MISTAKES (B2/C1 Lesson)

LANGUAGE MISTAKES AND LANGUAGE ERRORS

If you regularly attend English class, you probably know the answer to this question: what’s the most common mistake you make when speaking in English?

But here’s a question you might not answer so easily: what’s the most common error you have been making recently in English?

You might now be wondering about the difference between a mistake and an error. In many aspects of everyday life these two words have exactly the same meaning. But in language learning, there is a subtle difference.

An error occurs when you don’t know the correct way to say or write something: this could be because you haven’t learned it yet, or because you forgot it a while ago and need to learn it again. Perhaps you’ve also made errors in English when translating word-by-word from your native language, because the word order or vocabulary might be different.

By contrast, a mistake happens when you know what’s correct, but get it wrong anyway. This could happen when you’re speaking and haven’t got time to think about using the right words or putting them in the right order. Often, language learners get frustrated over making too many mistakes, but these slip-ups are a normal part of learning and can be reduced with plenty of practice.

Teachers sometimes respond differently to errors and mistakes. Usually, you can correct a mistake by yourself after someone points it out. If it’s a language error, the chances are that you’ll not be able to put it right without help, whether that’s from a teacher, classmate, dictionary or app.