not make sense in English. Usage mistakes can often be more of a problem to the reader than grammar mistakes.
You should understand that the type of writing mistakes listed above are not the only problems to worry about in a piece of written work. In fact, there are aspects of writing that are much more important than the presence of small mistakes of spelling, grammar or usage.
(these suggestions are from the web site of Frankfurt International School)
Some more suggestions about how to correct your writing
So, the first thing you do after completing your writing is a spell check. It's very easy. You don't necessary need to use a dictionary. Since you write in your blogs, use a spell check in the blog. It is a small box with a green check mark and letters ABC over it. Simply, click on this box, and a computer will highlight your mistakes with yellow (if it's a draft) or red (if it's a published post).
Example: He is a foreign student. He is French. He has a house on the coast of the Pacific ocean.
The third thing you need is to check your punctuation. Punctuation is a period ( . ), comma ( , ), question mark ( ? ), exclamation mark ( ! ), colon ( : ), semi-colon ( ; ), hyphen ( - ), dash
( -- ), parentheses ( ( ) ), brackets ( [ ] ), ellipsis ( ... ), apostrophe ( ' ), quotation ( " " ) mark and
slash ( / ).
In English there are some special rules for using punctuation correctly. We will learn them later. Now if you have any questions about them or you are not sure which one you need to use in the sentence, ask me for assistance. I will gladly help you.
The next thing is checking grammar mistakes. Check if your articles (a/an/the) are used correctly. Do not forget when we use article a, article an, and article the. It should help you.
Check your verb forms. You have to be sure that you are using the correct verb tense, so please, check every single verb in your writing.
Grammar mistakes are:
a. Run-on sentence or Comma Splice
b. Pronoun mistakes
c. Mistakes in apostrophe usage
d. Lack of subject or Verb agreement
e. Misplaced modifiers
a. Run-on Sentence or Comma Splice
Do not write a sentence that joins two independent clauses without punctuation or the appropriate conjunction (and, but, for, yet, nor, so). Do not use a comma to join two clauses that have no appropriate conjunction. I will give you an example:
Incorrect: Mary is very smart, she began reading when she was three years old.
Correct: Mary is very smart. She began reading when she was three years old.
Correct: Mary is very smart; she began reading when she was three years old.
Correct: Mary is very smart, and she began reading when she was three years old.
b. Pronoun Errors
Make sure that your pronouns agree in number with the nouns to which they refer. "Everybody" is singular. For example:
Incorrect: Everybody must bring their own lunch.
Correct: Everybody must bring his or her own lunch.
c. Mistakes in Apostrophe Usage
Use apostrophe correctly. Remember, apostrophe is used to show possession. Do not use an apostrophe after a possessive pronoun such as my, mine, our, ours, his, hers, its, their, or theirs. For example:
Incorrect: My mothers cabin is next to his' cabin.
Correct: My mother's cabin is next to his cabin.
The apostrophe is also used to indicate a contraction. You should remember this. We have learned it long ago. For example:
Incorrect: Its a cold day in October.
Correct: It's a cold day in October. (It's = it is)
d. Lack of Subject / Verb Agreement
When we speak or write in the present tense, a sentence must have subjects and verbs that agree in number. If the subject is singular, the verb must be singular. If the subject is plural, the verb must be plural as well. For example:
Incorrect: Reads a lot.
Correct: He / She read a lot.
Incorrect: The recipes is good for beginning chefs.
Correct: The recipes are good for beginning chefs.
Incorrect: He go to school every day.
Correct: He goes to school every day.
e. Misplaced Modifiers
To express your ideas clearly, you must place a modifier directly next to the word it is supposed to modify. The modifier should clearly refer to a specific word in the sentence. For example:
Incorrect: At eight years old, my father gave me a pony for Christmas.
Correct: When I was eight years old, my father gave me a pony for Christmas.
Dear students,
If you still have some questions about how to correct your mistakes, please, ask me. I will gladly help you.
Irena
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