Viewing topic: Common mistakes in English

In no particular order at all Some of these are so common they've been known to drive teachers to drink.

Writing 'bed' instead of bad, or 'then' instead of 'than'. Blame the abuse of phonetics for this one

Listen music => Listen TO music. Listen needs a preposition before a direct object.

Will add more later! Would be really funny to see some students write about common mistakes foreigners make in Russian

The most common mistake among Russians is missing out the article (a or the). Also:

'He said me' instead of 'he said TO me'

'I have studied English one year' instead of 'I have studied English FOR one year'.

Yep, that's a tricky one. Something that just has to be learned!

Also quite common to use present continuous where present perfect or continuous should be used, e.g:

"How long are you living in St. Petersburg" instead of 'how long have you lived/been living.'

Which to this day I still interpret as 'how much longer will you be in St. Petersburg.'

Who ever told Russians that English speakers don't use grammar in speech?!!

As teachers of English we really should be picking up on this sort of thing, wherever it is. Perhaps all the more so if it is appearing in authoratitive places where the students might read it. I wonder if anyone recognises where ALL these errors were found.

neccesary
appoligize
responcible
contraversy
I received Davids letter
the samething
Your not fooling (as in 'you are not')
a good salery ... saleries
beleiving
alocal highschool
done a years teaching
likeing
variuos
sholdn't
english
unsolisited, unsolisted
nogosible
a teachers salary
accomidations
they shouldn't except that low of salary
Bitting The Hand That Feed You
deffer to
right up your ally
exceptable
Foriegn
committments
piqued my interest

I'm willing to bet that native speakers, possibly teachers made all those mistakes

Quite possibly on this very site..