Unit 3 The Teaching and Learning of EFL—23

Module 5 Error

TASK

From the errors coming under the classifications G, WO, PR or T which you have
identified in the students’ essays in the lesson Self-check, choose one from each
category.

Now prepare 4 remedial exercises (one for each of the 4 chosen errors) which will
focus on the identified problem areas. Follow the steps outlined in the section
'Preparing remedial exercises' at the end of the module.

Your answer must have five parts:

1. State clearly (a) the category of the error (G, WO, PR, T); (b) the error, and (c) the
correction.

For example:
T.
ERROR: I haven’t gone to school yesterday.
CORRECTION: I didn't go to school yesterday.

2. Briefly state the rule which explains why there is an error. For example: “If the
time of a past action is stated or implied in the sentence, use past simple. If the time
is not stated or implied, use present perfect.”

3. Write clear and simple instructions for the student who has made the error
explaining what they need to do in the remedial exercise.

4. Give a worked example, i.e. one question done correctly to reinforce your
instructions, and please check carefully that your example follows exactly the rule
you have given (i.e. that it is not irregular).

5. Prepare a 5-item exercise for your student.

Do this for each of the four chosen errors: G, WO, PR and T.

Please note that all items within the exercise should be of the same type to avoid
confusion, eg it may contain 5 gapped sentences, 5 true/false questions, 5 words to
put into the specified form, etc, but that credit will be given for using a different type
of exercise for each category of error.

STUDENT 1
I am 46 years old and married for twenty years. We have got three children, one
soon and two daughters. There are six, eight and eleven years old. I am an electrical
engineer and worked for a company who manufactured machines for processing
automatically.
At first, I am going to learn English in Great Britain. It's very important for my job.
Then, I would like to have a little compagniy with about ten co-worker for myself. If it
isn't possible, I'll manage a department who developed high technology machines.
I became the test sheets for complete and return directly at you. You phoned at your
agent about my course at your school in Bristol. Very thanks for your trouble. I'm
happy to come at your school and I'm sure to learn better English. I don't know my
flight number on the 5st March. I would let you as soon as possible.
PLEASE, one sentence and one error from the sentence.
G There is no error here. I thought I had told you to choose simple errors. ONE
sentence, and not an entire passage.
ERROR - used “at first” in wrong context—not in North America
CORRECTION- Use ‘firstly’ instead. It shows the order of the points you want to
make
RULE- ‘at first’ means ‘at the beginning’ or ‘in the beginning’ and is used to make
contrasts
Or ‘initially’; and by your own definition, ‘at first’ would be appropriate, meaning
before he does anything else.
G - Remedial exercise
First can be used as an adjective or an adverb and refers to the person or thing that
comes before all others in order, time, amount, quality or importance, for example:

What is the name of the first Prime Minister (adjective)

Yvonne always arrive first to class (adverb)

Firstly is more formal than first, used when writing formal letters of giving formal
speech and when we are making a list we can use first or firstly

Firstly I would like to thank you for the opportunity to…

Firstly I am going to mix flour and eggs…

At first, as I mentioned above, means ‘at the beginning’ or ‘in the beginning’ and is
used to make contrasts:
At first I thought I had seen him, but it turned out to be someone else

Exercise:
1. he was a bit shy in class, but now he seems more relaxed and outgoing
2. She is always the to arrive to class and last to leave when the bell rings
3. let’s clear our desk, and then set up the equipment
4. I have two reasons why I missed school today- I has been raining
heavily since last night and secondly they said there is a storm coming
5. This is the day in my life that I ever felt what a migraine is
STUDENT 2
I'm fourty years old. My height is 1.8m and my hair is blond. My hobbys are walking
and clymbing in the mountain. My job is Quality-Manager. I live ten years at I weake
up at seven o'chlock in the morning. I go for breakfast in the kitchen. After the
breakfast and I drive to work by car. In the office there is a lot of work. I have a break
at ten o'clock and I drink a tea. 12 o'clock I go home for lunch.
In the future I will a good life with my family. I hope I get a lot of money. I will learn
better English for my job. I hope you will be happy with my history.

WO: Again, no error; the writer wants to place emphasis on where the work is.
Arguably there should be a comma after ‘office’, but it’s not a requirement.
ERROR- the order of the sentence requires extra punctuation or needs to be
changed.
CORRECTION- Write, “There is a lot of work in the office”, instead
RULE: always try to conform to the SVO word order; subject before the verb, which
comes before the Object.

WO- Remedial exercise

Using the rule above change the word order to correct the sentences below.
Example: forty old I am years - I am forty years old
1. Every wake seven morning o’clock I up at
2. Sewing favorite is hobby my
3. Sugar tea my don’t I take in
4. tell I about will you it get all home we when
5. too work much there do to today is

STUDENT 3—0
Yesterday I arrived in Bath. In this town there is a college where I'll study English for
two weeks. When we arrived at the college we went to our bedroom. I stay in bed-
room with my best friend and I'm very happy for this.
At eight o'clock we had dinner and then we have visited the college. It is beautiful
and there is also a swimming pool. Then we caome back to our wher I've chatted
whit my friend for a long time. We both happy and we both hope to have a good time
in this college. Unfortunately the weather isn't very good yesterday rained and today
too but I think that the weather isn't very important.
T
ERROR- “the weather isn’t very good yesterday”
CORRECTION- use past simple to indicate you are talking about what happened
yesterday; “…. the weather wasn’t very good yesterday and it rained”

T- Remedial exercise
There are only two tenses in English (really?)- past and present. Past tense is used
to talk about the past, hypothesis or for politeness. There are four forms:
 Past simple – it rained
 Past continuous – it was raining
 Past perfect – it had rained
 Past perfect continuous – it had been raining
All these forms are used to talk about the past, present in conditions, hypothesis,
wishes and also to talk about the present in a few polite expressions. Lets start with
past simple. Below are some examples and a short quiz:

Past simple:
With most verbs the past tense is formed by adding - ed:
rain – rained destroy - destroyed marry – married arrive - arrived

But there are also a lot of irregular verbs that do not form their past tense with –ed,
for example:

Some irregular verbs do not change:

cut – cut hit – hit fit – fit set – set shut - shut
How is this relevant?
Some change their vowel:
wake – woke drink – drank run – ran come – came

some change completely

eat – ate teach – taught fight – fought be – was/were mean - meant

Exercise: complete the sentence. Write the correct past form of verb.

1. My friend and I a room in college [share]

2. We dinner together every night [eat]
3. I letters to my mother each my month [write]
4. We “Goodbye” and then we our old friends [say/leave]
5. I language classes every evening that at 7pm [have/start]
You want to test for all four tenses in one exercise containing five sentences?
You should be focusing on the student’s mistake: simple past v. simple
present. The rest will be meaningless for the student.
STUDENT 4 Stylistically, ‘of’ could be used. No error.
I had been in London for about four days, I saw the Tower of London, the Tower
Bridge the Big Ben and the other famous places of this city. To arrive in Bath, I
brought a coach. The journey was long but I'm very happy to arrive in this town. I
didn't stay here before, but all my friends who saw Bath tell me that it is very
beautiful. I hope I enjoy myself very much.

PR—10
ERROR- of
CORRECTION- “other famous places in this city”
RULE- use a different preposition to indicate it’s a city. Of is used to indicate
possession or belonging while In is used for the names of land-areas. For example:

1. of – he is a friend of mine
2. in – he lives in London

PR- Remedial exercise

A preposition is a word that links a noun or pronoun to other parts of the sentence. It
is used to introduce an object or show time, location and direction: Below are
examples of common prepositions:
On - I am flying to Turkey on Saturday [
In – we stood in a circle
At – I will be there at 5pm
For – I bought this gift for my mother
By – I can pass the exam by preparing for it

Exercise: Match together the correct prepositions:

For ____10 o clock, I will have read 10 pages.
By The book is ___ the table.
In I have known her ___ 2 years.
On ___ 12 o clock midnight, Big Ben will chime.
At The spoon is ____ the kitchen.

STUDENT 5
a) Thank you for the informations
b) I stand up at 6 o'clock in the morning.
c) When I am ready I am eating my meal.
d) I passed a good week with you.
e) I want saying you thank you.
f) I had very nice lunch and wine and it made me very full up and I'm no
more hungry.
g) Where I stay the wife is a very good cooker.
h) The father is very humouristic.
i) I'm deceived for answer as quickly.
j) My friend don't let me any place.
k) The weather gets warmer in summer isn't it?
l) My partner gives the answer don't he?
m) The weather will remember me England.
n) We put there our luggage.
o) On five o'clock I want to eat my tea.

G
ERROR- informations.
CORRECTION- information.
RULE- Do not add –s to irregular plurals, they do not follow plural spelling rules.
They are the same in singular and plural form, for example;

fish – fish aircraft – aircraft sheep – sheep information – information

G - Remedial Exercise
A noun that shows only one person, thing, animal or place is called a singular noun and a
noun that shows more than one of these plural noun.
  
Write 5 singular nouns of your choice and change them to plural nouns by adding – s and/or
by adding ‘es’ to nouns ending in – ch, – s, –sh and – x. Pick both and irregular plurals
 
Example: deer - deer peach – peaches salmon - salmon cake - cakes
 
You were to pick FOUR errors, and you’ve picked five. I advised you to pick simple
errors, yet you chose not to follow this advice. Please follow directions. More is not
always better.
You have one repeat left.