How do we categorise learners’ mistakes?

Mistakes are either errors or slips.

There are two main reasons why leaners make errors: L1 interference and the stage of the
learners’ development.

Mistakes result in problems of:

• Accuracy: students not using the corrrect form of the language.
• Appropriacy: students not using language suitable for the context or the situation.
• Communication: students not making their message clear.

We can categorise learners’ mistakes in accuracy and appropriacy in a number of different

ways, for instance:
• What is missing from a word, sentence or utterance.
• What is wrongly used.
• What is unnecessary.
• What is inappropriate.
 Let’s Analize the Mistakes!

EXPONENT We swum in the lake every summer.

CATEGORY Inaccuracy: grammatical.

DESCRIPTION Wrong / Incorrect verb form.

 Let’s Analize the Mistakes!

EXPONENT He have taken more than 100 photos

last week

CATEGORY

DESCRIPTION
 Let’s Analize the Mistakes!

EXPONENT He have taken more than 100 photos

last week

CATEGORY Inaccuracy: grammatical.

DESCRIPTION Unnecessary auxiliary used as part of the

wrong tense / wrong subject-verb
agreement.
 Let’s Analize the Mistakes!

EXPONENT Give me a cup of coffee.

(used in a café to order a coffee)

CATEGORY

DESCRIPTION
 Let’s Analize the Mistakes!

EXPONENT Give me a cup of coffee.

(used in a café to order a coffee)

CATEGORY Inappropriate style / register

DESCRIPTION Inappropriate register

 Let’s Analize the Mistakes!

EXPONENT Do you come from the Canada?

CATEGORY

DESCRIPTION
 Let’s Analize the Mistakes!

EXPONENT Do you come from the Canada?

CATEGORY Inaccuracy: grammatical.

DESCRIPTION Unnecessary article.

 Let’s Analize the Mistakes!

EXPONENT The leafs were very big and bright.

CATEGORY

DESCRIPTION
 Let’s Analize the Mistakes!

EXPONENT The leafs were very big and bright.

CATEGORY Inaccuracy: spelling.

DESCRIPTION Wrong / Incorrect Spelling (Plural: Leaves)

 Let’s Analize the Mistakes!

EXPONENT Where does he live

CATEGORY

DESCRIPTION
 Let’s Analize the Mistakes!

EXPONENT Where does he live.

CATEGORY Inaccuracy: punctuation

DESCRIPTION Missing question mark / Inaccurate use of full

stop.
 TASK 1
Mistakes can of course be oral or written. We can see some
further examples of them in the following tasks.
 TASK 2

TASK 3

Platform
 TOP T IPS / T IP TOPS
• Learners can lose motivation if we correct every mistake they make. They
become anxious and more unwilling to take risks and this can have a negative effect
on their learning. We need to think carefully about what, how and when we correct.

• When correcting learners’ written work, it is possible to use a correction code. This uses
symbols, for example sp for spelling, which tells learners the type of mistake they have
made. This can help learner autonomy because it raises learners’ awareness of the
types of mistakes they make and encourages them to correct their own mistakes. It’s
not possible to use a correction code with very young learners, because they are not
able to categorise language in this way.

• How we identify and categorise mistakes influences the way we correct them.
For example, learners may not have learnt the word or the structure yet; they may
be using a word or structure from their first language by mistake (L1 interference); they
may have great difficulty making certain sounds, which is another kind of
L1 interference, or they may need more time to check and edit their writing.
 TOP T IPS / T IP TOPS

• It is important not only to focus on mistakes of accuracy (e.g. grammar and

lexis). Mistakes of appropriacy need correcting as well. Mistakes of appropriacy
can often cause more misunderstanding and lack of communication than mistakes
of grammar and lexis.

• Mistakes can be a very positive aspect of learning. They show us that learning
is taking place and that learners are taking risks with the language.

• Some mistakes matter more than others. Mistakes that cause a breakdown
in communication or cause miscommunication are more significant than those
which do not, e.g. leaving off plural s is unlikely to cause a communication
breakdown, while using the past instead of going to is likely to.
 TOP T IPS / T IP TOPS

• It is useful to identify and categorise our learners’ mistakes. We might

identify common mistakes made by many students, or focus on mistakes made by
individual students. We can use this information when we plan our lessons to make
sure we focus on the problems that our students have, and help them develop
ways to improve.

• We can get information on our learners’ mistakes and their needs from
homework tasks, informal assessments, observation checklists and so on.

• Students may also make mistakes in communication, e.g. in speaking, they may
not be very fluent or may not have good interactive strategies, and in writing
they may not organise their writing according to accepted structures. Learners’
mistakes can be in accuracy, appropriacy or communication.