Correcting Your Own Mistakes

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Do you feel that your English is pretty good but that you still make some mistakes when speaking? Do you think your writing is better than your speaking? You are not alone. Many people feel just the same as you! When you write, you can “see” your mistakes, but when you speak, it’s hard to know when you have made mistakes.

Here are a few tips on how you can improve your spoken English:

Tip 1: Ask a friend who speaks English well to correct some of your mistakes when you’re speaking. (People will not correct you unless you ask them to do it.) Keep a written record of mistakes that you often make.

Tip 2: If you are an intermediate or advanced speaker of English, you can help yourself improve by recording yourself speaking in a real conversation. (Be sure to ask the other speaker for permission to record it!) Then, listen to the recording later and write down what you said. By looking at your speech in writing, you will see more of your mistakes.

Here are some very common mistakes that English language learners make. Be sure to avoid these mistakes.

Incorrect: “How do you think about it?”
Correct: “What do you think about it?”

Incorrect: “Let’s discuss about the product.”
Correct: “Let’s discuss the product.” or “Let’s talk about the product.”

Incorrect: “All of people in the company have MBAs”
Correct: “All of the people in the company have MBAs.”

Incorrect: “I have ever been to London.”
Correct: “I have been to London.”

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