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MOST COMMON GRAMMAR ERRORS OF SPANISH SPEAKERS This article is principally aimed toward English teachers, who are interested in knowing some of the most common English mistakes made by learners. As English teachers, we should be aware of these mistakes and when the time arrives, get over them with ease and prevent fossilization. Spanish speakers may face some struggles when learning English. It is known that the English language is pretty different from Spanish
When it comes to grammar just consider the example: "Es difícil aprender inglés" An English learner might say: "It’s not easy learn English," which, in Spanish, would be: Es difícil aprender inglés. At first sight, it seems to be correct. However, there is something missing-the preposition to. It’s not easy to learn English.
GRAMMAR ERRORS 01 SWITCHING HE/SHE AND HIS/HER One of the most common errors Spanish speakers make in English is to mix up he and she. This can really confuse the listener, especially if someone is telling a story involving a man and a woman! The same is true with his and her. In English, which doesn’t have masculine/feminine grammatical gender, the pronoun agrees with the possessor. Here’s an activity you can do in your class: Timed Worksheets
An idea for a pronoun activity that you could infuse within your lesson plan is to use timed worksheets. Usually when children see a worksheet, they dread it. But what if you made it fun? 1. Download the printable worksheet below. 2. Turn the rows of students into teams. 3. Give students two minutes to match all of the pronouns listed on the worksheet. 4. The first team that can do it right can win a prize, extra credit or a class privilege. If students need an extra challenge, have them list as many nouns as they can along with their corresponding pronouns. Give extra points if they can list both the subject and object pronouns for each noun! Add more exercises with these pronoun worksheets for practice and review.
How can we learn the difference? Provide short texts for students that have
02 MAKE/DO
one or two example of do and make. Have
Where English-speaking learners of Spanish have trouble with the ser/estar distinction, Spanish learners of English often muddle up make and do. The best way to encourage your students to learn them correctly is as collocations – ‘make an effort’, ‘do one’s best’ etc. Have them dedicate a page in their notebooks to these two important verbs, divided into two columns where they can note new collocations as they encounter them.
the students read the text and ask them to find the examples. When they are done they can exchange texts with other students to work on finding examples in other texts. Keep in mind that what we do can make things much easier for them. The trick to learning anything new is practice. Always provide as much practice as possible and your students will be ready to use what they have learned confidently. As they say, practice makes perfect.
03 USING THE WRONG PREPOSITION
Activity:
Given that Spanish en can be translated by in, at and on
Timetable dictation: prepositions of time
Spanish speakers often use the wrong preposition: El libro está en la mesa. The book is on the table. Fui a Italia en julio. I went to Italy in July. Quedemos en tu casa. Let’s meet at your place. It’s important to learn prepositions with the words they go with
as
part
of
a
phrase
(on
the
table/in
July/at
my/your/his/her place) in order to avoid this kind of mistake. Although it’s unlikely in most cases that using the wrong preposition will confuse the listener, there are case when changing the preposition changes the meaning. For example: The teacher shouted to the boy (to get his attention). The teacher shouted at the boy (because he was angry with him).
Create three train timetables and post them on the walls of the room. Divide your students into three small teams. One student from each group stands by the timetable. The second student must run and listen to the information relayed to them by the first student by the timetable, then return to pass on the details to the third student, who must now take note of the information accurately. Only accurate sentences will get points.
04 REPEATING THE MAIN VERB Here’s a typical classroom exchange with a
Actitivy:
low level Spanish learner of English. Teacher: Do you like tennis? Student: Yes, I like. Do you like? It’s a common error to repeat the main verb, whereas native English avoids this by using the auxiliary verb ‘do’.
Let's have our students listen to a basic conversation between native English speakers. We can put the video, or recording two or three times if needed. Once that's done, you can ask your students to work in pairs and practice what they listen. You can also provide a transcript of the conversation, so they become familiar with the structure used.
05 I HAVE VS I AM “… to do what?” you might ask. This is one of the numerous cases where Spanish uses tener (to have) plus a noun where English uses to be plus an adjective. Other examples are: tener sed – to be thirsty tener hambre – to be hungry tener miedo – to be scared tener sueño – to be sleepy
Activity: Let's have our students write a list of 5 things they own. For example, clothes, a tootbrush, a lamp. Additionally, they will write a list of 5 things they are. For example, tall, short, funny. Once they have their list they will work in pairs or groups to practice the use of have or are.
One of the most difficult aspects of becoming a teacher is learning how to motivate your students. It is also one of the most important. Students who are not motivated will not learn effectively. They won’t retain information, they won’t participate and some of them may even become disruptive. A student may be unmotivated for a variety of reasons: They may feel that they have no interest in the subject, find the teacher’s methods un-engaging or be distracted by external forces. It may even come to light that a student who appeared unmotivated actually has difficulty learning and is in need of special attention.
REMEMBER
MOTIVATION IS THE KEY
Here are two common steps to get your students excited about learning: Encourage Students Students look to teachers for approval and positive reinforcement, and are more likely to be enthusiastic about learning if they feel their work is recognized and valued. You should encourage open communication and free thinking with your students to make them feel important. Be enthusiastic. Praise your students often. Recognize them for their contributions. If your classroom is a friendly place where students feel heard and respected, they will be more eager to learn. A “good job” or “nice work” can go a long way. Get Creative Avoid monotony by changing around the structure of your class. Teach through games and discussions instead of lectures, encourage students to debate and enrich the subject matter with visual aids, like colorful charts, diagrams and videos. You can even show a movie that effectively illustrates a topic or theme. Your physical classroom should never be boring: use posters, models, student NOMADIC | 24 projects and seasonal themes to decorate your classroom, and create a warm, stimulating environment.
AUGUST 2021
05 Ericka Chinchilla
619 Cedar Lane , West Palmer, NY 07093 +1-333-777-0202 / echinchillac958@ulacit.ed.cr
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