The document provides 15 examples of common errors made by language learners and suggests corrections. Each section includes the original incorrect sentence, the corrected version, and a brief explanatory note. The examples cover a range of linguistic areas including word choice, word forms, grammar structures, collocations and false cognates. The overall purpose is to help improve accuracy in English by highlighting frequent errors.

1. Error Correction 3
Idioma Modern II
2014

2. 1. Affirmative / Negative
• When you have a baby you don’t have time for
nothing.
• When you have a baby you don’t have time for
anything.
• Note: you could also say ‘You have no time’ or
‘You have time for nothing’ (less common).

3. 2. Word Order
• I like so much your ideas.
• I like your ideas so much / I really like your ideas.
• Note: this was very common in the forum and
Langblog. It is not a huge mistake but the
second sentences sound more natural.

4. 3. Vocabulary
• When we were younger we didn’t appreciate our
fathers.
• When we were younger we didn’t appreciate our
parents.
• Note: in English ‘father’ only refers to the male
parent

5. 4. Vocabulary
• Communication with your couple is the most
important thing.
• Communication with your partner is the most
important thing.
• Note: ‘couple’ means two people and ‘partner’
means one i.e. ‘boy/girlfriend’ / ‘husband’ / ‘wife’

6. 5. Vocabulary
• I decided to study the history career.
• I decided to study a course / a degree in history.
• Note: ‘career’ means work (from Macmillan
Dictionary: ‘a job or series of related jobs that
you do, especially a profession that you spend a
lot of your working life in’). It sounds like
‘carrera’ but does not refer to study.

7. 6. Infinitive forms
• It’s difficult adapt to a new situation at first.
• It’s difficult to adapt to a new situation at first.
• Note: ‘it’s + adjective + to infinitive’

8. 7. Word choice
• Some people buy a puppy for caprice.
• Some people buy a puppy on a whim.
• Note: the expression ‘do something on a whim’
means to make a quick decision (often to buy
something or do something fun). ‘Caprice’
sounds a little antiquated in English.

9. 8. Countable / Uncountable
• I have found two information about this place.
• I have found two pieces of information about this
place.
• Note: information is uncountable. Lots of people
are still making this mistake with advice too –
check your writing for this.

10. 9. Word form
• Study was very bored when I was a student.
• Study was very boring when I was a student.
• Note: bored is a feeling, boring describes the
thing that gives you this feeling. It is the same
for other –ed / –ing adjectives e.g. excited /
exciting, tired / tiring, worried / worrying

11. 10. Word choice
• I stayed two months of unemployment.
• I was unemployed for two months.
• Note: stay does not always translate directly into
English. In Spanish ‘me quedé (en situación X)’
would usually be ‘I was (adjective)’

12. 11. Prepositions / Verb Forms
• The matches could be useful for light a fire.
• The matches could be useful to light a fire.
• The matches could be useful for lighting a fire.
• be + adjective + to (verb)
• be + adjective + for (verb –ing)

13. 12. Articles
• I am very interested in the history.
• I am very interested in history.
• Note: history (general) takes no article
• a specific period can take an article e.g. The
history of ancient Egypt is fascinating.

14. 13. False friends / Vocabulary
• The sheet of plastic would be interesting.
• The sheet of plastic would be useful.
• interesting refers to something you want to
study / learn about / watch / listen to e.g. ‘That’s
an interesting movie, I highly recommend it’.
• useful refers to something practical e.g. ‘The
sheet of plastic would be useful to protect us
from the rain’.

15. 14. Collocation / false friends
• Insect bites could be an important problem.
• Insect bites could be a major problem.
• important = something positive / necessary e.g.
‘Penicillen was an important discovery’. / ‘It’s
important to eat healthily’.
• problem = something negative. You can say a
big problem / a major problem / a significant
problem

16. 15. Vocabulary / False Friends
• What do you think about my election?
• What do you think about my choice?
• election is a political event

17. • Thanks for the ideas here. It's great to see
how other people do error correction. I
don't have anything to share from Proelt
(yet!) but this is one way I have done
correction in my other online job.
• I send students a PPT with common errors
and have them suggest corrections in the
forum and a few days later send the same
PPT with answers and a quick explanation.
They can then compare and ask more