Unit 3 The Teaching and Learning of EFL

Module 5 Error
 task

TASK

From the errors coming under the classifications G, WO, PR and 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. Write the category, the error, and the correction.

For example:
T.
INCORRECT: I haven’t gone to school yesterday.
CORRECT: 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 explaining what
they need to do in your remedial exercise. It could be a 'correct the
mistake' exercise, a gap-fill exercise, a true / false exercise, etc. Make
sure that your four exercises are not all the same type.

4. Write a worked example, ie one question done correctly to reinforce

your instructions.

5. Prepare a 5-item exercise for your student, eg it may contain 5

gapped sentences, 5 true/false questions, 5 words to put into the
specified form, etc.

Do this for each of the four chosen errors: G, WO, PR and T. Do not
prepare exercises for any other type of error.
I am 46 years old and married for twenty years (T- ERROR). We have got (G-ERROR) three children,
one soon (SP – ERROR) and two daughters. There are (SP-ERROR) six, eight and eleven years old. I
am an electrical engineer and worked (TENSE-ERROR) for a company who manufactured (TENSE-
ERROR) machines for processing automatically (WORD ORDER & SP-ERROR). At first, I am going to
(GR-ERROR) learn English in Great Britain. It's very important for my job. Then, I would like to have a
little compagniy (SP-ERROR) with about ten co-worker for myself (G-ERROR). If it isn't (PR-ERROR)
possible, I'll manage a department who developed (T-ERROR) high technology machines. I became
the test sheets for complete and return directly at you (G-ERROR). You phoned at your (G-ERROR)
agent about my (PR-ERROR) course at your school in Bristol. Very thanks for your trouble (G-
ERROR). I'm happy to come at(preposition-error) your school and I'm sure to (ERROR-GRAMMAR)
learn better English. I don't know my flight number on the 5st March (WO and SP-ERROR). I would
(ERROR-TENSE) let you KNOW as soon as possible.

GRAMMAR

1. Error

Incorrect:

with about ten co-worker for myself

Correct:

with ten co-workers and myself

2. Rule:

Singular vs plural nouns: when you identify an object that is more than 1 then you use a plural noun.
In this case you need to add an –s to make it a plural noun (ten co-workers). If It was just 1 you
wouldn’t add an s, and it would stay singular.

For m

3.

WO

Incorrect:

processing automatically

Correct:
automatic processors

PR

Incorrect:

I'm happy to come at

Correct:

I’m happy to come to

Incorrect:

who manufactured

Correct:

that manufactures