Common Mistakes Revisited

First class of semester 1 for 2010/2011 session has just ended.

As usual, I started the class with ice-breaking activity.

I asked the to grab a partner and take turn to interview one another. Later, they have to introduce their partner to the whole class.

As they were introducing their partner, I was listening for common mistakes committed during the oral presentation.

Typical mistakes are off course, the missing "s" in verbs for singular subject and tenses.

i.e. He like(s)
She come(s)
He have (has)...


Tenses:
She came.. ==> She comes
or He came from... ==> He comes from...
I was have to introduce ==> I am going to introduce...
He was graduated ==> he graduated...

Inappropriate use of preposition:

He lives at Sik. ==> He lives in Sik.

Use of preposition "at" is normally use for a specific location, such as
He lives at 123, Jalan Abc, Sik, Kedah.


The Use of ordinal and cardinal numbers:
He is twenty first years old ==> He is twenty one years old.
He has siblings a fifth ==> He has five siblings?
or He has many sibling and he is the fifth?

Use of Pronoun:
She hobby is...
Your name is...
She name is ...

Expressions:
I and my friend ==> My friend and I
Let we hear ==> Let us hear
Let's i tell you ==> Let me tell you

Now, I'm off to my next class... another first class meeting for this new semester.

:)