Help needed with CELTA application please

[lassie]

Hi all!

I am currently in the process of filling out my application for a CELTA course. I would appreciate any help you could give me the the following areas of the langauge task..

The following exchanges contains a mistake and I need to underline the mistake, correct it and write in simple terms, how I would make the correction clear to a student of English.

"Did you have a good weekend?"
"Yes, I had a nice time walking in the nature"

I think the correct term is "Yes, I had a nice time walking in the woods/forest/outdoors" but I am having difficulty trying to explain this??

"Have you got any money?"
"Yes, I've been to the bank yesterday"

The correct term I think is "Yes, I went to the bank yesterday". Again any help explaining this would be of great benefit.

Thanks in advance.

[Raymott]

Hi all!

I am currently in the process of filling out my application for a CELTA course. I would appreciate any help you could give me the the following areas of the langauge task..

The following exchanges contains a mistake and I need to underline the mistake, correct it and write in simple terms, how I would make the correction clear to a student of English.

"Did you have a good weekend?"
"Yes, I had a nice time walking in the nature"

I think the correct term is "Yes, I had a nice time walking in the woods/forest/outdoors" but I am having difficulty trying to explain this??

"Have you got any money?"
"Yes, I've been to the bank yesterday"

The correct term I think is "Yes, I went to the bank yesterday". Again any help explaining this would be of great benefit.

Thanks in advance.

1. We don't use the definite article before abstract words like 'nature'.
2. We don't use the present perfect tense when a specific time is mentioned.

[lassie]

Cheers Raymott, really appreciate your help .

[Allen165]

1. We don't use the definite article before abstract words like 'nature'.
2. We don't use the present perfect tense when a specific time is mentioned.

So are you saying that "Yes, I had a nice time walking in nature" is correct? To me, that does not sound like something one would say. "I went for a nature walk" sounds better to me.

[Raymott]

So are you saying that "Yes, I had a nice time walking in nature" is correct? To me, that does not sound like something one would say. "I went for a nature walk" sounds better to me.

Yes, but you have to understand the context of the question.
What is the common error in this question that an ESL student would make and that a teacher might have to correct?
What she corrects it to is of less importance, as long as it's correct, and it fixes the error in question without introducing new ones.
I agree that "I went for a nature walk" sounds more natural.