The English language is a difficult one to become competent in because of the hundreds of variations in spelling, word usage, meanings and grammar. It is essential for people who are having difficulty, to access the available literacy assistance so they can become productive members of the community. http://www.personaltutors.com.au

1. Common Errors in the English Language Barriers to Success
One of the major challenges for non-English speaking people who enter Australia is,
obviously, their struggle with the language. This creates significant barriers in their social
interaction with others, prospects for employment, access to social and business services,
and their continuing education. Hundreds of thousands of people in this situation have taken
up this challenge, learning English and in many cases, being able to write and speak it
better than many native-born Australians. This isn’t an easy feat, as English is widely
recognised as being one of the most difficult languages to learn. There are so many rules
and exceptions to those rules, that just when a learner thinks they have it right, it changes.
The reason for this goes back into the origins of the English language. This language as we
know it today evolved through early invasions of the British Isles, then through the later
British expansions when they colonised over a quarter of the world. The languages of all
these different races combined to create the English language familiar to us. It is still
adapting and changing, which makes it difficult for people who offer tutor Sydney services,
as they must also keep learning.
A widespread observation of English, given that it is a composite of numerous other
languages, is that there is so much room for error in grammar, syntax, spelling and word
use. Word use is particularly frustrating for learners, who not only have to learn a new
word, for example, “which” then find that by changing a couple of letters it becomes
“witch”, a completely different word with a completely different meaning. These words are
known as homophones.
There are hundreds of homophones in the English language, but there are a few that are
the most often misused. “It’s” and “its” are often written interchangeably when they are
not. “It’s” is a contraction (the apostrophe is a substitute for either “is” or “has”). A quick
way to check is to say it as two words i.e. it is or it has. If it then doesn’t make sense, the
correct word is simply “its.”
As if trying to choose between two words isn’t difficult enough for a learner, sometimes the
choice is out of three! Take “to, too or two”, for example. “Two” is the easier one to
eliminate, because it is the word for the number 2. “Too” means excessively or additionally
i.e. “the bag was too heavy.” For every other use, “to” is correct.
“Whose” and “who’s” also cause problems for the unwary. “Who’s” is a contraction with the
apostrophe substituting for the letter “i” as in “who is”. “Whose” is a possessive pronoun
indicating ownership ie. “Whose key is this?” These few examples illustrate the struggles
new learners have with English. To succeed academically and in the higher levels of
employment, engaging a tutor Brisbane is the best investment a person can make to get a
solid command of both spoken and written English.
These were only a few examples. There are hundreds more, and along with correct spelling,
grammar and the ability to use words in their correct context, are key indicators to the skill
level of a person using the English language. Assistance is available from private tutors or
the public education system, to speak and write English to the level required for success in
the workplace and community.
http://www.personaltutors.com.au