Paradoxically, the mistakes that Russian-speaking students make are made because of its... excessive simplicity. It would seem that it couldn’t be simpler - put the subject in an affirmative sentence first, then the predicate, object and adverbial place. But no - unnecessary rearrangements begin, and the result is not at all what is needed.
By the way, the word “error” is translated into English as mistake. You can also use the word "error" [ˈɛrə], but more often it is used in technology, as an error message in the system.
Thus, typical errors in English begin with word order. In questions, you need to put the auxiliary verb before the predicate, and in negative constructions, put “not” after the auxiliary verb and you will almost never make a mistake. Why “almost never” will be discussed below. Here are examples of statements, questions and denials:
Jonny can solve the problem right away. Johnny can solve the problem right now.
Can Jonny solve the problem right away? Can Johnny...?
Jonny cannot solve the problem right away. Johnny can't...
It seems that everything is fine here, but the difficulties begin further when there is no verb in the sentence that could play the role of an auxiliary:
Jonny solves problems right away. Johnny solves problems right away.
The first difficulty in this sentence is the placement of the letter S in the word solves. It would seem that this letter can be dispensed with and everything will remain clear. But a rule is a rule, and in the simple present tense the letter S is placed in the third person and singular. This simplest rule becomes a real stumbling block for Russian students and the result is a text in English with errors.
Prepositions and auxiliary verb Do
Further more: at the cost of incredible effort, the student is convinced that such sentences contain the auxiliary verb Do, but it is even more difficult to teach him that the letter S moves from the main verb to the auxiliary.
Does Jonny solve problems right away?
Jonny does not solve problems right away.
Where does the “e” in the word “does” come from? And this is just for convenience, so as not to be confused with the word dos (“back of the dress” or the plural in the expression “dos and don’t’s”).
Typical mistakes include incorrect use of prepositions. It is impossible to say on Sunday, since almost all words or phrases with the word “day” use the preposition “on”. Also, if in Russian we say “I’m angry with you,” then the English use another preposition “I’m angry with you” - “I am angry with you.”
Checking for errors
Often checking English text for errors reveals typical incorrect uses of forms of the verb be. It is extremely difficult to teach a Russian-speaking person that in the simple present tense this verb has three forms (am, is, are), and that its use in denominal constructions is strictly obligatory. Let's continue with Johnny:
Jonny is a mathematician. Johnny is a mathematician.
There are two possible errors in this sentence: 1) non-use of the indefinite article (with rare exceptions, obligatory at the first mention of a countable subject); 2) non-use of the form of the verb be (is). In this case, it is necessary to understand that there are practically no sentences without a predicate in the English language.
Based on the information provided, we suggest correcting errors in the English text:
I student. Goes I to my university every day except Sunday. My girlfriend come with me because to the university bring I her by car. She are very pretty girl.
I am a student. I go to the university every day except Sunday. My friend comes with me because I bring her to the university by car. She is a very pretty girl.
How often do we translate into Russian with errors?
Many translation errors from English into Russian are associated with the so-called tracing paper - an unjustified literal translation. For example, to translate an English proverb, it is advisable to choose a Russian equivalent. Here is the literal translation and what it should be: Too many cooks spoil the broth. Tracing paper: Too many cooks spoil the broth. Russian equivalent: Too many cooks spoil the broth.
The translator’s “false friends” may also let you down. For example, director is a director, water-melon is not a “water melon”, but a watermelon, accurate is not neat, but precise. There are many such examples that can be given.
In addition, the translated text may have "emphatically English" word order in the sentence. There are more options for rearranging words in Russian. Therefore, when translating, you should not be shy about changing words and phrases or selecting Russian equivalents for those phrases that sound ridiculous in direct translation.
Register on our website Lim English.com and take free online exercises. The smart system itself will detect your mistakes and offer to complete your homework. With Lim English you will deal with common mistakes and translation difficulties.
The Unified State Exam in English is planned to be included in the list of mandatory tests in the near future, but an increasing number of graduates are already choosing it. It is known that any foreign language is not easy to learn. The Unified State Exam comprehensively assesses the level of proficiency, which includes general understanding, written skills, speaking, and therefore is divided into sections according to its structure: listening, speaking, grammar and vocabulary, reading, writing. Also, the exercises are distributed in terms of difficulty according to levels: from minimal basic to high.
The goal of educational institutions in Russia is to optimize teaching and improve the level of knowledge. Statistics show that there is an increase in results and a decrease in the number of children scoring below the threshold and failing overall. Expert commissions note that the answers become more logical and consistent with each person. But tasks on grammar and presentation of thoughts are still difficult to complete.
What mistakes do schoolchildren make?
Listening to passages or dialogues in English is still not an easy task, although most people do it successfully. Difficulties lie in distinguishing between main and secondary information, the inability to “skip” unfamiliar words and take into account numerous details and specific context, and highlight the main idea of the text. During the preparation stage, listen to recordings as often as possible, giving preference to different genres. This will help to form a phonetic ear, train your memory, learn to remember the main thing and isolate key words.
Working with passages also poses difficulties for students: many demonstrate ignorance of idiomatic expressions and their sociocultural meaning, and do not have the skills to read meaningfully (with an emphasis on context). In order to cope, read more, developing memory and comprehension, while trying not to look in the dictionary. It is also useful to make a plan and retell it to yourself or out loud.
The “Grammar and Vocabulary” section is the “record holder” for reducing scores, traditionally the most difficult in learning not only a foreign language, but also your native language. Common: students do not fully understand the essence of the text, they “get confused” about tenses and voices, they do not know how to use words taking into account compatibility, form phrases, and spelling “suffers.” Read the task carefully, study the peculiarities of using grammatical forms, parts of speech, and synonyms.
In the “Letter” there are frequent spelling and grammatical errors, inattentive reading of the terms and the text itself and, as a consequence, misunderstanding of the topic. Also often encountered is the inability to formulate a problem and express an opinion, giving adequate arguments and counter-arguments to justify one’s point of view and the opposite one. Following the correct structure of the introduction and conclusion, avoiding logical errors are points that you should pay attention to. Recommendations: learn the composition of the essay genre, the definition of thesis and arguments, carefully choose appeals, final phrases, linking words, follow the order of sentences.
Overall it is quite successful. Typical shortcomings: violation of logic and incorrect interpretation of illustrations (when it is necessary to highlight their characteristics, common and different when comparing), lack of an elementary introduction and conclusion in the answer, non-compliance with intonation and pronunciation norms, stress. What is needed here is stable speaking practice in a variety of situations that the teacher will create during the lessons. It is better if the speech is spontaneous and unprepared. To do this, use atypical forms and situations of dialogue, create conditions for developing the skill of expressing judgments.
Preparation - conscious daily work and a creative approach throughout all years of study, searching for new topics and forms of communication. It would be useful to comprehensively introduce watching films, reading books and listening to music in the original. Taking into account such efforts, a good result on the Unified State Exam will not be long in coming.
English is not the most popular subject in which the Unified State Exam is taken, but interest in it among graduates is growing. Moreover, they promise to make the English exam compulsory soon. What are the features of preparing for the Unified State Exam in a foreign language? What mistakes should you avoid when completing exam tasks?
Why learn English?
Modern society clearly requires workers in many areas to know English. In some schools, its study begins already in the first grade; even non-linguistic universities choose to enroll in a number of Unified State Examination specialties in English. Moreover, we are promised that in the near future the Unified State Exam in English will be on a par with mandatory exams in the Russian language and mathematics.
Most of those taking the Unified State Exam in English are in Moscow and St. Petersburg. In Moscow, 29.2% of all graduates take it, in St. Petersburg - 21%. The results in these cities are also higher: on average in Russia - 57.8%, in St. Petersburg - 60.44%, in Moscow - 64.55%. But high school students from other regions are much more reluctant to take English; there are 10 times fewer people willing to take it! Only 6% in all regions.
Compliance with the Unified State Exam according to English international standards
But you can’t learn a language in one day. It is best to start preparing for the Unified State Exam in English two years in advance, that is, in the 10th grade. Despite many unflattering reviews about the Unified State Exam, this exam is very similar in structure to international ones, such as TOEFL, which clearly confirms its ability to determine the real level of proficiency in a foreign language.
In accordance with the documents of the Council of Europe, Unified State Examination tasks of the highest level of complexity correspond to level B2 according to international standards. In practical life, this means that only a small part of the Unified State Examination tasks in English requires an understanding of the content of complex texts, including highly specialized ones, and the ability to speak about them.
All texts used in the exam are authentic and undergo three stages of content examination, which is always carried out by a native speaker and reveals the textual consistency of the text. The exam checks the level of students' competence in three types of speech activity: listening, reading and writing. Lexical and grammatical skills are tested separately. Each section contains tasks of varying difficulty, which allows you to most accurately determine the student’s level of knowledge.
Typical mistakes in the Unified State Examination in a foreign language
Analysis of the Unified State Examination, typical mistakes, the opinions of parents and students, and especially the sales volumes of various teaching aids show that preparing for the exam is often understood as endlessly completing tasks - without a sufficient stage of training, development of strategies and algorithms of action, and subsequent analysis. But such popular collections of test materials themselves do not teach anything; moreover, they often do not even reflect the realities of the exam, and certainly do not allow one to develop all the necessary skills. Unfortunately, in many schools, preparation for the Unified State Exam is reduced to solving “options” - very often without subsequent analysis of errors and the reasons for their occurrence. This means that the root of the problem when passing the Unified State Exam in English is not the exam itself, but the way of preparing for it.
No matter how trivial it may sound, the basis of preparation for the Unified State Exam in English remains language learning. Without this, it is difficult to expect a good score in the exam. But there are also typical mistakes in the Unified State Exam in English that graduates often make.
Judging by the number of points received, the easiest section for schoolchildren is “Listening”. His tasks are aimed at testing the general understanding of the listened text and the information requested from it. Typical errors in this section show that students strive to “catch” individual words from the text and do not pay attention to its overall meaning. So, in 2013, the difference between the British and American versions of the word “mobile phone”: mobile phone and cell phone became a trap for many. Appealing with only one word, and not the general meaning of the statement, many chose the wrong answer.
The “Reading” section is similar in structure to the “Listening” section, only here instead of oral text you need to work with written text. The main difficulty in these tasks was working with words that were similar in meaning, for example, return - recovery - come back. In one of the tasks, the answer to the question was contained at the end of the text, but a similar incorrect answer was in the first paragraph, which led to a large number of errors in this question.
The “Grammar and Vocabulary” section turned out to be not as difficult in 2013 as in 2012. His average success rate increased to 58%. Despite this, typical mistakes remain the same from year to year: irregular verb forms and passive voice. Such a result is evidence of insufficient or incorrect work with errors, which should include determining the cause of the error, appropriate work with theory to eradicate this problem, and consolidating exercises. And you need to learn: there is a strictly defined set of irregular verbs that you just need to learn!
Particularly difficult are tasks devoted to lexical compatibility. The reason for this is, first of all, insufficient work with the “real” language. It is necessary to constantly work with authentic texts and analyze those linguistic features in them that confuse the exam. This is one of the most interesting aspects of the language, which is often “hidden” from students, which reduces their passion and interest in learning foreign languages.
“Writing” is the last section, which most clearly reflects the level of language proficiency. It includes tasks C1 and C2. Due to the fact that the exam time has increased by 20 minutes, many began to take on these tasks, but so far they have not been very successful, as evidenced by the decrease in the average score for them. To complete the task of part C, you must not only correctly express your thoughts on paper, but also strictly follow both the requirements of the task itself and international standards for writing letters in different styles. The training of the skills necessary for this should be carried out constantly and in different formats, which is quite possible if the general approach to the exam is sufficiently thoughtful.
It's important to mention the Speaking section here, which was canceled in 2006, but definitely a few years later. Since this section is not currently included in the exam, many schools simply “don’t speak” the language. But through speaking and only through it, you can expand your vocabulary, on which the entire exam is based, you can learn to formulate your thoughts, listen to someone else’s speech and watch for mistakes. All this is the basis not only for successfully passing the Unified State Exam, but also for real proficiency in a foreign language.
Algorithm for preparing for the Unified State Exam in English:
1. You must start preparing for the Unified State Exam no later than two years before the exam.
2. Language knowledge cannot be divided into specific tasks and prepare only for them: all skills are interconnected, and only complex work allows you to cover and practice the maximum of necessary skills.
3. In the “Listening” section, it is necessary to perceive the meaning of the statement as a whole, and not “catch” individual words from the text.
4. In the “Reading” section, you need to pay special attention to working with words that are close in meaning.
5. In the “Grammar and Vocabulary” section, you must learn the theory: forms of irregular verbs and passive voice.
6. In the “Writing” section, you need to train your writing skills and study international standards for writing letters in different formats.
7. It is necessary to constantly work with authentic texts and analyze those linguistic features in them that confuse the exam.
8. Develop speaking skills in English.
Authentic English textbooks are better than ever. English File, Outcomes, Cutting Edge, Straightforward and many others are great. But they have one drawback - they are written for thousands of people from all over the world. As a result, errors common to native speakers of a particular language are not dealt with in these textbooks. But it’s okay, teachers come to the rescue!
As an English teacher, I hear and correct mistakes every day for 13 years. To correct a little less, I have compiled a list of the most common mistakes that Russian students make in English. These mistakes are made by most students of different ages, genders, professions, levels, completely independently of each other. The order is random.
On Monday or Tuesday I always ask the students: “What did you do at the weekend?” and I hear in response “I with my friends went to the cinema.” It is correct to say My friends and I went to the cinema or I went to the cinema with my friends. In English, the word order “subject + predicate” is almost unchangeable. There is little that can be put in between. Prepositional phrases are not allowed.
When students don’t know how to say something, they ask me or mutter “How to say this?” to themselves. This is wrong. This is a question, and questions in English are built using auxiliary verbs. Correctly, for example, like this: How do I say this? How do I put this? What's the word for this? What do you call this? (“How do you call this?” By the way, another mistake. In the last version, what is correct.) How to can be used in affirmative sentences, for example, “I don't know how to say this” or “I will show you how to do it,” but not in questions.
That's right, just feel good. Moreover, feel yourself has a meaning that you probably don't want to use in an English lesson. I’m even embarrassed to explain it here. Better Google it yourself. Is it true.
Yes, “I look forward to hear from you” is wrong. Yes, you need to use the -ing form after to and say I look forward to hearing from you. No, this is not an exception that needs to be remembered. There is an explanation.
The thing is that to can be a particle before a verb (I want to go) or a preposition (go to Moscow). When it is a particle, you use the infinitive, but when it is a preposition, you use the -ing form. In the case of look forward to, this is precisely a preposition, as in these examples: I am used to getting up early; I devote a lot of time to writing my blog; We must commit to working hard.
In English, the future is simply close, and not immediate, as in Russian. You just need to come to terms with this and talk in the near future.
In Russian, “on the street” is often just in the open air. If “it’s cold outside,” this means that it’s also cold in parks, on embankments, and so on. In English, in the street means “on the road/in the city/with buildings on both sides.” Therefore, if you go for a run in the park or play football in the yard, this is outside / outdoors, and not in the street.
Last time does not mean “lately”, but “last time”. For example: “The last time I went to the cinema was in August” or “When was the last time you watched a movie in English?” “Recently” is lately / recently. For example, “I haven’t talked to my best friend a lot lately” or “I’ve been chainwatching The Big Bang Theory recently.”
Imagine the following situation: you have spent many years learning a language, and upon arriving in a country where the language is spoken fluently, you find that you have wasted several years because you cannot express yourself and cannot understand other people.
The question immediately creeps in: “What am I doing wrong? Where did I go wrong? Let's discuss what problems and difficulties you may encounter when learning English. Let's do this!
First, let's divide our errors into 3 types: psychological, methodological And grammatical.
Psychological errors
- Wrong goal setting.
If you learn any language without a specific and clear goal, then it will not give you either pleasure or results.
You always need to set a clear goal for why you need a foreign language. Maybe you want to study abroad? Or maybe you want to get promoted up the career ladder and work with foreign partners?
You must be aware of where you are going and what you want to achieve.
- Fear of making mistakes.
Most people believe that everything should be “perfect” at once and try to pronounce only those words and constructions that they have learned a long time ago and are confident in using.
But as experience shows, it is necessary to make mistakes.
By trying to protect yourself from mistakes, you are depriving yourself of practice.
Look at little children when they learn to speak. Don't they make mistakes? They do it, and a lot. But they are not afraid to speak up, and in the end quantity turns into quality.
When you make a mistake, you better understand the topic and check whether you understood everything correctly.
- Lack of self-discipline.
You can't skip classes. And this is not an empty phrase that all teachers repeat. Every missed lesson plays an important role in learning.
In class, you can repeat previously studied material or pay more attention to practicing a specific speaking skill, not to mention new material.
Therefore, if for some reason you were unable to attend the lesson, be sure to review the lesson material at home yourself and note any points that you do not understand.
- Waiting for someone to teach you.
Often people overly rely and even shift responsibility onto teachers and tutors. This, of course, is completely wrong.
First of all, the result depends on you!
- Read only.
To master a language, it is important to hear it and practice speaking it. You can perfectly understand English texts, but be unable to perceive the same text by ear, much less connect a couple of phrases to answer.
The key to speaking is listening, repeating and learning vocabulary in context.
- Only words.
Experience shows that it is much more effective to study not just individual words, but phrases. This is very similar to how a child learns to speak by memorizing simple structures and speech patterns.
Try to learn the noun together with the adjective, verbs and prepositions. This will definitely simplify your task of learning English.
- Insufficient repetition of studied material.
Less, but better - in the language this rule works 100%.
You don’t need to learn a lot of new material, just repeat the material you’ve covered more times than you’re used to, but not at once, of course.
You don’t need to memorize just the rules—develop associative thinking and imaginative memory. Try to associate new words and expressions with information you already know: sensations, smells, sounds, tastes, visual images, etc.
This way you will remember the material much faster and more efficiently.
- Lack of practice of communicating with a native speaker.
We are all embarrassed to start communicating with native speakers, but in vain.
A native can become an excellent teacher and mentor for you, because he, like no one else, knows all the intricacies of the “living” language. It will help you understand slang and phrasal verbs, see the difference between book English and spoken English, and you will be able to overcome the language barrier even faster.
- Ignoring correct pronunciation.
You can be a grammar guru, have a good vocabulary and be able to apply the acquired knowledge in practice, but speak with a terrible accent.
There can be many reasons for this phenomenon: choosing an incompetent tutor, insufficient time spent practicing pronunciation, ignoring audio courses, lack of live communication in English, etc. The main problem is that over time it becomes more and more difficult to eradicate pronunciation errors.
Watch this video and remember how to pronounce English words correctly.
Grammar errors
In this list we have collected only some of the mistakes that students make when learning English.
- Same in Russian, but different in English.
Often students learn only one translation of a Russian word into English. However, where the same word sounds in Russian speech, a completely different one may be required in English.
"Please" - " please" (in a request) or " you are welcome"(response to "thank you").
"Border" - " border" (between countries) or " frontier"(the limit of human knowledge and in other allegorical senses).
"Shadow" - " shade" (a place where sunlight does not reach) or " shadow"(dark outline of an object).
"Place" - " place" (position in space) or " room" (free space) or " seat"(seat).
- Verb « to be».
Many students like to say “I am” where they don’t need to “be”. The result is: “I am working”, “I am agreeing”, “I am going”, etc.:
I am agree (classic of the genre) - I agree / I don't agree(I agree/disagree).
I am working, etc. - I work(I am working).
- Learn words in context, or learn ready-made phrases.
- Don't spend a lot of time studying grammar, but pay attention to what you say.
- Learn English not by reading, but by speaking. Like grammar, reading is a good help, but it is not the universal key to language.
- Repeat the material you have covered many times and over several days, and then return to it after a week or a month.
- Find yourself an environment for communication. It's hard to learn a language alone.
- Don't be afraid to make mistakes. You can only overcome mistakes with practice.
Have a nice day and be proud of yourself!
Big and friendly EnglishDom family
