Learner Errors in English Language

Minor errors that do not alter the overall meaning of a sentence.

Errors that disrupt the understanding of a sentence by changing its intended meaning.

Mistakes in using the correct form of verbs, such as "goed" instead of "went", or incorrect pluralization, such as "womans" instead of "women".

Mistakes in using articles like "a", "an", or "the", such as saying "I saw cat" instead of "I saw a cat".

Incorrect usage of prepositions like "in", "on", "at", "to", etc., such as "I live at London" instead of "I live in London".

Errors in using auxiliary verbs like "do", "can", "will", etc., such as "Does she can sing?" instead of "Can she sing?"

Incorrect word order that makes a sentence difficult to understand, such as "The cat the dog chased" instead of "The dog chased the cat".

Errors in making verbs agree with the subject in a sentence, such as "They goes to school" instead of "They go to school".

Using a word that doesn't fit the context or meaning, like saying 'I have a strong hunger' instead of 'I have a strong desire'.

Using the wrong tense, altering the intended meaning. For example, saying "I eat breakfast yesterday" instead of "I ate breakfast yesterday."

When a speaker accidentally uses a word that sounds similar to the intended word, but has a different meaning. For example, "He is the pineapple of politeness" instead of "He is the pinnacle of politeness."

Sentences lacking logical coherence, making them hard to follow. Example: "Although it was raining, I went to the store because I wanted to buy milk but forgot my wallet." The order of events is unclear.

Happens when learners directly translate phrases or words from their native language into the target language, resulting in awkward or incorrect expressions. For example, saying "I'm cold" when they mean "I'm chilly" because of a direct translation.

Errors in the pronunciation of sounds or phonemes. For example, an Arab ESL learner might say "pird" instead of "bird" because they struggle to distinguish between /p/ and /b/.

Occur when one or more language processing operations are incorrectly applied, resulting in errors like overinclusion or omission. Examples include 'int(e)resting' (omission) and 'jresh(er)men' (overinclusion).

Mistakes that affect the way words are pronounced. This can be due to the influence of the learner's native language or difficulties with the target language's sound system.

Failing to use the correct form of words, especially verbs, nouns, and adjectives. Examples include "six book*" (plural), "abolishment" (suffix), "bringed" (past tense), and "visit me soonly" (adverb).

Using words that don't commonly go together, like saying 'make a photo' instead of 'take a photo.'

Small errors that involve adding or omitting grammatical markers like the plural -s, the possessive -s, the past tense -ed, and the progressive -ing.

Incorrect arrangement of words within a sentence, disrupting the intended meaning. For example, saying 'I went to the store yesterday' instead of 'Yesterday, I went to the store.'

These errors are basic but persistent. Even advanced learners often make them. For example, using the wrong verb form like "I goed to the store" instead of "I went to the store."

Errors resulting from incorrect use of pronouns, including mismatching pronoun-antecedent agreement or misuse within a sentence.

Errors arising from incorrectly placed modifiers, leading to ambiguity or confusion.

Errors related to using unnecessary pronouns that create awkward or unclear sentences.

These mistakes arise from applying cultural assumptions or practices to language usage, resulting in misinterpretations or inappropriate language use.

Errors caused by misinterpreting idioms, proverbs, or culturally specific references that don't translate directly.

Errors arising from disparities in politeness, formality levels, or conversational norms between cultures.

Errors stemming from misjudging the appropriateness of expressions or behaviors based on cultural context, leading to socially awkward or offensive statements.

Culture-related errors highlight the challenges of successful communication between individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds due to differing language use and social expectations, potentially leading to misunderstandings.

Learners try to use their first language (L1) rules in their second language (L2), resulting in mistakes. For example, an English speaker might try to say "Hello" in Spanish by saying "Hola" followed by a direct translation of an English politeness phrase like "How are you?" which is not standard Spanish.

Learners may not understand the social rules of using language in a different culture, leading to communication errors. This could be using too formal or informal language, misunderstanding politeness conventions, or misinterpreting gestures.

Direct translations of idioms or phrases may not make sense in the new language, leading to odd-sounding sentences. For example, saying 'It's raining cats and dogs' in a language that doesn't have a similar idiom.

Overgeneralization happens when learners try to apply a rule too broadly, leading to incorrect usage. A rule might be correct in some cases, but not in others.

Learners might overuse one form of a word or grammatical structure and neglect others.

Learners expect the second language to be similar to their first language and make incorrect assumptions, leading to mistakes in grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation.

Learners may struggle with using the correct forms of verbs or words based on their gender or number. For example, using 'goed' instead of 'went' or 'womans' instead of 'women.'

Errors that completely change the meaning of a sentence. Example: Using 'on' instead of 'in' for location, which can change the meaning of what is being described.

When a language error becomes a fixed habit in a learner's speech despite being corrected multiple times. This happens when the learner's knowledge plateaus and they struggle to acquire a specific language feature.

The consistent use of incorrect verb forms, despite repeated attempts to correct them. For example, a learner constantly saying 'I goed' instead of 'I went'.

Using the wrong prepositions repeatedly, like saying 'I am good in math' instead of 'I am good at math'.

A learner consistently pronouncing certain sounds or words incorrectly, such as saying 'dis' for 'this'.

A learner consistently using a sentence structure that is incorrect but becomes their norm. For example, saying 'She like apples' instead of 'She likes apples'.