Sentence error

[paul123]

Hi,

I'm currently applying for a TEFL course, however there is one particular area that I am struggling with. The question is; "Identify which of the following sentences contains errors and correct them. Then explain why you think the speaker made the mistakes in each case" The sentence examples that are provided are;

1) We've lived here since three years.
2)It's high time we finish this.
3) He asked me what can he do for me.
4)The hotel's comfortable and the weather's attractive.
5) There was far less people at the match than I expected.
6)If I was you, I'd get more sleep.

If anyone could help identifying the errors, but more importantly help explain why the speaker would have made those mistakes, it would be very much appreciated.

[5jj]

Welcome to the forum, paul.

Sorry, but if this is part of a test you need to complete before you are accepted on the course, then it would not be right for us to help you. The course providers want to know what you can do, not what we can do.

[bhaisahab]

Hi,

I'm currently applying for a TEFL course, however there is one particular area that I am struggling with. The question is; "Identify which of the following sentences contains errors and correct them. Then explain why you think the speaker made the mistakes in each case" The sentence examples that are provided are;

1) We've lived here since three years.
2)It's high time we finish this.
3) He asked me what can he do for me.
4)The hotel's comfortable and the weather's attractive.
5) There was far less people at the match than I expected.
6)If I was you, I'd get more sleep.

If anyone could help identifying the errors, but more importantly help explain why the speaker would have made those mistakes, it would be very much appreciated.

Quite honestly, paul, as a native English speaker you should be able to recognise some, if not all, of the errors.

[paul123]

Dear bhaisahab,

I am able to identify the errors within the sentences, however what I wanted help with is explaining why someone who is learning english would make these errors.

Also 5jj, I didn't want anyone to answer the question, but rather help with the question. As the option is 'Ask a teacher' I thought this would be perfectly acceptable, as a teacher is someone who is meant to help and guide students when they are struggling with a subject. Is this not the case?

[bhaisahab]

Dear bhaisahab,

I am able to identify the errors within the sentences, however what I wanted help with is explaining why someone who is learning english would make these errors.

Also 5jj, I didn't want anyone to answer the question, but rather help with the question. As the option is 'Ask a teacher' I thought this would be perfectly acceptable, as a teacher is someone who is meant to help and guide students when they are struggling with a subject. Is this not the case?

Take #4 as an example. The writer has misused the word "attractive". Have you thought about (or looked up) synonyms of that word?

[emsr2d2]

Do you speak any foreign languages? If so, think about the kinds of errors you make with that language and consider if they're the same kind of errors learners make in English.
Do you already know English learners and talk to them regularly? That will give you a great idea of some of the errors they make and many of them are quite good at explaining why they chose the word or the construction they did.

[emsr2d2]

As this thread is more about a prospective teacher talking to established teachers, I'm going to move it to the "Teaching English" section and it can continue in some vein there.

[5jj]

Also 5jj, I didn't want anyone to answer the question, but rather help with the question. As the option is 'Ask a teacher' I thought this would be perfectly acceptable, as a teacher is someone who is meant to help and guide students when they are struggling with a subject. Is this not the case?

We do our best to help learners with their problems. We don't help people get higher marks on assignments. bhaisahab and ems have given you a couple of pointers. We can't do much more. As I said, the course providers want to know what you can do, not what we can do. You can use refernce books and the internet, unless you have been told not to.

[paul123]

Hi emsr2d2,

Unfortunately I don't any foreign languages, hence why I am struggling with the question. Also I do not know anyone that is currently learning English so I am unable to ask them for advice. Does anyone know of any websites or literature that I could use to research this area in more depth?

[emsr2d2]

You could start by Googling "common errors in English" and have a good look through those sites. Some just list the errors and their corrections, but some give the most common explanations for those errors too.